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back to article Computerised stock management? Nah, let’s use walkie-talkies

I’d like to try these in a size nine-and-a-half or size 10, please. “A size nine... and-a-half?” the shop assistant asks incredulously. Yes. Or a 10. “Which size do you want – the nine-and-a-half or the 10?” I’d like the size that fits my feet. “So... are your feet size nine-and-a-half or size 10?” Ah now, I can’t say for …

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                  1. Triggerfish
                    Reply Icon

                    Re: Do you have any tea? @Dave Lawton

                    If that was to me Vietnam coffee heaven from my obv' limited experience but there were places just roasting it in the streets and grinding it there and then and coffee shops are everywhere they have quite the coffee culture going over there, a friend working there in a office took in some nescafe instant, he was mocked severely :).

                    The brand is Trung Nguyen San Tao No 8, although the normal stuff is very good as well. I like my coffee with a bit of milk and sweet they usually add condensed milk instead, which I'd recommend a dash of instead of normal milk (if you don't drink it black natch), it's lovely both have a slight hint of chocolate to them only tried it dripped through a phin. Someone told me they do not have that high a caffeine content to them, but as someone who likes his caffeine to get me through the day, there was plenty caffeine, a couple of cups will get you wired.

                    Also they do egg coffee over there which sounds odd but is actually quite nice.

                    0 0 Reply
                    1. Triggerfish
                      Reply Icon

                      Re: Do you have any tea? @Dave Lawton

                      Sorry that should be Sang Tao No 8, and I believe the normal stuff, was no 3.

                      0 0 Reply
                      1. Dave Lawton
                        Reply Icon

                        Re: Do you have any tea? @Dave Lawton

                        @Triggerfish

                        Yes, 'twas aimed at you. Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

                        Further Q. What easily available brands on sale in the UK, might you recommend please ?

                        0 0 Reply
          2. John R. Macdonald
            Reply Icon

            Re: Do you have any tea?

            Cue the old joke:

            Q: Why do the English drink tea?

            A: Have you tried their coffee?

            2 0 Reply
      2. GrumpenKraut
        Reply Icon
        Devil

        Re: Do you have any tea?

        > I hate it when I ask for a coffee but they read out a list of Italian nouns (a language I don't speak) and ask which one I want.

        After they finish, just say: OK, I'll have the coffee.

        4 0 Reply
      3. Doctor Syntax Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Do you have any tea?

        "I hate it when I ask for a coffee but they read out a list of Italian nouns"

        I'm glad I don't drink coffee. It's just too complicated.

        0 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Do you have any shoes?

      Dabbsy Dabbsy ( I think I'm allowed to call you that, I read your stuff online so we're like best friends yeah?)

      Your explanation about the naturally apologetic nature of us Brits is spot on, though I suspect that is more likely conditioning brought on by crap stock keeping, someone should write a column about the hassles of finding a shoe shop with shoes in sometime. :)

      0 0 Reply
    3. Fungus Bob
      Reply Icon

      Re: Do you have any tea?

      Seems to be a perfectly reasonable question if this is anything to go by:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWDdd5KKhts

      2 0 Reply
  2. David Roberts
    Thumb Up

    Feet like flippers?

    I felt an unusual kinship with you after reading the article (feel free to shudder slightly).

    In the UK shoe manufacturers just don't seem to understand wide feet. I think they expect you to just cram your feet into their chosen style and let your bones adjust over time.

    For trainers I always end up with New Balance 4E fittings. No other trainer even seems to come in width fittings.

    For "proper shoes" (not that I wear them much these days) I always end up with Clarkes Extra Wide. No other manufacturer seems to do width fittings in adult shoes. Remember Start Rite? Where is the "End Rite" range?

    I can't even get proper cycling shoes with pedal cleats.

    Thankfully, walking boots come in more generous widths.

    I also do Yoga in bare (size 11) feet, so the image you painted also resonates. Scary or what?

    9 0 Reply
    1. James 51
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      Re: Feet like flippers?

      Clarkes have a few wide fitting shoes.

      1 0 Reply
      1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
        Reply Icon

        Re: Feet like flippers?

        "Clarkes have a few wide fitting shoes."

        Try this for size.

        0 1 Reply
      2. Mark York 3 Silver badge
        Reply Icon
        Linux

        Re: Feet like flippers?

        I also like Hush Puppies.

        I love pointing out the Shoe Event Horizon in shoe shops, when I get get asked by the wife or staff why I'm buying a spare set of shoes (that actually comfortably fit & are on some form of sale\discount - Bloody expensive in Canadaland).

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Posit: you are living in a stagnant, declining civilisation. Where are you looking?

