OK Half-ords, this time we're finished!

[Illaveago]

I can see some people's frustration with the store. I have some inside experience having worked there part time . What I find now is the lack of staff! When I worked there there were 3 times the number of staff. There used to be 2 people on the front till near the entrance . We would have a manager and deputy plus several other members dotted around . I was employed mainly for fitting car bulbs ,wiper blades, and car batteries. I also did other sales work in the store when not busy . I found that most of the staff were very helpful, most of them were young people college students working part time on minimum wage . Some were keen on cycling , some were doing motor vehicle courses at college .
When I go in there now I am shocked by the lack of staff ! It is a wonder that have of their stock doesn't walk out of the door . I blame this on top management! A lot of the staff I used to work with have left. In my day the shelves were continually being restored and kept perfectly in line . Price labels were also kept up to date. It did have it's faults , the computer system let us down at times . The system would say that a part was for a particular car , you went out to fit it to find that it eas wrong .
I find our Halfords to be good for tools , some cycle parts , engine oil and for that odd emergency at home where you need something to fix something.
They could do with improving , I think that the lack of staff may be a factor .

 

[Brandane]

When I go in there now I am shocked by the lack of staff

I notice the lack of customers more. I don't think I have ever seen a BUSY Half.ords shop. The surprise is that they continue to survive, with the running costs of big shops and a lot of stagnant stock.

 

[Cycleops]

It's run like any other large corporation beholden to its share holders which means costs are the primary focus. Little staff training as the they so transitory, hence the students and young people.
I'm sure prices are reasonable so you just have to accept it for what it is or not patronise the place.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

In fairness to Tesco, the lower price is usually in a big yellow circle in a big blue box labelled "clubcard price" on the shelf with the regular non-clubcard price next to it equally obvious.

Clearly not to everybody maybe the yellow drew my eye, those sneaky marketing departments

 

[Illaveago]

It's run like any other large corporation beholden to its share holders which means costs are the primary focus. Little staff training as the they so transitory, hence the students and young people.
I'm sure prices are reasonable so you just have to accept it for what it is or not patronise the place.

It used to be owned by Boots along with the AA until the venture capitalists got hold of it and asset stripped things .

 

[Big T]

Have you ever noticed the difference between the Halfords online price and the shop price? I’ve bought tyres from them before and noticed they are significantly cheaper online, so I just do a click and collect on my phone and get the cheaper price. I really can’t understand this, as it’s literally the same product you are buying. The tyres were Conti Gatorskins and were £25 online and £34 in the shop.

 

[Slick]

I notice the lack of customers more. I don't think I have ever seen a BUSY Half.ords shop. The surprise is that they continue to survive, with the running costs of big shops and a lot of stagnant stock.

I always assume that their online business keeps them afloat as you are absolutely right, I've never seen a busy store.

 

[Slick]

Its not an an issue to me. After 18 years I am used to it. Its more of an amusement than an annoyance. The manager of the store knows me very well. As I approach the information counter the manager and I are both grinning. He has offered me a job as a stock checker on several occasions.

Fair enough, but a business model skimming millions from the public would definitely be an issue for most.

 

[Time Waster]

Last time I was in Stockton halfords it was very busy. Lancaster is quiet and kendal can be busy or quiet. Pot luck like with staff quality I think.

 

[mustang1]

Yes, ANOTHER thread having a pop at Half.ords. Perhaps if they got their act together this wouldn't be necessary, but....

I am not a fan, obviously. So I tend to avoid their shops. But today, well, I was walking past anyway, and thought they might have the mud guard I want for my MTB....

There it was, on the display rack, clearly price marked at £11. So I picked it up, along with a Camelbak bottle that always come in handy.

I get to the till, and was surprised to find the total price somewhat higher than expected. Check my receipt, the mudguard was £15. Rather than begin a discussion at that point, and to make sure it wasn't MY mistake, I went back to the display and sure enough - £11.

So, back to the till to query it, to be told that it might be that the £11 price is for loyalty card holders only or some similar BS.... Well it isn't clear that is the case, so take your mudguard AND drink bottle back says I .. At that point fed up member of staff strolls off to check the price and returns to grudgingly refund me the difference.

The 2 staff involved by this time clearly thought I was just a grumpy old man kicking up too much fuss over £4.. I might have agreed if this was a one off, but this has happened to me several times now at Half.ords.. So as the thread title suggests, I won't be back.

"thought I was just a grumpy old man kicking up too much fuss over £4.. I might have agreed if this was a one off"

Nah, I don think it should matter if it only happened once. 4 quid is 4 quid. If the staff thought it's not worth the bother then they should know off another £4.

 

[Cerdic]

The Price Marking Order 2004 makes it a legal requirement for retailers to clearly display the price of an item either on or beside said item.

If they sell you an item at a higher price than as marked, they are breaking the law.

The retailer is not under any obligation to sell you the item at the lower price, however. They have the right to withdraw the item from sale.

Of course, we all make mistakes. Especially if we don’t employ enough staff! But yes, if they try to overcharge you, you should definitely pull them up on it. Even if it is only four quid!

If a shop does this so often that you suspect conspiracy rather than cock-up, a quick word to Trading Standards might be in order…

 

[Grant Fondo]

The tyres were Conti Gatorskins and were £25 online and £34 in the shop.

Yes, I noticed this the other day, although to be fair £34 is fairly standard. They will also fit your tyre for £10, but I wouldn't risk it!

 

[Alex321]

Have you ever noticed the difference between the Halfords online price and the shop price? I’ve bought tyres from them before and noticed they are significantly cheaper online, so I just do a click and collect on my phone and get the cheaper price. I really can’t understand this, as it’s literally the same product you are buying. The tyres were Conti Gatorskins and were £25 online and £34 in the shop.

When I have gone into the shop and mentioned that the price is cheaper online, they have "price matched" their own online price before now!

 

[bonzobanana]

I notice the lack of customers more. I don't think I have ever seen a BUSY Half.ords shop. The surprise is that they continue to survive, with the running costs of big shops and a lot of stagnant stock.

Not long ago 25p for every £ spent in the UK on cycling was spent at Halfords and because of their lower pricing meant as much as 40% of bikes sold in the UK are from Halfords. I don't see stagnant stock at all at Halfords I see a very high turnover of stock. Not like independent bike shops where some of them seem to have a fair percentage of older stock. Turnover will of course vary by store but Halfords are very successful and operate on quite a tight margin compared to many stores. As for being caught out by pricing with the huge inflation at the moment many stores are caught out. I bought some window frame sealant in poundland for £1 on the shelf but £1.75 at the till, thats a 75% markup but they did honour the £1 price when queried. Coop had cheesy puffs at £1 on the shelf but £1.15 at the till and I didn't notice the price hike at the time but went in about 10 days later to the same store and the £1 price was still on the shelf. I've had a few items from supermarkets that have gone up secretly from the shelf to my receipt. It's a time of hyper inflation,

While I think Halfords bikes are great value compared to independent bike shops I don't think their accessories are that much cheaper personally. I get all mine pretty much online be it ebay, amazon or aliexpress. I do think the Kenda sourced Halfords inner tubes are brilliant quality for around £4 compared to many brands. I did recently buy a fair few 27.5" inner tubes with sealant for £2 each at Halfords on clearance. They were bought online and collected instore.

 

[tyred]

As a follow up, I got an email of apology for the confusion from Halfords Customer Service this morning