Sports Direct staying open

[Wolf]

Big Mike & SD may have issued an apology about the shops but they still haven't told the staff if they are to be furloughed on the 80% government pay out. In fact they've been told that they have to use all remaining holiday days up until their entitlement ends in 3 weeks time and not even a mention of how they're to be paid going forward. My wife gets a daily update from them via her work portal and not once have they mentioned looking after staff or how they will paid.

 

[Papas1982]

Some people still only have one way of collecting benefits/pensions and that is via the Post Office.

The only income they have(some old people etc) is said pension and live week to week.

I would have thought that during this time more could be done to arrange online banking, or ability to collect from alternative locations. Granted I dont get either so am not aware of how it works, but pensions at least will be predominantly for the largest risk group. Anything to stop them having to gather somewhere needs to be looked at.

 

[Papas1982]

Letters still need to get around. Hospital appts, information, all sorts. I'm an email person for pretty much everything but lots of older people still use the post both sending and receiving.

Im not suggesting close the postal service altogether. but a post box would suffice for posting letters. Stamps are sold elsewhere too.

 

[pauldj42]

I would have thought that during this time more could be done to arrange online banking, or ability to collect from alternative locations. Granted I dont get either so am not aware of how it works, but pensions at least will be predominantly for the largest risk group. Anything to stop them having to gather somewhere needs to be looked at.

Seriously mate, you are talking about some of the poorest in society and with what’s going on suggesting changing how they get money etc would cause chaos, different generation, stuck in their ways.

An example. Mr B collects his state pension in post office, immediately puts £10 on both Gas and Electric meter key, then shops. He doesn’t have a bank account.

Straight away to change how he and hundreds of thousands like him get their money would create panic. Plus we need staff in the banks and Benefit Agencies to facilitate these changes.

I fully agree it’s not ideal, but I’d suggest now isn’t the time to start these changes.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Im not suggesting close the postal service altogether. but a post box would suffice for posting letters. Stamps are sold elsewhere too.

That is a fair point. Not so easy in rural villages where they often double up as a shop, but then they would probably stay open because of that anyway. Interesting point.

I think Paul's point stands up far more than mine, a lot of oldies still take their pension out of the post office in cash, pay their bills through them as well. Now is not really the time to upturn the system.

Perhaps there will be plans put in place after this for ways of managing things like post offices and their services in a future pandemic. We are largely making it up on the hoof right now but afterwards is the time to look back and see what could be improved.

 

[Papas1982]

That is a fair point. Not so easy in rural villages where they often double up as a shop, but then they would probably stay open because of that anyway. Interesting point.

I think Paul's point stands up far more than mine, a lot of oldies still take their pension out of the post office in cash, pay their bills through them as well. Now is not really the time to upturn the system.

Perhaps there will be plans put in place after this for ways of managing things like post offices and their services in a future pandemic. We are largely making it up on the hoof right now but afterwards is the time to look back and see what could be improved.

Re the bold bit. I wasn't trying to create a whole new system. Simply commenting that we Should be trying to stop "a lot of oldies" need to go out unnecessarily.

Seriously mate, you are talking about some of the poorest in society and with what’s going on suggesting changing how they get money etc would cause chaos, different generation, stuck in their ways.

An example. Mr B collects his state pension in post office, immediately puts £10 on both Gas and Electric meter key, then shops. He doesn’t have a bank account.

Straight away to change how he and hundreds of thousands like him get their money would create panic. Plus we need staff in the banks and Benefit Agencies to facilitate these changes.

I fully agree it’s not ideal, but I’d suggest now isn’t the time to start these changes.

I don't really agree with simply accepting the bit in bold. It's somewhat like accepting granddad is racist because back in his day it was OK. If the post office is their only way then I concede they need to stay open. Like I said. I wasn't sure how they collect them (pension/benefits) .

Id imagine utility suppliers know how much people use with these meters. A simple government directive not to cut power would solve one problem though.

 

[pauldj42]

Re the bold bit. I wasn't trying to create a whole new system. Simply commenting that we Should be trying to stop "a lot of oldies" need to go out unnecessarily.




