Argos wanted me to pay for a watch just to view it

[Smokin Joe]

I collected an item from the Argos in Yeovil a few days ago that I ordered online and admittedly it was an hour before closing time but the shop was empty apart from me and maybe 5 members of staff. Normally I don't find Argos competitive but in recent times there has been a few well priced items. It feels like a business close to the end of its life as often when I visit Sainsburys there is nothing happening at the Argos section. Admittedly I'm almost never in a Sainsbury's at the weekend which could be busier.

I don't know how the hell my local Argos keeps going. When I walk past if it wasn't for the lights being on and a few staff milling about I'd swear it was closed.

 

[Drago]

Such are the perils of blocking posters, as I have found out in the past. It makes threads disjointed. I gave up and stopped using ignore.

You're the only poster I can see now.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I don't know how the hell my local Argos keeps going. When I walk past if it wasn't for the lights being on and a few staff milling about I'd swear it was closed.

Ours closed down last year. (Or the year before maybe)

 

[Dogtrousers]

Can't they trace their history back to Green Shield stamps?

 

[classic33]

As DT says, I remember going to Argos over thirty years ago when you would look at a laminated catalogue bolted to a counter, pick up a bookie's style pen and piece of paper, write down the number of the thing you wanted, go to the payment counter, then get a code number and wait at the collection point for your goods to appear.

Thankfully the Internet has now negated the need for any such nonsense.

The laminated catalogue disappeared over 18 years ago. The bookie size pens were for ever disappearing, and along with the betting slip sized paper you scrawled the number on finally disappeared in 2018. The catalogue disappeared due to covid, these last two Christmas's aside.

It's all networked touchscreen tablets now. They'll even take card payments.

 

[classic33]

Back in the 80s / 90s I had a work colleague who had a minor obsession with Argos.

I remember him marching into the office in a state of rapture brandishing the newly released catalogue, showing it to all and sundry exitedly saying "It's out! It's out!". The highlight of his year (or six months, or however often they released new catalogues then)

Four times a year, with seasonal/sales extras.

 

[Drago]

Didn't they start off with Green Shield stamps?

 

[Fastpedaller]

It used to be a long process in the past. A bit like travelling abroad to another county!

Like going to Iceland for your frozen food instead of Bejam?

 

[Brandane]

You're the only poster I can see now.

Sorry, who are you? 😅

 

[presta]

That's the Argos business model: they save money by not having a showroom and staff, in the same way Aldi save money by not offering much choice. There's also less risk of someone bothering to return something they've already bought than turning up their nose at something they haven't. It also means that the customer and not the shop assistant incurs the time spent faffing around trying to get something back in the box again...

 

[DRM]

Think about it.

Argos price up each sale accounting for a worker to fetch an item from the warehouse and another worker to hand it to the customer. Customer takes it and leaves. Low staffing costs, almost zero chance of theft by the customer.

If they changed to a "shoe shop" type model with workers taking items to and from the warehouse and customers mauling them, ruminating over them and possibly nicking them before handing over any cash then their operating costs would skyrocket.

Funny that the Argos in the White Rose Shopping Centre, Leeds, used to have jewellery and watches in locked glass cabinets, so you could have a look, then a member of staff would get the item out so you could have a proper look, now it’s just a pokey little corner of Sainsbury’s

 

[classic33]

Funny that the Argos in the White Rose Shopping Centre, Leeds, used to have jewellery and watches in locked glass cabinets, so you could have a look, then a member of staff would get the item out so you could have a proper look, now it’s just a pokey little corner of Sainsbury’s

Would that have been their jewellers, Elizabeth Dukes, bought by Boots?

 

[FrankCrank]

Just to clarify my earlier statement giving a negative view of Argos, it's been quite some years since I paid a visit.
Filling out a chitty and joining queues at more than one counter was never fun - maybe this has all changed now?
In fairness, I recall them exchanging a faulty MP3 player, not for a similar product, but a full refund, which was nice.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

As DT says, I remember going to Argos over thirty years ago when you would look at a laminated catalogue bolted to a counter, pick up a bookie's style pen and piece of paper, write down the number of the thing you wanted, go to the payment counter, then get a code number and wait at the collection point for your goods to appear.

Thankfully the Internet has now negated the need for any such nonsense.

Screw fix took up that mantel

 

[Alex321]

Just to clarify my earlier statement giving a negative view of Argos, it's been quite some years since I paid a visit.
Filling out a chitty and joining queues at more than one counter was never fun - maybe this has all changed now?

It has.

You will normally now order and pay at an automated kiosk - they have as many of those as they used to have laminated catalogues. You only need to go to the cashier if you want to pay with cash.

And it has been that way for quite a few years now.

In fairness, I recall them exchanging a faulty MP3 player, not for a similar product, but a full refund, which was nice.

They have always had a good returns policy.