Lying Tesco and the ''change for good'' campaign

gurramok

rubadub wrote: »

Some posts here are worse than the muck in the CT forum. I really hope they do stop stocking head & shoulders, might make some idiots see they have not got some racist vendetta only against Irish manufacturers. If they stop stocking goods I would presume they are not as profitable as others, makes perfect business sense.

Thing is , they were advertising a buy 1 get 1 free on Head&Shoulders but when you go looking for the stuff, they ain't there. And it ain't due to been sold out, the shelf labels ain't there for the product either.

wmpdd3

I don't know what store you are shopping in but in most stores there should be atleast 8 options of head and shoulders,in the larger stores 18 options.

The larger bottles were BOGOF untill today but we only sold out of one type. (classic care).

Usually the answer you want to give when someone asks why don't you stock Ponds, shake and vac, pop tarts etc is:

They didn't sell, they just got robbed. But of course you can't

Jip

Shake and vac gets robbed !?!? Seriously though, why is it so hard to get that stuff anywhere, even our local Superquinn never has it.

Sir Oxman

celticbest wrote: »

Just a quick question, does anybody know why tesco say all dublin stores have now changed for good when infact they haven't! I went to tesco in swords this week to get a bottle of wine and it was still priced at the per change for good price. I have got this same bottle of wine in both there drogheda and Clare hall stores for nearly 50cents less!
Change for good, I think not!!

AFAIK, their express stores are not part of the program.
They're run like Spars, ie convenience stores which charge more than elsewhere.

rubadub

celticbest wrote: »

Just a quick question, does anybody know why tesco say all dublin stores have now changed for good when infact they haven't!

Any links to what they actually said? Preferably a tesco spokesman and not a gutter press journalist misquoting them. There are plenty of post of tesco saying this & that, and I have NEVER seen anybody back up the claims.

Rebelheart

Solitaire wrote: »

In Navan they shut the Tesco for the "Change For Good" campaign. Frying everyone's brains by pulling a reshuffle (every shopper's worst nightmare!) didn't help, but I'm guessing they had a HSA breach... Radioactive rats anyone? :P

Regardless of the true reason for the temporary closure *cough*healthandsafety*cough* the one thing I've noticed is that most of the prices rose until the old stock was shifted. All the new stock looks cheaper... but is of vastly inferior quality. My family has almost written off all Tesco-brand goods as virtually inedible

I was in Navan Tesco this evening and was wholly unimpressed by the lack of value and special offers there. I didn't see a single special offer in beers and cider, for instance. I had initially gone to Dunnes, but there were no specials there to attract me either. It seems like Tesco and Dunnes have a cosy relationship in the town when they should be at each other's throats.

Jip

gambiaman wrote: »

They're run like Spars, ie convenience stores which charge more than elsewhere.

Not true at all. Tesco price goods the same as if you buy them in one of their superstores or a little express. The price is universal.

snubbleste

"Tesco Change for Good is not affiliated with Unicef’s Change for Good Campaign"

Sir Oxman

Jip wrote: »

Not true at all. Tesco price goods the same as if you buy them in one of their superstores or a little express. The price is universal.

Sorry, my bad.
Looks like they'll be the last to get the change for good prices though.

celticbest

gambiaman wrote: »

Sorry, my bad.
Looks like they'll be the last to get the change for good prices though.

Yeah, prices have not change on there wine stock yet!

It's a pity they mention all store in a region in there ads when this is not infact true!

newtogame

Aldis specially selected pizzas are yummy especially the chicken variety.Try them and see.

thebman

MScSarah wrote: »

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Its all about coffee. I don't drink coffee. More stating this for other non-coffee drinkers. Required to answer a lot of coffee questions in that survey.

wmpdd3

newtogame wrote: »

Aldis specially selected pizzas are yummy especially the chicken variety.Try them and see.

The veg one has no tomatoes sauce, please someone from Aldi fix this...!

celticbest

rubadub wrote: »

Any links to what they actually said? Preferably a tesco spokesman and not a gutter press journalist misquoting them. There are plenty of post of tesco saying this & that, and I have NEVER seen anybody back up the claims.

Hi Rubadud,

A quick search of the web will give you all the information you require, example below states that all Tesco stores will have the 'change for good' complete within two weeks :

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0630/breaking47.htm

As you can see this is from a reliable source (The chief executive of Tesco Ireland Tony Keohane), and was on the web on the 30/06/09 which is now more or less ten weeks ago and guess what, they have still not implemented the 'change for good' in all Dublin stores.

