Anti-franchise rant

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#1285404 16-Apr-2015 10:21

I don't know how people have the energy to get this upset about stuff.

If you don't like queues and checkouts, shop online. It is convenient and well worth the delivery charge ($15) for the convenience. We have had 1 issue with mis-delivery in a long time.

If you have specific requirements that are outside the majority, chances are a large supermarket won't stock it, you will need to go to a specialty store. Expecting a large chain to stock something for your benefit is ridiculous. We shop at the supermarket for most stuff, sometimes online, sometimes not. We also go to an organic shop for some stuff the supermarket doesn't stock. I didn't complain to Pak n Save for not stocking organic salted butter.

Having large chains means that most things are cheaper (for the moment ignoring near-monopoly hardline shenanigans with suppliers). There are drawbacks to this - there is less flexibility for individual stores.

The above is targeted at Supermarket chains only. No comment on the electronics store stuff.

Edit: Loyalty Cards - if you care about someone data-mining your buying habits, don't use it. I really couldn't care less if they know I bought nappies, milk and a 3 pack of croissants last night. Same deal with Fly Buys etc.

reven

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#1285405 16-Apr-2015 10:23

DravidDavid: Between 1993 and 1998, money would have been worth more though, wouldn't it? The wage has risen with the cost of living.

i checked the inflation website, $1 in 1993 is about $1.4ish now, but mcdonalds has definitely more than doubled in price since then :D

Geese

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#1285436 16-Apr-2015 10:54

heylinb4nz: Less about wages and more about the crap attitude of our young adults and much of our early 20s age group today. The incentive to do your job well is to gain experience, good references so you can get the next higher paying job..but dont expect it to be right away

Except said companies have a blanket policy to not give references. Therefore, one cannot get the references to get a higher paying job... that's certainly my experience from minimum wage chain/franchise store jobs.

heylinb4nz

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#1285464 16-Apr-2015 11:13

reven:
DravidDavid: Between 1993 and 1998, money would have been worth more though, wouldn't it? The wage has risen with the cost of living.

i checked the inflation website, $1 in 1993 is about $1.4ish now, but mcdonalds has definitely more than doubled in price since then :D

Even if the $16 minimum wage was warranted the attitudes have certainly still changed (for the worse). People expect to walk into a first job and earn $40k a year...its bloody ridiculous.

In fact there is a job you can walk into that pays $38k a year...its called a call centre...and can lead to very high paying roles within 5 years (team leader, trainer, business analyst, process specialist)...and even then they will complain that answering phones is beneath them. entitlement much ?.

heylinb4nz

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#1285470 16-Apr-2015 11:21

IlDuce:
heylinb4nz: Less about wages and more about the crap attitude of our young adults and much of our early 20s age group today. The incentive to do your job well is to gain experience, good references so you can get the next higher paying job..but dont expect it to be right away

Except said companies have a blanket policy to not give references. Therefore, one cannot get the references to get a higher paying job... that's certainly my experience from minimum wage chain/franchise store jobs.

That's when "confidence, selling yourself and your experience" comes into play..another skill the current generation seem to have forgotten. Also your 2nd or even 3rd and 4th job isnt going to be a high or higher paying job.

My first jobs in the $4.32 to $16 per hour range spanned 10 years

- Checkout operator
- Deli Assistant
- Retail Assistant
- Retail Sales
- Rental Car Rep
- Car Groomer
- Part time IT Tech
- Helpdesk Operator
- Intranet Admin

Gained a ton of experience and base skills to equip me for the higher $$$ jobs to come. Uni degree doesn't guarantee success either...Most of my school friends have similar stories.

Geektastic

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#1285472 16-Apr-2015 11:22

frankv:
Geektastic: You can rarely find a handy staff member to ask and usually they have no idea how to rectify the matter - I don't get the impression that they get much training. A recent example - nothing but a big hole where my favourite coffee should have been. Eventually found a staff member whose response was "Oh. Right." and then walked off!

This is what you get when you pay minimum wages... there's no incentive to do your job well. The job is looked at as a fill-in until you can get a decent job.

Surely not being sacked for being useless is adequate incentive?