        PUPIL:

        Down.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        What do you see?

        PUPIL:

        My shoes.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Correct! What do you do to cheer yourself up?

        PUPIL:

        Uhm… press the button?

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Incorrect! Think again. Your world is a depressing place; you are looking at your shoes. How do you cheer yourself up?

        PUPIL:

        I buy a new pair.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Correct!

        PUPIL:

        Can I press the button?

        COMPU-TEACH:

        All right.

        PUPIL:

        Wa-ho! So nice.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Now, imagine everyone does the same thing. What happens?

        PUPIL:

        Everyone feels nice?

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Ah, forget the button! Concentrate! Everyone buys new shoes. What happens?

        PUPIL:

        More shoes.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        And?

        PUPIL:

        More shoe shops.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Correct.

        PUPIL:

        Can I - ?

        COMPU-TEACH:

        No, no.

        PUPIL:

        Oh-oooo.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        And in order to support all these extra shoe shops, what must happen?

        PUPIL:

        Everyone… must keep buying shoes.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        And how is that arranged?

        PUPIL:

        Manufacturers dictate more and more different fashions and make shoes so badly that they either hurt the feet or fall apart.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        So that?

        PUPIL:

        Everyone has to buy more shoes.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Until?

        PUPIL:

        Until… everyone gets fed up with lousy, rotten shoes.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        And then what?

        PUPIL:

        Why can’t I press the button?

        COMPU-TEACH:

        And then what?! Come on!

        PUPIL:

        Massive capital investment by the manufacturers to try and make people buy the shoes.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Which means?

        PUPIL:

        More shoe shops.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        And then we reach what point?

        PUPIL:

        The point where I press the button again.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Oh, all right.

        PUPIL:

        Wa-hoo! Ahhhh… So nice, that’s really nice!

        COMPU-TEACH:

        And then we reach what point?!

        PUPIL:

        The Shoe Event Horizon! The whole economy overbalances; shoe shops outnumber every kind of shop! It becomes economically impossible to build anything other than shoe shops, and bingo, I get to press the button again!

        PUPIL:

        Wooo!

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Wait for permission! Now, what’s the final stage?

        PUPIL:

        Umm. Every shop in the world ends up as a shoe shop.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Full of?

        PUPIL:

        Shoes that no one can wear.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Result.

        PUPIL:

        Famine, collapse, and ruin. Any survivors eventually evolve into… birds and never put their feet on the ground again.

        COMPU-TEACH:

        Excellent! End of Lesson. You may press the button.

        13 1 Reply
        1. hplasm
          Reply Icon
          Happy

          Re: Feet like flippers?

          +1 For longest post ever.

          Did read.

          1 1 Reply
          1. psychonaut
            Reply Icon

            Re: Feet like flippers?

            didnt read, but know it off by heart anyway....thumbs up

            2 0 Reply
        2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
          Reply Icon

          Re: Feet like flippers?

          "I also like Hush Puppies."

          I used to. They were the only shoes I could ever buy that fit properly, felt like I was wearing slippers and walking on air, and could walk out of the shop wearing them safe in the knowledge of not getting blisters. Then one day the inevitable happened. I bought a pair and they were the same shite you get everywhere else.

          2 0 Reply
        3. Joe 37
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          Re: Feet like flippers?

          Where's the tip of the hat to Douglas Adams?

          0 0 Reply
    2. gregthecanuck
      Reply Icon
      Linux

      Re: Feet like flippers?

      Count me as another fan of Clarks extra wide sizes. They "get it" and the shoes are very well made and durable.

      Paddle on dear traveller, paddle on.

      4 0 Reply
    3. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Feet like flippers?

      re "In the UK shoe manufacturers just don't seem to understand wide feet."

      You are wrong, there are some manufacturers, who are VERY well aware of this issue. The problem is, that MOST shoes you see in the shops are ordered by "manufacturers' off the shelf, so to speak, in China (yeah, they have smaller feet, don't they! ;), and they don't give a flying monkey f... about width. It's about "optimising the cost" and "piling them high - and cheap". Think spam, think mass-mailing spam, versus targeted stings. It's much cheaper to flood the market with one-width footware, rather than have them tailored, widthwise.

      That said, if you want wide, then you pay a premium not only to cover the expense to the manufacturer of making various width shoes in the same model, but also, you pay for the privilage of being served by people who know something about shoe-fitting, and these are rare. Ultimately, you also pay for the fact that to find somebody who knows something about fitting shoes, you have to walk into one of the overpriced shops, and you pay for their high-street, overpriced presence :(

      3 0 Reply
    4. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
      Reply Icon

      Re: Feet like flippers?

