John Lewis in Trouble

[TrainedByCatsToBeScathing]

John Lewis are struggling, even the Waitrose side of things. 11,000 out of a workforce of 80,000 is a lot, I’m sad for their mostly female sales force and there’s many reasons for their problems particularly with them not adapting quickly to the challenge from online sales.

However I was a very regular shopper in my local John Lewis and I stopped completely after their patronising offensive response to my query about single sex changing rooms a few years ago. I’d buy furniture, white goods, kitchenware, electronics, carpet, clothes, toys, haberdashery, cosmetics, shoes even jewellery (I was shocked when I realised how much I defaulted to John Lewis as it took a little while to switch to alternatives some of my loyalty was convenience). Obviously I’m just one shopper but it never seemed a good idea to piss off loyal customers as when trading conditions are challenging you need those customers even more.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13082653/John-Lewis-threatens-staff-disciplinary-action-unacceptable-comments-internal-intranet-retail-giant-considers-cutting-11-000-jobs-bid-recover-230m-losses.html

I used to go there because it was a good place to start looking for something, especially white goods, because they had already done their research and had the best selection. This was really useful, because if you buy a new washing machine after 10+ years quite often the shop where you bought it is no longer there.

Now it seems they are going the same way.

I have noticed that the selection is not what it was and I think they have prioritised image and lifestyle over the old fashioned skills of stock buyers.

Also, they have stopped stocking the perfect bean slicer.

I got such an eye-wateringly rude and patronising response from a JL store manager to a problem I raised (I wasn’t even complaining- just needed help with something), that I now avoid their brand. He was a young man, I am a middle-aged woman. His contempt was plain.

I wonder how many of their customer base are middle-aged women 🤔

I was a decades-long JLP fan. Used to work in a town where it was my lunchtime go-to venue, I'd spend hours and ££££s there.

Dec 2022, after COVID, I took myself off to that same store to do some Christmas shopping.
The glassware dept - used to stock crystal by all the major UK manufactures - looked like it was a closing down sale. Lots of plain pint mugs and wine glasses. The only item I liked didn't have a price tag. (I later bought it directly from the manfacturer online.)
The toy department looked like it had been stocked by a 1950s headmaster who hated kids. A good Lego selection, but everything else "worthy" and retro.
I found a thrown in the bedding section, but no price tag again. Looked it up on their website, but it wasn't listed. Bought a similar item at T. K. Maxx the next day.
The jigsaw collection? There wasn't one.
The ceramics and pottery section? Three shelves haphazardly arranged.
The second-hand jewellery section - gone.
I came home empty-handed.

(Oh, and the changing-room thing meant I didn't even consider clothes shopping.)

I kept finding that they just didn’t have staff on the floor to help me shop. And the ones on the tills moved like they were underwater. They sent me a bra with no return slip and dealing with their “customer service” line was a total nightmare. Went to Waitrose where found they removed most of their tills. Complained. Assistant said their jobs were safe. I said they weren’t.

They missed a trick also with leaving Ocado I think

Well I've been patronised to fuck by one of the staff in Waitrose this evening so I'm not feeling any sympathy for them (yes, I do know to put my cup on the tray first then press the button in order to work the coffee machine, I've been using your bloody machines for years and I do know when one isn't working)

Oh, and at a different JLP store. Shopping for an office chair. Found one I liked. Waited patiently for about 20 minutes for the (very busy) floor staff to get round to us. Many minutes more for them to investigate, and then tell us the item wasn't in stock and , no, they didn't know when it would be back in stock. Could we take the one that was there on the shop floor? No, because they used that to advertise the product.

I think the customer service standards have slipped considerably. You can see the staff are hating their jobs. I know they are all partners but I heard the benefits of that have been cut, or something?

If I go at all, it's Oxford Circus (dreadful) or Westfield Stratford City (a bit better, their electronics department is very good.) But overall it's a bit...BHS (as was) during the Christmas season (selling all kinds of overpriced tat).

I miss the excellent stationary department at Oxo . During the last refurb they got rid of it. 😭

I work at JLP. I have worked in retail all my career and unfortunately it is a sector that 'right sizes' it's workforce often.

I'm not going to lie, morale isn't great but we have a plan.

To those who have experienced poor customer service, I am sorry. It's definitely not what JLP is about. We are human and out of the 10s of thousands of people who work here, maybe this person was having a really bad day - not an excuse but we have all been there.

Yes redundancies in any retailer which affect store staff will hit women more, however, we don't know which departments will be cut.

Whenever I wanted to buy something online, I used to check if the John Lewis website sold it. I liked ordering from them as they offered free delivery and free returns. When that stopped, I had no reason to choose them over any other reputable online retailer.

Ditching "never knowingly undersold" was a huge mistake.

I'd always head there for every large purchase, knowing I'd paid a fair price. Now I shop around

I stopped shopping there when dogs became welcome in stores. Shane as it was lovely to shop there. And the free delivery was good too. It went up to £30 spend for click and collect.

JL customer service just isn’t up to it and that’s essential these days when so many things can be bought online.

I found out I could avoid paying the VAT on a Tempur mattress because of a disability I have. John Lewis staff knew nothing about it. I went to a local store and they were all over it, had the forms ready to go and they made it so easy. John Lewis was my first port of call and they lost the sale.

The mattress is great by the way.

I used to love going to JL in Sheffield. Lovely big store, great location and lots of staff. Then it started looking more like a closing down sale every time i went. Until eventually i just stopped. And then it closed down completely. So. Meh.

