New style M&S cafe

[Triflingjelly]

AIBU to not like the new style M&S cafe where you order at screens like McDs and then sit and wait for hard working waiting staff to bring your food. Stressful for customer and #runaround for staff. It all feels very impersonal. Bring back self-service. Is it just me?

At the end of the day businesses are about profit. If screens means they can employ less people and still serve the same amount of customers, then that's what they'll do.

Tesco’s do this in some stores and I would not order from a screen there again. Drinks and food were just warm from being left in counter until busy staff could pick them up. Not exactly fair to make it difficult for elderly who don’t like using screen ordering and the wheelchair users who can’t reach.

I will just go somewhere with staff who give decent service.

That lets out most M&S cafes I’ve been to even ignoring whether or not you like screens. Slowest service ever.

I sometimes think what's the point of those cafes, why not just sub-let these spaces to people or companies that actually run a decent service.

John Lewis cafe is good.

John Lewis generally is in serious trouble and will need to emulate M&S if it’s going to drag itself out of the financial mess it’s got into.

It won’t do that by changing the model in its excellent cafes. It should look at what it was doing when it was successful and before Sharon White got her hands on it. And they should ask longstanding, loyal customers. I’d happily spend time with them telling them where they’ve messed up. Emulating M&S won’t cut it, the customer demographic is different.

The customer demographic isn’t that different.

Waitrose and M&S foodhalls are comparable for one thing. The M&S website stocks lots of brands sold in JL. Autograph competes with JL clothing. Homeware is the same. Beauty ranges aren’t radically different especially in more niche brands.

Yes JL should go back to having staff who know their stuff but it can’t afford not to make itself more efficient. It will be looking at M&S and working out how to fix its business as successfully as M&S has.

If JL emulates the M&S cafe model it can kiss goodbye to most of its longstanding and loyal customers. All your comparisons are based on product, not service. There’s no comparison between JL beauty halls and the self service beauty section in M&S. The former is an experience, the latter is like buying groceries.

In terms of product JL seems to have axed some of the lines that served it best. Kin has gone, much to many customers’ dismay. It used to be THE place for unusual, quirky costume jewellery but now doesn’t stock any. It feels to me as if it’s committing suicide.

I didn’t say they should emulate the cafe model though I don’t think JL cafes are that great. Food is generic and the coffee not great.

They have a huge problem to fix across their stores though and they will be looking at M&S and how it has succeeded as they were in a similar position a few years ago.

Most of the interesting brands in JL beauty are self service anyway so it’s not so different

The JL model doesn’t work in an economic squeeze. Quality staff and service cost money and customers are focused on price.

The traditional JL customer - who are deserting them in droves - are more focused on quality and service than price. JL has survived numerous economic downturns, including recessions.

Most of the interesting brands in JL beauty are self service anyway so it’s not so different

But they’re allied to the beauty hall experience so it’s very different.

My John Lewis cafe does have quality food. It is far better than more expensive trendy cafes. I don't drink coffee, but I like that John Lewis serves tea in teapots.

Where John Lewis have harmed themselves is i9n their delivery service. We used to buy all our white goods from there. It was not always the cheapest, but always good quality and reliable. The last thing we bought white goods wise was a few years ago and the delivery company were a nightmare. I went online to see reviews and saw that they had changed who delivered - outsourced it - and other customers were having problems. We now buy from another firm who are reliable.
I still buy things like phones from there that do not need delivered as their sales staff are still helpful.
Not everyone just shops on the basis of price.

And if you are going for cheap and cheerful, weatherspoons wins out every time. If every cafe became like the new M and S I would just get a tea and snacks for the children in the local weatherspoons instead.

People will visit JL to look at white goods but if AO.com sells the same dishwasher for £50 they’ll order from AO.com.

I bought my kitchen from them and would advise anyone considering the same to run a mile. Their service is no longer a differentiator and the quality of their own brand goods is falling. It’s extremely sad.

@LittleBearPad I did not use to. Their delivery and installation service used to be brilliant. Since they outsourced it this is no longer the case.
I compare prices, but always go for the cheapest with a reliable service, rather than simply the cheapest.