Currys Dixons PC World

housesitter

As someone who used to work for PC World about 9 years ago and have 2 friends who did the same I can reasonably say:

Don't blame the staff, blame the management.

It's all target driven. It's all about getting the customer to be your friend and have them listen to you.
The mangement is not interested in getting into the really technical detail and helping you out when the next customer through the door is dumb and flash with cash.
Our collective time at PC World taught us that we hate sales environments. Personally in the last 12 years of working in IT I've never met a good salesman who is technical, but I do understand that rare breed exists. I have meant plenty of successful bullsh**rs who know nothing, but bring in the orders. I've also been on the receiving end of plenty of liars.

I tried to help people out and explain things to them. I got repremanded for staffing the peripheral sections and helping customers rather than high value box shifting as the manager had his targets to meet.
Things have changed since my tenture, one of my friends who was there 4 years later than me after bombing out of uni, got some M$ qualifications from them and now works for a big legal firm's IT dept around the world.
In PC World he thrived as tech staff, his manager was sensible enough to see him as a purchase enabler despite not bringing in much direct profit. Their store had a high reputation in the area as a technical lead.

So, blame the management, on bonus schemes, concentrating on easy sales.

housesitter

Jakg wrote: »

Its no better than "can you give me a deal on that if I pay by cash" (!!!!!!!)

Why not ?
Ikea charge you for paying with a credit card (as I unfortunately found out at the weekend). As do many other places.

So, if a retainer is absorbing the costs of CC processing, why not ask?
Changes are the cash sales are subsidising it however.

However, not giving a discount on what I'd guess is about 100quids worth of stock is a pretty bad attitude. If the customer is walking you'll make a deal, especially in the current sales environment. Or you'll fail.

Davesnave

Really2 wrote: »

Thats called how munch lunch and advertising you give them.
Lets say I worked for a reasonable size manufacurer. I would not trust any review survey etc to be unbiased.

Err, not in the case of Which? Impartiality is their raison d'etre. No impartiality, no Which?

PC Pro's comments were as a result of a 15000 customer survey, but yes, they could be fiddled.

vivatifosi

Snooze wrote: »

THAT is the reason why Currys need to die and no, I have no sympathy for the staff whatsoever because all they are good for is working in scummy jobs where they don't need a brain instead of working in electronics shops where customers expect you to know what you're talking about and understand all the jargon :rolleyes: .

My cousin's son is working in Currys to fund his studies to be a doctor. He's pretty good at it too... You can't tar everyone with the same brush, though good training and a positive and helpful management attitude certainly helps.

b0rker

Where PC World sales people are concerned you are really looking at people who most probably don't have the skills/knowledge to work in I.T. at a higher level and therefore are working in sales. If I were them and wanted to progress in I.T. I would not personally reccomend sales in PCW as the way to go. Maybe start at the bottom in technical support or whatever. Perhaps most PCW sales people do not have aspirations of a career in I.T. mind you.

As for Curries. My local Curries has a great salesman working there. He sold us our cooker. I would buy from him any day of the week. He must have been there at least 10 years now. I would hope that most of these stores would have at least one sales person of his quality and if you were to get bored of the kids who do not know what a PVR is then you could at least approach him. That is what I would do at least.

In saying that I buy 95% of my electrical/tech goods off of the web.

housesitter

b0rker wrote: »

In saying that I buy 95% of my electrical/tech goods off of the web.

The vast majority of all my AV style electricals come from ebay or specialist forums akin to MSE.
Just like buying a car; let someone else take the hit on the new shiny thing as it depreciates and you pick it up for a fraction of the cost down the line.

Lifeisbutadream

jason_king wrote: »

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=p68cMUkD9eo&feature=channel_page

!!!!!!????????

Jakg

housesitter wrote: »

Why not ?
Ikea charge you for paying with a credit card (as I unfortunately found out at the weekend). As do many other places.

So, if a retainer is absorbing the costs of CC processing, why not ask?
Changes are the cash sales are subsidising it however.

However, not giving a discount on what I'd guess is about 100quids worth of stock is a pretty bad attitude. If the customer is walking you'll make a deal, especially in the current sales environment. Or you'll fail.

At PC World all cash has to be recounted when put in the till. Then the safe has to be balanced (and a safe has to be purchased in the first place), change mistakes are made (and only when the customer was short-changed do they ever say), and specialist companies have to transport the cash (i.e. £20k in a van at a time needs a pretty armoured van) where it has to be counted again - Cash is actually probably more expensive to handle than Credit Cards.

Asking - Fine. But getting !!!!ed off because you don't get a discount of the price everyone else is paying is just rude...

And discounting - Like I said, on hardware (i.e. PC's, TV's, Washing Machines etc) the profit margins are very very low - the stores sell those items to get people in the store to buy the attachments that make the real cash. Why should they give you a discount and totally wipe out their profit margin and then still run the risk of you bringing it back? Credit Crunch or not theres no reason why they should and I have no idea why people get so annoyed when they have to pay full price for something :X

b0rker wrote: »

Where PC World sales people are concerned you are really looking at people who most probably don't have the skills/knowledge to work in I.T. at a higher level and therefore are working in sales. If I were them and wanted to progress in I.T. I would not personally reccomend sales in PCW as the way to go. Maybe start at the bottom in technical support or whatever. Perhaps most PCW sales people do not have aspirations of a career in I.T. mind you.

Thanks - I'm a hopeless failure!

Theres a reason why people who work in PC World are young - the pay is low (although for what *I* could be working for it's high) and the hours are flexible so I can fit it around School. I'm constantly looking for another job, because sales is not my thing, but computers are - but I'm not sure if there are any positions open for a part time computer repairer round 'ere - Once I leave Uni with my Computer Systems Engineering Degree (hopefully UEA) then no, I have no intentions of working for PC World - but where else can I work atm?

lincroft1710

Jakg - a few years ago Currys did give discounts on multiple purchases and as Comet are virtually next door (where I live), were I in charge, I'd be trying to take as much business as poss from opposition.

And how did you know I wouldn't be purchasing one of their warranties?

Generali

Lifeisbutadream wrote: »

!!!!!!????????

Ah, our old friend Bruno has returned. He threatened to go to a meet up of housepricecrash.com with an AK 47. The police took a rather dim view IIRC.