Rikkitic

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#1285525 16-Apr-2015 12:26

wasabi2k: I don't know how people have the energy to get this upset about stuff.

If you don't like queues and checkouts, shop online. It is convenient and well worth the delivery charge ($15) for the convenience. We have had 1 issue with mis-delivery in a long time.

If you have specific requirements that are outside the majority, chances are a large supermarket won't stock it, you will need to go to a specialty store. Expecting a large chain to stock something for your benefit is ridiculous. We shop at the supermarket for most stuff, sometimes online, sometimes not. We also go to an organic shop for some stuff the supermarket doesn't stock. I didn't complain to Pak n Save for not stocking organic salted butter.

Having large chains means that most things are cheaper (for the moment ignoring near-monopoly hardline shenanigans with suppliers). There are drawbacks to this - there is less flexibility for individual stores.

The above is targeted at Supermarket chains only. No comment on the electronics store stuff.

Edit: Loyalty Cards - if you care about someone data-mining your buying habits, don't use it. I really couldn't care less if they know I bought nappies, milk and a 3 pack of croissants last night. Same deal with Fly Buys etc.

I think you are making unwarranted assumptions about my situation. No shop is going to deliver to me because of my location, and I doubt the rural postie would be delighted to fill her car with my groceries. Those days are gone for us country-dwellers.

My complaints about unstocked items had to do with fairly standard items that had previously been carried for years with no problem, and then were suddenly taken off the shelves. One item was a brand of milk. I asked a store manager (politely) why it was no longer being carried and he admitted it was because the milk producer had refused to yield to the discount demands of the supermarket chain. This chain has bought up other formerly independent stores. All of them quit stocking the milk because they were ordered to from Head Office in Auckland. In other words, a centrally-dictated policy from a distant city has affected freedom of choice in our small community. Why should that be? That is the issue I was complaining about, not the milk, which fortunately did continue to be available from the only other competing chain and yes, I took all my business (not just the milk) there, so the first chain has lost many thousands of dollars of my business over the years.

The issue is not the items no longer being stocked, which I was only using as examples, but the way decisions affecting local people are made from afar. That is my complaint and that is why I don't like franchises. As far as loyalty cards go, I was also using that as an example to illustrate a point. Beyond that I'm not especially bothered by them because I choose not to use them.

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nigelj

856 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1285530 16-Apr-2015 12:30

I dislike franchises - actual franchises (Countdown/Progressive are not franchise based) - it's quite simple really, each store does get to set their own policy and level of "I don't care" and things get easily ignored. Although sometimes you do get better responses when dealing with the franchise owners than head office. We've had a few problems with (for instance) our local New World, tried to contact Foodstuffs Auckland to say "Hey, it's not yet a complaint but your local NW doesn't seem to be toeing the line, you might want to check out A, B, and C aspects as it makes your brand look bad", I didn't even get a call back from the person responsible for 'Brand' (where I was redirected to).

Then there is the finance side, something that irks me is when stories like http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11428876 appear, 4 stores going into liquidation for 'some reason' but all that goes is the management of the franchise, everything else seems to magically go back to the franchisor. Plus when you look at other companies that have become franchised (both here and Australia) I really feel sorry for the franchisee's and their suppliers that get put out in the cold when 'odd things' happen. Pie Face is an example of one in Australia that there are a lot of accusations of inflated numbers - I wouldn't be surprised, it felt like there was a Pie Face on every second block in Brisbane CBD for instance.

If you are going to say "I hate franchises" hate the right ones ;) (Yes, I somewhat agree on some points about Progressive, but you'd find that they are big enough to have regional managers that are looking over the figures regularly since each store would report to someone's balance sheet. If the store isn't profitable enough to have more checkout operators for a small 'peak time' I doubt they are going to risk their balance sheet and their personal performance indicators)

khull

1245 posts

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#1285535 16-Apr-2015 12:33

heylinb4nz:
IlDuce:
heylinb4nz: Less about wages and more about the crap attitude of our young adults and much of our early 20s age group today. The incentive to do your job well is to gain experience, good references so you can get the next higher paying job..but dont expect it to be right away

Except said companies have a blanket policy to not give references. Therefore, one cannot get the references to get a higher paying job... that's certainly my experience from minimum wage chain/franchise store jobs.

