Homebase

[Tricky Dicky]

Just popped into our local Homebase for a couple of run of the mill things. There does seem a lot more useful stuff around and less fluffy cushions (a lthough there are still some around). There seems a lot of tools branded Cr aftright and I wonder if these are the in house brand for the new owners. L ots of shelves and racks being emptied and cardboard boxes about as if a lo t of stuff is being changed. Other than that things were as usual, two peop le dealing with one customer, a line of waiting customers (yes there were p eople in there buying things not the usual desert) and no one would think o f opening another till!

Richard

[Simon Mason]

On Tuesday, 18 October 2016 13:45:35 UTC+1, Tricky Dicky wrote: Other than that things were as usual, two people dealing with one customer, a line of waiting customers (yes there were people in there buying things not the usual desert) and no one would think of opening another till!

Like the Sainsbury's next door - I get them to deliver to me. No queueing at all.

[Bob Eager]

I've just been learning about how Aldi handle this. At the start of the day, a number of employees are given a 'queue number' from 1 to (number of tills). If it gets busy, employee on existing till pushes a button and it pages the next on the list, who has to stop what they're doing and hotfoot it for their till.

[David Lang]

Looks like the Bunnings influence working?

[Roger Mills]

I think Lidl must have some sort of automated system - which doesn't work very well! On a number of occasions, I've heard a message like "Please use Till No. 4" - and then, what seems like 30 seconds later, "Till No. 4 is closing, please use one of the other tills"!

[newshound]

The illuminated till numbers at my local Lidl are good, but I had the impression they are operated by the manager who redirects the staff.

[Bill]

In message , Bob Eager writes

Ah, so that explains why you often see a cardboard box full of, for example, chicken legs warming up nicely, unattended in the aisle.