I don't really agree with simply accepting the bit in bold. It's somewhat like accepting granddad is racist because back in his day it was OK. If the post office is their only way then I concede they need to stay open. Like I said. I wasn't sure how they collect them (pension/benefits) .

Id imagine utility suppliers know how much people use with these meters. A simple government directive not to cut power would solve one problem though.

I never said it was OK, and my last paragraph agreed with you it needs to change.

My point is about timing, think about it logically, every day is a different pension day for some:

Day 1 - Government announce Post Offices to shut from X.

X + 1 Pensioner needs cash, so, without having contacted pensioner for bank details (extra work for someone) pensioner needs to visit bank (unnecessary journey) how long until acct opened (more work on bank staff)

Acct details to be posted out (how long and more work on postie) etc etc

X + 2 Same as above, different pensioner.

So finally, I agree with your point, but suggest it is one problem that doesn’t need solving at this current time.

Lots and lots of people are struggling day to day in this Country, no matter what you see on tv not everyone on benefits has internet, PC, Sky and an Iphone.

 

[Papas1982]

I never said it was OK, and my last paragraph agreed with you it needs to change.

My point is about timing, think about it logically, every day is a different pension day for some:

Day 1 - Government announce Post Offices to shut from X.

X + 1 Pensioner needs cash, so, without having contacted pensioner for bank details (extra work for someone) pensioner needs to visit bank (unnecessary journey) how long until acct opened (more work on bank staff)

Acct details to be posted out (how long and more work on postie) etc etc

X + 2 Same as above, different pensioner.

So finally, I agree with your point, but suggest it is one problem that doesn’t need solving at this current time.

Lots and lots of people are struggling day to day in this Country, no matter what you see on tv not everyone on benefits has internet, PC, Sky and an Iphone.

Sorry mate. I wasn’t suggesting YOU personally thought it was right.

I clearly wasnt aware that post office was only place they could withdraw from. For that reason only I concede they need to stay open.

 

[sunshine]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52061206

I've put his statement through google translate and it comes out as 'I was just being my normal dickish self as that's kind of what I do, but it turns out even I have a limit on how much of a dick I can be in these troubling times. So I've decided to seem to be slightly less of a dick. But rest assured, as soon as this blows over I'll be back to being a prime dick'.

I put the statement through a different translation engine and got a similar but slightly different output:

"I was being my normal dickish self, even though my PR advisors were telling me to shut up. Eventually my PR advisors made me realise that I was actually going to harm profits, so I reluctantly agreed to publish an apology written by someone else. But I'm not really sorry (apart from the reduced profits bit), as I've realised I need to keep everyone sweet because as soon as this is over I'm going to gobble up all my struggling rivals at rock bottom prices and make loadsamoney."

 

[Slab]

Amazing how many online translators there are:

I don’t see the difference from my stores being open and what some folks on a golf forum are doing ordering non-essential items online and making pickers, packers, couriers, carriers and managers break the lockdown & trudge out needlessly to work just so they can get naffalltodowithlockdown items thrown at their front door from the garden gate. Still, I got it in the neck so I must've been wrong and I’ve shut the stores… have they stopped ordering guff online yet?

Of course he was wrong... but two wrongs and all that

 

[pauljames87]

Im not suggesting close the postal service altogether. but a post box would suffice for posting letters. Stamps are sold elsewhere too.

Post offices in some areas are the only way people can bank full stop with the closures of local branches

 

[IainP]

Amazing how many online translators there are:

I don’t see the difference from my stores being open and what some folks on a golf forum are doing ordering non-essential items online and making pickers, packers, couriers, carriers and managers break the lockdown & trudge out needlessly to work just so they can get naffalltodowithlockdown items thrown at their front door from the garden gate. Still, I got it in the neck so I must've been wrong and I’ve shut the stores… have they stopped ordering guff online yet?

Of course he was wrong... but two wrongs and all that

I'm no fan of MA, but I can see if I was in retail that the current situation has created some "unfairness" even if that wasn't the intention.
Supermarkets stopped being grocery shops many moons ago - they are open and you could buy clothes, shoes, excercise stuff, electronics etc. from them, whereas many of the usual competitors are shut. A load of Sainsbury's have Argos inside also.