ULSU Spar Shop

yuppy700

What do people think ?

Jester252

I have noticed that the prices have gone up since the start of the year. Wedges were €1.60 and now they are €1.70.

Also first.

Polar Ice

[1]
[2]
[3]

Stuxnet

for a shop "allegedly" half a million in debt, they sure know how to charge,
4:90 i was charged for a tiny ass orange juice and a bad ass cheap meatless fatty bacon sandwich with that dirty cheap ass ketchup, rip off ireland is alive and well

demolitionman

shit isnt it

1huge1

Half a million in debt? They must be charged an unbelievable amount of rent if they can't make a profit on the huge amount of business they receive.

SarahBeep!

Was with two friends today and they were charged the price of a regular roll for a small hot chicken roll :rolleyes:

I find the deli staff VERY rude.

Badly laid out.

They try to mask their ridiculous prices with a few promotions (which often have obscene terms and conditions :rolleyes:)

J_E

Agreed with the promotion. They're so rigid on the T&C's. Went to get a sausage roll and wedges. Poster said it was applicable with Fanta/7UP as well as Coke. They're the same price. Apparently it wasn't though.

kflynn

Thats just the way the tills are set up, if you scan a roll and 7up when the deal is with coke the till simply wont process it!

Deli staff are restricted in what they can do i.e only two slices of ham per roll etc....crazy stuff!

Also I cant see where money went either, most front line staff are part time, on minimum wage and from what I know hired in September fired in December, Hired in February and fired again in the summer to make sure they cant go for a rise.

Overtime is generally not given so I have no clue how it happened, although it would of helped of they had listened to staff ideas for more business!

SarahBeep!

kflynn wrote: »

Deli staff are restricted in what they can do i.e only two slices of ham per roll etc....crazy stuff!

Doesn't mean they have to be rude and unfriendly though.

I'd rather pay the extra 10/20c and get my roll with a smile and garlic mayo that doesn't burn over in the Stables.

kflynn

No i agree Customer service is most important in any business! But people have bad days so maybe thats it?! Not making excuses here but some students werent always the nicest either!

Anyway spar in general, sure what can you say, dont think we have a lot of influence on what goes on there!

SarahBeep!

kflynn wrote: »

No i agree Customer service is most important in any business! But people have bad days so maybe thats it?! Not making excuses here but some students werent always the nicest either!

Anyway spar in general, sure what can you say, dont think we have a lot of influence on what goes on there!

Spar don't pay the staff's wages, the customers do. Anyone who works with the public knows you leave your bad moods at the door.

/ has worked in Sales since 16

kflynn

see your point. I have worked in a pub/shop also for a long time, I would be able to handle it but some students are so rude its incredible..

Like i said see your point and if you have an issue maybe go to management?!

SarahBeep!

kflynn wrote: »

see your point. I have worked in a pub/shop also for a long time, I would be able to handle it but some students are so rude its incredible..

Like i said see your point and if you have an issue maybe go to management?!

I'm voting with my feet and my money.

Polar Ice

Cydoniac wrote: »

Agreed with the promotion. They're so rigid on the T&C's. Went to get a sausage roll and wedges. Poster said it was applicable with Fanta/7UP as well as Coke. They're the same price. Apparently it wasn't though.

Really? Those are normally promotions designed (in part by) by either Coca-Cola or their bottlers (hence the selection you are offered). It would be strange for the shop to reject the offer for one coca-cola project but not another

J_E

Mmhmm, that's what I thought too. They seemed pretty sure, even when I pointed out that it clearly said "Also applies to..."

kflynn

Probably just wasnt entered into the system correctly, doubt its a scam....also if your looking for deals call into the deli around closing time....nice food that would only be going in the bin! (not sure if that is strictly allowed but.....)

SarahBeep!

...do you now/have you ever worked in the shop?

kflynn

I used to!

wnolan1992

Dromroe shop FTW!

CiaranMT

Never had a problem with the deli staff there. They make damn good wraps too.

