The State of Somerfield

Does anyone else wonder what on earth is going on with the Somerfield store in Penicuik?
When I went in last week there were lots of puddles around the support girders, several lights out of action so you almost needed a torch to find your way around and some of the chiller cabinets and freezers were empty. I hope this is just because they are going to refit the place soon as has happened to other stores since the Coop takeover. If properly stocked and staffed it could be a successful shop.

I did hear that it was due a refurb but that it would be later in the year, I agree I could be a great shop but I now refuse to do anything more than buy a paper or a lottery ticker in there now. This morning looked like they should have been handing out torches and candles to customers..

I disagree that this could ever be a great shop - unless they sack 90% of the staff and start again that is!!

I also now only ever use the kiosk for my newspapers (come back RS Mccolls) and lottery but the regular staff on there leave a lot to be desired on the efficiency and friendliness fronts - unless of course you're one of their cronies.

Try buying a scratchcard (yes, I know they're a waste of money but do I really need the staff to tell me that??) and you're lucky if they're on sale before 11am. Some months ago I had the audacity to mistakenly ask for a £5 card - I practically had to make a written request to have the transaction voided!

A lot of the time the staff can be heard criticising each other which, although amusing, is actually quite offputting when all you want is to buy a newspaper!

Got an update today and it appears that a leaking roof has affected the electrics in the store so much that they are unable to use all the lights. Let us hope they are going to fix it ASAP

What a joy - yesterday morning the kiosk was staffed by a friendly, cheery, pleasant member of staff - one of the younger people who on the whole offer a decent level of service.

Sadly, today it was back to normal..........please, please, please Somerfield/Co-op give your staff some training/retraining on basic customer service skills - just because they've been there for years doesn't mean they're up to the job! The sheer disdain that certain members of staff show to the customer is breathtaking - if there was any choice at all in the town centre the kiosk in Somerfield would be completely without customers!

Have to agree on that, the younger staff are very 'please', 'thank you' and even a 'good morning'. Most of the older members shall we say, seem to struggle beyond a simple please after announcing what cash they want. Why oh why do they not have a person on the cash desks all the time and limit the kiosk to serving papers, mag's, lottery etc standing waiting to buy a paper behind someone with a weekly shop is daft.

http://www.somerfield.co.uk/contactus/

Try contacting them via this site. If every complaint is sent to them then hopefully some action will be taken - this store could be so much better.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with the comments posted. (apart from the puddles, but what shop doesn't have puddles at one time or another?) The store is going through a period of transition. So what if you can't find what you want or the product has been shifted to another part of the store? Treat it as a wee adventure for goodness sake! Have to disagree with comments about the staff. I always find them friendly and helpful. I wonder if the negative posts are from those with more time on their hands than is healthy?

I've always found the staff there very helpfull....... especially the younger ones....... and more especially the ones with "difficulties".

But why is it that, when you ask for a bag, none of them can seperate one bag from the batch without first licking their fingers?

Chris wrote:

I wonder if the negative posts are from those with more time on their hands than is healthy?

I have found somewhere that makes the staff service in Somerfield top class, the Job Centre. Whilst some of the staff are very friendly and appear to do what ever they can for you, there are others who should be reported for trade description - 'customer service' it says on the badges - that normally involves at least speaking to a 'customer' in pleasant manner, even some niceties - No the past two weeks I have been in to sign on the experience has been interesting to the extend I'm sure the tellitubbies provide a better service, rude, arrogant and completely hopeless!! As I say some of the staff are excellent but there are at least 2 who fall into the above...

People I know who have had the misfortune to deal with "Job Centre Plus" (as they call it at the moment - no doubt that will change again soon) say they do not do very much. I certainly never had any luck with getting jobs through them - many of the ones advertised had already gone or did not exist.
Good luck with the job hunting - have you tried Somerfield?

alright folks im 19 and i work in the somerfield store in penicuik u all speak so poorly of. you should be quite pleased with yourslves, because this forum has actually been noticed and discussed at my work, so that says something for online forums. well done!

I'd like to stick up for the place and the people a bit though. first off, aye the place is a dump, but it hasnt had any work on it for over 20 years. Co-op are the only company to make a statement of intent and actually give the place the refit and revamp it needs inorder to be fit for purpose.

Issues with freezers and fridges breaking down are very common, i agree, but again this is something that will be getting dealt with by co-op.

The staff. I'm unsure about whether someone was having a dig about "staff with difficulties" earlier or not, but i think the place should be applauded for employing such staff members, as it would be a crime to discriminate because of any disabilities they may have. I'm glad that someone earlier complimented the younger members of staff working in somerfield, but i would like to think that most of the staff at least offer good customer service. Along the same lines as someone else commented though, surely a phone call or a customer comment card stating your concern would be more productive than moaning on an online forum. just a thought.

