Have all the Dunnes gone the same way?

Tzardine

demanufactured wrote: »

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

I guess that you and I are just not "discerning" enough to shop in Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt.

theteal

Mary63 wrote: »

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

That's why you pack at the shelf behind the checkout like everybody else.

Also I cut the last bit if your post from my quote as I just plain don't believe that happened

WhoWhatWhere

Mary63 wrote: »

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.

There's more pig**** here than Homer Simpson's Silo

namloc1980

Worked for Dunnes for a few months 15 years ago or so. Easily the worst place I've ever worked. Treated like dirt.

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.

This. A million times - and not forgetting they use their dominant position to treat their suppliers horrendously. Never forget the support Dunnes gave to Apartheid South Africa and its thuggery of the Dunnes employees who went out on strike for 2 years and 9 months. Every time Ben Dunne comes on the radio it is for his role as CEO of Dunnes at this time that I remember him.

Dunnes Stores Workers Against Apartheid, 1984-1986

Twiki

I saw a sign for the Francis Brennan Collection in my local Dunnes alright but I just thought he was somewhere in the store shaking a bucket.

demanufactured

Tzardine wrote: »

I guess that you and I are just not "discerning" enough to shop in Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt.

No...we wouldn't be in buying 60 euro planks of wood.

Elliott S

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Really? Never have that problem at all

Yeah, doesn't keep as long, just seems to be older stock, often there'll be rotten pieces in the bags, more often then in other supermarkets. And you usually can't buy individual veg so you can't pick what you want.

indioblack

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 was in a Dunnes store a few years ago whilst making my regular pilgrimage to my relatives in Cork. Got a good pair of trousers there - reasonably priced and reasonable quality. Slightly old fashioned style - which suited me just right.

brevity

Dunnes Stores are some of the most depressing places in Ireland. The one in Ballyvolane in Cork is like stepping back into the 1980's.

So grim.

Mary63

Cornelscourt as I said is fab,lovely bakery and you can actually buy a fresh bread roll,try getting that in most aldis and lidls.

You can also buy a couple of slices of ham and the lovely pleasant staff with cut them whatever way you like.You don't have to buy entire packets of processed ham and chicken and nor do you have to buy large bags of potatoes,you can buy a few loose potatoes,a few loose carrots or apples or whatever.In lidl or Aldi you have to buy the fruit in bulk and its horrible.

You won't have to trudge past boxes of silly best sellers like you do in Aldi and lidl,bicycle locks beside taps etc and the choice of two packet of biscuits.

I know loads of students working in Dunnes and they say its fine,the only problem is too many hours,they don't complain of being treated badly.They get ten euros an hour with no experience and fifteen euros an hour on sunday.They get an emailed pay slip every week and whatever holidays they are due.It compares well with Penneys and Argos and Next.Lidl and Aldi seem to take on mostly non Irish staff,the ones I have been in Dublin anyway.

The Aldi staff member did snap the till closed and walk off and he did keep flying the trolley full of shopping through so it fell off the counter because the poor woman couldn't keep up.I would just have walked out myself and left the shopping,this has never happened to me in Dunnes or anywhere else,some staff will actually stop and put the stuff in the trolley if its a big shop.

A staff member walked off in Dealz too with a long queue,she just left while we stood there.I asked her colleague why and he said had been due to finish an hour earlier and couldn't leave so she just decided to go.

The prices in Aldi and Lidl are creeping up and there are too many of them.When they have seen the competition off they will reduce the choice available to us and increase the prices.We have already lost our local spar and it was worth paying a bit extra to have this shop within walking distance particularly for the elderly who can't drive to Lidl and even if they do drive there are no staff on the floor to help them with shopping.

Lidl and Aldi are the most depressing places to shop.

Colser

Mary63 wrote:

A staff member walked off in Dealz too with a long queue,she just left while we stood there.I asked her colleague why and he said had been due to finish an hour earlier and couldn't leave so she just decided to go.

What's wrong with that?

maximum12

risteard7 wrote: »

You hardly mean the store in Navan?

No

Holograph

Colser wrote: »

What's wrong with that?

Walking off was not ideal but I can understand how she might have just thought "Ah feck this" out of frustration. Still being there an hour after her shift ended - woeful conditions. Strange how Mary doesn't criticise that.

HeidiHeidi

Mary63 wrote: »

Cornelscourt as I said is fab,lovely bakery and you can actually buy a fresh bread roll,try getting that in most aldis and lidls.

