Metropol

Pete wrote:I note Tesco are in the process of changing over their tills from the classic ones with the massive clackity enter button to a new simpler touch screen affair.

The nice not-really-an-extra Extra down the road had these first and it took a very long time before I saw them appear anywhere else. Presumably they were part of the trial.

At the same time, they were also first with the new self-scan software.

ADVANTAGES
Faster
Lets you just shove your card in the reader and goes straight to the debit card processing screen (none of that old "card acknowledged, please select type" shite).
Adding your own bags doesn't make it have a total heart attack
Adding your bag re-use points at the end doesn't take an ice age

DISADVANTAGES
They've tidied up the loose stuff into neater folders but have also gone and removed the shortcuts to big sellers such as the Onions, Bananas, Creme Egg buttons. Not everyone knows 50201600 off by heart you know.


Unless it was a trial, I'd have thought that the new software would just be an all at once rollout though, I can understand them taking their time installing new hardware but for things like that you'd think it'd be quicker.

I wonder if NCR's presence here had anything to do with it - a big chunk of their SelfServ R&D/UX work happens here. Certainly the Metro here has had the software for a good while too (also, fun things like coupons no longer need manual approval, which I never understood - surely the coupon was invalidated as soon as it's used?)

No i think the issue with coupons was the ones that are cut out of magazines and the like. People had twigged you could throw any old bit of paper into the bin and it'd register as accepted and then use the coupon again the next time.

Never occurred to me about the NCR thing but it could very possibly be true.

Question:

Do I write a letter to Scotmid asking them to re-evaluate their training programme for staff?

I'm constantly having my precious time squandered by ineptitude and needless faffing from the staff at their store. The latest is an incredibly tall man (named "Joyce - trainee", although I suspect they've given him some departed woman's namebadge for budgetary reasons).

He takes my basket off the little ledge designed for it, sits it atop the scanner and then has to slide my groceries back and forward, upside down and end to end - all to find the barcode, which of course he can't see because of the basket. My milk comes churned to butter, my chicken en croute is liberated from its pastry wrapper, and goodness knows I can't trust him to weigh vegetables properly as he leans on the scale with the basket and his colossal paws.

THEN we have this bizarre and lengthy moment as he attempts to separate plastic bags by sliding a non existent thumbnail between two microscopic slithers of polyester - then he gives up and goes into lengthy negotiations with staff next to him about taking their "pre-opened" carriers. They say no.

I confess I snapped earlier this week and said, "oh for heavens sake, lick your fingers and twist the plastic at the opening". Then I looked to his colleague and said, "You know, you're really supposed to explain these things to trainees". He seemed less than impressed.

Only then does he enter a Krypton Factor style packing of the bag, rearranging all the contents each time he puts subsequent items in. We get to a final packet of tenderstem broccoli, and he asks if I need another bag for this item. "God no" I answer, and wedge it under my arm before he reaches for the bags.

Now, I realise he'll improve in time - but really - are all his colleagues so dim as to not see he's making the job much more arduous than it needs to be? Doesn't a store manager take any responsibility for these things?

Would a letter fall on deaf ears? I just want them to resolve the issue - I'm not particularly fussed about receiving a £10 voucher. Quite honestly, if they don't fix the problem I won't have enough spare time to spend the thing.

Good to see the Co-op's consistently poor training extends back to the societies!

Scotmid have always had pretty poor checkout service. It generally takes twice as long to go through the entire till process as it would at *other* supermarkets.

They could do with investing in some Self Scan machines, but I don't think I've ever seen one in any Co-op store.

Also, I've noticed more Co-operative Food's opening up in Edinburgh, in place of Scotmids. I've always been slightly confused by the relationship between the two.

Ant wrote:Scotmid have always had pretty poor checkout service. It generally takes twice as long to go through the entire till process as it would at *other* supermarkets.

They could do with investing in some Self Scan machines, but I don't think I've ever seen one in any Co-op store.

Also, I've noticed more Co-operative Food's opening up in Edinburgh, in place of Scotmids. I've always been slightly confused by the relationship between the two.

They are trialing IBM Self Checkouts - I think Brighton is one store where they have (or at least had them).

