Cuffy/Skill - Stafford customer service thread - Stafford retailers reports.

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
That system seems to be still up and running successfully and they have another "20% off all full-priced stock" offer running for a week from tomorrow, Monday the 8th.

https://www.facebook.com/SalterStreetToysAndModels/posts/3525660744199234

I wanted to order some jigsaws and always prefer to shop local if I can so I tried to find their website online.
However it transpires that they only operate by Facebook and I’m not on that.
It’s a shame but my £52 went to Amazon instead.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
I wanted to order some jigsaws and always prefer to shop local if I can so I tried to find their website online.
However it transpires that they only operate by Facebook and I’m not on that.
It’s a shame but my £52 went to Amazon instead.
I have a Farcebook account for just this sort of thing (plus snooping, obvs). Gets used for nothing else, no visibility to anyone else or anything thing else. Hate Farcebook and Twatter, but needs must at times.
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
I have a Farcebook account for just this sort of thing (plus snooping, obvs). Gets used for nothing else, no visibility to anyone else or anything thing else. Hate Farcebook and Twatter, but needs must at times.

Oh I don’t have anything against either Facebook or Twitter, it’s just that I haven’t got round to signing up.
I’d probably be the opposite of you and spend an ridiculously inordinate amount of time on there and not getting anything done (a bit like this forum).

No, my point was just that if I was in business I think that I’d like to reach out to as many people as possible and to make ordering a simple process. Surely by limiting your customers to those only on Facebook isn’t the best financial decision?
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
I wanted to order some jigsaws and always prefer to shop local if I can so I tried to find their website online.
However it transpires that they only operate by Facebook and I’m not on that.
It’s a shame but my £52 went to Amazon instead.

I did find a website but it doesn't look like it's been updated for a while.

http://salterstreettoysandmodels.weebly.com/index.html

I'm the same as you and don't use Facebook so couldn't buy from them online if I wanted to.
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
I did find a website but it doesn't look like it's been updated for a while.

http://salterstreettoysandmodels.weebly.com/index.html

I'm the same as you and don't use Facebook so couldn't buy from them online if I wanted to.

Just to add that I was watching a clip on tv the other day about how the jigsaw market has gone berserk during lockdown with sales going through the roof, up 35% on a normal year. (Also board games) One of the few businesses doing better during lockdown. Apparently the manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand.

I really enjoy a good jigsaw and look on e bay. I've noticed that sometimes used jigsaws sell for more than the cost of a new one.
I've seen some people bidding up to £30 for a particularly popular one that's sold out on Amazon.

So for a toy shop that sells board games and jigsaws not to have used the past year to set up a website with ordering facilities seems like that perhaps they don't have much business acumen or don't have an understanding of how to maximise sales.

They could actually be selling more during lockdown than they do in normal times.
 
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Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
So for a toy shop that sells board games and jigsaws not to have used the past year to set up a website with ordering facilities seems like that perhaps they don't have much business acumen or don't have an understanding of how to maximise sales.

Or perhaps they're found enough business via Facebook to justify not maintaining their website but I would tend to think any extra business the website could generate would be worth it in these difficult times.
 

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
Just to add that I was watching a clip on tv the other day about how the jigsaw market has gone berserk during lockdown with sales going through the roof, up 35% on a normal year. (Also board games) One of the few businesses doing better during lockdown. Apparently the manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand.

I really enjoy a good jigsaw and look on e bay. I've noticed that sometimes used jigsaws sell for more than the cost of a new one.
I've seen some people bidding up to £30 for a particularly popular one that's sold out on Amazon.

So for a toy shop that sells board games and jigsaws not to have used the past year to set up a website with ordering facilities seems like that perhaps they don't have much business acumen or don't have an understanding of how to maximise sales.

They could actually be selling more during lockdown than they do in normal times.

Or they know that people who care about their town centre and the survival of small independants will choose to make that little bit more effort to support their local independant stores rather than buy from the tax avoiders. This is probably not something a Tory voter would understand mind you.

Got me some lovely jigsaws from Salter Street toys last year, ordered over the phone during the first lock down and delivered a few days later. Brilliant service regardless of the lack of a web site
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
For most small businesses running a website that shares stock with a physical shop is actually quite a lot of hassle, but if the physical shop is closed much easier. I don't know the owners, maybe they just need a hand setting something up?
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
Or they know that people who care about their town centre and the survival of small independants will choose to make that little bit more effort to support their local independant stores rather than buy from the tax avoiders. This is probably not something a Tory voter would understand mind you.

Got me some lovely jigsaws from Salter Street toys last year, ordered over the phone during the first lock down and delivered a few days later. Brilliant service regardless of the lack of a web site
I thought that you didn’t read my posts?
Thought I was on your “avoid” list?

