To think that since covid happened some businesses have 'got lazy and stayed lazy'

[Ilovechocolate87]

DH and i used to have an expression a couple of years back 'because covid' which we used when we thought a company was just using the virus as an excuse for not doing something properly or making unnecessary cutbacks.

But even now it seems that this is STILL continuing, but for no legitimate reason!

Some examples include;
-Our local bank shutting at 3pm...every day of the week.Crap for 9-5 working people like DH!

• No fireworks display at center parcs, which is a shame as it was really good and atmospheric over the lake.
• Soft play at our local sealife centre sitting there unused and wasted...such a shame as there is nothing wrong with it.
• Fitting rooms have been scrapped at sainsburys and asda (maybe elsewhere too?) so there is nowhere to try on clothes, resulting in either having to order online and have the expense and bother of posting it back if its not right (which it often isn't) or travelling to return it, neither of which are very good for the environment either, with all that plastic packaging and fuel!)

Has anyone else noticed that it just seems like SOME businesses/companies 'can't be bothered' anymore and are just doing the minimum possible? And the most frustrating thing is that as usual, they make the cutbacks, but the prices keep on going up!!

@Ilovechocolate87 We had the "because Covid" thing too. It still applies where I live to pretty much everything.

One thing I’ve noticed is going to certain restaurants (think chain ones where you don’t tend to book) and while there are clearly tables free, being turned away or told there’s a 40 minute wait or whatever. I assume this is due to staffing levels because they clearly have the actual floor space. This must be really hurting businesses because if this happens I think twice about going again. I have saved a lot of money from reducing spending in places that don’t offer the usual experience anymore but that surely means they are more likely to go under. It’s a downward spiral

How convenient that an expensive event has a good excuse to stop. Because Center Parcs tearing down forests to build chalets is super environmentally conscious 🤣

Our primary school not doing an evening navity /carol service this year citing 'safety reasons' as they didn't have to do it for 2 years it's an easy 'lets not bother' regardless of religion was always a lovely evening for local parents & kids.

School staff are working to rule - the nice to have bits have been chopped because teachers are refusing to work unpaid.

I wonder what you give for free?

I don’t disagree but we are living in unprecedented times and through a really nasty combination of circumstances so I can kind of see why some businesses are cutting corners to survive. It feels post apocalyptic. Staff is a major issue, everywhere you go there are signs about job vacancies. Brexit lost us some of the people who might have been prepared to take minimum wage jobs in a cost of living crisis but it’s not really laziness to not want them. These after effects of a global pandemic (esp inflation) were probably very predictable and history books will link all the various factors and the impact together much more elegantly than I could. If it wasn’t so depressing and genuinely life threatening to some, watching the path of a pandemic would be fascinating. The question is what will the UK look like in ten years time, not sure many would bet on better.

if this is the case then ‘we are working to rule’ is a perfectly good response. Being untruthful gets peoples backs up and doesn’t add any support.

Indeed.

I think it is a combination of Covid laziness and also the push to do everything online.

Convenient and cheaper for the companies but certainly not for the consumer.

It is lazy thinking and many of us want to be able to speak quickly and directly to another person especially when trying to resolve a problem.

This nonsense also excludes many people with disabilities and older people who don't want to or can't do everything remotely.

I avoid anywhere (cafes, cinemas, galleries) that expect me to the job for them in return for my money.

I also hate call centres that are based abroad where you have forever to be connected and the person usually has no idea of how to help beyond reading from a script.

I think in the UK customer service is really poor these days.

As for the NHS, I haven't had issues having face to face appointment when it comes to dealing wit hospital consultants so I think they have been working really hard to help everyone.

But I also that think GPs specifically are taking the piss: there was no reason for them to refuse face to face appointments for so long while everyone else was coming out of lockdown or to continue to do so now.

For those arguing that the NHS is due to staffing and recruitment crisis etc why do they not write this on their correspondence then?! They themselves literally quote "Covid"
As their issue. Not my fault if they are laying blame at the wrong door is it.

Having to strip the bed and put bedding and towels in the big bags for the laundry, at rental cottages is my bugbear. All before 10am!

