Comet selling for £2

[buctootim]

Only took online retailing maybe 10 years to turn Comet from probably the biggest electricals retailer in the country in to one you can buy for £2 - less than the price of their cheapest products. Where will I go now to check out goods in the flesh before buying cheaper online?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15650763

Edited 9 November, 2011 by buctootim

[pap]

I used to work at Comet, selling computers in the late 90s. Like many electrical retailers, their main reason for existence was actually selling insurance. I gave it up because my colleagues were sharks, my manager was a **** and the customers were basically treated like potential victims. Got a bar job to supplement the rest of my Uni education. Made a lot less money, but had a lot more fun and a lot less stress.

 

As for online vs physical store presence, I'll stick my neck out. There are very few things that you need to buy in person these days. Food, furniture and clothes. That's it, really. For anything that is mass produced, there is practically no advantage to going to the shop over looking at some trusted product reviews online. I would expect most of these shops to be gone in the next ten years.

[bridge too far]

My daughter's experience (as a Deputy Store Manager) of Comet was that they were a dreadful company to work for, with a bullying ethos.

 

Fortunately, my daughter (with my help) took them to an industrial tribunal. They settled in her favour before the case was heard.

[The Cat]

Best Buy are closing down their UK operation too.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/nov/07/best-buy-uk-five-reasons-it-failed

 

What with the amount of online sites now it seems a bit of a waste of time to haul huge electrical appliances into a massive warehouse sized shop to sell them and paying staff to do it.

[Special K]

I used to work at Comet, selling computers in the late 90s. Like many electrical retailers, their main reason for existence was actually selling insurance. I gave it up because my colleagues were sharks, my manager was a **** and the customers were basically treated like potential victims. Got a bar job to supplement the rest of my Uni education. Made a lot less money, but had a lot more fun and a lot less stress.

 

As for online vs physical store presence, I'll stick my neck out. There are very few things that you need to buy in person these days. Food, furniture and clothes. That's it, really. For anything that is mass produced, there is practically no advantage to going to the shop over looking at some trusted product reviews online. I would expect most of these shops to be gone in the next ten years.

 

If true, it will leave many an unpleasant sight - vacant, decaying out of town shopping areas that were hardly aesthetically valid in the first place.

 

Personally, i have always found shopping in these types of stores a pretty miserable experience, so your post confirms my suspicions, especially about those awful warranty agreements.

[pap]

If true, it will leave many an unpleasant sight - vacant, decaying out of town shopping areas that were hardly aesthetically valid in the first place.

 

You may well be right, but you've no right to be

 

It'll probably go the way you say, but if we were smart about it, we'd knock it down and put some housing there.

 

Personally, i have always found shopping in these types of stores a pretty miserable experience, so your post confirms my suspicions, especially about those awful warranty agreements.

 

Yeah, I moved £11.5K worth of machines in one week, and got a bollocking because I'd only done about £500 worth of guarantees. When you join, they make it very clear that the G ( industry term for extended warranty ) was effectively "pure profit".

[ecuk268]

Bit of a revolution when they first opened at Eastleigh in the mid 70s.

 

No other retailer had such a range at such competitive prices.

 

Unfortunately, when they got absorbed into Currys, PC World etc they became box shifters and they dropped the high-quality brands.

[Pancake]

Unfortunately, when they got absorbed into Currys, PC World etc they became box shifters and they dropped the high-quality brands.

 

Dixons isnt Comet.

[pedg]

Currys and PC world apparently not doing too well either.

[trousers]

Stopped going to Comet years ago. Dreadful customer service.

[Pedro]

John Lewis every time, customer service excellent, no hassle *****il someone on here says differently)

[bridge too far]

Luckily for us, we have an excellent local electrical retailer in my town. For example, a rack has just broken on my dishwasher. Technically it's out of warranty (just over a year old) but when I asked the shop if they could get a replacement rack for me, they said 'leave it to us, it won't cost you anything'.

 

When we bought the machine there was no charge for delivery, disposal of the old machine, or installation (even though the installation necessitated cutting through the side of a cabinet that had been installed around the old machine) and the price was very competitive

[pap]

Luckily for us, we have an excellent local electrical retailer in my town. For example, a rack has just broken on my dishwasher. Technically it's out of warranty (just over a year old) but when I asked the shop if they could get a replacement rack for me, they said 'leave it to us, it won't cost you anything'.

 

When we bought the machine there was no charge for delivery, disposal of the old machine, or installation (even though the installation necessitated cutting through the side of a cabinet that had been installed around the old machine) and the price was very competitive

 

That's the sort of place that it's worth going to.

 

It's always nice when you find a little indy full of people who care and know their stuff.

[RonManager]

You could die waiting in the queue at Screwfix, only to be told they haven't got it in stock.

 

How they survive is beyond me, they truly are sh*t.

[miserableoldgit]

Only took online retailing maybe 10 years to turn Comet from probably the biggest electricals retailer in the country in to one you can buy for £2 - less than the price of their cheapest products. Where will I go now to check out goods in the flesh before buying cheaper online?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15650763

Thats £2 + a bloody extended guarantee I expect

[John Boy Saint]

I had a mate who was an account manager at Electrolux with Comet as one of his responsibilities. One Boxing Day at 9 o'clock in the morning he got a phone call from the buyer demanding to know why 2 competitors were selling their washing machines at 2p cheaper and what was he going to do about it!!