3G stores Temporary Closure! Is it the start of a trend?

banie01

Apologies for confusing the issue 3G stores rather than 3. Rte did show 3 mobile network on the report and link
I can't edit thread title though


Following on from '3's decision to close their retail stores in Ireland http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0105/3g.html
Are we seeing the beginnings of paradigm shift in how Service operators interact with us customers?
From a purely cost basis it has to be an attractive option for Corporate management, eliminating many frontline costs associated with running the shops, aside from the staff costs!
While consumers may not be happy with buying phones/contract and other services online or via callcentres....
How long will it be before other operators move to a similar model and we'll have to just accept it!

helimachoptor

I'd suggest a mod edit this is not '3' the mobile brand this is the '3G stores' a completely separate company.

Thor

i suggest you fix the thread title as it is NOT 3 stores that are closing but 3G stores. they are completley different to the three network and the title can be very misleading.

drunkmonkey

banie01 wrote: »

Following on from '3's decision to close their retail stores in Ireland !

3G Mobile and Three (the network) have nothing got to do with each other, 3G Mobile sell 3's products but they are not any part of them.

drunkmonkey

banie01 wrote: »

Are we seeing the beginnings of paradigm shift in how Service operators interact with us customers?
From a purely cost basis it has to be an attractive option for Corporate management, eliminating many frontline costs associated with running the shops, aside from the staff costs!
While consumers may not be happy with buying phones/contract and other services online or via callcentres....
How long will it be before other operators move to a similar model and we'll have to just accept it!

There is more telesales action but that's mainly o2 as their retail presence has disappeared leaving a lot of customer high and dry with little alternative other than to buy online or deal with telesales.
From a cost basis a shop should be making money, if it's not it's in the wrong business. Some mega stores like Henry St probably don't make a profit but there's many around the country that do.

jimmycrackcorm

I think we get the point 3 != 3G.

But for the Op's point - it's not. if it is a paradigm shift then I think we would have seen Waterstones and other bookshops disappear long ago.

Dman001

In fairness RTE did report the closure of the 3G Stores but they accidently showed 3 Stores in their report.

3G will be a great loss especially if you want Apple gear in a brick and mortar store. Lets hope they find a buyer.

dloob

That was a rather big error on RTEs part.
The story was all shots of Three's store and the three.ie website.

gregpm

I immeadiately rang my friend who works for 3 (hutchison) to find out more after I saw the report on the 6 o'clock news.

Its a pretty big mistake for RTE to make.

edit: I know the average person does confuse the two. but you don't expect this from national news.

Davy

gregpm wrote: »

I immeadiately rang my friend who works for 3 (hutchison) to find out more after I saw the report on the 6 o'clock news.

Its a pretty big mistake for RTE to make.

The company is over 4 years old and people still make the same mistake

steve_

i work in 3 and i swear every second customer either asks do we sell meteor or starts a sentence with, Hey i bought this in 3g....its so annoying....well not anymore i guess

Darz0re

steve_ wrote: »

i work in 3 and i swear every second customer either asks do we sell meteor or starts a sentence with, Hey i bought this in 3g....its so annoying....well not anymore i guess

The ~200 people that may have lost their jobs now are relieved that you won’t have to go through that again

steve_

ah come on now my comment was just in the relation to the previous post to mine. i know people who worked in 3g, i was just saying how often people get confused about it.

tony1kenobi

granadaghia wrote: »

I dont think it matters a bit which one is gone , the good news is that one of the 3 s is gone, so what a couple of hundred minimum wage kids get laid off ,they can go back home to mammy and daddy and play with their playstation games, with abit of luck some more of these network shops will close up and clear off.
they didnt care about all the independant phone shops they put out of business over the past years .
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.

3G IS an independant phone shop.Just like more that 4 ha's is the universal sign for "spastic".

The story on the RTE is site is exclusively surrounded by "3" ads...Was that the quickest apology in history?

Our man in Havana

tony1kenobi wrote: »

3G IS an independant phone shop.Just like more that 4 ha's is the universal sign for "spastic".

The story on the RTE is site is exclusively surrounded by "3" ads...Was that the quickest apology in history?

I doubt it.

lord lucan

I'd also imagine this is what the guy in the locked thread was banging on about with his 'rumours'. Looks like he made the same error as RTE.

Mad_Mike

tony1kenobi wrote: »

.............Just like more that 4 ha's is the universal sign for "spastic"...................

PMSL!!!!!!!!

strecker

gregpm wrote: »

edit: I know the average person does confuse the two. but ****you don't expect this from national news****.

why don't you?

boarder777

Was passing 3g store in blanch. It had a notice on the window saying its closed due to a stock take. intresting..

Walkman

All stores seen to have the same sign up

fluffy70

drunkmonkey wrote: »

There is more telesales action but that's mainly o2 as their retail presence has disappeared leaving a lot of customer high and dry with little alternative other than to buy online or deal with telesales.
From a cost basis a shop should be making money, if it's not it's in the wrong business. Some mega stores like Henry St probably don't make a profit but there's many around the country that do.

O2, Vodafone and Meteor will always have a store presence in the High Street.
Customers still need sim changes,numbers copied from sim to sim.etc.
Problems get sorted for the customer who knows nothing about how a phone works by staff who know how to change ringtones,fix mms problems and teach customers how to navigate menus.
These stores can sustain themselves yearly with staff who concentrate on accessorie sales and encouraging prepay customers that Bill pay is the way to go.