Have all the Dunnes gone the same way?

meeeeh

meeeeh wrote: »

I'm not sure copying M&S clothing strategy makes sense considering they are tanking for a while. But then maybe they decided M&S ate there for the taking. I prefer their strategy to go a bit more upmarket than race to the bottom with Penny's.

I hate Primark stores with a passion for a lot of reasons.

I assume prices in Dunnes are also rising to reflect the more salubrious surroundings, yet the whole brand is still associated with chain-store-cheap in my mind (and I assume most peoples). I have a feeling they're going to tank more if it's already going that way, this is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Elliott S

Elliott S wrote: »

I quite like Dunnes clothes and always have done. Lots of good basics and always decent quality, I find. I've had lots of clothes items down the years that people have complimented and then been surprised to hear where I got them.

I get at least two sweaters a year sent to me by my Granny from Dunnes. They do a lot of fairly ordinary but reasonable quality stuff.

Grannies always worry that you're not warm, it's like a granny commandment. She used to send me socks :P

mariaalice

mariaalice wrote: »

Was in the Dunnes in Cornlscourt and it now got a Shiridens cheeses room and a fancy butchers and deli, Kinda food porn. Are all the branches going like that, have they decided to ditch the value end because of Aldi and Lidil and reinvent themselves Waitrose or Harrods.

I avoid Dunnes nowadays because they have ditched their attempts at being cheap while not being as good as somewhere like M&S.

Corruptedmorals

The Dunnes I worked in years back has been done up to the nines, looks much fancier and more high end than M&S, Debenhams and the rest. Once they got rid of the awful uniform it was a sign of real change...they even seem to have swung away from chronic understaffing to having enough to stand around like saps in the posh concession brands. But they'll never stop treating their staff like absolute dirt.

MilesMorales1

Now I think about it, I haven't shopped in dunnes in about a year, how odd. If I want some 'high end' food I'll go to Marks & Spencers, if I want cheap I'll go the pound shops or Tesco, if I'm in a hurry Supervalu is much closer. They're pretty rubbish, I mean what do they have that tesco or whatever doesn't. Least Tesco is cheap is real grubby.

Annasopra

Winterlong wrote: »

Francis Brennan has a collection? You are fcking trolling now.

Bedsheets

Annasopra

Candie wrote: »

It's a long time since I've been in a Dunnes, but the clothing areas are now laid out almost exactly the same way as M&S so I'm not surprised they're trying to upgrade their food 'experience' as well. It's a shop that doesn't know who it's customer base is anymore.

Yep. The small dunnes are like they were 20 years ago. The bigger ones or the south dublin ones are like some sort of M and S/Harrods/Avoca/Brown Thomas experience.

The thing I laughed at most was an Irish Times pr puff piece that said

“Margaret [Heffernan] is democratising good food,”

Elliott S

Candie wrote: »

I get at least two sweaters a year sent to me by my Granny from Dunnes. They do a lot of fairly ordinary but reasonable quality stuff.

Grannies always worry that you're not warm, it's like a granny commandment. She used to send me socks :P

I love going barefoot as much as possible. I just like my feet to be wild and free!

When I'd been strolling around our house in winter, crossing cold tile with my toes a blueish hue, my granny would go daft if she caught me! "You'll catch your death!!!" Grannies are obsessed with the warding off the cold. When we'd visit her in winter, as soon as we entered the house, she'd order us to take off our coats, hats and scarves because she reckoned if we kept them on, they'd be less effective when we stepped out into the cold again later on!

meeeeh

Candie wrote: »

I hate Primark stores with a passion for a lot of reasons.

I assume prices in Dunnes are also rising to reflect the more salubrious surroundings, yet the whole brand is still associated with chain-store-cheap in my mind (and I assume most peoples). I have a feeling they're going to tank more if it's already going that way, this is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

M&S are tanking, I don't know about Dunnes clothing but I think their market share is going up in comparison to Tesco's. So I think what they are doing might actually work for them.

Snake Plisken

mariaalice wrote: »

Was in the Dunnes in Cornlscourt and it now got a Shiridens cheeses room and a fancy butchers and deli, Kinda food porn. Are all the branches going like that, have they decided to ditch the value end because of Aldi and Lidil and reinvent themselves Waitrose or Harrods.

Ah Dunnes Cornelscourt is Margaret Heffernan's local so everything is really top notch in there to keep her and other directors who live in the locality happy!

When Francis Brennan says "Shhhh" on the radio advertisement before he speaks, that's the last nail in the coffin for Dunnes, in my mind.

The way they treat their workers is the biggest factor for me, though. I'm not sure Tesco or Lidl are a whole lot better, especially with Tesco trying to unilaterally change their employees' contracts. Lidl seems like a satisfactory enough place to work, in the sense that the assistants look reasonably happy, and I haven't heard any horror stories.

That's where I shop, the food is cheap and the quality is pretty good, especially fresh fruit & vegetables. Some of the wines are particularly decent in the tenner price-range.

Tesco are decent to work for, and no I don't work for them.

davycc

Hugh Mungus wrote: »

Who cares. Dunnes treat their staff like they're pieces of dirt, I wouldn't set foot in one again.

+1 I and my extended family are still boycotting their stores even before the strike and I had the misfortune of working in one of these dumps for a few years under some gimp managers who treated the staff as expendable assets

newacc2015

Hugh Mungus wrote: »

Who cares. Dunnes treat their staff like they're pieces of dirt, I wouldn't set foot in one again.

At least they are fair with their suppliers. They arent like our favourite British Supermarket who haul their suppliers in once a year to put their under extreme pressure to cut prices. I don't think Dunnes used to make suppliers pay for a space on their shelves like the British Supermarket used to do ( until it was outlawed).

