To wonder what WH Smith's secret is...

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So news this morning suggests that WH Smith are struggling again and have reported losses and a plan to overhaul their stores. As part of this review they have announced they are closing 6 of their stores (they still have 610 stores on the high street and 839 travel outlets in airports, train stations etc).

Am I the only one amazed that they are only closing 6 stores. I cannot think of a single thing they sell that cannot be purchased elsewhere for less. Whilst it is horrible news for those employed at these stores, how on earth are they still operating? Other than merging some post offices into some of their stores what key service do they provide to make them such a viable business? What is the secret to their survival when so many bigger stores have disappeared?

I feel a lot of negativity about the brand because I 100% associate them with rip-off prices for bottled water at airports. Immoral when we have no other choice. (Although I did spot a free water fountain at Gatwick last week. It was impressively camouflaged behind a wall and tucked out of the way. You'd only spot it if you happened to look behind you.)
I swerve WHS on the highstreet and at train stations as a result.
So I imagine the income gained from inflated prices at airports is actually damaging their customer base on the high street.
If they'd been clever, they would have called their airport stores a different name.

I feel a lot of negativity about the brand because I 100% associate them with rip-off prices for bottled water at airports.

Do you feel the same negativity for Boots who do the same, or for Burger King who charge more than their High Street stores? Everything in airports are expensive, mostly due to the airports themselves charging sky high rents (just like train stations, hospitals, motorway service stations etc).

@Kazzyhoward
I can't comment on Burger King or Boots as I don't shop in them at airports or at home. (Our local Boots is very run down, small and badly laid-out. Compared to a spacious, well-stocked Superdrug nearby. Whole other thread.)
I was in an airport Zara and a Fat Face and the prices were the same as the high street.
When buying water recently WhSmith still asked for my boarding card. I refused of course Their prices aren't discounted to reflect non VAT. But they want to charge the full cost (and some!) and then avoid paying VAT to the revenue office.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/airport-scam-wh-smith-continues-to-demand-boarding-passes-from-passengers-to-avoid-paying-vat-a6695876.html%3famp

Martin Lewis:
"I’m surprised that WH Smith is risking that much brand damage to continue this unfair policy. I’m aware that even in duty free stores where you legally have to show your boarding pass, staff are getting abuse, so it’s surprising that staff in WH Smith still do this despite the anger it is clearly causing passengers.
“People need to be very sure that when you go into WH Smith you do not show your boarding pass unless they will give you a discount.
“That way they will lose profitability and they will be forced to change their system. It is just a shame that militancy is the only way that will force them to do it differently.”

It’s another store ruined over the years by heavy discounting and online rivals.
It was a lovely place as a child, Rarely go in there now.

Never knew about the airport though -

I’m not a fan, my local one has our post office in so I travel through to get to that but it’s a real mess - just piles of stuff everywhere, and a basic notebook will set you back £6 when I could get the same thing in wilko or Tesco for £2.
I know the high street is struggling with online shopping rivals and shop leases etc but it does feel more out of touch than many other retailers.

They’ve had a lot of bad press too, earlier this year they came under fire for charging 8 quid for a tube of toothpaste in a hospital branch, of course meaning any poor patients or relatives staying overnight unexpectedly are forced to fork out huge sums for basic products. They claimed it was a pricing error but I find that difficult to believe..

inews.co.uk/news/uk/wh-smith-toothpaste-hospital/

The Works is great! My 16 yo got all her pens, Highlighters, paper etc, art sketchbooks for 6th form for just £7.

I am surprised so many people have posted on this thread in support of WH Smith because it used to be an institution and therefore they believe it should continue to be part of the high street. Just because it used to be somewhere you brought your school stationery and Christmas annuals doesn't mean it should be exempt from closing down.

The truth is WH Smiths know people have fond memories of their shops and consequently they feel they do not have to try and be competitive to survive.

At the end of the day a pen is a pen and a notebook is a notebook why would you spend such a large percentage more just to buy it from WH Smiths?

As for the person who said the cards from the works were flimsy and sentimental so they brought them from WH Smiths. It's a birthday card it will go in the recycling the day after the birthday does it matter if its flimsy or sentimental?

They've got a decent stationery range. Better than most of their competitors. They've got a decent greetings cards and wrapping paper range. They've got a comprehensive newspaper and magazines range. And they sell books.
I don't think there's anywhere on the high street that encompasses that.

@ferrier The Works. The Range. Asda. Tesco. Sainsburys. Any supermarket with highstreet outlets. Home and Bargain. Wilkos. 🤷🏼‍♀️ there are loads.

WHSmith used to survive on Book Voucher sales. Now it's simcards, overpriced magazines and £2 bars of chocolate at the till in service stations. If they were in airports and motorways they'd be long gone.

