News - Dixons Retail shares plunge after profit warning

[HEXUS]

The electronics retail giant blames low UK consumer confidence for short-fall.

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[Saracen]

Notwithstanding the current tough conditions, we continue to make the business better for customers,

IMHO, you've got a job on your hands there ..... a bit like an ant trying to push a bowling ball up the side of Mount Everest.

[aidanjt]

Yeah I was thinking that myself. Or rather specifically: "I'm sure the crap service, annoying clueless sales reps, and outdated merchandise with ludicrous price tags attached have *nothing* at all to do with it".

[Saracen]

I have come across some quite knowledgeable sales reps in Dixons (and other DSG stores). Sadly, it seems to be pot luck, in that you have to select one of those that happens to know their stuff despite working there, rather than as a result of training received by working there. And I've come across some right idiots too, whose advice has ranged from very questionable to downright wrong and deceptive (whether intentionally or though ignorance is hard to tell).

As for prices, well, variable. Sometimes, they're reasonable, and I do have to allow for the fact that they have overheads that mail-order firms don't, so we can't expect them to be as cheap. And, you have the option with the stores to buy it right then and there, and take it home with you, thereby avoiding the hassle with couriers. That is worth a level of premium to me. But I admit that sometimes, the prices just make me gasp in shock, and not in a good way.

[nichomach]

I use our local PCW every so often when I need something right now, but I tend to avoid the sales droids ("No, seriously, you're not the droid I'm looking for, so bugger off, OK?") and go straight to what I want, then escape as fast as possible. Possibly I should pay, but no-one's perfect - OK, OK, joke!

[nichomach]

IMHO, you've got a job on your hands there ..... a bit like an ant trying to push a bowling ball up the side of Mount Everest.

I suspect that if you mentioned Sisyphus they'd think you needed antibiotics

[Messiah]

They could do really well, but they just cant manage it properly, considering they have the monopoly in terms of a high st retailer where the average joe can get 'bits' for their pc etc.

As always advice, service, price, availability is something that has always been questionable.

Guess the average joe's are getting more and more clued up about tech now and going to places like scan and aria.

[redddraggon]

I have come across some quite knowledgeable sales reps in Dixons (and other DSG stores). Sadly, it seems to be pot luck, in that you have to select one of those that happens to know their stuff despite working there, rather than as a result of training received by working there. And I've come across some right idiots too, whose advice has ranged from very questionable to downright wrong and deceptive (whether intentionally or though ignorance is hard to tell).

I applied for a job (part time salesperson/shelf stacker) at PC World a couple of years back, and having worked in shops for years, having worked in communications in the RSigs and pretty much knowing computers back to front, they came back to me telling me I didn't have the required skills or experience for what was a minimum wage job.

They never did tell me what experience or skills I was lacking. Perhaps my MEng put them off, and they'd rather employ some n00bs?

[[GSV]Myocardial]

Guess the average joe's are getting more and more clued up about tech now and going to places like scan and aria.

I'd say that even Scan and Aria etc have got a bit of work to do as I don't find any of the bigger names on these forums that competative these days. With Google shopping searches, I've generally moved away from using them as despite free shipping they don't often compete on price, except on certain specials that they occasionally have.

As to DSG, visiting a store is something I can do without, much easier to get items shipped to work by courier where there is always someone to sign. Also the cost of all the sales monkeys is the one thing that is dragging them backwards, not only in their general poor quality but in the fact that i believe consumers are much more aware of what they are buying and impulse buying is much less likely. It's easy to jump on review/guide sites and get a few opinions and some advice, especially with the proliferation of smart phones allowing in store price comparison.

[MadduckUK]

I wouldn't be surprised if they phase out hardware from the stores entirely soon. last time i was in they had 0 HDD's, 0 RAM, 0 CPU's 0 Motherboards - just two A64 3000+ mobo/cpu bundles that i can only presume they had found in a skip somewhere, and were trying to flog for £100 a pop

Downward spiral all round since they stopped price matching play.com tbh.

