Anti-franchise rant

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nigelj

856 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1285611 16-Apr-2015 13:52

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.

I think we are going a little off topic but Countdown certainly are, they basically have 4 variants, 1st is entry on left, 2nd is entry on right, 3rd is entries on both sides (ala Newmarket etc) 4th is the mini Metro stores. Pretty much the shelves are always in the same order it's just a question of do they start from the left or right of the store and only fruit/bakery/meat/frozens seem to move around a little.

Warehouse has more variations but they have gone towards the well grouped model where if you can find the general category you want, you are fine, I only have trouble finding their books to be honest, normally with entertainment counter, but it varies.

But it's not limited to chain stores, larger franchises also seem to be pretty good (more so maybe because it's more obvious/harder to hide during inspections than other issues a store may have).

wasabi2k

2096 posts

Uber Geek

#1285617 16-Apr-2015 14:06

Rikkitic:
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.

Fair enough - I was assuming you lived in a city.

Rikkitic

Awrrr
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#1285661 16-Apr-2015 15:14

tdgeek: 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.

Very true but I blame a lot of this (rightly or wrongly) on the franchise/chain concept, where the local outlet has to follow diktats from on high. If the business truly is a local one, locally owned and adhering to locally determined policies, then you have at least a chance that it will build its business model around local tastes and requirements. And when it doesn't, you can sit down with the owner/operator over coffee and discuss how the business can be improved to increase profitability and better serve the needs of the community. You cannot do this with a bevy of faceless suits around a boardroom table in a distant city.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

Handle9

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#1286760 18-Apr-2015 11:57

Here's the dirty little secret. Lots of people say they would prefer to deal with a locally owned independent business. The reality is somewhat different as they will gravitate to the one with the best prices and/or the most effective marketing. This is why franchised / cooperative / corporate stores are dominating small independent stores who can't compete and disappear.

Kyanar

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#1286818 18-Apr-2015 14:34

Rikkitic:
tdgeek: 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.

Very true but I blame a lot of this (rightly or wrongly) on the franchise/chain concept, where the local outlet has to follow diktats from on high. If the business truly is a local one, locally owned and adhering to locally determined policies, then you have at least a chance that it will build its business model around local tastes and requirements. And when it doesn't, you can sit down with the owner/operator over coffee and discuss how the business can be improved to increase profitability and better serve the needs of the community. You cannot do this with a bevy of faceless suits around a boardroom table in a distant city.

For a start, let's be honest. Even locally owned businesses you cannot "sit down with the owner over coffee". Those days have been gone for decades, unless you literally live in a town of a few dozen. But still, even with chains, the local management often have a fair amount of leeway to make decisions. Weirdly, franchises less so but still they have some flexibility to address concerns.

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