Virgin Mobile @ WHSmith

nwtv2003 · Tue 28 Sep, 2004 21.32

Andrew wrote:Another recent development at WHS has been this whole high shelving thing, presumably so they can get more stock in less space. This seems to have happened in every store. The only store near me that is still the old style airy open plan layout with low shelves is Bradford (Broadway) and that's only because its closing down soon. This branch has also got one of them small square pictures in the stairwell with the name of the town above it in a font used years ago.

The whole shelving thing has happened at the Warrington WHSmith, which isn't very big (Well it has been in Warrington since they opened the Golden Square Shopping Centre in the late 1970's, until 1999 it had the old grey WHS sign and the 'WHS' cube logo outside! ) compared to the one I've been in Manchester and The Trafford Centre. But when you walked into WHS at W'ton you immediately enter the Newspapers and Magazine section, but now they've replaced one side of the Magazine stand made it bigger and it now has a chart for Books, CD's and DVD's in addition to their own sections. But whenever I go around the DVD section in W'ton WHS it is very tiny and has little choice, only recently they split the DVD chart into two, one for Films etc and one for TV Shows. Whenever I've been to the one at the T'Cen I have found offers that I didn't find in Warrington, an example was Cheers and Frasier Series 1 on DVD for £14.99, they did have this at W'ton but only for Christmas whilst the T'Cen had it well into the Spring. (Well the last time I went)

Though the Council have been given the go ahead to redevelop the Golden Square shopping Centre and work is starting soon so I hope that we will have a bigger WHSmith store if they plan to move.

Bail · Tue 28 Sep, 2004 22.07

The main reason for the huge shelves was that there wasn’t enough room to fit the all year round stuff with the seasonal stuff... So they made everything tall. Quite odd being there at 11pm putting things on shelves, although it was fun and made me lots of pennies.

When they first went tall we all thought it was stupid, lots of places to hide, nick things, but its not bad now I'm used to it. Besides my dept didn’t get taller (ents) So It doesn’t bother me at all.

So thats why it all got taller. I fell sorry for people on books, in our shop then really are hidden away.

As to rubbish entertainment selection, most stores stock the same stuff, overall. Just in lesser numbers, eg my store in TV is top 80, DVD top 40, CD top 80, 40, 40. As well as "bestsellers" which I always forget about, silly thing!

I like the TV chart, its simple to change and is the most filled up thing all the time. Sigh at next week, BOGOHP ends.. that means lots of de-stickering..

Want to know more about WHSmith.. click here http://www.whsmithcareers.co.uk/quiz.html

(lol not based on the intranet at all)

iSon · Tue 28 Sep, 2004 22.52

I think you're all too easily forgetting my *SHOCKING* treatment by WHSmith. It's a bit of a crap store anyway. A total rip off and there is no place for such a store in any major town anymore since many or all of the products are available elsewhere for cheaper.

Bail · Wed 29 Sep, 2004 18.14

What happened? Wassnt it you that got you mag folded accross the spine and put in a lil bag. ?

Gavin Scott · Wed 29 Sep, 2004 19.42

John Menzies was better than WHSmith, and I was shocked when it closed all of its retail units. They are still around doing newspaper and magazine distribution.

Was John Menzies an English fixture too, or was it a Scottish thing? I remember when the TV ads changed the pronounciation of the name from the (correct) Scots"Ming-iss" to "Men-zies" when I were a nipper.

Chris · Wed 29 Sep, 2004 20.23

Bail wrote:What happened? Wassnt it you that got you mag folded accross the spine and put in a lil bag. ?

AARGH!!! I hate it when they do that to my magazines or newspapers. I'd rather have it in a large bag or no bag at all, rather than folded like orgami.

Andrew · Wed 29 Sep, 2004 21.28

Chris wrote:
Bail wrote:What happened? Wassnt it you that got you mag folded accross the spine and put in a lil bag. ?
AARGH!!! I hate it when they do that to my magazines or newspapers. I'd rather have it in a large bag or no bag at all, rather than folded like orgami.

Well not no bag at all. Do you want a bag? No I'm going to carry all my shopping around in my hands!

Oh and even though there is more book choice at a store like Waterstones and the music and video section is pittiful thesedays with no singles and limited albums, WHSmith is still number 1 at magazines and stationary in my opinion.

And to those of you that work there, has anyone actually bought a printer from WHSmith, or any other computer software for that matter?

Bail · Wed 29 Sep, 2004 22.32

Yes... why?

Brad · Wed 29 Sep, 2004 22.40

Gavin Scott wrote:I remember when the TV ads changed the pronounciation of the name from the (correct) Scots"Ming-iss" to "Men-zies" when I were a nipper.

Rather like Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat politician. Pronouced 'Means'. And anyone remember Peter's pet rat John Menzies from Fist of Fun? Just me then?

Gavin Scott · Wed 29 Sep, 2004 22.53

Brad wrote:
Gavin Scott wrote:I remember when the TV ads changed the pronounciation of the name from the (correct) Scots"Ming-iss" to "Men-zies" when I were a nipper.
Rather like Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat politician. Pronouced 'Means'.

Ming Campbell is Ming. I've never heard anyone call him Means. Maybe its the way they say it.

ashley b · Thu 30 Sep, 2004 10.10

Andrew wrote:This branch has also got one of them small square pictures in the stairwell with the name of the town above it in a font used years ago.

Oh yes, we still have those in the the Altrincham branch, a stag in front of a building. And last time Iwas there (which was over a year ago now) The hull branch still had one, obviosly the humber bridge.