MARINE SUPER STORE-PORT SOLENT

[penpal]

A few weeks ago I was travelling down from Bracknell and had to call in to pick new flares and other supplies. I called them to say I was on my way just to ensure the journey was worth while and the girl confirmed that stocks were in. Anyway traffic was quite heavy so I called them to say I was near but stuck. They said they closed at 6:00pm, I was just at the Tesco Super store traffic lights. I called them again at 5:55 no answer, I got to the store dead on 6:00pm and they had shut up and all the staff were dashing out. Anyway no exception would be made for me, so I took my business elsewhere with a firm promise never to shop there again. When I was a retail manager and now as a Property Management Company I would never have closed the door on a customer wanting to part with his money. I drove for an hour to get to this store, and the staff new I was coming. I stayed on my boat at Hythe that night and went over to Lymington the next morning where the staff in the local Force 4 chandlery were very helpful. I shall call in there again this weekend for a few bits. Marine Super store will never see my money again! Just goes to show when the owner takes his hands off the day to day running how the service will slip. An extra 5 minutes would have put a few hundred pounds in theri pocket, made a customer for life with many more pounds going into the till. Just goes to show how neither the manager or the staff have any interest in the business.

 

[capnjack]

There are lots of for and againsts for this sort of scenario.

I am of the opinion that the extra few minutes spent no matter how tired you are can affect what is in a customers pocket. Trouble is, as you have already mentioned, management take their eye of the business and things go lax.

My wife and I did a similar thing a few years ago, slightly different story though. The shop went the extra mile, so we decided to change our lifejackets. Eight jackets a wetsuit and an all weather saling jacket later and we had parted with over £1000, with the other stuff in the bucket too.

 

[Nautorius]

Well Done!

They did not achieve your expectations so you went elsewhere. Companies like this always suffer when the Market slows down. I like good service and will pay for it. If I want cheap products I buy off the Internet.

They let you down and come the end of the year that money could matter a great deal more!

BTW, Is Marinesuperstore privately owned or part of a larger group?

Cheers

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[damon]

Force four also stay open late on Friday evenings. Useful for those of us with a 9to5 who need that urgent item before a weekend on the water.

 

[[2068]]

I know it's v.annoying when these things happen, but you blew it!

To expect 8 or 10 people to stay late at work because you got stuck in traffic is not reasonable, imho.

Shutting a large shop like that takes a fair bit of effort. Cashing up, printing out totals, turning off lights, locking doors, setting alarms: there's no way they're going to reverse this process just for you!

dv.

 

[Its_Only_Money]

[ QUOTE ]

I know it's v.annoying when these things happen, but you blew it!

To expect 8 or 10 people to stay late at work because you got stuck in traffic is not reasonable, imho.

Shutting a large shop like that takes a fair bit of effort. Cashing up, printing out totals, turning off lights, locking doors, setting alarms: there's no way they're going to reverse this process just for you!

dv.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed but "open until 6:00pm" implies able to trade does it not, the cashing-up/closedown/end of day procedures should really take place after closing. That is where the corner is being cut. If the above takes 30mins then it is simply impossible to be "open" at 6:00pm and have the staff going home at 6:00pm, the two are mutually exclusive.

 

[MaltaBob]

Well done! We used to run a large mail order business and often had calls like yours and we stayed. You know what, the customers became friends and spent a great deal of money over the next few years!
British businesses are forgetting how to make customers happy, their own needs take presidence over customers. The Marine Business seems to have a very " couldn't careless attitude " generally , regardless of how much you spend as well.
What an opportunity for a good company to develope!

 

[Magnum]

[ QUOTE ]

I know it's v.annoying when these things happen, but you blew it!

To expect 8 or 10 people to stay late at work because you got stuck in traffic is not reasonable, imho.

Shutting a large shop like that takes a fair bit of effort. Cashing up, printing out totals, turning off lights, locking doors, setting alarms: there's no way they're going to reverse this process just for you!

dv.

[/ QUOTE ]
Exactly. Plus one person staying behind makes an easy target for crooks.

In an ideal world everything would be flexible, but most staff these days are off on the dot.

 

[nicks]

I'm always open and try and help whatever the time, but the staff should do all the closing at 6 and not before.

 

[Questor]

[ QUOTE ]
To expect 8 or 10 people to stay late at work because you got stuck in traffic is not reasonable, imho.

[/ QUOTE ]

This reminds me of when we bought our first Fairline. We were so excited, and wanted to get it all sorted on the Friday, so we had the weekend to play. We got stuck in horrendous traffic so I phoned (ahem) Peters to say we were running late due to bad traffic. We were told, that would be no problem, and there would definitely be someone there to see us & get everything sorted.

