The *OFFICIAL* Asda thread

[WillPS]

I don't get your point on creating space for new lines. Isn't this exactly what Morrisons are doing (operation something or other?)?

[Pete]

I don't get your point on creating space for new lines. Isn't this exactly what Morrisons are doing (operation something or other?)?

I read it as "when your ordering system doesn't seem to work, perhaps keep the shelves fuller".

Completely agree regarding the anicent clapped out tills however. Quite where they are getting the hardware from is beyond me, possibly refurnished out of other companies.

Also that photo of the empty baker shelf is all too familiar.

Another issue I have with Asda is many of the lines it sells seems to be aimed at your stereotypical Shameless type family. Such as giant buckets of un-concentrated fabric softner and the like. It can be tricky when you're shopping for one or a small flat without storage.

[woah]

When you mention the ancient IBM terminals taking 15 minutes to restart - you aren't lying! I was once in ASDA in Sheffield and the power cut out for a brief 5 seconds - every cash register in the building reset and it took around 15 minutes for them to return. Huge queues were building up and eventually customers had to unbag everything and rescan all their shopping. Utter chaos..

Another thing with those old ASDA tills is the tiny amount of characters they have on the reciepts to describe products - reminds me of the very old Primark cash registers (think they were Fujitsu-ICL or similar) which had no product description at all - only a product number. Fun when you're trying to return one item from a reciept with several!

Surely ASDA or IBM can come up with a solution to provide a more modern terminal to fit into ASDA's present systems, or a way to migrate onto a better system. The self-service tills link into the present system without issue so I don't see why a more modern terminal couldn't.

Going off-topic again - but that was another mistake Wilkinsons made. Around 2007/2008 our Wilkinson branch in Sheffield was trialling self-serve tills back when Wilko was still using IBM tills. In 2008 all the other stores were upgrading to the present Fujitsu systems but our store hung on for much longer, until they eventually gave in and removed the self-service units and we got the new tills. I wonder if the Fujitsu-Siemens self-serve tills such as at B&Q and Morrisons would be compatible with Wilkinsons POS systems?

[SirKen]

I don't get your point on creating space for new lines. Isn't this exactly what Morrisons are doing (operation something or other?)?

I read it as "when your ordering system doesn't seem to work, perhaps keep the shelves fuller".

Completely agree regarding the anicent clapped out tills however. Quite where they are getting the hardware from is beyond me, possibly refurnished out of other companies.

Also that photo of the empty baker shelf is all too familiar.

Another issue I have with Asda is many of the lines it sells seems to be aimed at your stereotypical Shameless type family. Such as giant buckets of un-concentrated fabric softner and the like. It can be tricky when you're shopping for one or a small flat without storage.

It is - project Liberate. That's more cutting down on categories such as air fresheners for example - 68 different varieties and chopping them down to create space for non food and things.

The problem you've got with 4 shelves of Hershey's is that space has had to come from confectionary products, so popular products are delisted or in this case, quick selling lines like Galaxy are cut back.

Whilst that is good, with Asdas ordering system being as woeful as it is, it rarely fills to capacity so often you've only got 12 bars where 24 can fit - that sells out = a gap. If there was more space, let's say 60 bar space, it may occasionally fill it to capacity, if it doesn't then you might have 30 odd on the shelf. More of a margin for error.

As Will (and others) may appreciate, you've got to tell the system what the shelf can hold and it'll order based on that (with a bit of forecasting chucked in too I believe). Asda due to their lack of discipline don't seem to change the capacities (max shelves in Asda parlance) so the system orders to a max fill of 12 units, whereas 60 can be fit on = huge gaps all the time.

There's major problems with the ordering system, as I mentioned it's not triggering auto replenishment orders for some reason, and their lead time for orders is 3 days.

[SirKen]

When you mention the ancient IBM terminals taking 15 minutes to restart - you aren't lying! I was once in ASDA in Sheffield and the power cut out for a brief 5 seconds - every cash register in the building reset and it took around 15 minutes for them to return. Huge queues were building up and eventually customers had to unbag everything and rescan all their shopping. Utter chaos..

Another thing with those old ASDA tills is the tiny amount of characters they have on the reciepts to describe products - reminds me of the very old Primark cash registers (think they were Fujitsu-ICL or similar) which had no product description at all - only a product number. Fun when you're trying to return one item from a reciept with several!

Surely ASDA or IBM can come up with a solution to provide a more modern terminal to fit into ASDA's present systems, or a way to migrate onto a better system. The self-service tills link into the present system without issue so I don't see why a more modern terminal couldn't.

Going off-topic again - but that was another mistake Wilkinsons made. Around 2007/2008 our Wilkinson branch in Sheffield was trialling self-serve tills back when Wilko was still using IBM tills. In 2008 all the other stores were upgrading to the present Fujitsu systems but our store hung on for much longer, until they eventually gave in and removed the self-service units and we got the new tills. I wonder if the Fujitsu-Siemens self-serve tills such as at B&Q and Morrisons would be compatible with Wilkinsons POS systems?