The place can be very difficult to work in at times, just like any other work place of course, and we can only work with what we have got.

Anyway, im just a little shelf stacker, but as i said the management are aware of this forum and the complaints aired, so hopefully they may act upon it. Hopefully you will read my rather long reply and post some comments back for a friendly debate.

somerfieldworker wrote:

I'm unsure about whether someone was having a dig about "staff with difficulties" earlier or not,

No, that was most certainly not a "dig" and I'm sorry if it seemed to be so.

In fact, elsewhere on this forum, I have previously applauded Somerfields for their inclusive and non-discriminatory employment policy.

I apologise for suggesting so rubbereye

somerfieldworker wrote:

The staff. I'm unsure about whether someone was having a dig about "staff with difficulties" earlier or not, but i think the place should be applauded for employing such staff members, as it would be a crime to discriminate because of any disabilities they may have. I'm glad that someone earlier complimented the younger members of staff working in somerfield, but i would like to think that most of the staff at least offer good customer service. Along the same lines as someone else commented though, surely a phone call or a customer comment card stating your concern would be more productive than moaning on an online forum. just a thought.

I think it is often hard to take a step back and see yourself as others see you (albeit in this case a store and it's customers) so I for one am glad that the staff/management in Somerfield are aware of this forum and taking note.

Most of the staff probably do offer good customer service but, unfortunately, it is the few who don't that are remembered, are discussed with friends & colleagues and are ultimately being commented on here. I work in retail and have done most of my working life. Generally, I've liked and got on with most of the people I've worked with. Were they all good with the customers............a definite NO!

Some people just aren't suited to working with the public face to face and obviously don't enjoy it but do it because it's better than no job at all. It is the people in this category who I for one feel need to be reminded that a polite "please", "thank you" or even a "hello" costs nothing. I don't want to appear ageist but for some reason it is usually the older members of staff who are like this - possibly because they started working in the days when the public in general had lower expectations and the idea of "customer first" didn't exist.

With regard to making direct complaints to the store I personally would be unlikely to do this in a small shop and town purely because I wouldn't want my name and address broadcast round the staff. Yes, an internet forum might well be cowardly but it is having the desired result.

ah wish the cooncil culd read tae

"With regard to making direct complaints to the store I personally would be unlikely to do this in a small shop and town purely because I wouldn't want my name and address broadcast round the staff. Yes, an internet forum might well be cowardly but it is having the desired result"

Says it all really. If you don't have the b**** to complain in writing to head office............... just do it anonymously on an internet forum. Dangerous things when you hide behind an avatar.

Bet you there are ten times more customers who don't say please and thank you than there are workers.

Big it up for the Somerfield staff

Chris wrote:

Says it all really. If you don't have the b**** to complain in writing to head office............... just do it anonymously on an internet forum. Dangerous things when you hide behind an avatar.

Sadly it is exactly this sort of response which is my reason for not wishing my name and address to be known though your use of the word "dangerous" is strange. It seems that only your opinion is the "correct" one on this forum but, oh well, at least you're certainly not anonymous.................

elljay

i agree with most of your points, some people arent perfectly suited to such a job. Your last point i definitely do not agree with however. It is somewhat of a miracle that this forum has came to light, and that the comments have been looked at. It took myself over half an hour of searching through google before coming across it, and i knew exactly what i was looking for. if you had contacted the store directly, they would have been dealt with straight away. With regards to not wishing your details being known amongst staff, there was always the possibility of not including such details and writing an anonymous comment, which still get looked at. We relatively recently recieved a customer comment card about poor customer service, and rather than being added to some sort of 'hate list' or whatever, 2 members of staff took the time to go to the persons house with a box of chocolates and offer their apologies.

I meant dangerous in the sense that anyone can make accusations whilst hiding behind a pseudonym.

If you had made yourself known to the store staff.........you too might have been given a box of chocolates............ it's not too late.

Thanks to somerfieldworker for their responses which show that if you do not complain to the company then you won't get anywhere. If no one tells the store management about problems then how are they supposed to know about them - it is not exactly rocket science!

Somerfield has certainly been singled out here, but many of the issues are not exclusive to this store and I for one can identify the negatives with other shops so quite why we embarked on a Somerfield bashing excercise I don't know (and yes I admit to adding to it!)

I see from this weeks Advertiser that the Somerfield stores in Newtongrange and Bonnyrigg have both been converted in to Co-op branches so hopefully it will happen in Penicuik soon.
The news about a possible Morrisons supermarket at Straiton might encourage a bit of action from both of Penicuik's major supermarkets - we hope!

Visited Somerfield yesterday just for a couple of things and came out feeling somewhat depressed. The store is very much in need of a refit as it looks fairly shabby, lots of spaces on the shelves and definitely needs more staff. I cannot understand how the Co-op management fail to see how badly this particular store must be performing compared to others!