:eek:

Mary63

I think she was totally correct,why should she work for nothing because Dealz won't employ enough staff.She should have said I am done now so join another queue,we all stood there waiting for her to come back.!!!!!!!!!There was only herself and one other colleague on the tills and a shop full of customers looking to buy everything for 1.49 euros,its probably 1.50 euros now,I wouldn't know,I prefer to shop in Dunnes.

Nobody in Dunnes has ever shut down a till in front of customers and walked off and this happened to me in Aldi and Dealz.

If you want to pay the lowest prices possible then staff will be squeezed for every cent.Dunnes pays well and pays for every hour worked,they also email pay slips so you know exactly what money is going into your bank account.Lots of places who employ young people don't email payslips and don't pay holiday pay and let people go without notice.

demanufactured

You can get fresher bread in lidl than you can in any Dunnes.

The staff In my local Dunnes look like they have been working there since the 70s....they probably have.....grey depressed looking faces...who wouldn't lift a finger to help anyone.

I was in there one time a few years back...picked up a 12 pack of Guinness that was on a deal for 7 euro....great I thought....
Got to the till...it scanned in at 11:99...sorry days I....it says 7 euro on the tag....it's on a special....

The response.."well I only work here...I can't help you"

Dunnes is well being the times.....

Corruptedmorals

Yes wow, Dunnes issue payslips. They employ about 18,000 people and are heavily unionised so it's not exactly a surprise. That's not the problem. There are many more ways of treating staff like dirt that don't involve blatant breaches of employment law. Although they now employ staff on temp contracts so they have less rights and arent unionised anyway.

Cornelscourt is a bit misleading in terms of the true miserable Dunnes experience. It's the flagship and a showpiece.

Tzardine

Mary,

Aldi / Lidl pay much more than Dunnes. I am pretty sure they also provide payslips to their staff.

Like many, I worked for Dunnes part time when I was in school. I had loads of problems with my pay and don't get me started on being given breaks.

I saw some horrible stuff go on, including a store manager put a 16 year old staff member with horrible hay fever working in the flowers section because he thought it would be funny.

Yes they might stock a lot of Irish products but ask the suppliers what Dunnes are like for paying invoices.

If I was on fire I would not buy water in Dunnes.

Mary63

Penneys give just enough hours so the temp staff can't even get a tea break,I think its about ten hours a week.They do issue payslips and pay everything that is due though.

Lots of places don't issue payslips at all so the young person doesn't even know if they were paid correctly.Some places text when employee is almost at the workplace to say the place is too quiet and to just go home.Some don't even register employees so when you leave you can't even get a p45.

Dunnes as far as I am being told is no worse and seems quite a bit better than other places.Fifteen euros per hour on a Sunday is a good wage for an eighteen year old with no experience. I am only going though on what young people I know tell me,the only real issue they have with Dunnes is being rostered for too many hours,the actual work,the management and the pay is okay.These are all students though so to them its temporary work while studying for a degree,its not like its going to be a lifetime career in retail.

I have heard that McDonalds is a very bad place to work but don't know anyone working there.

Tzardine

Mary63 wrote: »

Penneys give just enough hours so the temp staff can't even get a tea break,I think its about ten hours a week.They do issue payslips and pay everything that is due though.

Lots of places don't issue payslips at all so the young person doesn't even know if they were paid correctly.Some places text when employee is almost at the workplace to say the place is too quiet and to just go home.Some don't even register employees so when you leave you can't even get a p45.

Dunnes as far as I am being told is no worse and seems quite a bit better than other places.Fifteen euros per hour on a Sunday is a good wage for an eighteen year old with no experience.

I have heard that McDonalds is a very bad place to work but don't know anyone working there.

At this stage I actually think you are trolling. Either that or you just do not have a clue what you are talking about.

Pay slips are a legal requirement under Section 4 of the Payment of Wages Act 1991.

Not registering employees is also illegal.

Every legitimate company in Ireland complies with the above.

I am not sure why you have such a horn for Dunnes Stores. I get that you might enjoy shopping there and their products.

But in absolutely no way can Dunnes Stores be used as a model of a good employer.

They dont engage with unions, they ignore the labour court, the have quite frankly behaved disgracefully in recent history ( google some of the cases where they recently fired staff).

Like I say, trolling or talking out your hoop.

r93kaey5p2izun

I have never met someone working for Dunnes who was happy with their treatment. The recent industrial dispute there showed serious issues with how the company treats staff. I don't shop in Dunnes because of their horrible reputation. It's very poor value looking at the website anyway.

I know lots of people working for McDonald's at the moment. They say they are a really good employer. They receive very good training and there are lots of opportunities to progress within the company. Many of the young people I work with are fighting to get a job in McDonald's.

