Takeovers

[Bill]

On the news today, I thought I heard that Poundland were buying the complete 99p Stores chain. Depressing, because I always find the mixture of Polish and English staff in the 99p shops really helpful and pleasant to deal with, whereas Poundland seems to employ the borderline unemployable. On yesterdays trip to Poundland for batteries, I was checked-out by a young "lady" who said "we haven't got a bag for that", then " This till's got no change" and just stood there staring with no hint of a smile or any action.

And BT taking over Orange or whatever it is means almost all of us will be bidding by proxy for the billions for the FA rights and the billions bid for EE.

I think I've lived too long.

[spuorgelgoog]

And I daresay Poundland will put all the prices as well :-(

Owain

[Dave Plowman (News)]

For a pound, I hope.

[Roger Mills]

Do you think they'll split the difference and sell everything for

99 1/2 p?

[F]

Does 99p -> £1 mean they're going up market?

[JimK]

/Do you think they'll split the difference and sell everything for

99 1/2 p?/q

With a strictly enforced 'even number of purchases only' policy?

Jim K

[tim.....]

I think this is sad

The range of goods is much greater in (my local) 99p store

They obviously make much better deals with suppliers.

Though I note that they make wafer thin margins, perhaps they just agree deals at a higher wholesale price, that the pound store walk away from.

tim

[Dave Plowman (News)]

My local one is actually the old Woolworth, so a large store in a prime location (in that high street at least)

I do occasionally have a look round and there are some bargains. But there are equally as many things 'marked up' to that quid.

Basically, If I did an average shop in there, I'd pay a lot more than in Lidl for the same sort of things based on price per unit of weight or volume.

[JimK]

/Basically, If I did an average shop in there, I'd pay a lot more than in Lidl for the same sort of things based on price per unit of weight or volume. /q

No shit Sherlock! How did you think it worked?

Jim K

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd guess you don't think at all.

[JimK]

/I'd guess you don't think at all. /q

Poor guesswork too?

Jim K

[tim.....]

ditto

take a look around the pound store, there's a far greater percentage in this category

well don't buy food there then (it isn't, after all, a supermarket!)

simples

tim

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The one I'm talking about has more space devoted to food than anything else.

Broaden that into things you can also buy in the average supermarket, and it becomes more like 3/4. And on my (fairly rare) visits, I see lots of people buying things they could get better value from Lidl. Or even the Sainsbury next door - if they shop carefully.

So I do wonder why so many seem to like them for groceries. Perhaps just because it's easy to keep track of what you're spending. But don't expect to get value for money on every item.

[Capitol]

What I notice has happened, is that the major brands have managed to force out the minor brands. Doesn't happen with Lidl and Aldi.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Right. What I noticed is the major brands seem to sell special package sizes designed to be sold for that quid. And at a price per unit of weight etc rather higher than in the Sainsbury next door.

I can understand a convenience shop being more expensive than a 'normal' supermarket - but haven't really understood the success of these 'pound shops'.

[tim.....]

because they really do sell stuff for less than Sainsbury's

you haven't looked hard enough

tim

[Tim Streater]

I speck it gives people a false sense of getting a bargain.

[Jethro_uk]

Because [most] people are stupid. I refer you to PT Barnum and Henry Ford.

Many years ago, I noticed a woman buying a 48-pack of Weetabix. Next to the 48s was a sign saying 2x24 boxes were (cheaper than the 48).

I pointed this out to her, got a blank look, and then she huffed "but I need 48" and waltzed off.

Returning to Poundshops - they have achieved a niche in the average shoppers mind of "being cheaper" - and that's all it takes. It's the same con Kwik-Fit pulled years ago - they were (and probably still are) at the pricier end of the market, but a few cringeworthy commercials managed to convince Joe Soap that they were the cheapest around.

I am grateful for stupid people - they subsidise the rest of us ;)

[Adrian]

...and it's still working beautifully for the Aldidl twins.

[Jethro_uk]

Since we were passing a Lidl Saturday, we popped in. Thought we'd take a punt on their Cottage Pie ready meal - at £1.49 they're £1.01 cheaper then the Sainsburys equivalent (which is quite nice).

Never again. Quite aside from the 5% (by weight, not volume) of onions, you could see where the £1.01 had been saved.

However, the bakery section was criminally nice.