Transit engineer
I figure more I can do to get drivers off the road and on public transit, the safer the world is for cyclists.
I figure more I can do to get drivers off the road and on public transit, the safer the world is for cyclists.
- Jul 9, 2009
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craig1985 said:
Yeah WTF, the last thing homeless people will stop buying is liquor. How can you screw that up?
- Mar 14, 2009
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As Dim will probably tell you much better than I can, Threshers have/had its pricing strategy wrong for the last 5/7 years. Coupled with supplier mismanagement, and buying in stock that had very little or no demand.
Unfortunately, in that scenario you end up with the company going to the wall. If you are from the UK you will know all about the following, though for those who are not, here goes...
... Supermarkets here can sell alcohol, and often do so in promotions that are loss leaders, this gets feet through the door which the supermarkets make up on margins on regular products such as foodstuffs and household items. This coupled with other national competitors such as Bargain Booze (it does exactly what it says on the tin), who sell their items at a lower price and with a range that people want to buy, and you find that the original company who does not manage to adapt to the present times, loses custom and eventually disappears.
Unfortunately, in that scenario you end up with the company going to the wall. If you are from the UK you will know all about the following, though for those who are not, here goes...
... Supermarkets here can sell alcohol, and often do so in promotions that are loss leaders, this gets feet through the door which the supermarkets make up on margins on regular products such as foodstuffs and household items. This coupled with other national competitors such as Bargain Booze (it does exactly what it says on the tin), who sell their items at a lower price and with a range that people want to buy, and you find that the original company who does not manage to adapt to the present times, loses custom and eventually disappears.
Dr. Maserati
BANNED
- Jun 19, 2009
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dimspace said:
+1... Thats the attitude.
I think it is an opportunity for you to get in to something you enjoy, get fulfillment and recognition from.
Your wife sounds like a wonderful and supportive lady, so I think you will benefit enormously from having some time off together before you take on your next challenge.
Hope all goes well today!
Big_Blue_Dave said:
the pricing strategy has had its moments, 3 for 2 on wine worked brilliantly for a while, we just did a crap job of conveying it to the public.. yes the single bottle price was more expensive, but the 3 for 2 price did beat the supermarkets hands down.. we just didnt convey it well..
the bigger problem was range, point of difference, and the failure of management to understand that not every shop was the same.. over the last two years they have tried to make every thresher identical.. my shop, in a town centre, in a wealthy devon town, is not the same as a shop in the north east of england in the middle of a residential area, but they looked at what sold well on average across the company, got rid of the rest and said lump it... I had done massive trade for years on the back of decent quality wines more associated with wine rack, i had probably the biggest range of malt whiskys of any threshers in the country stocking over 50 malts, and having customers who drove 100+ miles to visit the branch.. when the malts went i lost about 10k in sales straight off, when the decent wines went i lost 20k a month.. but, the other side of the coin says that i was one of the few branches to do this, most branches sold 1 bottle a week.. (i actually xmas 2007 beat the wine racks in whisky sales, topping the company).. the range was reduced i January from something like 10,000 skus to 1000... some of us benefited from that, some where damaged irretrievably.. the damage was done years ago...
we unfortunately have a history if bright ideas and wasted money.. millions to gordon ramsey to stick his picture on the front of our shops, millions on new merchandising equipment that wasnt needed, very very bad deals made with suppliers two or three years ago that we are still paying for (one horrendous deal with bud that cost us millions because we agreed to buy x amount)..
the previous management did the damage, the current one finished off the job...
the stupid thing is, the managers, certainly the good ones (and the south west where i am probably has the best managers in the company) knew what was wrong and how to fix it.. we actually got a meeting last year with the head of the company he was that impresssed with us.. he took on a lot of our ideas over november december as a trial... and guess what.. THEY WORKED... and guess what.. the company didnt stick with them...
today theyve just said we carry on trading, while they find a buyer.. likeleyhood some shops will be closed and then the government will pay redundancy.. so right now im just hoping my shop is one of the ones going... even if its not, im sure i can take the redundancy and let another manager have my shop...
Dr. Maserati said:
i enjoyed it, probably too much, and probably took it too seriously.. i had six branches and all of them at one time or the other was the best in the region for something.. i would argue blind with anyone that i am/was one of the top 2 or 3 managers in the south of england.. .i just tried a little too hard sometimes... every year my boss told me "worry about what you can control, not what you cant...", i always tried to change everything regardless... hardly surprising that when i saw them completely messing it up i ended up off sick...