      Okay, now I have to ask:

      Oh great and mighty Aleister Dabbs, are thy toes webbed as well?

      But yeah, can't shop for shoes online if you want them to be a comfy fit. Wasn't there a startup or a kickstarter for a 3D feet scanning device to fix that a couple of years ago, or am I imagening things?

      2 0 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Feet like flippers?

        I knew someone who had (slightly) webbed feet. When he was little his father used to make him show them to visitors with the explanation that they had developed that way to assist walking over boggy ground.

        Did I mention he was Irish ?

        0 0 Reply
    5. m0rt
      Reply Icon

      Re: Feet like flippers?

      "I can't even get proper cycling shoes with pedal cleats."

      Mentioned in a previous post, but I ended up with SiDi MTB Dominator 5 Fit Mega in a 45.5 size. I use them on a road bike, so in doing so break Rule #34.

      For walking boots, or motorcycle boots, I recommend Alt-Berg who will also customise the fit, for a very little difference in price. If you turn up.

      For normal shoe width fittings, you require a proper Shoe manufacturer in the UK, (Clarkes aside), like Loakes or some such. Or Redwing with the relevent width fit. (9 EE for me).

      For reference, in your run of the mill shoes, 10-10.5 is the usual size I need to buy.

      Proper fitting footware is a must.

      4 0 Reply
    6. PhilipN Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      LLoyds Extra Wide

      http://www.lloyd-shop.de/herrenschuhe/weite-extra/

      1 0 Reply
    7. scruffygit
      Reply Icon

      Re: Feet like flippers?

      I'm a size six-and-a-half in EEEE fitting. The only place I can reliably get shoes that fit is widefitshoes.co.uk. They provide scales that you can print out to measure your feet, and I've been very happy with the shoes I've had from them -- no more buying seven-and-a-halfs and then walking around feeling like a clown :-)

      James

      0 0 Reply
  3. Dr_N

    Find the shoe(s) that fit...

    And just keep buying variations of the same from Amazon or someone when the old pair wears out.

    Sizing problem solved.

    Outlet stores in the US are a good place to pick up cheap, shoes/boots/trainers in half sizes.

    Just don't forget colonial sizes aren't the same as Imperial ones.

    Didn't SAP roll-out of stock control at Levi's stores/warehouses in the US nearly bring the company to its knees?

    3 0 Reply
    1. stucs201
      Reply Icon

      Re: keep buying variations of the same

      I did have several pairs of the exact same style in a row (the best fitting shoes I ever had). Then one year they discontinued them. I still wish I'd stockpiled a supply of spare pairs.

      6 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Find the shoe(s) that fit...

      > Didn't SAP roll-out of stock control at Levi's stores/warehouses in the US nearly bring the company to its knees?

      Yes. A 98% drop in revenue for the quarter. Result!

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/10/levis_erp_costs/

      4 0 Reply
    3. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Find the shoe(s) that fit...

      "Find the shoe(s) that fit...

      And just keep buying variations of the same from Amazon or someone when the old pair wears out."

      i do this with almost all of my clothes which is why most of the time I look like a walking advert for (top to bottom) Superdry, levis and Adidas. Except from when Im at the gym which is under Armour and nike - nothing else fits right.

      Now that we have dispensed with the day time stuff lets talk evening wear... Sorry is this a technology site I got a bot carried away :)

      2 0 Reply
  4. stucs201

    I like the 'ruler' better than the automatic machine

    Since I've got a relatively high instep the automatic machine which only measures width was useless at getting the correct fitting. The ruler does much better since the attached tape measure measures circumference (at least in shops that do 'width' fittings).

    0 0 Reply
  5. Cosmo

    Floor standing foot measurers

    I can't remember now, but weren't those massive floor standing machines that we loved as kids rapidly withdrawn because they were pumping us full of X-rays?

    3 0 Reply
    1. Robert Carnegie Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Floor standing foot measurers

      After the X-Ray machines (perhaps more dangerous to the operators, who got it all day), there was a machine that just slid metal bars in from all sides to gently grip your foot and report a measurement. a bit of a gimmick, but so was the X-Ray machine.

      4 0 Reply
    2. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
      Reply Icon

      Re: Floor standing foot measurers

      You can see one of those x-ray machines in The Billion Dollar Brain. Michael Caine (Harry Palmer) uses it to check a dodgy thermos he is supposed to bring to Finland.

      The Billion Dollar Brain is a gigantic computer centre full of late 1960ies state-of-the-art machines. Tape reels, punch cards, TTY terminals, blinkenlights - the lot!