Prices on some stuff can be very good, managed to get 10 pittas for 1.49 for lunch, went down a treat! Prices on other stuff, not so much, but then I work in a supermarket so I'm used to seeing cheaper prices.

The new deli stand is a good idea now, come to think of it.

I'd also suspect the new lay-out has brought up sales a bit, lots of space and impulse buy stands.

Queues are moving faster too, especially at lunchtime.

Now if only people would clean up after themselves at the tables outside... Some of us must've been raised in barns :mad:

garv123

Sometimes the deli staff are grand when they actually listen to what you ask for.

Last week i went in there at 5 o clock for a roll, one of the older women working there served me. I asked for a large spicy chicken roll. she took out the chicken and cut into 3 slices:mad:
she then went and got a roll asked did i want butter or mayo. I said yes both, so she cuts the roll and then looks up and asks if i want butter or mayo and i answer again and she just puts mayo in it. then she asked if i want plain or spicey chicken. :rolleyes: i pointed out that she cut my chicken already. so she dumps it into the roll and gives it to me

off i went to the counter with my roll and can and the girl says "you cant get the deal with that you know" was like why its just chicken. the woman put the wrong sticker on the roll. I told her i wasnt paying full for it and it was a mistake she gave it to me anyway weather or not she believed me.
The woman at the deli must have been having some day.

I hate when they dont cut the chicken up into thin slices.

Also anyone who makes a roll and puts the ketchup on the outside of all the stuff shouldnt work in a deli. messiest thing ever.

\rant

Nockz

The staff have always been friendly to me... I try not to go through it all without at least attempting to talk or tell a terrible joke. They're not machines after all.

One fairly new staff there cut the chicken up and put it in the roll. Get this, upon finding out I want ketchup, she takes the chicken back out and then puts the ketchup on, before putting the chicken back in. It took a lot not to ask her to marry me right there and then.

Tomatoes were an odd thing to have specified for that roll deal a while ago but I soldiered through the soggy mess that is for value's sake

garv123

Nockz wrote: »

The staff have always been friendly to me... I try not to go through it all without at least attempting to talk or tell a terrible joke. They're not machines after all.

One fairly new staff there cut the chicken up and put it in the roll. Get this, upon finding out I want ketchup, she takes the chicken back out and then puts the ketchup on, before putting the chicken back in. It took a lot not to ask her to marry me right there and then.

Tomatoes were an odd thing to have specified for that roll deal a while ago but I soldiered through the soggy mess that is for value's sake

she's a keeper:eek::pac:

Jikashi

What annoys me about the meal deal is the one for a chicken baguette and can of coke for €3.50. Went for months getting what combination of salads I wanted then one day they say "sorry only lettuce and/or tomato qualify for the deal, no other salads. Why? It was established a long while ago that you got charged a tiny bit extra for cheese but why are the other toppings like onion, sweetcorn, etc separated too, and after months of any salad combo working. Now the total price comes to like a fiver.

Also, has anyone else been served by the youger woman at the deli who clearly does not want to be there? She's been there for well over a year and can't make a roll to save her life, never listens to what you ask for, gives you dirty looks if you have to correct her, and when she's done lobs the roll or wedges on top of the glass and walks off instead of handing it to you.

Jester252

Jikashi wrote: »

What annoys me about the meal deal is the one for a chicken baguette and can of coke for €3.50. Went for months getting what combination of salads I wanted then one day they say "sorry only lettuce and/or tomato qualify for the deal, no other salads. Why? It was established a long while ago that you got charged a tiny bit extra for cheese but why are the other toppings like onion, sweetcorn, etc separated too, and after months of any salad combo working. Now the total price comes to like a fiver.

Also, has anyone else been served by the youger woman at the deli who clearly does not want to be there? She's been there for well over a year and can't make a roll to save her life, never listens to what you a
sk for, gives you dirty looks if you have to correct her, and when she's done lobs the roll or wedges on top of the glass and walks off instead of handing it to you.

TL DR
The farmers market is a good place this year for lunch
Also what is with the prices of a yop down there?

