R2OK!

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

We're in recession, retailers are struggling, what better time then to launch on television a series telling failing shops how to do things better and increase sales to make bigger profits?

We've had Mary Queen of Shops, about ladies clothing shops, now comes All Over The Shop, with a "retail expert" called Geoff Burch, who picks out three small shops in one location each week, tells them what a pig's ear their displays and merchandising are, gets the owners to tart the place up a bit and... Bob's Your Uncle.

Well, not quite. This week he visited my home territory, to sort out a chocolate retailer who also did hot drinks as a sideline, an old hippy selling electric guitars and a theatrical costume hire business.

He told the first to buy an exhorbitantly expensive coffee machine, the second to extend his opening hours and sell cheaper guitars and the third to stop hiding the best stock downstairs in the basement.

At the end of the programme it was announced that the first had ceased trading, the second had also, effectively, because he was only doing business online; the third was still going.

I could have saved them all the bother, since one glance at the position of the shops would have told anyone, let alone a "retail expert" that the two failures were batting on a distinctly sticky wicket - the chocolate shop was right by a busy road junction, away from the main shopping area (it had been an accountant's office and then the local MP's surgery beforehand) and the guitar shop was sandwiched between three dusty retro clothing shops, one of which had already gone out of business and the other two are boarded up except on Friday and Saturday, and look more like "Private Shops". Only the theatrical costume shop was in the right place - opposite the Theatre Royal!! If it couldn't make money there....

You couldn't make it up Laughing

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Ron

Rachel · Guest

I like both those programmes Ron but they do become very formulaic - they seem to pick on shops and shop owners that have "no clue" about what their customers may like. Maybe I'm different to other people but I don't go for the bright glitzy mimimalistic look in shops that those programmes tend towards as an ideal - I judge a shop by the staff and the way they treat me as a customer - although it goes without saying that they do have to sell what I want to get me in there in the first place. I'm one of those people who will pay more for a product if it comes from a shop with genuine service - not training course crawling tick box service like you get in Debenhams and other big stores but proper one on one - nice weather today - how have you been this week - oh let me get the door for you- mind the step, see you next week service- if they can remember my name and what I like- all the better.....

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Gosh - you're fortunate to still have that standard of shop to call on.

It's true that you're lucky to get even tick-box service in most of our town and city high street stores; any personal service seems only to be expected, and provided, by small businesses in quieter areas - I can think of a few in Upton-on-Severn and locations such as that.
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Ron