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Sorry, but what you say is impossible is exactly the way it works. It is not 'overtime' as most staff are on zero/low contracted hours. If hours are available then they will be filled - simple as that.
Switching in staff at a moment's notice is simply impossible and I believe it's pretty hard to get people at the moment anyway. There are some odd idealistic views around here. I doubt you've actually run a business... Overtime makes sense but needs to be linked to sales or the staff get lazy, try it on, and margins drop. Managing staff is tricky! And the answer isn't just to throw money and people at it. Especially right now in recovery. Staff at my local shops seem fairly content.
Hi I'm afraid although it sounds perverse you are not correct. Christmas does not come as a surprise. The only reason not to staff properly is restricted hours. The most common reason for this is a financial restriction being placed on the management. There are not many levers to pull in retail as most costs are fixed. Hours are the first thing to be cut. As per a previous post, the wage rate is a serious issue that has been ignored on this board. Surprisingly really, as it is the biggest cost to the business, and the business has previous in being unable to manage it by raising sales.
Good point simes20 and thank you for pointing this out.
The staff being run ragged and so busy that they haven’t got time to restock the shelves is likely to indicate that sales are not good.
Thank you.
Regarding shop hours - these are not normally controlled so tightly if sales are good. It does not bode well when they are restricted to such an extent. This is one of the reasons this business will be private in the medium term. Greedy shareholders and banks, being satisfied, at the expense of staff. The business is fighting to keep editda on target, whilst battling tough sales figures and rising costs.
Excellent idea about management on the shop floor. If you know who, has finished stripping the containers get him on the till. Best keep him away from filling though - these are cards not beans.
Hi Lokiloo
Your name? Is that “Lucky Lou” ise by any chance?
Are you a lady?
That aside, yes it doesn’t sound much when you put it like that but 8 man hours is more than £80 and then multiply it by 1019 (shops) and take it directly off the profits and suddenly it matters.
There’s also no proof that takings would be up by £1000 because customers more often than not just select a different card (especially daft blokes!).
I doubt the shop you mentioned could be as busy as the Washington branch I visit but hope it is.
They regularly have 4 cashiers busy at the till but when it quietens down 3 of them swing onto the shop floor and Stack shelves.
My guess is the first and last hour of the day are quiet in all the shops so there really isn’t any excuse.
Tell your family member to pull their finger out please and stop whinging! Ha ha
Roxbury House,
It certainly isn't well managed, i agree (& so does contact). It is however the most profitable in the area (South East). It's all well & good having a busy shop but if the product is not on the shelves, the product will not be purchased. I understand CARD are trying to cut costs but it seems to me (& those on the shop floor) that they are cutting their noses off to spite their face (or something like that( you get the drift)). The staff really do not have time to keep the place stacked with product & even though they are willing to put in the extra hours to get the place as it is MEANT to be, they are being thwarted by the rigid 'hours'.
I would have thought paying the £80 for a couple of hours extra work on a Saturday/Friday evening to reap an extra £1k per day was well worth it.
I think CARD need a 'secret employee' from management to spend some time on the shop floor, it would pay dividends ( literally!)
GLA
Hi Lokiloo once again thank you for sharing this with us but as a shareholder what you are telling us is exactly what we want to hear - Seriously.
Firstly the shop is so busy that the staff don’t have time to restock the shelves. That’s good news.
Secondly the management are so cost aware that the extra hours needed for the busy weekend will be taken off during the quieter times during the week letting staff go home early rather than paying them more £ increasing the wage bill.
I know this sounds harsh but times are tough for businesses atm and if the Card Factory coughed up these extra wages then the business won’t make any money and not be viable. Your family member would therefore not have a job.
I don’t know if you have read any of my previous posts but I’m a serial Card Factory ‘secret shopper’ lol and I do witness what you are saying especially in the busier shops but I also see staff swinging on and off the tills in between Customer surges.
It sounds like the shop your family member works in just isn’t very well managed.
In conversation last night, the staff in the local shop stayed late Saurday to fill shelves ready for Sunday (as it is near impossible to do when the shop is full of customers). This took 8 man hours in total (minimum wage x 8). It generated an extra £1k in takings on the Sunday.
Yesterday they were told there wasn't enough 'hours' to have done this (they are allocated a certain amount of hours each week) & so will be taking hours from next weeks allocation to cover the late Saturday.
They will not be able to work late.
I'd be really peeved if i were a shareholder & would certainly be asking questions of the management as it makes absolutely no sense to me (or the family member involved).
GLA
Thanks for taking time out to post Lokiloo especially since your not invested.
You come across as a decent person with no agenda (unlike you simes!) so please keep posting warts n all.
Obviously those figures can’t be verified and they seem a little high but it makes you realise the kind of cash flow the card factory deals with every day.
When the average takings per day is multiplied by over 1000 shops then each £1000 is over £1million EVERY day.
This is takings of course and not profit but it also makes you realise why the shops being closed down got us into this mess and accrued so much debt.
This was a strong viable business before Covid and yes it has got problems like any business this size but providing there are no more lockdowns it will once again prosper. IMO.
I too have a family member involved. 'Larger shops are taking around £4k a day, smaller ones £2k, busier than last year (obvs) but not as busy as previous years'.
Hope this helps in some way. These are just off the cuff comments & certainly not definitive figures. The shop involved is the biggest group leader in the area BTW.
GLA
Best tell them to get Darcy to stay late and help unload. Probably the biggest contribution he will make this year.
Sorry that should have said ten 40 foot containers
A family member works at the Card factory warehouse at Wakefield . Today they had ten foot containers delivered . It’s been busy for the last 2 months with staff offered overtime every day .
Looks like things are getting back to normal .
I am currently holding 85'000 shares. I have held these for a couple of months and whilst they are slightly down at the moment believe that over the next 3 to 4 months will show a good return.
I have made some big profit on these shares over the last 2 years and have been looking in detail at the company, its debt, how its run, and its potential upside.
It's easy to be negative, however, if you look at what has happened and how they are still going, and what their next few months will bring to the table this is a definite good bet in my opinion.
As a business owner, it's easier for me to appreciate how well a company is being run. Staffing issues, ongoing debt, market effects on the business etc are all tigs that have an effect and are not easy to deal with. I have seen companies run far worse and still make huge returns.
I will be purchasing more in the next couple of days. Just my opinion but one of the better buys at the moment.