Aldi and Lidl are grand here. But they arent the stellar employees in Germany, as they are here.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

They're selling a collar for 200 euro. Gituptafug, I would.

Elliott S

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

That's where I shop, the food is cheap and the quality is pretty good, especially fresh fruit & vegetables.

Everyone always mentions the fruit and veg in Aldi and Lidl as a plus, but I often find the produce to be of poor quality compared to greengrocers and other supermarkets.

Holograph

The one on North Earl Street off O'Connell Street was like an 80s time warp last time I went in there. I don't know if it's always the case that the fancy ones are only in affluent areas though (the one in Henry Street is a newish, fancy one) but I'd say it is often the case. There are however old Dunnes in all kinds of areas, with low footfall, that are not changed much, as there is no point in such an investment. Dunnes just want to hold onto the retail space rather than pack up and vacate the place for a competitor to nab.

WhoWhatWhere

Elliott S wrote: »

Everyone always mentions the fruit and veg in Aldi and Lidl as a plus, but I often find the produce to be of poor quality compared to greengrocers and other supermarkets.

If you're in early you get the good stuff, anything after midday is generally rubbish. Supervalu in my opinion has the best selection of fruit and vegetables in any supermarket, in wexford anyway.

HeidiHeidi

The one(s) in Crumlin shopping centre have to be the absolute worst. If they're not all closed at this stage - I know the Tesco there closed a while back.

They just had random departments in random small shops around the centre - in order to do a full shop you had to walk the length of the centre and queue up in about five different sub-shops.

Haven't been there in years, though, so maybe they finally gave up and just closed everything? I don't think there was more than about two or three other non-Dunnes shops left in the centre when I was last there.

Zooouma

Drapery prices gone up & customers gone down a lot over rent years

Gyalist

newacc2015 wrote: »

At least they are fair with their suppliers. They arent like our favourite British Supermarket who haul their suppliers in once a year to put their under extreme pressure to cut prices. I don't think Dunnes used to make suppliers pay for a space on their shelves like the British Supermarket used to do ( until it was outlawed).

Aldi and Lidl are grand here. But they arent the stellar employees in Germany, as they are here.

Back in the late 80s and early 90s when most of Dunnes clothing were manufactured in small factories in Ireland, many small manufacturers ran into financial trouble because of very late payments from Dunnes or, more commonly, they would try to force the manufacturer to reduce the agreed price after the goods had been delivered.

Annasopra

Elliott S wrote: »

Everyone always mentions the fruit and veg in Aldi and Lidl as a plus, but I often find the produce to be of poor quality compared to greengrocers and other supermarkets.

Really? Never have that problem at all

jimmy180sx

Cornelscourt is their flagship store

dudara

IMO Dunnes do not have good trading practices, and treat their staff really poorly. I don't shop there and haven't done so for years.

9or10

Candie wrote: »

It's a long time since I've been in a Dunnes, but the clothing areas are now laid out almost exactly the same way as M&S so I'm not surprised they're trying to upgrade their food 'experience' as well. It's a shop that doesn't know who it's customer base is anymore.

Much like M&S Candie

Hugh Mungus

Hugh Mungus wrote: »

Who cares. Dunnes treat their staff like they're pieces of dirt, I wouldn't set foot in one again.

Years ago I was walking through the Dunnes Stores in Edward Square in Galway and there was a manager, loudly berating and actually shouting at a staff member in the middle of the shop floor. It hasn't changed since and I've seen things like this happen on a regular basis.

It's a disgusting and horrible place to work.

Mary63

The Cornelscourt Dunnes is amazing,its as good as Avoca now.Dunnes has stopped the race to the bottom with lidl and Aldi and gone for the more discerning customers.Aldi and lidl are popping up everywhere and I never shop there because I don't want them closing down all the competition.They have a limited selection of everything and once competition is gone the dregs will be shipped to Ireland.

Dunnes in Cornelscourt is heaving,you get ten euros back for every fifty you spend and most of the produce is Irish.They have a new James Whelan butchers and the meat is fabulous,lovely friendly staff who can speak english and who will even stuff pork steak on the spot for you and cut up joints to the size you want.Its like being in Avoca but without the giant cream buns.

There are no staff in Aldi or lidl and the ones that are there are so grumpy.The staff at the tills are timed so they fly the shopping through and they don't care if it falls off on the floor if you can't pack it in time.The last time I was in an aldi the poor customer in front of me was on her hands and knees picking up shopping an tins of tomatoes,probably costing thirty cents were landing on her head.The till assistant then snapped the till shut and just walked off,it was obviously his break time and he didn't even say he was closing,he just left.

Tzardine

Mary63 wrote: »

The Cornelscourt Dunnes is amazing.......

Is that you Margaret ?

One of the most stuck up your own hole posts I have read in a long time.

It also seems that you have a chip on you shoulder about foreign workers.

I for one am glad you stay away from Lidl / Aldi. I won't get stuck behind you at the till while you pack your bags and fumble for change.

risteard7

maximum12 wrote: »

I've noticed in more than one branch that the staff are very unprofessional. They constantly seem to be messing or else engaged in conversation or bitching about something. They're not in any rush to stop the conversation when a customer is standing there waiting. Eventually staff will do whatever they get away with so there seems to be very weak store management.

You hardly mean the store in Navan?

demanufactured

Tzardine wrote: »

Is that you Margaret ?

One of the most stuck up your own hole posts I have read in a long time.

It also seems that you have a chip on you shoulder about foreign workers.

I for one am glad you stay away from Lidl / Aldi. I won't get stuck behind you at the till while you pack your bags and fumble for change.

Agreed....sounds like the fur coat brigade..