In the olden days, each area would normally have one Co-operative society in the area, perhaps 2 where there was an overlap. These Co-operatives formed a buying group so they could get better economies of scale, and this buying group was CWS (Co-operative Wholesale Society) - the relationship between the local societies and CWS was sort of like Nisa. The CWS also took on responsibility for taking on failing societies and for opening foodstores in areas without a Co-operative presence. At some point in the 50s this organisation was split off from CWS and became CRS - Co-operative Retails Services - CRS then purchased from CWS just as the local societies did, however CRS did not pick up the responsibility for rescuing failing regional societies, so eventually the CWS again had a retail division.

CWS also had the responsibility for creating and promoting a universal brand - the four leaf clover which the vast majority of Co-op societies didn't have a problem with using initially (it made the own brand products look like theirs, for starters). CWS also created suggested storefronts for Co-op stores - participation was always optional though, and some societies totally ignored the guidance, and eventually some even opted out of even the four-leaf design.

Fast forward to the late 90s, and the 2 nationwide societies are:

CWS - who looked like this:

(This was the suggested storefront which CWS promoted - some of the remaining societies followed their branding)

CRS - who looked like this:


They both merged back in to eachother in 2000, reforming an enlarged nationwide CWS - and CWS began rebranding the rather nice Pioneer stores back to Co-ops.

Through the 2000s, another power rose from societies who had grown resistant to what they saw as unconstitutional intervention from CWS, and merged in to eachother to prevent CWS from swallowing them up completely. This enlarged society was United Co-op, and by the mid-2000s dominated most of Yorkshire and the NE. As a hotchpotch of failing local societies which had been merged with unsustainable conditions, the scheme was ultimately doomed and was forced to merge in to CWS in 2007.

CWS (trading as The Co-operative Group) is still required constitutionally to serve the regional co-operatives and promote a nationwide brand. Co-operative Food is the suggested brand used for all remaining Co-operative Societies buying from the CWS - some comply completely (e.g. Anglia Regional - who even use a compatible membership/dividend scheme), some partly comply (Midlands Co-op) and some do their own thing (ScotMid being one example)!

The traditional boundaries of Co-operative activity have been further muddied by the CWS' acquisition of nationwide Alldays and Somerfield, the remaining of which now trade as The Co-operative Food and are run by CWS. This means that places like Norfolk and Scotland which had only really seen their local societies now also have CWS operations in place.

tl;dr - if it trades as "The Co-operative Food" it is EITHER run by CWS/The Co-operative Group OR one of the societies who they service. ScotMid is an example of a society served by CWS (hence why you see their stock in store) but they choose not to carry the nationwide branding.

Maybe this should be in the "What is the Co-op called where you are?" thread...

It's interesting that down south they are finally dropping this branding :



in favor of the national 'Co-Operative Food'.

And if anyone is interested here is the old Southern Co-Operative store branding:

James L H wrote:It's interesting that down south they are finally dropping this branding :



in favor of the national 'Co-Operative Food'.

And if anyone is interested here is the old Southern Co-Operative store branding:

They finished using that branding on new/refurbished branches in 2008. It then went through a short period of hybrid branding using the typeface from the old logo with branding elements from the national branding. In 2009 The Southern Co-operative finally abandoned the regional look in favour of the national brand.

http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/The_Southern_Co-operative

It was well past it, looked like just any random newsagent.

I know that Southern Co-op above very well, it used to be my local branch.

Where I now live there is a Co-operative Group store right next to a Southern Co-op owned store which they aquired when they took over the Alldays chain, they use the branding below minus the old co-op logo. Other than that both stores are the same inside and I really wonder how they both manage to operate side by side and still make enough money.

WillPS wrote:

Ben wrote:I know that Southern Co-op above very well, it used to be my local branch.

Where I now live there is a Co-operative Group store right next to a Southern Co-op owned store which they aquired when they took over the Alldays chain, they use the branding below minus the old co-op logo. Other than that both stores are the same inside and I really wonder how they both manage to operate side by side and still make enough money.

WillPS wrote:

So it just says "welcome"? How odd! Not seen that fascia in a long while now. I did see a united Co-op lorry with "Co-op Late Shop" branding the other day though.