That's when "confidence, selling yourself and your experience" comes into play..another skill the current generation seem to have forgotten. Also your 2nd or even 3rd and 4th job isnt going to be a high or higher paying job.

My first jobs in the $4.32 to $16 per hour range spanned 10 years

- Checkout operator
- Deli Assistant
- Retail Assistant
- Retail Sales
- Rental Car Rep
- Car Groomer
- Part time IT Tech
- Helpdesk Operator
- Intranet Admin

Gained a ton of experience and base skills to equip me for the higher $$$ jobs to come. Uni degree doesn't guarantee success either...Most of my school friends have similar stories.

I would hire professionals who has hospitality and retail experience being on the other side of the counter - it makes you a better person.

Coming back to the OP - I believe your issue is with process, policy and procedure (or the shortcomings of). These are introduced with a view of standardisation and efficiencies at the expense of experience at times.

Flipside, supporting your local who decide when to go off on a holiday or introduce surcharge (or simply restrict payment methods) when they feel like are a few reasons I have little patience for them. Doesn't mean I avoid them but I can see that they are just more flexible to introduce changes (something this country seems to fall in love with) often at the expense of, process, policy and procedure.

Rikkitic

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#1285541 16-Apr-2015 12:40

I do agree I confused things by using the wrong term. It is absolutely correct that my issue is with ways of doing business rather than franchises per se. I should have said 'I hate franchises and chain stores'.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

heylinb4nz

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#1285562 16-Apr-2015 12:56

If anything franchises are better equipped to react to local customer requirements, provided those requirements are not to far out there and to far detracted from the parent franchise core business.

and at the end of the day it has to make money.

BUT just like Chain stores.. many franchises have that corporate layer above to get these initiatives through, and this is where it usually becomes detached.

reven

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#1285581 16-Apr-2015 13:22

i love chain stores,
- i like how they tend to be laid out the same so it's easy to find something in.
- i love being able to buy something from one store then return it to another for a refund
- i like knowing what store has what no matter where I go. Pak n save == crap solution but cheap, countdown == better selection but a little more expensive (cos they have better stuff generally)
- i love a quarter pounder from mcdonalds :)

mattwnz

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#1285590 16-Apr-2015 13:30

reven: i love chain stores,
- i like how they tend to be laid out the same so it's easy to find something in.
- i love being able to buy something from one store then return it to another for a refund
- i like knowing what store has what no matter where I go. Pak n save == crap solution but cheap, countdown == better selection but a little more expensive (cos they have better stuff generally)
- i love a quarter pounder from mcdonalds :)

I don't find that chains are setout exactly the same, you can get wide variances, which actually makes it quite disconcerting. eg Warehouse , pacnsave , mitre 10 mega, often have different layouts in different areas.

Pac n Saves fresh produce is far superior (fresher looking/ cheaper/ better selection) to Countdowns from my experience, although Pacnsaves isn't perfect.

reven

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#1285594 16-Apr-2015 13:33

mattwnz:
reven: i love chain stores,
- i like how they tend to be laid out the same so it's easy to find something in.
- i love being able to buy something from one store then return it to another for a refund
- i like knowing what store has what no matter where I go. Pak n save == crap solution but cheap, countdown == better selection but a little more expensive (cos they have better stuff generally)
- i love a quarter pounder from mcdonalds :)

I don't find that chains are setout exactly the same, you can get wide variances, which actually makes it quite disconcerting. eg Warehouse , pacnsave , mitre 10 mega, often have different layouts in different areas.

Pac n Saves fresh produce is far superior (fresher looking/ cheaper/ better selection) to Countdowns from my experience, although Pacnsaves isn't perfect.

they're not all set out the same but a lot are, countdown try to, pak n save do, kmart, the warehouse. There are a few differences between stores due to the building, but generally theyre pretty close.

tdgeek

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#1285607 16-Apr-2015 13:48

I don't see this thread as a franchise issue. There are lots of franchises, and lots on non Franchises. The OP's real issue is the lacklustre performance of some brick and mortar businesses.

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