Lots of us also rather flew and paid privately in our respective countries than having to use nhs.
I can totes imagine my gp happily sending me for annual gyno check up. Ha. As if there is actual frmale helathcare here...
Or we just skipped the whole shebang and bought medicine elsewhere...

Lots of us were net contributors overal with no kids, paid tax (but couldn't vote...), Some health or access to better care, etc. If I talk about EEA ones, generally we were quite beneficial apparently. Lots have gone and lots is working on moving on

Yep. No one seems to want to work any more. Try getting a gardner/builder etc to come round and get a quote

The worse part is that now people seem to be shamed for expecting basic levels of service. Just because covid/some cant afford stuff anyone expecting to be able to book a table or not have the wait staff be rude as fuck to them when they have a meal out is the one in the wrong.

We have seen an excuse and jumped on it. Uts been 2 years the excuses are wearing thin now

I work in accountancy and it’s experienced staff we’ve struggled to recruit. We take on graduates each year and took on a few extra this year but it’s a few years before they are able to to do the work where we have our shortages at the min, taking on more graduates wouldn’t solve this

This would fit with what we know about the groups most likely to stop working or reduce their work hours during the pandemic: over 55s and women with caring responsibilities for children. These are people of an age to have already got some experience in their sectors and are harder to replace.

Go to the office then, if you are not equipped to WFH

That's a BEAUTIFUL typo😁

The banks around here have always closed around 3.30, even when my DM worked in one 35 years ago it closed at 3so that's not new here, it's frustrating as my DH works the same hours as yours and gas to wait until time off to go in to do things like change address etc..

I completely agree with the rest though

My hairdresser has decided not to reinstate magazines. It was the only time I read them.
Hotels not cleaning rooms so often.

@user1496146479 - she can’t, she explained this.

My Masters course requires me regularly to go into archives and consult documents. Many archives are still asking everyone to make appointments weeks in advance and limiting numbers because covid.

My dentist has the doors locked and blinds pulled down because covid.

My DS is 8 so started yt4 in September. He is top of the list to see the Educational Phycologists in the school but they have not gone in since the start of covid and the school don't know when they are going back

Weekend away … check in at 5 on the Friday, out by 10 on the Monday … hardly a long weekend 🤷🏼‍♀️

My office friend moved to Taunton and WFH and now won't come to the office like everyone else because she moved in lockdown!!!!!!! And it's too far to travel!!

Doubt it, more like the jobs have been devalued and not deemed as important enough to pay a wage people can actually live on, or treated with a little common decency, we've spent decades as a society telling the people who do these jobs how unskilled, uninspired and lazy they are for not doing any better for themselves and now people are scratching their heads at why there's a shortage in these areas and shouting at the ones who are still doing it because the service level has dropped, so it's an even less attractive proposition.
Foreign labour filled the gap and now that's all but gone this is the result - no one wants to work in these jobs.

Plenty of people on threads here in the past about low wages and the way these jobs are collectively regarded were dismissive and derogatory towards the people who filled these jobs and provided the services we lament now as being woeful, told them about how they should do better and have a bit of personal responsibility - and now are annoyed because there's not enough people to do those jobs.

Well like I said in a pp - we are reaping what we've sewed on a societal level.

What’s that got to do with no changing rooms st Sainsburys or no magazines in the hairdressers🤷‍♀️

I don't often moan about the service in shops as I know retail is hard work and low paid and a tough job , but I did write to my local big supermarket store to have a whinge as my ' shopping experience' the other day was awful
Some of the aisles have been made smaller , the roof leaks so one aisle you couldn't even get down easily as it was blocked up with buckets and tape etc. it's been like that for many months.
There was a high pitched noise that made my ears burn ! I did ask what it was and met by a bemused assistant who just said ' I can't hear it '
The ladies didn't have any toilet paper in it and was grubby. Someone did come along with some and said sorry as I was leaving , but luckily I had some clean tissues on me anyway
I know it wasn't her fault, but felt like the lady straw
The staff just looked fed up
I'm sure nothing will be done , but these companies make millions yet can't upkeep their stores with basic maintenance it seems :(

Last straw !