AIBU to never shop at WHSmiths again?

[Rollermum]

I get they are trying to broaden their product base in the face of online competition but I feel they have gone way too far with crowding stores out to the point where getting around them is a headache, even without a pushchair or wheelchair.

I went to my local one which has narrow aisles, and for Christmas they have put little semi circle stands of gift wrap and sweets at every corner. I did have a pushchair but even without would have found trying especially I didn't happen to be the only one in there.

Their policy of a self service checkout in the ways of the normal till (seen in several branches, not just this one), piles of sugary crap teetering around the till and endless not very useful vouchers just gives me the rage.

AIBU to want to never shop there again even though I try to support the high street? And I feel sorry for their staff (peering out from piles of sweets, proffering vouchers).

I loved WH Smith when I was a teenager in the early 90's. I would get stupidly excited about 'back to school' stationery and go there to buy my Forever Friends pencil tin!

Definitely a lot better back then than they are now. I find the shops as annoying as everyone else - crowded aisles sweets piled up everywhere, and it's really hard to find any actual stationery!

thank you :) I was inspired by my dc smirky pre-teen schoolfriends

Must be why the one in our city is closing down !

I'd only go in there to get magazines I couldn't get in a bricks and mortar store anywhere else. Load of old shit otherwise, the prices of their greetings cards

Our one has a Smiggle moved in next door and since then they've put all their funky stationery right at the front by the doors. Alas DD1 isn't fooled but DD2 is equally happy with a £1.99 box of rubbers that look like biscuits as a £4.99 box of rubbers that look like biscuits from Smiggle!

Other than that I agree with all above. It's sad. Another one who loved Smiths as a child.

Wow mine aren't like that
Yes they are a bit cramped and the staff try to sell you things at the till, but i guarantee you they are just as much fed up with doing it, as you are at listening to it!
I love whsmiths, they always have all my obscure magazines and fancy pens and pencils for dp.

We went in to look at the other pointless tat as we waned a board game they were all Thirty five to sixty pounds couldn't believe it.

Surky, great word..

Completely agree. Compare them to paper chase which is such a lovely place to shop in and now also has a loyalty card scheme
It's no wonder people shop for books on Amazon.
Mine is also dirty and shabby. It looks the same as it did in the 1970s
I believe they are kept open by their concessions in airports and stations.

I work for WHSmith, in a small store, and every week we recieve a checklist of stands and displays that have to go out on shopfloor no matter how cramped that makes things. It's stupid and it's frustrating for us as well, trying to find space and having to keep moving things out of the way whenever we want to move skips of stock through the store!

And yes, we hate trying to flog chocolate to everyone at the till as well! But we're monitored on how much we sell and if we start to fall too far below targets we have to push it or risk getting in trouble with management who seem oblivious to the fact that people don't want us trying to force (what feels like) 27 different promotions on them!

I went in to ours just now and even the self-service checkout tried to flog me bottles of water at the end!

Absolutely terrible and I really hate the fact that they seem to have the monopoly at airports and train stations. It especially bothers me that they have the contract at Dublin airport - which means that I can't get Club Orange after security because they don't want to stock an Irish specific product. Arseholes.

I've known several people who worked for WHS and they have all hated it. I think they are badly treated and have every reason to seem unhappy and stressed.

Gosh I thought it was just me who hates Smiths these days. When I was a kid in the 90's I could've spent hours in ours looking at all the books on every subject going. They had an upstairs then and it had every video and CD you could think of, now it's like a jumble sale. The upstairs has been shut off with boxes blocking access (just why?) and everything is squashed in downstairs. Their merchandising is absolute shit, everything is set out so poorly.

Don't get me started on the bloody up selling at the tills either, if Id wanted a bottle of water I'd have picked one up. Same goes for the nearly at the sell by date bars of chocolate.

