Niggles

[Fester]

I think you can largely put good service down to the way the staff are trained.
Take Asda for example, a huge business but the staff are in general trained to be helpful and friendly.
Admittedly I only have experience of the Llandudno and Queensferry branches but their customer service puts M&S to shame.

You are correct Hollins, it is actually a management issue.

[Paddy]

Yorkie, Aldi is cheap because it is "no frills". If you want customer service go to M&S and pay for it.

I was always taught that one should be polite to one's customers - "no frills" does not mean treat the client like sh*te.

Yorkie, I wasn't suggesting that you would be treated like sh#te at Aldi. I was implying that you would be hard pressed to find a member of staff on the shop floor to treat you any way at all.

[Yorkie]

Yorkie, I wasn't suggesting that you would be treated like sh#te at Aldi. I was implying that you would be hard pressed to find a member of staff on the shop floor to treat you any way at all.

Keep going Paddy, you're obviously determined to milk this topic whilst people are prepared to read your inane comments.   I am reminded of Pentan, never knew when to give up!   

[mull]

Still comes down to staff unable to have a trade union to fight fo the things important to them.
Trade unions have years of experience negotiating on behalf of their members.
Individual employees even if they are members "work place representatives " cannot hope to be a match for these large companies.
I think it is called " divide and rule ".

After 50+ years as a worker and manager I am convinced employees are happier when a Trade Union is looking after them.

I think the miserable bunch in ASDA pove my point, but many people will not see the truth in this.
No wonder this country is in a mess.   

[born2run]

Still comes down to staff unable to have a trade union to fight fo the things important to them.
Trade unions have years of experience negotiating on behalf of their members.
Individual employees even if they are members "work place representatives " cannot hope to be a match for these large companies.
I think it is called " divide and rule ".

After 50+ years as a worker and manager I am convinced employees are happier when a Trade Union is looking after them.

I think the miserable bunch in ASDA pove my point, but many people will not see the truth in this.
No wonder this country is in a mess.   

Mull, you'd be surprised at the amount of work places we go to that have full Union recognition yet have very little members, often under 50% - I don't think I'll ever understand it 

The biggest reason I get for not joining is cash - It's £12 a month  ... so, I say, you insure your car to get to work for a lot more but yet you are unprepared to insure yourself! One day it may happen, especially in this climate that you will have no work to drive that insured car to!

These type of people are also usually the "Death bed converts" These are people that try and sign up as soon as they have got a disciplinary, grievance or the redundancy notice comes in. Luckily the Union won't give them any legal help until they've been a paying member for 3 months (not long enough in mho) But they'll still get advice and guidance straight away - yet their selfish attitude undermines the whole Union movement and makes me 

[Yorkie]

Whether ALDI like Unions or not their record of success speaks for itself.

"Aldi's German operations consist of Aldi Nord's 35 individual regional companies with about 2,500 stores in western, northern, and eastern Germany, and Aldi Süd's 31 regional companies with 1,600 stores in western and southern Germany. Internationally, Aldi Nord operates in Denmark, France, the Benelux countries, the Iberian peninsula, and Poland, while Aldi Süd operates in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Australia.  Aldi Süd operates the U.S. stores with the Aldi name."

So they must be doing something right!   

[Nemesis]

Sorry Mull, but I disagree with your 'miserable' title for the Asda staff. I have always found them polite, cheery and helpful.--- In Llandudno anyway.
Perhaps the situation is a ***-for -tat thing. If the customer is grumpy and rude, the staff will react in a likewise manner.

Aldi would be better off classed as a jumble sale. Both stores in the area are untidy and any poor plants which have the misfortune to be offered for sale are D.O.E.

Hey ! I like the way my expression has been censored

[Merddin Emrys]

I've always found Asda staff to be very good too! Could be a t1t for tat thing 

[Ian]

Asda staff are outstanding.

[Yorkie]

I remember as a young rookie starting out on my career in Sales I was given a book titled "How to win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie, and told to read it.  I did, and maybe it is one of those timeless books that could be given to many people, especially those in retail businesses.   

[Fester]

Asda staff are outstanding.

Agreed.

[Nemesis]

Re the idea of people in the retail trade-- I am often asked " How can you make a conversation with a total stranger?" I think the answer could be that I was brought up in a chemist's shop, lived on the premises and spent time as a child 'helping'. Besides weighing out cough sweets and counting pills as a nipper I was talked to by alot of Dad's customers. He was a well loved and respected member of the local community, so I think all this rubbed off on me. Nowadays you go to the chemist and pick up what you need from the shelf-- then you discussed "our Jimmy's chest" with the chemist and he prescribed accordingly ! He went in the back and mixed a bottle specially. Bet it wouldn't be allowed nowadays!
Today shopping is an impersonal affair unless you make the effort yourself!!!

[Fester]

I don't know why I bother going to Betws y Coed.

The last time I went, I concluded that it was a just a collection of tourist gift shops and outdoors shops.
If you want to see endless ranges of walking boots, fleeces, and Welsh slate coasters, then Betws is the place for you.

However, because the number 19 bus goes from right outside my house, directly to ByC, Mrs Fester said we should give it a try for a day out.
This also meant that I could have a beer or two, given that we were leaving the car at home. I recalled that I quite liked the Royal Oak and was looking forward to that.
So, off we set with an open mind.

We arrived in Betws, and headed in to the Alpine Coffee Shop, which was unique and excellent.
In hindsight, we should never have left it.  From there it all went downhill. We went around a whole series of outdoor clothing shops until Mrs F finally settled on a fleece.  By that time I had lost the will to live.   Men do not belong in clothing shops. After all, we only own 2 pairs of shoes, and 2 pairs of pants.  (one for best, and one for everyday)

From there, we sat on the rocks in the river, ate our sandwiches... took a couple of pics, blah, blah... but we've done ll that before.

So, excitedly we made our way into the Royal Oak, I remembered it fondly for its Victorian grandeur, for its leather armchairs and its cosy atmosphere.  But NO!

Now, it resembles a Premier Inn, with its poor quality mish-mash furniture.. its bright lights and its tacky decor.
As you enter your eyes are assaulted by a red neon sign, 'Grill Room'
I went through the Grill Room on the way to the loo, and it was a cheap looking extension, serving what looked like 'Little Chef' style dinners, and it was adjacent to an even cheaper looking self service cafe.
Now, I realise that they have updated the place and are now catering for a wider tourist market.  In Summer I'm sure they will absolutely RAKE IT IN.... but in the process. they have ruined the atmosphere and the heritage.

So. after a pint of overpriced lager, we shuffled off to the gift shops again... and back to the bus station.
I did enjoy some of the scenery around Rowen and Llanrwst, which I normally miss while I'm driving.
But other than that, I reckon that my original opinion of Betws y Coed has been re-enforced.

It will be a cold day before I venture there again.   (Its going to be freezing next week, I hear) 

To top off a really crap day, we got off the return bus early, in order to go to Fat Cat's in Llandudno to have a nice evening meal.
However, as our luck would have it, the Kitchens are closed for 2 days, for refurbishment.
So.... we trudged back home, up the Gt Orme, to get on with that most joyous of tasks, the rubbish recycling! 

[DaveR]

The Grill Room in the Royal Oak has been there since the 1990s, complete with red neon sign. The food is excellent, as well.

[Bellringer]

Sat Navs

Received an email from Garmin saying map update available for my lifetime version. The trouble is that each time I do it, it takes about 3 hours to install the update, and that's only for 'North West Europe'. Are all sat navs the same?