- Mar 14, 2009
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dimspace said:
Dim, why not get together with the other managers in the SW and offer a management buyout for those stores and all of you use your ideas to create a smaller regional chain?
You, plus a number of others would then be the boss.
Big_Blue_Dave said:
trouble is, virtually every building we have is in serious disrepair with the tenant responsible for repairs (i battled to get any work done on mine, and only got my new fascia to replace the falling off 20 year old one, and a paintjob because my freindly landlord told head office he would chuck them out if they didnt..
), as a company our reputation with local suppliers is horrendous, it was heartrbeaking to see even local suppliers be forced to wait 90 days+ for payment (and thats been going on years).. to be honest, i think most of us will be happy to make a clean break and get out.. if only i was american i could move to paris and work for fat bike bicycle tours.. just cycing round paris all day telling tourists about the sights.. much more fun..
nah.. i want out.. like i say, out of retail this will be my first xmas in 10 years ive been able to spend at home, maybe even get away and see some family.. imagine working every christmas eve, boxing day and new years eve for 10 years.. gets a bit much after a while.. i deserve a break
- Mar 14, 2009
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dimspace said:trouble is, virtually every building we have is in serious disrepair with the tenant responsible for repairs (i battled to get any work done on mine, and only got my new fascia to replace the falling off 20 year old one, and a paintjob because my freindly landlord told head office he would chuck them out if they didnt..
if only i was american i could move to paris and work for fat bike bicycle tours.. just cycing round paris all day telling tourists about the sights.. much more fun..
nah.. i want out.. like i say, out of retail this will be my first xmas in 10 years ive been able to spend at home, maybe even get away and see some family.. imagine working every christmas eve, boxing day and new years eve for 10 years.. gets a bit much after a while.. i deserve a break
T'was just a thought.
- Apr 12, 2009
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just had a promising spanish rider come in today and absolutely crushed it, I haven't seen somebody that young sustain that many watts for that long since LLS and the kid has so many flaws in his TT position, a couple more weeks and he'll be setting times that could rival the best in a couple of years.
tBig_Blue_Dave said:
I know mate.. at the moment if i never saw another bottle of wine in my life it would be too soon..
to kick us really in the face, had a bunch of gift vouchers in the post as the prize for a incentive last CHRISTMAS the other day...
guess what.. threshers stopped accepting gift vouchers today.. so i have to claim the money from the administrators... like thats gonna happen...
- Jul 2, 2009
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dimspace said:
hang in there brother. retail is a fickle world. take your time to regroup. and
yeah you deserve to be with your family on holidays.
usedtobefast said:
oh we are fine.. to be honest just hoping now they dont find a buyer and redundancy comes.. after a 8 months off with stress, returning to that is hardly my idea of fun.. gotta funny feeling when i see my doc hes going to sign me off until its all sorted out.. i cant imagine any responsible doctor is going to send someone recovering from stress into a business thats in administration..
been thinking about this today a bit.. after ten years locked in a shop, five years locked in a kitchen, and 5 years locked in an office i really fancy being outside, not sure what, but fancy being out in the fresh air... but not till the spring..
ive worked since i was 16 (well if you count markets, fairs, and paper rounds ive been working since i was 9...) at 38 im due a break..
- Mar 14, 2009
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I'd hope for a buyer and store closures, to get you your redundancy and then be able to use your vouchers. Just keep thinking positively and something will come good. For outdoor work, become a binman (or whatever they call themselves these days).
Big_Blue_Dave said:
it very much looks like a director who joined about a month ago will be buying the company, but losing a lot of branches.. and its pretty sure they will chop the company off at bristol..
suits me nicely...
I am a pro mountain biker (sort of) that carries lots of things with me that can either help or hurt someone really badly. What am I?
- Jul 7, 2009
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skippy254 said:I am a pro mountain biker (sort of) that carries lots of things with me that can either help or hurt someone really badly. What am I?
Uhhhh....EMT mountain rescue
guy??skippy254 said:I am a pro mountain biker (sort of) that carries lots of things with me that can either help or hurt someone really badly. What am I?
a cycling yeti?
- Mar 14, 2009
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skippy254 said:I am a pro mountain biker (sort of) that carries lots of things with me that can either help or hurt someone really badly. What am I?
Cycling's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
- Oct 8, 2009
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skippy254 said:
were you an actor on this show? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Blue_(TV_series)
- Jul 9, 2009
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