Now you can't say that you have, "NEVER seen anybody back up there claim".

Can you please make sure that in future you do not critize people without doing some research into what you are talking about yourself first.

rubadub

celticbest wrote: »

A quick search of the web will give you all the information you require, example below states that all Tesco stores will have the 'change for good' complete within two weeks :

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0630/breaking47.htm

Cheers for that. As I had expected the press seem to have got it wrong (or perhaps were just not fully clear in their transcription), this is why I was wondering where you had heard it.

celticbest wrote: »

Just a quick question, does anybody know why tesco say all dublin stores have now changed for good when infact they haven't!

gambiaman wrote: »

AFAIK, their express stores are not part of the program.

This must be the case

Tesco has now rolled out its Change for Good campaign in 31 stores along the Border, in the West and in North Dublin. The rest of Tesco’s 29 stores in Dublin are to follow over the next two weeks.

There are more than 29 stores in dublin, you can check the listings here http://www.tesco.ie/store.htm?osadcampaign=TLStoreLocator

celticbest wrote: »

As you can see this is from a reliable source (The chief executive of Tesco Ireland Tony Keohane)

Problem is the source is now a journalist, no doubt not telling every single word the guy said. I expect the CEO would know there are more than 29 stores. And there is no direct quote of him saying it, it is just transcribed.

celticbest wrote: »

Now you can't say that you have, "NEVER seen anybody back up there claim".

Can you please make sure that in future you do not critize people without doing some research into what you are talking about yourself first.

I didn't mean any offence to you, it was true I had never seen links in the past, and I have still yet to see an actual tesco press release with alleged "lies".

Sir Oxman

Juts to add - I think the express stores are coming inline over the next short while as I was in Swords Express the other week and they were re-organising shelves etc and the staff said the price changeover was coming to them

Musha

Not impressed with the change for good, gave them the benefit of the doubt and shopped there this weekend, and guess what?? I'm back to Aldi next week, prices are still high for the things I buy, for instance 10 slices of Ham 2.59 Aldi ..4.79 tesco like for like product.

Beanstalk

2 weeks ago Tesco Letterkenny wre selling a medely of stir-fry vegtables for €1.50, this week its gone up to €3. thats double the price! what the hell?

thebman

Was down there today. Got Black pudding last time for 97c, this time 1.23, Aldi 79c and lovely

Oh and Aldi have games on their website as I found out just now:
http://www.aldi.ie/ie/html/service/6875.htm?WT.z_src=main

I wouldn't recommend the mahjong because it hurts the eyes.

Pat McGhee

ibuprofen wrote: »

Tesco have outdone themselves...:(



I would have thought a price change for good meant ...well... at least ...that it wouldn't rise in price the next month but ....

It seems though tesco have a different definition of "changefor good" :mad:...




''Of 50 products reduced in price for the “change for good” strategy in early May, six had risen again to the previous level'' :eek::eek::eek:


''TESCO HAS increased prices on hundreds of food items just over a month after they were reduced as part of a heavily-promoted price-cutting campaign in some stores.''



''The country’s biggest retailer confirmed yesterday it had increased prices on about 200 lines in its “change for good” stores, which stock large numbers of products directly imported from the UK rather than sourced from Irish suppliers.''




http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0630/1224249781219.html

They charge Irish suppliers for the priviledge of putting their stock on Tesco shelves.

B*stards.

snubbleste

Oakland chocolate biscuits were 79c are now 125c, a 58% increase!

segaBOY

Jip wrote: »

Yes, such as alot of Tesco staff, Tesco apparently have quiet a good employee share purchasing and saving scheme. Plus alot of the profits would be reinvested in the country again by way of store improvements and upgrading and staff rewards.

Talk to the Staff in Douglas

marinbike wrote: »

The thing is, Tesco have a better customer service than Dunnes or any of the other supermarkets.

Tesco have invested in self-service checkouts at just about all their irish stores while Dunnes, Aldi and Lidl have yet to catch up. Hence the constant queues at their checkouts.

I don't agree. The queues in my local Tesco are always way longer than my local Dunnes-truth be told they have nowhere near enough staff on the till and self-service is always backed up with at least one checkout out of service.

Also I have found it a lot easier to deal with Dunnes and Lidl if returning anything.

I don't necessarily see it a good thing with increased investment in self-service, we are performing a service which staff should be performing and we're not getting paid for it. It takes a lot longer-compare it to the check-out people at Lidl-they are ultra fast compared to anything at Tesco. It also means less jobs for people-I don't see the big plus of it tbh.