[3dcandy]

To be honest we go in them sometimes just to see the hardware. Then google and find it at least a third cheaper....and therein is there problem. Even stoopid people can google and find the prices cheaper, and not by just a bit usually a good percentage. The end of the High Street will come soon(ish) people I'm seeing it everywhere!

Seriously though, overheads these days mean I can't see how hardware that is standard can be sold well in a retail premises, unless it is tiny, short staffed and has really low margins....which means it would be nigh on impossible to run

[aidanjt]

etailing is murdering retailers in most aspects, any kind of stock, deliverable good is much better being stocked in a mega-warehouse and ordered online than wasting time and money shuffling around from shop to shop trying to find what you want, and often having to settle with what's kinda what you're looking for.

[Brewster0101]

Been once a DSG employee from Dixons and PC world, I can say the business model and practise has not changed in over ten years. Its all about getting cheap labour and as little as possible to do the work. Over priced products, they still believe in sucking in suckers. I think DSG's (or Dixons) days are numbered in this country and I think one day best buy or Dell will buy most of the stores.

[AGTDenton]

The electronics retail giant blames low UK consumer confidence for short-fall.

Yeah low confidence of any member of staff knowing what they are talking about. They receive no training on the products they sell.
Their blank faces and crap answers tell the sorry tale of modern retailing. E-tailers provide the ability to quickly compare the products you're interested in.

[jackvdbuk]

I applied for a job (part time salesperson/shelf stacker) at PC World a couple of years back, and having worked in shops for years, having worked in communications in the RSigs and pretty much knowing computers back to front, they came back to me telling me I didn't have the required skills or experience for what was a minimum wage job.

They never did tell me what experience or skills I was lacking. Perhaps my MEng put them off, and they'd rather employ some n00bs?

ive always wondered what thier perfect employee was, i believe it is heavily based on sales and not knowledge. supposedly a horrid place to work if you cant sell usb cables

also as for your Meng, it might be that they could of thought you was going to leave them after a month for your specialist job area.

[Dareos]

ex PC World myself, and I do believe it had a place in the grand scheme of things at the time, however the 80's/90's sales principles and the distinct lack of decent training these days in an electronic age is terrible.

Back when i worked there they flew me down south twice to go on courses about Digital Cameras (they were kinda new, 1MP was awesome) and PDA's, spent a fortune on teaching us about them, on flights and on expenses *cough beer cough*. Its really quite shameful that they didnt have a better process in place and only a few staff ever got the chance for training this way. The people who did have a clue though were all behind the glass windows and they had a clue because they actually cared about computers and the like, they spent a fortune on gadgets and internet access (this is before fixed monthly rates too) and actually read up on new developments. Of course these guys were paid less than the sales guys that would basically make up any old rubbish to get boxes out the door and fill their pockets.

(i was one of those sales guys, but an honest one )

Commission is scrapped now in DSG, and the sales guys therefore arent as driven, the information is easier to come by online (google exists for a start), chat rooms and forums are abundant and not a sekrit society, 1337 speak is normal now due to texting (god i hate that), so consumers have a better clue of whats going on (now i work in tech support i do doubt the truth of this statement).

DSG is a dinosaur, and all the glamour and polish of brightly lit, well laid out stores wouldn't entice me to buy from them (not just because they fired me for doing home installations on the side natch!), prices are vastly inflated (all those lights and heat and staff) and choice is llmited compared to the vastness of the online retailer, and once again specialist knowledge falls by the wayside when I have Hexites to fill me in on the vast gaps in my own.

I will watch the collapse of DSG with a tear in either eye, one eye for the loss to industry for the hard working techs and CS folks that had to put up with the Sales guys constant misinformation ( and a little bit for the sales guys that actually cared) and one eye tearing with joy at the hope of never seeing another PCWorld advert on TV again.