Not So Quickie Mart

So, in Ottawa there is a chain of convenience stores branded as Quickie Mart. Yes, I had visions of Apu the first time I saw one. How could you not. I occasionally purchase items from the Quickie Mart. Tonight was one of those nights.

When I arrived at the store there was a long line at the cash register. Not a long line for a convenience store but a long line for nearly anything. There were nine people in front of me. I picked up the bottle of Coke I wanted and joined the line. It turns out the line was not moving. Two more people entered the store and eventually joined the line that was still not moving.

Upon further investigation it appeared the lone employee was conducting some type of cash-out.

There are two problems with this.

First, a convenience store is supposed to be convenient. You should be able to get in and out quickly. You pay a premium for them to be open at all hours and you can quickly make your transactions.

Secondly, and possibly more importantly, the security within a convenience store is based on not a lot of people being in the store at once. If you have to many people in an convenience store it gets a lot easier for someone contemplating a robbery to pull it off. It is easier to generate confusion. It's easier to control a larger crowd. It's easier to get conflicting witness statements that may help prevent a conviction.

It is understandable that employees must compete reports. Managers must know what is happening in the organization. That being said, serving customers should always be the first priority. Customers should not be made to wait. A waiting customer has the ability to change their mind. It costs you sales.

Tonight the Quickie Mart was not so quickie, maybe they should seek out and hire Apu.

That's A Long Time

As I walked into the Sobey's I regularly shop at on the week-end I noticed a sign indicating they were now open from 6am to Midnight, 6 Days a week. In Manitoba the law limits retail shopping to noon - 6pm on Sundays so they would not be able to be open that much on Sunday. That is a lot of hours to be open.

The store will only be closed for six hours a day. I believe this is to compete with Walmart being open 24 hrs. That is a lot of time to be open.

I worked for Sobey's West, A Division of Sobey's Capital Inc. as a in-store manager back in 2001 - early 2002. From that job I learned that retail can really be a killer. The hours are insane. The public can be really good or really bad and everything in between. When I started we were open 9am to 11pm. The hours were reduced to 9am to 10pm as that last hour was not very productive. It was easier on the staff and the schedule. These new hours they are open must be murder on their staff. I can see strong morale developing when people are being stretched further.

I also noted the store was not in great shape. There were normal products that were not stocked. There was not a lot of staff to serve customers. It seemed that the store was suffering.

So, why am I ragging on Sobey's? This is a classic example of letting another company dictate how you will do business. The fear that Walmart strikes in the heart retail executives forces them to make bad and expensive decisions.

In any organization you must figure out what you do and figure out how to be the best at it. If you do what you do well, you will get the results you want. I see Sobey's being a follower in the marketplace and you cannot come in first if you are following someone.

So I Went To the Apple Store

I had some time today so I checked out the new Apple Store in Winnipeg. This is a retail marvel. Simple accessibility, lots of equipment to try, bright room, friendly staff, and excellent staff. Overall it is an excellent space. I browsed for a while. I tried out some equipment. Eventually I was approached to see if I need any help.

I have a 5 year old Acer computer. It barely does anything anymore. Time has passed it by. I have been completely turned off by Microsoft in the last couple of years. It is cumbersome and glitchy at best. The best offering that Windows has ever had (XP) is no longer available and is barely supported. My computing experience is generally not enjoyable due to the interface and equipment I have.

So I bought a MacBook Pro.

This is my first blog entry on my new computer. It is different, but really easy to use. It is intuitive. It is fast. It is even a bit nifty. It was simple to set up. The help is clear and straight forward. It is everything the commercials promised so far. I'm sure that there will be times I have difficulties but so far so good.