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

DH went to try wellies on recently, with the intention of buying a decent pair at about £100.

JL had one pair of wellies on display (not even available in his totally normal size). When I asked about more, I was told they were available on their website.

So I ordered 9 pairs of wellies from JL online and returned 8 of them. They paid for the courier at both ends. Surely that's not a cost-effective business model.

That's interesting and explains the general attitude of staff on the shop floor. I do feel they regard customers as an inconvenience.

Swings and roundabouts
I bought a washing machine before Christmas and it was £100 cheaper at JL on a £400 machine, you always have to shop around for white goods.

Years ago, JL Oxford Street was open Saturday morning only, Saturday pm deemed optimum thieving time, closed until Tuesday morning,
Monday big clean and polish, windows changed stock replenished etc.,
higher standards, motivated, well trained, knowledgeable partners, fantastic sales, never knowingly undersold head and shoulders above the rest.

We haven’t been in a JL for 3 years now after being given the runaround over a
faulty cooker, this being one (the last) of many fights over the years, Customer Service not meeting our expectations.

This very day we have ordered white goods from AO, highly recommend, solid Northern values, will not behave as though they are doing you a massive favour.

We were fourth generation baton passed loyal JL shoppers, from gloves to beds
with everything in between, not any more.

I used to love JL, their customer service was fantastic.
At the start of lockdown i bought a laptop from them. It broke after a couple of months. I contacted customer service. They were off hand and not interested. They told me to take my lap top in to my nearest branch to arrange a repair. Two problems with that; my 2 nearest JL branches were now closed. Nearest branch was now an hour away. It was also in the middle of lockdown and all its restrictions. Not their problem apparently.
I was advised to try the manufacturer. I did and they were fantastic. Sent a courier and dealt with it politely and efficiently.
JL used to be like that. Sadly no longer.

That's interesting and explains the general attitude of staff on the shop floor. I do feel they regard customers as an inconvenience

Most of the staff in my local are great, both the people who do the shelves and the cashiers; there are a couple I have a chat with (altho now I come to think about it I haven't seen either of them for a while). It just feels a bit... lacklustre. And they seem to have a project going in the weekly giveaway magazine of 'how many utterly rank recipes can we cram in this week?'

Their online store is also absolutely rubbish, I always pay for next day and 9/10 times it doesn’t arrive. I’ve stopped bothering with them and use Selfridges for next day now, you can order at 9pm and it will be out for delivery at 7am.

Just seen in Liverpool that the proper sized carpet samples have gone to be replaced by tiny little squares on the wall and acres of Karndean instead. Assistant tried to tell me it’s as good as Amtico. Yes, but we bought the cheaper Amtico Spacia - and that’s gone. Just spotted it in a local flooring store along with proper carpet sample sizes, so they’ve just lost another customer.

I pay for next day delivery and it always arrives the next day. I’ve never been let down.

User19798 · Yesterday 15:36

I had an absolutely horrendous experience with a dishwasher fitter.

Blimey, that's absolutely awful, poor you! It's absolutely outrageous that they wouldn't accept your evidence and the word of the other man.

Last night I was in the Oxford Street store, mainly to use the toilets but I also needed plain, nude nylon socks.
Couldn't find any and the staff I asked was actually working for a lingerie brand, so were all the staff on the shop floor.

All JL staff were either at the tills or by the fitting room. Went there only to be told "Oh, we don't have any of those. There's a shortage and has been for months. We do have navy or black, though. Otherwise try M&S or Primark."

This is such a basic item that I cannot understand how JL cannot have any on sale.
Will have to traipse to M&S later today, luckily there is one near my office.

Went to TK Maxx as well and, according to the test someone posted upthread, they are doing well. Could've bought black tights, knickers, baby body suits and a kettle. Didn't buy any of these but walked out with a potatoe peeler.