Sid_Justice

There was a lad in cappavilla last year, not the rugby jersey wearing lad, the other, who was the rudest person I've ever come across in my entire life. Dirty mannered little git.

Is it these spar shops that are making a major loss Derek Davis had to bail out with C&S money?

wnolan1992

Sid_Justice wrote: »

There was a lad in cappavilla last year, not the rugby jersey wearing lad, the other, who was the rudest person I've ever come across in my entire life. Dirty mannered little git.

Is it these spar shops that are making a major loss Derek Davis had to bail out with C&S money?

That made me smile. :pac:

PROGRAM_IX

Derek Davis. He's a maverick president who never plays by the rules. But dammit he gets RESULTS!



On-topic: I know the girl Jikashi's talking about. Quite glad I don't get sandwiches in there any more, she was a deterrent at the time. It was kind of a hit-or-miss thing for me anyway, because all I wanted was a cheese sandwich. Lame, I know, but whatever. Every single time they'd look askance at me, which was grand, but I'd be charged between €1 and €3.50 for two slices of bread and some grated cheese! I mean really. I'd have paid €1.50 happily enough every day, but it was a total lottery because a 'sandwich' was €3.50 or so. Given the tiny order, it would often be marked as sausage rolls by the nicer deli workers, but it wasn't worth the hassle in the end. Small thing, but it's the same reason I stopped going to Subway - they can't afford to charge you much less for salad sandwiches than meat ones.

That seems an awfully harsh wall of text on something that doesn't really bother me. Whoops. In fairness, I love the shop and couldn't do without it. Like everything, it's got its problems, but it's a badly needed service and I'm more than prepared to deal with bizarre pricing at times. Gutted about the wedges price hike though. XD

skeleton_boy

Are you guys for real? How in the name of God can that Spar shop be in debt with the amount of customers that go through there each day?? (Without trying to sound like an old man.) No wonder the country's ****ed

J_E

There's always Gleeson's Spar if you still want your €1 wedges. At least they should still have that pricing. Not too far of a walk.

On a side note I love the market every Tuesday. Great variety of food, never got to try out sushi before!

PROGRAM_IX

Not too far at all, but I'm not concerned about saving the money. I'm only mentioning it in passing. I don't begrudge them the extra 10c, especially not with the addition of twisty fries (!) to the menu at the same price. And they're good, too.

SarahBeep!

PROGRAM_IX wrote: »

Not too far at all, but I'm not concerned about saving the money. I'm only mentioning it in passing. I don't begrudge them the extra 10c, especially not with the addition of twisty fries (!) to the menu at the same price. And they're good, too.

I do, the robbing b*stards! I wouldn't mind if they were still tasty but the food is getting worse and worse

yupyup7up

SarahBeep! wrote: »

Was with two friends today and they were charged the price of a regular roll for a small hot chicken roll :rolleyes:

I find the deli staff VERY rude.

Badly laid out.

They try to mask their ridiculous prices with a few promotions (which often have obscene terms and conditions :rolleyes:)

very rude? you mad? I work on campus and go there the whole time (including summer) and they are always very nice. You can't blame them if they get annoyed with having to deal with thousands of moronic students every day. They aren't exactly getting crazy wages to reflect that. :rolleyes:

Delta Kilo

skeleton_boy wrote: »

Are you guys for real? How in the name of God can that Spar shop be in debt with the amount of customers that go through there each day?? (Without trying to sound like an old man.) No wonder the country's ****ed

Any idea how much it costs to kit out a shop like that? All the equipment, fridges, shelving, tiling, decorating and then filling the shop itself. I think the one in Cappavilla cost in the region of €200,000 just to kit it out, so the main one on campus would have possibly been double that.

Add to that the amount of staff, there are at least 6 deli workers there on a day, plus people in the back making the wedges, baking the rolls etc, not to mention people packing shelves and at the check out.

Add to that there are 4 months of the year (Jun-Aug, Jan) where there is more traffic through Bridies corner shop in Bally-go-backwards than there are through the 3 ULSU Spar shops, it is quite easy to be in debt.