And they ditched their partnership credit card, then tried to force customers to sign up to their new one rather than just port people across, which meant you had to reapply from scratch. A lot of customers then found they were turned down, or were offered a drastically lower credit limit. Iirc they also slashed the rewards you got for your spending.

We decided not to bother, having used our JL card there and in Waitrose a lot. They still seem to play a loop instore with constant announcements begging people to take out their new card so I presume it hasn’t been a roaring success.

Me too!

And now Waitrose is full of their stuff. So l’ve boycotted them too.

Also, Waitrose is now significantly more expensive for the basic basket of goods I buy every week. I did a comparison online shop with Sainsbury’s so not even one of the cheaper alternatives. The difference was about £13 on my weekly shop.

I still do love JL, but since the pandemic they’ve made another set of changes reducing the number of lines and products available in store - particularly things like haberdashery, etc. - our local one is slowly becoming mostly beauty hall and Ori Caffe and the amount of actual products is getting teenier and teenier. The kidswear section and toys are diminishing each time I go in (and the amount of unwanted kidswear on sale seems enormous). Five, seven years ago there was a fabulous toy department that DD loved visiting, and their kidswear was great and fantastic quality - I bought nearly everything there. Great, attractive basics in cotton and wool. Now the ranges are markedly smaller, poorer quality (especially Anyday which is synthetic and poorly cut), and everything seems badly designed to look “fashionable”, but incredibly ugly and somehow tarty, like stretchy silver ruched tops for preteens that look like clubbing outfits from a market in 1995? And the toy section barely exists any more, and like a pp said, are mostly Lego. —Also, children’s shoes! We used always to go to JL, but I haven’t been for years as they started employing useless fitters who didn’t seem to be able to fit DD’s (perfectly ordinary) feet, and the range is really thin!

Decor ranges have gone the same way. Used to be my first stop for everything from blinds to bedding to cushions. Now, reduced range in store, assistants don’t seem to have the knowledge they used to, markedly poorer quality than before.

And don’t get me started on the clothes. At least there you can see that all the bloody retailers are cutting quality and design and putting prices up. But I used to really enjoy shopping for women’s clothes in JL, and now nothing seems aimed at my age - mid-40s - it’s either frumpsville pensioner clothes or high end brands selling clothes that seem aimed at 20 year old models who are 6ft tall.

I used to go to JL first for everything from Christmas cards to clothes to ribbons by the yard (oh how I fondly look back at the days when they used to have ribbons to cut and proper fabric bolts 😩😩😩) But they just seem to have lost the great quality basics and tasteful luxuries thing that kept people loyal.

Design good basics that make people look good! Diversify the product ranges again for toys, household goods, decor, baby and kids; and have the things actually in store to look at! Have nice ladies in their fifties working there who know everything about the products! Bring back the free coffee and cake vouchers and - one final thing - make the loos a bit nicer. When DD was born the only place my NCT group ever met was JL cafe, because the baby department was so good, and the loos and baby change facilities were so clean and nice. I’ve noticed they’ve really been going downhill the last ten years. Nice loos really matter to female shoppers.

@Pipsquiggle please feed this back to your team (what bit of JL do you work in?)

@asterel it would be better if you fed it back. Direct customer feedback always has more weight. Just copy and paste above and send it to Sharon White, mention the store this relates to.

I don't work at JL. I've always worked in grocery

I really miss the JL in Sheffield, as do all my friends. Nottingham and Cheadle are too far away. Online shopping is fine but it’s fun to browse and impulse buy.

Agree with all this and also the very poor and uninspiring stock. After Debenhams and House of Fraser closed in my town it is the only department store. It’s really sad there there are so few options now.

@asterel
The toy department😔
Back when my kids were kids (1990s) the High Wycombe JLP's toy deparment was vast, varied, and A Destination for an afternoon. I so miss that.

I haven't touched them for 4 years and I never will again.
I bought some sheets from them, they were just a bit too small for my bed so I returned them a few days later without the receipt (lost) They refused to let me change them without the receipt and so did the manager.
I complained on Twitter and I got an absolutely obnoxious reply insinuating that I had stolen them. I was shocked, disgusted and furious.

Sharon White has been fucking disastrous for JL. She's completely destroyed their USP which was excellent customer service at reasonable prices. Their staff knew what they were talking about but the staff are now floated from dept to dept so none of them know anything. She's also got rid of the uniforms. I used to work for JL and they were hot on the uniforms and appearance which affects the culture of a store and now staff wear whatever they like and often look too casual and sometimes a bit shabby. Their customer service in general has also gone really downhill, not helped by the outsourcing of their helpline. I have also heard they no longer treat their staff very well which will reflected in the service provided. Also agree with PP's that they were silly to give up the Ocado contract. They need to get rid of her asap although I worry it's too late and they won't be catch things up now. Very sad. I've always shopped in JL, was treated well when I worked for them. Seems another British institution might be going down the drain.

One of JL's biggest selling points for me was its customer service, which is now virtually non-existent, IME. Items on display, in the electrical department especially, tend to be for show only and I've lost count of the times I've been told, somewhat laconically, to check availability online.

Their telephone system is now automated and dire - no longer a direct phone number for individual stores.

The JL own brand clothing no longer has the feel of quality.

As others have said, the cessation of free delivery and their Never Knowingly Undersold policy are two more nails in their coffin.

That said, the staff in my local Waitrose are lovely; it's just a shame the prices for ordinary shopping are so inflated.