      1 0 Reply
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm led to believe that wide feet is an English (British?) trait.

    Before globalisation, shoes for Englishmen were made to fit our paddles. Once things started to be made for the whole world, including feminine Italian feet, compromises were made on width.

    I'm sure most readers will have the same problems, I know I do.

    3 0 Reply
    1. Baudwalk
      Reply Icon

      Not only the English...

      ...I'm Danish and have feet like Donald Duck.

      1 0 Reply
      1. Triggerfish
        Reply Icon

        Re: Not only the English...

        Scarpa are Italian and some of their walking shoes are pretty comfy for my plates, next brand I am trying.

        0 0 Reply
    2. Joe Harrison
      Reply Icon

      Ted Baker shoes are good for wide feet

      as title

      1 0 Reply
      1. d3vy
        Reply Icon

        Re: Ted Baker shoes are good for wide feet

        If they are priced like the shirt I bought they might be good for the feet but bad for the wallet.

        1 0 Reply
      2. Kubla Cant
        Reply Icon

        Re: Ted Baker shoes are good for wide feet

        ... but not for long, I suspect. I've bought two items of leather goods from Ted Baker, and both fell apart within weeks. One was a belt - how incompetent do you have to be to fail when making a belt?

        3 0 Reply
  7. Coggers

    Missing the point...

    OK, it's a good, funny take on things, but also misses the point a bit of the challenge the retailer has.

    Stock levels are never perfect. In reality, these stores will have just enough stock to satisfy the majority of customers. Stock will be in a number of places independent of the number of stock rooms - could be in the stock rooms, on the shop floor being tried on, or on the shop floor as an example of the item, as well as on the way out of the store, or on the cages coming into the store. This overlooks the inevitable 'shrinkage' that occurs in retail (or theft as it's known elsewhere) which mucks things up. So, when someone says have you got a size x in that shoe, this is not a simple look in the system and 'yes' response. It will be more of a 'yes, there's one somewhere in the store, but I can't tell you if you can have it or even look at it as someone else might be either buying it, trying it on, sending it back because it doesn't fit, or it's not really there as someone has stolen it'.

    This is further compounded by having a vast range of items on show in the store and each item can come in a range of sizes, and a limited amount of space to store them in. Once again a compromise has been considered here in terms of the range of items to show as available and the reality of keeping a full stock of all of these items in all the sizes, which simply comes down to front of store space vs back of store space. And I guess the outcome that's generally decided upon is to have a larger front of store space to show the range of products available, even if they can't carry all the sizes of each one.

    So, I doubt that the walkie talkie system is there for any other reason than the good folks that have done the T&M studies on it have found it to be highly effective, requires minimum training for what will inevitably be a high turnover of staff in the stores.

    5 0 Reply
    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Missing the point...

      "In reality, these stores will have just enough stock to satisfy the majority of customers"

      That's the majority of self-selected customers. All those at the extremes of the distribution will go elsewhere. Unless you're a good match for the store buyer, just don't waste your time going to such places. Go somewhere that understands customers.

      3 0 Reply
    2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Missing the point...

      "This is further compounded by having a vast range of items on show in the store"

      ...and then there's places where, on asking the spotty oik if they have style X in size Y, the response is "if you can't see it we ain't got it" either because the shop floor/display *is* the entire stock or he just can't be arsed to go look.

      1 0 Reply
      1. The Packrat
        Reply Icon

        Re: Missing the point...

        Payless Shoe store (don't know if they exist on the right side of the pond) is sort of like this. They have 1 or 2 of every style/colour of shoe/sandal/slipper they sell organised into sections by size. You just go to the section for your size and (hopefully) get one you like. If you find one you like but the size isn't quite right, you can usually just look to the next or previous section. No muss, no fuss (assuming you find something you like that fits). Quality's been a bit hit or miss in recent years though...

        0 0 Reply
  8. M7S

    "9 wide, 6 long"

    an absolute sod when trying to find safety boots.

    Interesting to learn I'm not alone and possibly the reasons for the lack of suitable footwear

    3 0 Reply
    1. short
      Reply Icon

      Re: "9 wide, 6 long"

      Safety boots are the easiest for me, given my flippers. Sure, my toes don't get within 3 inches of the end, but the steel toecap stops the front collapsing in and looking weird, and to all outsiders, my feet look a bit big but otherwise normal. It's only when I take them off that people notice that the feet are wider than they are long. Also, Steelies are handy when working with horses, cars and heavy racks, although I also have shiny ones for when I'm trying to look civilised.

      Ski-boots. Now they're the enemy.