I reckon the one just off campus does a bomb though, they seem to have the perfict mix of shop size, staff numbers and stock to run efficiently.

kflynn

cappa and dromroe are closed during the summer and only about 2 staff are on in the main shop......yes there is a lot of staff but they are also extremely cheap with no over time and are always busy so its staffed liked the other two shops relative to the amount of customers....Would love to see wages of management! Some managers there dont do a whole pile, while others are fantastic...but I bet there on the same wage! I THINK they also had to pay a redundancy package this year even though the position doesnt seem to be redundant! seems like they just wanted to get rid of that person!

I do not work in the shop or for ULSU so I am only writing my opinion!

kflynn

Spar also paid for a small amount of the equipment in the shop so they dont have the total cost..

Delta Kilo

What is the make up of the shop does anybody know?

What I mean is it SPAR themselves that are running the place or do ULSU pay for the SPAR franchise? I think its the latter but I'm not certain, if so add franchise fees to the list.

I cant recall where I heard it, but I was told that ULSU paid ~€200k to kit out the shop in cappavilla, which is failing to be profitable largely due to the builders going bust and failing to complete the medical school and extension to cappavilla, drastically reducing the footfall that should be there.

kflynn

yes your missing the point...every business has to invest in setting up but they paid redundancy that I dont think they had to infact I think they offered it to two people....for no reason that I can see as like I said those postitions do not seem to be redundant, I am sure the job title was changed for legal reasons as you can not make someone redundant unless the position is

They were more than willing to spend money on that, I am not giving out about the person who was made redundant as if he was he was more than entitled to the package

Cappa in my opinion did not run well because of management, all those factors did have an impact but it is not the full explanation

Delta Kilo

But surely it should have been analysed to see if it was worthwhile opening 2 additional shops. They are losing money and running up large debts, part of the reallocated C&S reserve funds went towards stocking the shelves in the shops.

I dont understand your point about redundancy, if the person was made redundant then he was surely entitled to a severance package of some sort, especially in a management position. Is the person still working there? Just changed his job title or what?

kflynn

Delta Kilo wrote: »

But surely it should have been analysed to see if it was worthwhile opening 2 additional shops. They are losing money and running up large debts, part of the reallocated C&S reserve funds went towards stocking the shelves in the shops.

I dont understand your point about redundancy, if the person was made redundant then he was surely entitled to a severance package of some sort, especially in a management position. Is the person still working there? Just changed his job title or what?

Yes it should of been analysed!!

ok there were a few managers in the shops. From what I heard (this is not a fact) they offered two people redundancy. To legally make someone redundant you have to make the position redundant. However one person took the package (well deserved) and it seems that another person was hired to do their job.......ie i went to the person who was made redundant when i was looking for a job but now I would have to go to this new guy so it seems to be the same! It is my opinion that they did not need to get rid of that person! I am sure they would of changed the title e.g manager position redundant so they hire a supervisor but the actual day to day work was is the same!

So my point is they had to take that c&s money this year and I assume this had to be something to do with the redundancy payment. but why did they pay somebody redundancy and just hire somebody else if they obviously couldnt afford it....in my opinion that person was doing the best they could!

Delta Kilo

I think what happened was a General Commercial Manager was employed and he oversees all the commercial revenue generators for the union. Everything from the rates/rent paid by the likes of scholars, o'mahoneys and all the shops, not just the spar. So they removed one of the shop managers and hired a guy to oversee all.

Could be wrong on that but I think I remeber Derek Daly say it when he was explaining the reallocation of reserve funds. Its something along those lines anyway.

kflynn

yes but instead of paying a redundancy package that they couldnt afford why not just promote that person?

So the losses arent just coming from paying for fittings its also for stuff like this.....there is no way this was the only option! it probably would of been cheaper to keep him on anyway!

Delta Kilo

kflynn wrote: »

yes but instead of paying a redundancy package that they couldnt afford why not just promote that person?

No idea, when a position becomes available they have to advertise it in the press etc, maybe the guy who got hired was better than keeping on the other guy, maybe they wanted a fresh head in there, maybe the first guy sourced another job during his notice period... could be any number of reasons.