I worked for Penneys myself for years, though it was over a decade ago. They were a very good employer. I earned over minimum wage (before and after it was introduced). The hours given were good but they were flexible in accommodating college as necessary. There were some promotion opportunities. Senior management (store managers, area managers) could be horrible at times but department and floor managers were excellent and very well trained. Things may have changed though.

Mary63

My daughter worked for a well known restaurant for eight euros an hour and didn't get payslips.

She was handed a bunch of them one day and didn't check what was actually going into her bank account every week.In fairness this was her first part time job and she should have checked every week that she was being paid,she suspects now that she wasn't but she isn't working there now.She never got a pay rise in two years and never got a day off either.

Her friend is working in Dunnes since June and got a weeks paid holidays in October.She has no complaints whatsoever about Dunnes,you work hard and some of the managers are better to work with than others.I see the same Dunnes staff at the tills every week and some are there a long time.

I have never worked there myself but do know lots of young people working there and they are glad of the money.Its either that or Delivveroo

Tzardine

Mary63 wrote: »

My daughter worked for a well known restaurant for eight euros an hour and didn't get payslips.

She was handed a bunch of them one day and didn't check what was actually going into her bank account every week.In fairness this was her first part time job and she should have checked every week that she was being paid,she suspects now that she wasn't but she isn't working there now.She never got a pay rise in two years and never got a day off either.

Her friend is working in Dunnes since June and got a weeks paid holidays in October.She has no complaints whatsoever about Dunnes,you work hard and some of the managers are better to work with than others.I see the same Dunnes staff at the tills every week and some are there a long time.

I have never worked there myself but do know lots of young people working there and they are glad of the money.Its either that or Delivveroo

So you let your daughter work for 730 days in a row without doing anything ?

I call bullsh1t on everything you have written on this thread.

Grayson

I know someone who's been working in a Dunnes for about 6 years. They're still effectively on a zero hours contract. They aren't guaranteed hours from week to week. I managed a week in one. Less even. I was on my third day in there and got offered a job somewhere else.
I took the job in Dunnes when I was in college. I was told I'd get between 16-20 hours a week. They gave me 7 hours the first week and had me rostered for 8 hours the next. The place sucks. Every time I'm in one I feel sorry for the staff.

super_furry

Nice to see Margaret Heffernan drop by!

Holograph

Mary63 wrote: »

My daughter worked for a well known restaurant for eight euros an hour and didn't get payslips.

She was handed a bunch of them one day and didn't check what was actually going into her bank account every week.In fairness this was her first part time job and she should have checked every week that she was being paid,she suspects now that she wasn't but she isn't working there now.She never got a pay rise in two years and never got a day off either.

Her friend is working in Dunnes since June and got a weeks paid holidays in October.She has no complaints whatsoever about Dunnes,you work hard and some of the managers are better to work with than others.I see the same Dunnes staff at the tills every week and some are there a long time.

I have never worked there myself but do know lots of young people working there and they are glad of the money.Its either that or Delivveroo

No biggie if her friend is full-time in Dunnes since June and got a week's holidays in October - that's not a perk, it's standard, enshrined in employment law.

In fairness I'd say some Dunnes outlets are OK to work in - staff seem happy in my local Dunnes and managers seem nice to them. I was talking to a girl working there one day and she was saying she was leaving there soon and feeling quite sad about it as she'd miss her colleagues. But they all seem miserable in the next closest Dunnes to me. I don't doubt people who have worked there and said the treatment was appalling. While there may be individual stores that are fine, overall the company has a poor record.

Daisy78

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.

It's funny you should say that, a friend of mine visiting from London remarked that they seemed to be modelling themselves on Waitrose (though I don't particularly think Waitrose is that fancy). Their clothes line appears to be pitched at a higher price point too in recent years. Probably not a bad strategy in some ways, Aldi\Lidl have the value market cornered and there is a gap in the market since Superquinn were bought out. M&S are great but they don't have the geographical spread that Dunne's do.

RhubarbCrumble

Tzardine wrote: »

At this stage I actually think you are trolling. Either that or you just do not have a clue what you are talking about.

Possibly both of the above, but the first thing that came to my mind was, "Hmm I wonder what large Irish supermarket chain Mary may possibly employed as a manager in?"

Toto Wolfcastle

My mother in law shops in Dunnes in Cornelscourt and thinks Dunnes can do no wrong. It just seems that that one is particularly good. The staff in the one near me are obnoxious and I avoid it. That seems to be the case in most of them.