Jip

Pat McGhee wrote: »

They charge Irish suppliers for the priviledge of putting their stock on Tesco shelves.

B*stards.

Eh, they all do, Superquinn have quite high charges, there was an article in the Sunday Times a few weeks back highlighting all the various charges which they received from a leaked rate card.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6797887.ece

Superquinn, the supermarket chain founded by Senator Fergal Quinn, charges its suppliers thousands of euros in fees for “promotional” shelf space, which could become illegal under proposed new laws designed to eliminate sharp practice and reduce prices in the €12 billion grocery market.

A leaked document also shows the supermarket forces new suppliers to pay a “wastage allowance” before it will allow their products to be stocked on Superquinn’s shelves, another practice set to be banned under the laws.

The fee, which applies for the first four weeks of stocking a product, obliges suppliers to make cash payments if any goods remain unsold. The chain also charges suppliers up to up to €1,200 per week for “promotional” shelf space in freezers, chilled cabinets and on shelves.

It charges suppliers a range of other fees as well, including €2,000 penalties for product recalls, “administration charges” for incorrect paperwork and penalties for non-availability of products.

Mary Coughlan, the tanaiste and minister for enterprise, launched a consultation period last week which proposed the new laws.

They are in response to complaints that Ireland’s biggest grocery retailers are squeezing suppliers for illegal “hello money”, secret cash payments to get a stock listing and other coerced payments. There are concerns that such fees can be passed on to consumers through higher prices.

Coughlan wants an ombudsman to police supermarkets, which have been accused by farmers and some TDs of abusing their positions by demanding cash from suppliers.

Michael Creed, a Fine Gael TD who has campaigned against the fees, says these charges cost jobs among suppliers and ultimately hit consumers’ pockets, as they get factored into grocery prices. Creed claims €160m a year is paid in “hello money” to Irish supermarkets, and says he has e-mails from “Irish brand names” saying some supermarkets were guilty of “extortion”.

Sheena Forde, Superquinn’s operational and development director, wrote to all its suppliers at the beginning of the year, when she was its purchasing director, outlining the fees for 2009.

One aggrieved Superquinn supplier who contacted The Sunday Times highlighted the obligatory wastage charge levied by the supermarket on new suppliers and for new product lines.

In her letter, Forde wrote: “In order to give new lines a kick start in the business and to encourage store colleagues to place orders with confidence, any new products introduced to Superquinn must be supported by full wastage cover paid for by the supplier for the first four weeks.”

Coughlan’s new laws as proposed would specifically ban this type of wastage charge.

Superquinn also charges fees to cover its “lost profit” if it orders stock, but the supplier is unable to deliver the full order. If a product is recalled, Superquinn charges the supplier €2,000 plus Vat, as well as a penalty “for loss of sales for each day the product is off sale”.

Superquinn defended its charges and said its bigger rivals have similar rules and even higher charges. It said all of the extra payments it charges suppliers are legal.

“A rate card is sent to existing suppliers of Superquinn at the start of every year and it is clear to suppliers that it is not necessary to take advantage of the promotional offers in order to supply to Superquinn,” said the supermarket.

“In addition to the normal shelf space afforded to products free of charge, suppliers often request or agree to their products receiving additional promotion or advertisement for which a set fee is charged. This is standard practice across the industry.

“The Competition Authority reviewed the 2008 version of this price list last year and was satisfied that the communication was part of normal business practice,” it said.

Tesco has come in for the most criticism for its treatment of suppliers, since it slashed prices at some of its stores by up to 25% at the start of the summer. Some suppliers, who have refused to be identified, claim the supermarket has pressed them to fund the price cuts.

Tony Keohane, Tesco’s chief executive, when asked in May if it was “calling in” its suppliers to ask for payments to fund the cuts, said: “We are communicating with our suppliers, we are explaining the new reality to them. They have to compete on price. It is a gap that they have to bridge.”

The Competition Authority said it cannot investigate allegations of coercion or the payment of “hello money” unless it is presented with hard evidence from suppliers. It cannot investigate anonymous allegations, which has been criticised by members of the Oireachtas enterprise committee.

The authority says it is investigating a few allegations, but declined to give details. Superquinn has around 7% of the €12 billion grocery market, while its bigger rivals all have more than 20% each.

Now can I expected a similar post about Superquinn from you ? Or shall I just get the thread split into a hate Superquinn one, or again is it to easy to slate Tesco because they're not Irish.

deelite

Beanstalk wrote: »

2 weeks ago Tesco Letterkenny wre selling a medely of stir-fry vegtables for €1.50, this week its gone up to €3. thats double the price! what the hell?

