Most depressing Dunnes in Ireland?

Long Gone

Turtyturd wrote: »

Company I worked for in a former life had a contract with Dunnes which meant a lot of travelling to various ones all over the country.

Worst ones off the top of my head were Bray, Enniscorthy, Dundalk, Kilnamanagh.

Arklow won't win any awards for aesthetics either....

Duck's hoop

playedalive wrote: »

Yeah I was put a few times on hygiene duty by the store manager, when duty cleaners were not rostered. He made me sweep the whole 2 floors of Dunnes.

Sweeping the floor is not a very onerous task.

In practically every job you get the bitty / shít / boring work until someone else comes in behind you and squeezes you up the chain.


I'd be pìssed about the 3 hour shifts for sure. But not surprised to be handed a brush.

Buona Fortuna

Muahahaha wrote: »

I get what people saying about the Dunnes management and they do indeed seem to be arseholes. But on the other hand most of the staff in the Dunnes I use are pretty ignorant, when paying for your goods its not uncommon for the server never to even acknowledge you and often they are in a full scale conversation with one of their colleagues whilst they are serving you. Its only really common with the younger members of staff where I shop but I find it highly ignorant that I'm spending money in their shop and they cant even give a polite hello or refrain from completely ignoring you when they're serving you.

I think that's almost a Dunnes trade mark.

So we know how wide the membership of Boards is, and how small the country is. There must be some Boardsies who are Dunnes arseholes managers - care to set the record straight?

/gets popcorn

Long Gone

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

I think that's almost a Dunnes trade mark.

It is indeed. In part it's a reflection of the mentality/character of a lot of the staff that they employ, also a total lack of training in customer service and no discipline.

Tescos seems to be a lot better. I'm not sure if that's down to a better level of staff or better training....

gavindublin

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

I think that's almost a Dunnes trade mark.

So we know how wide the membership of Boards is, and how small the country is. There must be some Boardsies who are Dunnes arseholes managers - care to set the record straight?

/gets popcorn

the managers arent arseholes. Theyre doing 50 hour weeks and trying their best. They're instructed by store managers as what, how and when to say or do.

your grievance is with store managers not department ones.

haro124

Their grocery store in Navan is an utter kip, even since it was done up

Long Gone

gavindublin wrote: »

the managers arent arseholes. Theyre doing 50 hour weeks and trying their best. They're instructed by store managers as what, how and when to say or do.
your grievance is with store managers not department ones.

In fairness I thought it was fairly obvious that he was referring to store managers - The only people in the store who are real managers, i.e. the person who actually is in charge of managing the store.

50 hour weeks ? - I wish I only had to work 50 hours a week. It would seem like being on holiday...

1966

Dunnes Waterford (the one outside City Square) a total kip stocked with cheap leggings & track suits.

It's like going back in time there.

Long Gone

1966 wrote: »

Dunnes Waterford (the one outside City Square) a total kip stocked with cheap leggings & track suits.

It's like going back in time there.

Sounds like chav heaven ! Throw in some cans of Dutch Gold in the off-licence department and they're sorted .:D

Buona Fortuna

gavindublin wrote: »

the managers arent arseholes. Theyre doing 50 hour weeks and trying their best. They're instructed by store managers as what, how and when to say or do.

your grievance is with store managers not department ones.

I don't think I mentioned any grievance per se. I was saying that this thread is all but a complete damnation of Dunnes management it would be nice to hear some balance.

Are you providing some?

Back to your point though, I suspect if we asked store managers we would hear that they work 60 hours a week and are told what to do by Head Office/ Area Manager. These things don't exist in a vacuum. Ordinary people don't get up everyday and say I'm going to treat people like $hit because I can. Generally, I'm sure, they do it because that's the way they got to where they are and stay there.

geeky

Kevski wrote: »

Dunnes in Crumlin Shopping Centre is a fairly depressing spot.

This. The otherwise abandoned shopping centre and selection of customers shambling around at certain times lends it a very 'dawn of the dead' vibe.

geeky

Long Gone wrote: »

It is indeed. In part it's a reflection of the mentality/character of a lot of the staff that they employ, also a total lack of training in customer service and no discipline.

Tescos seems to be a lot better. I'm not sure if that's down to a better level of staff or better training....

For what it's worth, I lasted a few weeks in dunes during college around 2004-5 and would put it down to the training. I was working in the clothes section and customer service took 3 minutes of a four hour induction. I distinctly remember hearing the phrase "if you don't bother them, they won't bother you."

Mantis Toboggan

Not sure If already mentioned but one glimpse of dunnes in portloaise takes me back to the mid 80's!

folamh

The one in Ennis is great!

Pumpkinseeds

Dunnes on Henry street in Limerick. I don't live in Limerick but from time to time I'd get a few things in there while waiting for the bus out of there. I don't know which is worse, the fcuk you attitude exhibited by so many of the staff or the overwhelming stench of raw sewerage that sometimes permeates most of the store. I don't go in there anymore.