We eventually arrived way past closing time, and fully expected no one to be there, but were greeted by Brian Peters, and nothing appeared to be too much trouble. And little things like that get remembered. So we bought the next one from him also. - There.... a bit of good publicity in the light of recent events...

 

[gjgm]

and suppose your arrival time estimate was wrong, and you subsequently arrived at 6.05. Would you expect them to start closing bang on 6, in case you turn up at 5.59?
I think it one of the best chandlerys on the south coast, and I dont think their financial director will be shuddering at your missed sale.
Annoying, but it was you who was running late.

 

[Nautorius]

Gigm,

As an ex-FD I shuder at every lost sale. I once had a Cinema that used to cash up before the last show started (15 mins)....only pounds on each night they thought! Gross loss of takings in one year $10,000 dollars and that meant both them and I missed my Bonus! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

The old saying is right..every £ left in a customers pocket is a loss of double that to the company..

Cheers

paul /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Col]

Sorry. I'm with the shop on this one (having been in retail myself once) Typically the shop is open 7 days a week / 8-10 hours a day and that's not enough for you?
They had already told you they close at 6.

I'd love a pound for everyone who said they were coming in for something and then never turned up. Or, they turned up (at closing time) then spent the next 3/4hr - 1hr choosing a stereo & speakers or suchlike, only to go and "think about it", or they thought they could get it cheaper elsewhere- usually never saw them again.

The staff generally aren't well paid, or paid overtime. What incentive is there to stay behind?

Sorry if you felt a bit hard-done-by but the staff have a life too.


BTW Re: Brian Peters...... It's a bit different waiting for a customer who has already paid a lot of money as deposit / full payment on a boat than someone who may or may not turn up for a few quids worth of stuff.

 

[capnjack]

I had to read your post again, simply because a few of those who replied seemed as if they had misread it, they also seem to to have got your times wrong.

Some who favoured the shop seemed to think that either, you wouldn't turn up, had arrived after time or there would only be one person in the shop who may have been vulnerable to robbery. On reading your post again, it was very clear indeed that you arrived on time, in addition it would seem that all the staff were there at the time. Your gripe was that you called at 5.55pm which was unanswered and on arriving on the dot the staff were running out of the door.

Now, I'm sure had you arrived at say 6.15pm you would have accepted it without question, am I right?

One other thing, I agree that cashing up etc. can take a while and that once done can in some circumstances be difficult to reinstate, however, any sale monies can always be placed in the safe ready for the next day. If any of the machines had been turned off before time then thats tuff, they should be re-booted again, anyway at 6.00pm, when you arrived, they should still be on for cashing up. I'm sorry there is no excuse for a customer arriving just in time and the shop closing on them, especially as you had confirmed the stock was available, I think this is the action of more than just a time waster.

 

[Richard10002]

[ QUOTE ]
went over to Lymington the next morning where the staff in the local Force 4 chandlery were very helpful. I shall call in there again this weekend for a few bits.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would guess that Marine Superstore would have been equally helpful the next morning if you had taken it on the chin, (i.e. it was you that was late), and you will never know if F4 would have stayed open for you.

I'm kind of with the store on this one .... as an estate agent, I got p*ss*d about by people turning up at closing time more times than I care to remember, (and this was when we opened from 9am to 7pm - 364 days a year). Eventually did what everyone else did, and didnt bother competing on opening times.

Having said that, it's not necessarily a fair comparison... we ran a bakery at the same time and I always said that if someone goes into the bakers, they are 99.999% certain to be spending some money with the shop.... if they walk into an estate agents, they are around 95% certain not to be spending any money with the shop.


If they were a small business, or the owner was on site, they would probably have waited for you but, as has been said elsewhere, closing a big store is a big job..... would you expect M & S to wait for you, or Tescos, etc....

I think I would have been delighted if they had waited for me, but angry with myself if I missed them.

Just my musings

 

[jcmmarine]

Join reality. This is not a company that relies on your buisiness. You should have set off earlier and allowed for delays. When I make an appintemt I always ensure I am there at least 5 minutes before.

 

[BlueChip]

I think you are being totally unreasonable.

The Marine Superstore is by far the best chandlers on the South Coast if not in the whole UK and their opening hours are to say the least generous

Sunday - Thursday 0800-1800hrs
Friday & Saturday 0800-2000hrs.

How many other chandlers do you know that open at 8am every day and close at 8pm Friday & Saturday without even closing for lunch?

If you cannot plan you life to be there within these times you can hardly expect them to stay open for you. Their staff have a life too!

 

[oceanfroggie]

There is a big differnce between the effort and security implications of closing up a small retail shop compared to a large super store warehouse. A little unfair on the shop, but I can understand your fustration at just missing the 'boat'. Methinks you might blame the traffic instead.