Not sure if you normally bought their fresh noodles (not the rice ones) they came down to 1.09 in their change of good. But they are now at 2.39?????? I rang head office and spoke directly to the manager last weekend - I'm still waiting for a reply. However I notice that the "Change for Good" signs have been replaced in the last two days with "Change for the Better" (I think). Also there's a notice up saying the euro for sterling on clothes is finishing this week.

And there's a sign outside the shop "Irish Products You Want" (cant remember the rest). I have a feeling this Change thing hasn't been the success they expected.....

thebman

deelite wrote: »

Not sure if you normally bought their fresh noodles (not the rice ones) they came down to 1.09 in their change of good. But they are now at 2.39?????? I rang head office and spoke directly to the manager last weekend - I'm still waiting for a reply. However I notice that the "Change for Good" signs have been replaced in the last two days with "Change for the Better" (I think). Also there's a notice up saying the euro for sterling on clothes is finishing this week.

And there's a sign outside the shop "Irish Products You Want" (cant remember the rest). I have a feeling this Change thing hasn't been the success they expected.....

I'd say the problem is its hard to win Aldi/Lidl shoppers back since they are only matching their prices really and overall the basket price will only be the same or slightly more expensive in many cases even with change for good best prices.

I think they'll go back to charging the people who won't shop around old tesco prices.

rubadub

I have said before the "change for good" is just marketing bullsh*t with no legal bearing, dunno if people honestly thought prices would never change again!

They did have a chicken korma ready meal for €1.40 a week or so ago, it stuck in my mind as being extremely cheap, as do many of their items, I really thought a lot of stuff was mispriced as it was so cheap. Anyway this is now €2.09 and has a "was €2.50" on it. Now I cannot recall ever seeing it at €2.50, and if it was it must have only been a day or so. I walk by the section everytime, I live right next door and am in every 2-3days and have a good eye for prices.

Now this could well be a legal matter, I cannot remember the law but I know other shops have been called up on this "was €20 now €10" and it has to be that price for a certain length of time. And I seriously doubt this was.

The queues in my local Tesco are always way longer than my local Dunnes-truth be told they have nowhere near enough staff on the till and self-service is always backed up with at least one checkout out of service.

I find that too, the self checkout are brutal in tesco, I thought I would be thrown out one night for bashing and screaming that the damn thing, had to enter about 25% of the codes myself. I do not use dunnes as much but have no problem with their queues or self services ones. It is night shopping in tesco which can be a nightmare, they have to leave the till and get keys and open up a shutter to get people smokes. And then the very next person in line has to get smokes and it happens all over again. I remember one night a drunk lad shouting "DO ANY OF YOU OTHER C**TS WANT SMOKES, TELL HER F**KING NOW!!!!" and a few people did, some more outgoing workers do ask people in line.

lindtee

Pepperoni pizzas(sorry can't remember the brand-they were fresh ones) were €2.50 (and BOGOF) last Saturday, today they were 4.01 (still BOGOF). Cooked Ham was €1.82 last week, today was €2.00. Chilli peanuts were €1.29 now €1.45. There are numerous other price increases. Not suprised but really pissed off as it seemed at the start it was going to be great and shopping at Tesco would be cheaper than the rest, but not to be:mad::mad: Do they think we are stupid?

Oh and have noticed prices in Lidl and Aldi creeping up aswell so its not just Tesco,but its more fun to give out about Tesco!

deelite

I have again rang Tesco Head Office (Dun Laoghaire) today and guess what I was transferred to the UK. I asked why I wasn't put through to the Irish Customer Service and the guy on the phone said that Tesco Irish Customer Services had been moved to the UK.

rameire

my gollie gumdrops.

Nody

rubadub wrote: »

INow this could well be a legal matter, I cannot remember the law but I know other shops have been called up on this "was €20 now €10" and it has to be that price for a certain length of time. And I seriously doubt this was.

For 30 days prior iirc.

lindtee wrote: »

Do they think we are stupid?

No they don't think so; they know so based on the last 30 years of the Irish accepting being ripped of and continue to accept it today.

deelite wrote: »

I have again rang Tesco Head Office (Dun Laoghaire) today and guess what I was transferred to the UK. I asked why I wasn't put through to the Irish Customer Service and the guy on the phone said that Tesco Irish Customer Services had been moved to the UK.

Why have a English speaking customer service in a high cost country when you can get scale benefits AND lower wages in another?