Tesco preps for Big Data Engine dump: Laters, Clubcard dev

Re: What's with the pictures...

Agree ... I eventually decided to do something about this a couple of hours ago. Turns out to be very simple to craft an AdBlock rule that eliminates all the top of article pictures and it's all so much better now! Suppose I may lose the occasional "relevant" picture - but that's a very rare event now.

Re: What's with the pictures...

I would have gone for this picture instead.

You can't copyright something you painted on somebody else's wall.

Re: So after a bad year they dump a unit that generated profits for decades

Depends ... They might not need the subsidiary, which works as an agency for other people, and might just concentrate on doing it for themselves in-house and generating themselves £2bn in the process.

The speciality that Dunnhumby brought was essential but that knowledge is now integrated into their data warehousing and clubcard system. The new innovation within that department might no longer be forthcoming so they can just use the current systems to do the analysis that they currently do with no negative effects. A bit like bringing in a consultant to set up a major db system and then putting them on a long term contract to maintain it. Once the system works exactly as you would hope and you have the skills in-house to maintain it you might consider losing this resource as that level of expertise is no longer needed.

The only downside that I could then see would be the new owners punting the services to rival supermarkets which bring with them the knowledge of Tesco, however a sale clause could presumably curb this for a significant amount of time.

Tesco have lost the plot on all of the basics of their core trade one of which, as pointed out, is elementary customer service. Sainsburys do seem to have it right though - there are two "mini" supermarkets near where I am, one a Sainsburys Local and a Budgens. From the start all staff in the Sainsbury Local have made a point of clear greetings and farewells, most of the Budgens grunt at you if that much - one rude arse just held his hand out for the money and didn't say a word. Guess which is the more pleasant place to shop? Sainsburys without a doubt. Guess which seem to have the happier staff? Sainsburys as well - just the basics of human interaction seem to be keeping the Sainsburys staff in a better mood (and overheard conversations seem to reflect this as well). It's also interesting to note that Sainsburys have audio recording at their tills which could help to enforce this as well as I suspect that it's a concerted effort from Sainsburys rather than just staff initiative.

[from inside sources] Where Tesco also fail is that their head office is an utter shambles with a lot of reportedly quality staff leaving for nicer places. The staff that seem to be sticking around are those who brown nose their way everywhere and those with no interest in anything much other than their own personal status quo. They're promoting the wrong staff into the wrong places with inexperienced (e.g. cheap) staff in critical roles (some departments are known locally as "the creche" as a result), devaluing good and / or experienced staff until they leave and the result is an impending growing mess that'll likely implode soon enough. On top of this they are also attempting to offshore as much of their core operations as possible, which as we all know works so well when you add in even cheaper staff, language and context issues and a few thousand miles of not giving a shit.

It could be that somebody with a clue has taken over at the top and is savvy enough to spot the problems and how to fix them by establishing a focus on their core business.

Customer Service

Yep, its almost like a challenge for their staff to throw your shopping down the checkout as fast as possible so it all piles up and then sit there tutting at you, while you try to find the room to pack it.

Using a checkout, what is this quaint custom of which you speak?

Carry a beepy wand (I think that's the technical name they use) and avoid staff, price checks, queues (so far) and even wondering how much you have spent.

Also, your shopping is in the bags ready to go, no hefting from trolley to checkout to bag-in-trolley again.

They had them in Waitrose about a million years ago but they stopped using them although I think they may be back now there too.

Perhaps this is the reason for the profit plummet since one of the assistants gossiped that she had checked one trolley and found it to be over £76 pounds short of the true total. "Oh, my little one was doing the scanning! I didn't realise. yeah, I'm sure".

I imagine few people over scan so I wonder of this brilliant system will continue, it does save on checkout staff of course.

Me, I love it, I can even bear to buy only three or four items quickly now.

@Deej

=> Sainsburys' terminals even says "Greet Customer"

To make the experience even more pleasant, they could have a display for the customers that says "Start looking for your preferred method of payment now" where queues begin.

FFS, people crawl along the checkout for a good 5 minutes, and only when all their items have been scanned they realise they need to pay for them?

Sometimes I wonder if they usually go to shops where all their stuff is scanned purely for stock control and once they're done they just walk away with it.

Spot on. Stopped shopping there 18 months ago when I realised how sodding expensive most things were. That, combined with the shitty service means no more data for Dunnhumby.

Phil.

Re: All I want from a supermarket is.....

"Then the on the way out, I'm greeted by the chuggers and AA again."

You forgot the eastern european accordion player sitting cross-legged on the ground playing out of tune.

Re: All I want from a supermarket is.....

You forgot the beggers at the till offering to pack your bags for you, sometimes not even asking and just doing it

Re: Not a great experience

"Still not as awful an experience as my local ASDA but they have seriously lost their way."

Many people, including me, predicted that would happen when they sold out to Walmart. Asda is a dump inside now. It reminds me of how Netto used to look.