Ah, I have found my people

I only ever had to go to WH Smith for a magazine I couldn't get anywhere else. Last time I went, you could only use the self-service tills, no staff around to help when the self-service till went wrong (naturally) and to add insult to injury they have chuggers in-store who bother you on the way out.

I now subscribe to the magazine and won't be going in another branch ever again.

Wow, I assumed it was just my local store that was like this. Same issue here with aisles that are too difficult to navigate with a buggy. Had to back out of aisles several times when other customers were coming the opposite way.

The final straw was that the lift wasn't working which meant that I couldn't get to the book section. There was a sign saying that if you needed to use the lift a member of staff would be happy to help. When I asked a member of staff about books on weaning she just said the books are upstairs and the lifts are broken. It was only when I mentioned the sign to her that she begrudgingly radioed another member of staff to bring me a selection of books. Said member of staff returned with one grubby Gina Ford book and said that was all they had on the shelves. Can't imagine anyone would have bought a book in that state. Should have just looked online, but I thought I would support my local high street.

Oh and there were 2 different charities set up on the outside too.

I used to go to the one in the town where I worked and the 'franchise' one by the station too. They have got progressively worse over the years, book choice is always rubbish and overpriced and cards the same. I did buy Christmas wrapping paper etc there until I realised way cheaper elsewhere.

The station one I always used to go into for a monthly magazine and picked up crisps/cheap choc £1 sometimes too and the other station one sometimes an overpriced tea... The staff there are helpful in the train stores as opposed to the town one. Also used it when going on holiday recently at gatwick airport but overpriced books, even on buy one get one half price etc and the water etc don't get me started.

I think they'll go down the route of closure before long, they really seem tacky and messy now.

YANBU. Shopping there is like shopping behind the Iron Curtain.

mrskeats I agree with you re Paperchase they have smaller shops but seem so much more better organised and everything at eye level. Even clintons cards have upped their game now and is more 'pleasant' to shop in generally.

It's worrying when for magazines you'll go to the supermarket instead or wilkos/pound land for pens, pads etc rather than WH Smith. And they don't need a blooming Costa in the shop - Kingston upon Thames and I think Bromley I'm looking at you!

I hope Smiths are reading this - I will not shop there as just peeping through the door gives me a headache
Far too much signage and clutter, very little stationery and more own brand stuff than is necessary - 2 years running I have had to buy my Filofax diary pages for work from John Lewis as WH Smith try and fob you off with their own version which is not the same
Books I go to Waterstones for - especially as my local one has a nicer atmosphere, with lovely helpful staff, and even an in store Costa
I try not to buy too much online - as I would hate to see the total decline of the high st, but Smiths needs to up their game vastly

LadyBaelish I understand what you're saying. When I worked in Smiths nearly 25 years ago, it was a really well respected shop on the high street. If you worked in retail, it was one of the best paid shops. I knew people who were really quite proud to work there.

As a customer, I can tell that the staff are made to offer goods at point of sale. Its all target driven and in such a drive, Smiths have lost their way. Its a great shame.

I used to have a Saturday/holiday job at Smiths when I was a student, going back 25 years. I liked working there and I loved the shop. I used to love stationery so Smiths was heaven.
I never go in now, as there is nothing they sell that I cant buy cheaper elsewhere.
I think Smiths is one of those shops that is on its way out, except for maybe airports and train stations.

I went into WHS in Newcastle once to get a book for DS, went to the till, where the manager and another worker were stood there gossiping, and they practically grunted at me to use the self service checkout, then I had to go back to them and ask for big enough bag to put the big hardback book I was buying into.

They massively overcharge on pens and simple stuff like cello tape.

I think they survive by having the monopoly on being in airports, train stations and hospitals! Although at the hospital I work at they always refuse to serve at the till, instead they drag over elderly folk, ppl in wheelchairs, poorly folk in dressing gowns dragging a drip stand behind them etc and do the self service for them, which takes longer than just serving them at the normal till they had gone to in the first place.

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I've sent them a link to this thread in an email. We should see an improvement in a week or two.