Wanderer2010

All of them! Isnt Dunnes supposed to be one of the worst places to work in Ireland? Their culture, from all accounts and purposes that I have heard and read, is one of bullying the staff to the point of terror so that they work 10 times as hard as normal. Then, when they snap, replace them with another vat of innocent, naive college students. The managers there are supposed to be jumped up little prciks with massive superiority complexes.

Shakespeare's Sister

I wonder does it depend on the Dunnes though? I know people who worked there when in college and found it fine. They got plenty of hours, fitting hours around their timetable was no problem, and the pay was better than that of other supermarkets/department stores.
In some Dunnes the staff are demonically pissed off for sure, but in others they're grand and friendly. Was talking to a girl at the till in Dunnes the other day (Ballyvolane in Cork) and she was saying she was finishing up college soon and was going to be so sad about finishing up at Dunnes. She loved the place and made great friends there and had worked there for four years.

Wanderer2010

Shakespeare's Sister wrote: »

I wonder does it depend on the Dunnes though? I know people who worked there when in college and found it fine. They got plenty of hours, fitting hours around their timetable was no problem, and the pay was better than that of other supermarkets/department stores.
In some Dunnes the staff are demonically pissed off for sure, but in others they're grand and friendly. Was talking to a girl at the till in Dunnes the other day (Ballyvolane in Cork) and she was saying she was finishing up college soon and was going to be so sad about finishing up at Dunnes. She loved the place and made great friends there and had worked there for four years.

That's true. I am not tarring every single on of the branches with the same branch. Doubtless plenty of people like it, have good friends there and like their managers. I think though there are so many stories of management mistreatment and bullying etc going on for it to be justified to tar a lot of them with the brush.

Shakespeare's Sister

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

That's true. I am not tarring every single on of the branches with the same branch. Doubtless plenty of people like it, have good friends there and like their managers. I think though there are so many stories of management mistreatment and bullying etc going on for it to be justified to tar a lot of them with the brush.

Yeh sorry I didn't just mean your post, and there definitely seems to be a culture of crap treatment of staff (including junior/middle management) throughout the company.
I find it interesting though, the way some branches aren't as affected by this culture.

kefir32

Dunnes Knocknacarra Galway, staff are nice enough and helpful. Store is pleasant.

playedalive

Shakespeare's Sister wrote: »

I wonder does it depend on the Dunnes though?

That is terribly true. I actually liked working in my first Dunnes (in a local neighbourhood), especially since I was unemployed after college, got to make some money and the staff/customers around me were so nice. The section manager was on hand to help you if you weren't sure about how to merchandise a certain product and deal with customer queries. They went quiet after a while and they couldn't keep me on.

Then the second one I worked in was a flagship in the city centre, down the road from head office. I didn't enjoy working there. The staff in my department were lovely, but the store management was aloof and there wasn't the same personal touch you'd get in a small suburb (like my last Dunnes). Of course, I realise they have a lot of pressure due to having head office and the CEO and her cronies coming in on a semi regular basis. But shouting at somebody for doing something wrong in front of other people is a severe lack of disrespect and doesn't boost morale.

The_Valeyard

Not a fan of the one in Kilkenny city. The cafe is like a waiting room in purgatory

thelad95

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Not a fan of the one in Kilkenny city. The cafe is like a waiting room in purgatory

I've no idea how that place remains open. I've never once seen it busy, even on Christmas Eve last year when the shop was obviously buzzing, there was only three or four people in the café upstairs. Horrible place.

I remember being in a Dunnes in Tralee a few years ago. It had a horrible red-brick design and literally no daylight got into the store. Felt very uncomfortable in there.

amdublin

I think this thread needs photos.

amdublin

And a facebook page. Depressing Dunnes of Ireland.

Acciaccatura

The one on West street in Drogheda is like an aul corrugated iron shed stuck on the bottom of a 1920's building. It holds this constant smell of stale mop disinfectant and reminds me of the mid 90s.

jill_valentine

Thargor wrote: »

Do you ever notice all the random brown tape in Dunnes Stores? Tape in random lines on the dirty floor, old tape on the tills, ancient flaking tape holding the credit card machine in place, holes punched in the wall covered up with strips of brown tape and damaged mannequins in the clothing department taped back together, its completely baffling the way you see it in every single Dunnes even the new ones, is there absolutely zero budget for repairs or maintenance or something? No other shop does this...

The mysterious brown tape was actually mentioned already, so it's definitely a highlight.

Miss Lizzie Jones

amdublin wrote: »

And a facebook page. Depressing Dunnes of Ireland.

With photos!

P_1

The one you're stuck working in...

Snake Plisken

Just to Clarify Dunnes owns the crumlin shopping centre and has lease tescos their store, but Dunnes are waiting for the Tesco lease to run out and then kick Tescos out and re-develop the centre.
I actually like Dunnes grocery and wish they set up a grocery store in Lucan/Adamstown. Also the poshest Dunnes is Cornelscourt as Margeret Heffernan and other directors live around there,