Very very true, why is the system so poor? I wonder sometimes if the checkout system hinders the availability process by not posting sales figures accurately or indeed quick enough. I'd suspect it'd be an end of day process rather than a dynamic hourly figure that JS moved to.

I've been in stores before where Asda get a delivery then put it to one side for hours at a time, I've never been sure quite why, there's been explanations but a Grocery delivery arrives at 4pm and has items on that would fill gaps, they leave it out the back until 10 for some bizarre system reason.

All sounds very prehistoric to me, very JS in 2003. Whilst Asda aren't at that level yet in terms of being at crisis times, they aren't far away.

[WillPS]

When you mention the ancient IBM terminals taking 15 minutes to restart - you aren't lying! I was once in ASDA in Sheffield and the power cut out for a brief 5 seconds - every cash register in the building reset and it took around 15 minutes for them to return. Huge queues were building up and eventually customers had to unbag everything and rescan all their shopping. Utter chaos..

Another thing with those old ASDA tills is the tiny amount of characters they have on the reciepts to describe products - reminds me of the very old Primark cash registers (think they were Fujitsu-ICL or similar) which had no product description at all - only a product number. Fun when you're trying to return one item from a reciept with several!

Surely ASDA or IBM can come up with a solution to provide a more modern terminal to fit into ASDA's present systems, or a way to migrate onto a better system. The self-service tills link into the present system without issue so I don't see why a more modern terminal couldn't.

Going off-topic again - but that was another mistake Wilkinsons made. Around 2007/2008 our Wilkinson branch in Sheffield was trialling self-serve tills back when Wilko was still using IBM tills. In 2008 all the other stores were upgrading to the present Fujitsu systems but our store hung on for much longer, until they eventually gave in and removed the self-service units and we got the new tills. I wonder if the Fujitsu-Siemens self-serve tills such as at B&Q and Morrisons would be compatible with Wilkinsons POS systems?

There have been more recent trials (in Nottingham Broadmarsh) with the B&Q/Morrisons self-scan stuff. They too have disappeared though.

The ASDA IT setup is in line with Wal-Mart's internationally.

[Nick Harvey]

All sounds very prehistoric to me, very JS in 2003.

I've always thought of JS as extremely go-ahead in the stock replenishment department. I had the dubious honour of working on the data transmission for the supplier end of their original BOS2 system.

[Pete]

oooh, just realised I forgot to mention the latest Asda innovation.

Self-scan with conveyors. HOWEVER, unlike the original Tesco disaster versions these are essentially like a standard checkout (conveyor first, scanner and packing area at the end). Thus is there are two of you one person gets to play till operator and the other loads up the conveyor as usual. Very very efficient system for when you have a trolley full of stuff rather than having to lean over at a normal self-scan designed for baskets.

Quite why however my Tesco retains 30 standard tills (never more than 12 on except at xmas) and yet only has one bank of six self-services is beyond me. Asda always seem to have loads and its far quicker to fly through them and needs far fewer staff.

[Philip Cobbold]

oooh, just realised I forgot to mention the latest Asda innovation.

Self-scan with conveyors. HOWEVER, unlike the original Tesco disaster versions these are essentially like a standard checkout (conveyor first, scanner and packing area at the end). Thus is there are two of you one person gets to play till operator and the other loads up the conveyor as usual. Very very efficient system for when you have a trolley full of stuff rather than having to lean over at a normal self-scan designed for baskets.

Quite why however my Tesco retains 30 standard tills (never more than 12 on except at xmas) and yet only has one bank of six self-services is beyond me. Asda always seem to have loads and its far quicker to fly through them and needs far fewer staff.

Do they work with a weighed bagging area, or do you just pack straight into a bag?

[Cache]

oooh, just realised I forgot to mention the latest Asda innovation; self-scan with conveyors.

Do they work with a weighed bagging area, or do you just pack straight into a bag?

Oh, we've got these. They have a weighed bag area, which always refuses to recognise my bags for life resulting in every item needing approval from the checkout operator. Oddly, this doesn't happen at the normal basket ones.

[Pete]

Tesco appear to have updated the software on their self-services and they're far fabber about accepting bags for life. Also the folders for fruit and veg etc are now using a folder style icon.

On a related note, has anyone else's Tesco got the new style touch screen tills? We have 8 branches in Dunders but only one (the fabbest naturally) has these new tills whereas all the others retain the classic ones with the big blue clackity enter button.

I note they appear to have given up on their painfully stupid idea of having the receipt printer on a big arm for the customer to take their own receipt and with newer refits its back with the operator where it belongs.