Anyways this is semi off topic, I never really found the shop to be too bad, always a bit peeved when an incorrect sticker was put on a roll but I have the world of sympathy for those deli workers so I usually dont say anything.

What always annoyed me was the amount of rubbish left on the benches outside, when there are at least 5 bins all around by the benches... the mind boggles.

John_Smith123

Delta Kilo wrote: »

Could be wrong on that but I think I remeber Derek Daly say it when he was explaining the reallocation of reserve funds. Its something along those lines anyway.

You mean Derek Davis right?

I heard that a 5 digit amount was spent on recruiting the new manager. Now that's crazy.

John_Smith123

On topic,
Gleesons Spar (granted they have a lot more Spar shops in Limerick than the SU) manage to have consistent offers with a fraction of the staff and a much more pleasant feeling attached to them.

That being the case I've two questions:

1) How much better off is it for THE STUDENTS OF UL for the shop to be a franchisee of Spar? Gleesons have far more offers, in my experience, than the shop that the students will be taking any footfall for.

2) Why are the Union owners of the shop and not leasing it out like the space which is the Scholars'? (To make more money is obviously a delusion)

kflynn

no the first guy didnt get another job as far as I know....and none of those reasons are acceptable first of all employees have rights so you can just get rid of someone because you found someone more qualified management should of done that in the first place....and second they couldnt afford it!!!!

I dont think this is off topic, spar is expensive enough and look at what we are paying for......

Kiyomumizu

Is it just me but...

The female "manager" who who you'll know when you get in there is so rude. No greeting, no response of thank you. She doesn't care in the slightest to keep a string of customers waiting.

Then her plus the lads that work at night have the same problem ignoring customers or talking on phones.

Lately the stock is terrible they have been out of some basics for weeks and the news lay out doesn't work. I never see any of the SU Shop offer being passed down.

Is this just me... This type of service is not on anymore. People would kill for their jobs.

The woman that works in the deli is the only thing that would keep me coming in, genuinely lovely person.

wnolan1992

Kiyomumizu wrote: »

Is it just me but...

The female "manager" who who you'll know when you get in there is so rude. No greeting, no response of thank you. She doesn't care in the slightest to keep a string of customers waiting.

Then her plus the lads that work at night have the same problem ignoring customers or talking on phones.

Lately the stock is terrible they have been out of some basics for weeks and the news lay out doesn't work. I never see any of the SU Shop offer being passed down.

Is this just me... This type of service is not on anymore. People would kill for their jobs.

The woman that works in the deli is the only thing that would keep me coming in, genuinely lovely person.

The woman in the deli is so sound in fairness. Love it when it's just her there. I see where you're coming from about the other woman, but I haven't noticed it being as bad as you say in the post. A few times alright when I was checking out she was talking on the phone throughout which I thought a bit rude, but meh really.
Haven't been in since Monday so haven't experienced the new layout fully, though from what I saw of it, I'm not too impressed. Could be wrong though.

Kiyomumizu

wnolan1992 wrote: »

The woman in the deli is so sound in fairness. Love it when it's just her there. I see where you're coming from about the other woman, but I haven't noticed it being as bad as you say in the post. A few times alright when I was checking out she was talking on the phone throughout which I thought a bit rude, but meh really.
Haven't been in since Monday so haven't experienced the new layout fully, though from what I saw of it, I'm not too impressed. Could be wrong though.

I see it with myself and others. They shouldn't be allowed get away with the rudeness. Maybe highlighting it a bit more wouldn't be such a bad thing. For al their retail services need some student feedback.

New layout is terrible, and having a sweet tooth they have not got a chocolate delivery in weeks.

Jester252

Noted a LOT of bitching about the deli staff. Some of it I understand especially the mistake in the order but we are all human and we make mistakes.

But I wonder how many people that go to the deli make small talk to the woman working behind it or even say thanks when they hand over your order.

I used it almost everyday and I can say that they are some of the nicest people there.