They will be gone soon unless they somehow manage to reidentify and reprice their brand. They're tatty these days, rather than a pleasure to shop in.

Why would I pay £11 for a Pukka pad there when I can get the same one at Tesco for £5 or a stunning one from Paperchase for £10?? Makes no sense.

They've got a decent stationery range. Better than most of their competitors.

I'm a stationery geek. I haven't been to Smiths for years (and years and years.) Their range is depressing.

Muji, www.presentandcorrect.com/ The Range, Paperchase, even Home Bargains and TK Maxx are better.

Very few of the competitors you mention are as ubiquitous as Smith's. The only ones listed that are as local to me are Tescos and Wilko. The Wilko range is nowhere near as big and is generally of lower quality. The Tesco range is not so wide either, especially where stationery and books are concerned.
I agree that Smith's has a fight on its hands to stay relevant. I'm not their biggest champion! I'm just pointing out why they are still successful where I am .... And why I hope they remain successful because they do have the best offering locally.

And by stationery Im not really talking designer stationery ... more basics like paper clips, fine liners, staplers, treasury tags. All those little bits and pieces.

I went right off WHS when I stopped at Warwick services, used the WHS there only to be told that my WHS card "wasn't accepted" at that location since they weren't "WHS" but a franchise.

DGRs rule of life is that if you entice a shopper into a store by calling that store "WHS", but then pretend you aren't "WHS" when it comes to putting points on a card, then you - my friend - are a fraudster.

(See also "Costa" who were up to the same trick with the branch they had (opposite WHS) in the QE2 hospital in Brum).

I used to work at the same branch of WH Smith as a pp on this thread and we must have been colleagues given the dates. I do not recognise the place now - the shops are an assault to the senses and feel too cramped and the customer service is nothing like it was when I worked for them. Even as Saturday staff we had regular customer service training.

The company used to own Niceday, Paperchase, Waterstones and Our Price (remember them?!) As well as the wholesale business. It was a massive company when I worked for it and on a par with Boots and M&S in terms of prestige at the time.

Ohhhh is that me?

(Manchester Arndale 88-91) If it is, do PM me, and we can have a secret handshake, or grey pinny reminisce or something!

And by stationery Im not really talking designer stationery ... more basics like paper clips, fine liners, staplers, treasury tags. All those little bits and pieces.

I must be very lucky that our local shopping centre has a Rymans, a TK Maxx, A Paperchase, a Smiggle a poundland and a Works meaning I never have to deal with Smith's grimy carpet. Most of those are fairly common in large-ish shopping centres. We also still have a separate post office which sells a pretty good range of basic stationery cheaper than Smiths.

We also still have a separate post office which sells a pretty good range of basic stationery cheaper than Smiths

I noticed this morning that our local corner shop sells stationery such as paperclips, pens, envelopes etc cheaper than WH Smiths, how crazy is that.

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I was very rarely in WH Smith (or John Menzies as it was then) as a child

Think I had to get my school pencils and stationery at Boots using the vouchers I got for Christmas and birthdays

It's only as an adult that I've started to shop there, so it's not down to nostalgia or anything else. I genuinely love WH Smith and I find it a real pleasure to go in, I love just going in to look around even when I don't have any money to buy anything. It's one of my favourite shops, and an absolute must whenever I'm in town.

No grimy carpet here!
I usually frequent a high street Smith's. There is a Ryman as it happens but it's much smaller and weighted in favour of artists' supplies.
I also go to an outlet on a small retail park. That has competition from Clintons and Waterstones so it doesn't sell books and its cards are much better.

I find it so funny that everyone (almost!) has a WH Smiths that is like a Chapel of Rest, with the same shitty, grimy carpet, massively over priced goods, upselling terrys chocolate oranges at the till, and dark, dank stores.

In addition, 99% of people think it needs putting out of its misery.

By the end of 2019, they will be gone. They have no place in the 21st century. Bollocks to them being an 'institution' - so was Woolworths, and BHS, and MFI, and C & A, and they all went tits up. And they were all better than WH Smiths.

What's so special about WH Smiths?! All the stores are grim and drab and overpriced, and they need to go.

Then the overpriced and overrated Marks and Spencer can go next... they haven't been relevant this century. Then Waitrose can go..... Also overpriced and overrated.

Hands off my Waitrose!

I still haven't recovered from foolishly purchasing my twin DDs 'starting secondary school' stationery in WHS, 6 years ago ...... didn't have much change from £100 ..... never been back.

Isn't it because they own a major book and magazine distribution wholesaler or distributor, and therefore have - or used to have - almost a monopoly behind the scenes?
This

They have their fingers in lots of pies
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/WHSmith