If you read other posts that I’ve written over the last few months and years you’ll know that I’m an avid supporter of my local High St and of independent retailers.
I quite often go out of my way to buy from them rather than order on Amazon.

Unlike you that is always running down Stafford with your constant negativity and snide remarks. Any chance you get you moan about how dreadful Stafford is and even trying to put people off moving here?
How is that helping the independents?

I’m not saying that Salter St toys don’t provide a wonderful service when they are open, I regularly pop in to buy things from there all year round but during lockdown I want to buy quickly and easily and they don’t provide that.

Not that I give a tinkers toss what you think.
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
A website for that shop would be an absolute nightmare! We've messaged them in the post and they've come back with items and details.
For most small businesses running a website that shares stock with a physical shop is actually quite a lot of hassle, but if the physical shop is closed much easier. I don't know the owners, maybe they just need a hand setting something up?

Just because something is complicated doesn’t mean that it can’t be done.
It’s called moving with the times.
Other businesses run their on line sales almost independently of their “actual shop”.
They generally employ extra staff just to deal with the online orders, enquiries, packaging and posting items out.
A business that doesn’t move forward will generally, in time, stand still.

Apparently the dreadful Philip Green also didn’t embrace technology and look what’s happened to his High St shops.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Just because something is complicated doesn’t mean that it can’t be done.
It’s called moving with the times.
Other businesses run their on line sales almost independently of their “actual shop”.
They generally employ extra staff just to deal with the online orders, enquiries, packaging and posting items out.
A business that doesn’t move forward will generally, in time, stand still.

Apparently the dreadful Philip Green also didn’t embrace technology and look what’s happened to his High St shops.
Pre lockdown 1, online sales for Mrs p's business were zero. Post lockdown 1 online now makes up 40% (100% during the current lockdown). It's been a useful addition for her, split fairly evenly between a new website and Farcebook. It helped having the impetus to set things up and getting somebody decent to sort the website out for her, which isn't cheap but is well worth it.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
For most small businesses running a website that shares stock with a physical shop is actually quite a lot of hassle, but if the physical shop is closed much easier. I don't know the owners, maybe they just need a hand setting something up?
For some people, the Great Leap Forward is not always something they need to do. If they have enough going on via their current marketing, it can be wise to avoid the extra expenditure and work involved in having another 'platform' to monitor.

Many years ago, I used to have a side-line making glass display cases. I had various half-arsed methods which brought orders in at a rate that I could cope with. I was persuaded to put an advert in the Newsletter. I was then inundated with enquiries for a period of weeks, some of them from a local competitor and his associates, but mostly from people who were only vaguely interested. Not a single person who had responded to the advert actually bought one. I returned to the reliable steady trickle that the old system produced.

About a third of people bought another one.

About a third of people bought one because they had seen one in a purchaser's house.

About a third* bought one via a model shop in Mill Street, where I had one in the window and we had a 'royalty' arrangement...

* This third, generated a lot of the other two thirds.
 
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Glam

Mad Cat Woman
Cuffy to Lidl. I always go there to get the chicken.
First off, they've changed the smaller trolleys, so I had no loopy bit to hang the bags on, just a plastic hook which was neither use nor ornament. Secondly, they've changed the layout of the store! Almost everything was arse about face this afternoon, I almost said sod it and went Aldi, then remembered I don't have a canoe get mesen across the car park.
Lady on the till was pleasant enough, can't complain there.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Great service again from Euro Car Parts as I purchased a new card battery for the wife's car. Felt extra smug walking past the RAC engineer who was loading up his van with replacement batteries given I had considered calling them out to do the work....
 

SketchyMagpie

Well-Known Forumite
I've been super grateful at how excellent Sainsburys have been throughout the pandemic. Maybe it's more to do with what time I go shopping (always aim to get there between 8:30-9am) but I've found that place to be extremely well managed in terms of the social distancing guidelines etc and it's a pretty stress-free experience shopping there, for the most part.

The "for the most part" is added because I had to walk directly between two (masked) employees having a conversation across the entrance and exit this week, which didn't feel great, but that's the only thing in like a year, so.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Skill to the Spar on Western Downs. I bought a bag off them through the Too Good To Go app for £3.30 and got the following;
Tray of beef/pork meatballs
1 lb sausages
1 X garlic bread
1 X Apple
1 X chicken/bacon pasta salad
1 X fruit pot

Great value!!
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
Does anyone know if Salter Street toys are doing any online order/delivery/collection service still.

If so, how does one go about it.... Asking for a friend. Ta x
 
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