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WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 12:07 pm
by Winckle
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ch-readersWH Smith has been rated the UK’s worst high street retailer as shoppers panned its customer service and store standards.
The books to paperclips store came bottom of a survey of Which? readers, reclaiming its unwanted crown as the UK’s most unloved retailer from the supermarket Morrisons, which came bottom last year.
Six reasons why Britain’s retailers can’t make ends meet
WH Smith has come bottom of the survey, which asked 10,000 shoppers to rate their experience in buying non-grocery items at 100 major retailers, for five of the past eight years – and second worst for the other three.
One customer told Which?: “I find WH Smith very expensive and its stores need updating.” Another shopper summed up the retailer’s troubles, branding it “hugely inferior to what it was in the past”.
Couldn't agree more, horribly store layouts, no decent books anymore and overpriced stationery. The only good thing is their large magazine selection.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 12:20 pm
by Lagamorph
WH Smith's is pretty much the grimmest experience you can have on the high street.
The grimness is only intensified by a bunch of them having a post office in as well.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 12:28 pm
by Bunni
Paid £1.69 for a bottle of Pepsi yesterday because I forgot my juice bottle. Absolute rage.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 12:30 pm
by Lex-Man
The one in Southend isn't that bad although that maybe more to do with how bad the surroundings are, than a positive for the store.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 12:36 pm
by Peter Crisp
I think a large part of the problem is that most of the WH Smith stores are in really old buildings (Woolies had the same problem) and it's extremely expensive to refit them. IT would most likely be cheaper to relocate to new purpose built buildings in new developments and those don't popup that often.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 12:40 pm
by jawafour
My nearest WH Smith is in the next town and I often pop in there. Up until about five years ago the staff were excellent; very helpful and polite - they said "thank you" when you paid for stuff which is quite unusual for most of the stores in that area. However... now there are barely any staff (most of the pay area is self-serve) and the ones that are there seem to be annoyed if you ask them anything. Prices feel high, too; stationery, books and - expecially - cards seem to be top price. I still like to browse the magazines there and buy the odd one or two, though, as they are barely stocked elsewhere.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 12:42 pm
by Bleachyleachy
I wouldn't say I have any particularly strong feelings about them, but then I tried to remember the last time I shopped at one and realised I couldn't even remember a thing. I'm not sure what purpose WHS serves these days, stationary? Can get that anywhere. Books can be bought at nice bookshops. Snacks are availabale anywhere. So what is their market advantage?
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 12:52 pm
by jawafour
Bleachyleachy wrote:I wouldn't say I have any particularly strong feelings about them, but then I tried to remember the last time I shopped at one and realised I couldn't even remember a thing. I'm not sure what purpose WHS serves these days, stationary? Can get that anywhere. Books can be bought at nice bookshops. Snacks are availabale anywhere. So what is their market advantage?
Round my neck of the woods there are no bookshops and even stationery isn't easy to pick up (although there is a decent stationers in the next town). Smiths is suffering as magazines aren't generally selling in anything like the quantities that they used to, Amazon has hammered them on book pricing and there are far better value options nowdays for cards. I bit like with GAME, I can't think how they're gonna turn things around.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 1:25 pm
by KK
Can't say I've ever had a problem with WH Smith, particuarly in terms of what it looks like (Sutton, Wimbledon, and Croydon branches), until I get to the checkout, where they try and flog me sweets every single time. It's May, it's boiling hot, why do I want a £1 Terry's chocolate orange...
It's still the only place you can go for the full selection of (dwindling) magazines, and of course some of the smaller WH Smith are now many town's main Post Office.
Wouldn't buy stationary in there, though they seem to be good value if you want a box of 50 Sharpie pens (but only if you buy something else with it).
I personally find Clinton's to be far, far worse. Homebase has also really gone to gooseberry fool since Sainsbury's sold it many years ago.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 1:35 pm
by Tafdolphin
I keep reading this as Will Smith, like he's down on the corner flogging used copies of Big Willie Style.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 1:41 pm
by 7256930752
The only reason I have ever done into WHSmith is to get magazines that other places don't sell or I'm at an airport. I'm surprised they've listed as long as they have to be honest, they've been largely irrelevant for a long time.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 1:49 pm
by Green Gecko
Same I've only ever gone to get hobby magazines in the past when they weren't in my independent newsagents. Their stationary is overpriced, not particularly good quality and just nothing redeeming about them anymore. And they've strawberry floating bought our crown post office branch and stuffed it at the back with hardly any staffing and just a totally different ethos, it's cold and "necessary" feeling only. When they didn't have any tape they told me to by some from smiths. I don't think they will last very long except airports and stations and stuff.
There's a competing stationer literally across the street directly opposite in our precinct which is much better.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 2:43 pm
by Vermilion
The one in my town is actually pretty good, the staff are decent and it's clean and tidy.
Mind you, the premises is only small and on a busy day the post office queue can stretch from the counter, out the door, and off down the road.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 2:46 pm
by Green Gecko
So good if you don't post then. It was sucky when I lived a few minutes from the crown (that was right on the high street, town centre) and that moved. Now it's right across down (about 1 and a half miles). And I've strawberry floated my back up.
Honestly I'd rather use UPS and drop it off at the corner shop just to save the hassle.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 3:13 pm
by Vermilion
Considering what my town is like at the moment, i'm just grateful we even still have a post office/WH Smith.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 4:24 pm
by Preezy
Not been in a WH Smith in years, dreadful shop.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 4:57 pm
by Godzilla
Only place to buy magazines apart from a few big independent stores but they are very rare. I used to love When Smith's almost as much as I loved John Menzies. I remember buying Amiga games cheap there back in the day, small boxes ones for a few quid.
I loved the John Menzies near the station at The Metro Centre and the huge W H Smith's in Newcastle before they moved out of Eldon Square.
But times change and I really don't buy magazines often and if I want chocolate or a book there are cheaper places. They are useful in airports and stations but Paper Chase outshines them for stationary and cards.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 5:04 pm
by DML
I like WH Smith, but its a shop that feels like it actively hates the consumer. Overpriced drinks on 2 for 1s, constant upselling in your face.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 5:04 pm
by DML
I like WH Smith, but its a shop that feels like it actively hates the consumer. Overpriced drinks on 2 for 1s, constant upselling in your face.
Re: WH Smith's voted Britain's Worst Retailer
Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 5:26 pm
by Winckle
DML upselling his post count with a two for one there.