      2 0 Reply
      1. Triggerfish
        Reply Icon

        Re: "9 wide, 6 long"

        Problem with your toes not reaching the end is when working at heights or along narrow beams, climbing etc you want your toes near the end of the shoe.

        1 0 Reply
  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    the retailer

    is amazing on two counts:

    1. it's still in business

    2. apparently biz is a'booming

    I honestly can't get it how they manage that. I go there on the weekend and it's next to impossible to hunt down an assistant to assist your (footwear) quest, because of the 1000 :1 punter / assistant ratio. So I walk out empty handed. Trying to outsmart their system and turning up on the week-day, when NORMAL people stay away from shops (mother-toddler-tadem doesn't count) is no better, because then trying to find a shop assistant is like hunting for red october. So I walk out empty handed again.

    And yes, when you actually pin down a writhing assistant and tell him the size you want, they won't have it in stock and no, they are unable to tell you in which other of their store they're showing stock (we were able to check stock across our retailer stores back in early 1990s!).

    That said, you CAN order the size you want online, and they will deliver to their own local store, FOR A F... FIVER, if I remember correctly. And then, you can NOT get a refund, if the shoes don't fit, nosir, you'll ge a voucher. Unforgettable experience.

    Other than emergencies, like PE snickers and other kids' stuff which they grow out of too quickly, we avoid this retailer like a plague. It's much, much better to buy a good quality stuff, because it just lasts an awful lot longer. By my count (and I am extreme, I'll use the kit until it falls off my back or feet), good quality will buy you 5 - 10 - 15 (at a push) use, as opposed to 1 - 2 years. Compare the price and it's just cheaper to buy better quality (although branded goods have gone down the route of "planned obsolescence").

    Apparently though, this un-named retailer, despite being scummy on every front, is all legit, which only proves how sorry the state of things is in this AD 2016, when such business is hailed a success. And it's a shame they were the ones to purchase Karrimor brand, which they turned into one-of-a-number-of-shitty-no-brands offered at "50% discount". Not that Karrimor was that great in its last days anyway.

    Rant off, time to go, tk-maxx, ahoy....

    7 1 Reply
    1. ChrisC Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: the retailer

      OTOH, if the shoes you're after are already stacked waiting for you in their "shop-floor stockrooms", then getting what you want is often no more taxing or time-consuming than grabbing a box, checking the contents match the label, and heading straight for the tills. That said, the way they then radio ahead to the security goons on the front door to let them know someone is about to walk out of the store with some paid-for stock does always make me wonder just what sort of pond-life they get shopping there such that their security needs to be warned about people *not* nicking stuff...

      I can't in fact remember the last time I've ever had to ask an assistant to go fetch me a pair of shoes from out back, it's only when we're out getting shoes for the kids where this is still a requirement - though as we normally get their shoes from Clarks (where ye olde foot measuring gizmos have been replaced by some slightly absurd combination of tablet and measuring frame, just to keep a vague IT angle here...) the experience is rather more pleasant and well-organised than from the retailer we all know who we're talking about but dare not utter their name.

      1 0 Reply
    2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: the retailer

      "I go there etc."

      Why?

      0 0 Reply
    3. Joe 37
      Reply Icon

      Re: the retailer

      I've been there.

      The boots that didn't last 200 miles. My opinion of Karrimor has hit the floor.

      In the RSA they used to sell neat "bullet resistant" kit. If it was of the same quality as their footwear I'd hope nobody is after me with a blow gun.

      I have a 40 year old Karrimor rucsac which is actually decent.

      Same outfit sells "Dunlop" branded boots. They are just as bad.

      0 0 Reply
      1. Triggerfish
        Reply Icon

        Re: the retailer

        Yeah Karrimoor were bought out, they went from a decent technical gear manufacturer in Accrington (their factory outlet for seconds was great), to being bought by Sports Direct who promptly cancelled all the guarantees Karrimoor had on their gear and moved production to China mostly, IMO the stuffs now mostly all really cheap shit trading on the name with none of the quality, wouldn't touch it with a barge pole if you are looking for something you can rely on*. I had a old karrimoor rucksack as well and it was very good but has seen a hard life and is due retirement, trying to decide on the next one to replace it.

        *Although a friend bought the Phantom Jacket and yeah it looks alright actually, but I've lost trust in them myself.

        0 0 Reply
  10. Mage Silver badge
    Flame

    Stock Control

    Tesco have computerised stock control

    Barcodes and whatnot

    Customer cards that let them track what customers want.

    Lidl also have computer stock control.

    Yet they run out of popular items, often non-perishable, practically on alternate weeks. Baffling.

    5 0 Reply

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