Maerchentate - 7/8 minutes walk JL to M&S Marble Arch what a shame you didn’t realise and Marks&Spencer Pantheon at TCR 2 mins! walk from TK Maxx
Good luck on the hunt for plain, nude nylon socks.
Should you find yourself SOTR, Morleys department store opposite the tube in Brixton is famous for its tights/sock department, any colour you can conjure.

I know it is right there, spend way too much time up on Oxford Street, but lost time in TK Maxx and was almost late for meeting a friend. But thanks for the Brixton tip.

Whilst I'm GC and think the push to inclusion and diversity is a bit too skewed to teams at the moment I also think the demonisation of JL by the Telegraph and Daily Mail is disgusting and driven more by hatred of a successful black woman at the helm.

They hate Sharon White and some of their attacks are so personal and I really don't think they'd say the stuff they say if she was a white man.

I would hope FWR would at least see that rather than follow the anti woke culture war stuff.

https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/summary?s=45CR:LSE#:~:text=As%20of%20last%20trade%20John,set%20on%20Jan%2031%2C%202024.

It's a PLC

ThinkAboutItTomorrow · Today 10:43

They hate Sharon White and some of their attacks are so personal and I really don't think they'd say the stuff they say if she was a white man. .....driven more by hatred of a successful black woman at the helm.

I didn't know that she's Black, it's an interesting point, but is that all that drives them? You must be aware of their general pro GC, anti TRA stance.

They seem to be very pro Kemi Badenoch, Baroness Warsi, Priti Patel and Suella Braverman.

Nobody should be surprised by the problems at JL. This is what inevitably happens when a career bureaucrat is appointed as the boss of a major retailer.
Sharon White is neither a retailer nor a businesswoman. She took over at a difficult time, but she focused on the wrong things, implemented the wrong strategies and made a bad situation worse. Because she was completely clueless & hopelessly out of her depth.
In contrast, look at the impressive turnaround at M&S, which has vastly experienced professional retailers running the business.

I think it's both. They hate a black woman who disagrees with them and is running a large company that is owned by employees and doesn't benefit any shareholders or fat cats.

I’m not surprised that they’ve outsourced their customer service. Still, it’s perhaps marginally better in the Philippines than their previous outsource to Capita, when it took six months to replace a freezer (which they dropped when it was delivered 🙄 )

I’ve had issues with items being underweight in Waitrose too - I submitted a complaint and got a rather uninterested apology along with my money back, which hardly felt worth the bother.

I also sent feedback about those stupid vouchers which always seem to be based on what I bought last week (hint: if I bought mustard last week I probably don’t need any more yet) or what they would like me to buy. Just reinstate the “choose your own vouchers” scheme, FFS.

ThinkAboutItTomorrow · Today 10:58

I think it's both. They hate a black woman who disagrees with them and is running a large company that is owned by employees and doesn't benefit any shareholders or fat cats.

That's an interesting take, which I hadn't considered.

I don’t really care that White is a black woman. What I care about is that John Lewis appointed an ex-Civil Servant with no retailing experience to run their business and who appears to have fucked it up (hence why she’s leaving after such a short time at the helm).

Frankly it smacks of her being employed because she was a black woman rather than because she was the right person for the job. Which doesn’t help anyone.

@SidewaysOtter

Spot on. White’s ethnicity is irrelevant. As it should be, of course. Her incompetence is relevant.

Not sure where you get the pro GC, anti TRA stance from...

https://www.jamesesses.com/p/the-trans-takeover-of-john-lewis see also boy in girls' clothes trashing the house advert.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13091007/John-Lewis-boycott-trans-magazine-breast-binders-children.html

Now why in the world would they do this. Have they done similar publications to help their staff to work with people with mental health issues, or people who are physically disabled, or any other marginalised group who might need additional support? It would be a wonderful thing if they had, and I am willing to apologise if this is the case, but I have the feeling that once again we are seeing special circumstances applied to special people who have got a very loud and pushy following.

(sorry about the DM link for those who deny they never read it!)

Former civil servant, eh?

That explains a lot.