Superquinn gone crap

Red Alert

Just curious about Superquinn, I live near the ballinteer one and in the past year or so it's gone steadily downhill and is only barely better than tesco. Stuff very often isn't even on the shelves, there's a total lack of customer service and the store is starting to look like a bad patchwork quilt.

Rumor has it that it's going to be knocked down. Does anyone else go to any other superquinn - have they all gone downhill or is it just Ballinteer? I don't like shopping in English supermarkets like tesco so that's why i keep going there.

Wertz

The one in Dundalk has always been brutal....overpriced too.
Tescos is the same...I kinda blame the whole shopping up north thing that happens in the border area. Having said that, there is a lot better choice, friendlier staff and most importantly, better prices in the NI supermarkets.

As for shopping in english supermarkets, I have no problem...if it's cheaper and has better selection of goods then, for me, that's all that matters...

whiskeyman

Red Alert wrote:

Just curious about Superquinn, I live near the ballinteer one and in the past year or so it's gone steadily downhill and is only barely better than tesco. Stuff very often isn't even on the shelves, there's a total lack of customer service and the store is starting to look like a bad patchwork quilt.

Rumor has it that it's going to be knocked down. Does anyone else go to any other superquinn - have they all gone downhill or is it just Ballinteer? I don't like shopping in English supermarkets like tesco so that's why i keep going there.

I live near enough the ballinteer one too.
I totally agree with you... it's not like the Superquinn Fergal Quinn would manage. (He officially retired last Friday from Superquinn by the way).
His departure (and sell off of the group) would be one key reason I'd say... and the Ballinteer site is marked for redevelopment.
Not sure if Superquinn have plans to keep a store there - I guess it'll depend if Lidl can move into Rathfarnham (old Glaxo site).
Between that and the new 24hr Tesco in Dundrum, they really need to up their game.

BuffyBot

You wan't crap, try Superquinn Naas. In the last two years it has gone to the dogs.

Lump

Didn't fergal Quinn sell it to Quinnsworth, who then got taken over by an english company?

John

JungleBunny

Haven't been up there in ages, coz it gotten so bad.
Was amazed when I went there one day after not having been there for a few months and it was an absolute kip! Almost as bad as Tesco in dundrum - the old shopping center.
Not really nice shopping there anymore.

Ann Elk

Lump wrote:

Didn't fergal Quinn sell it to Quinnsworth, who then got taken over by an english company?

John

Was that the aptly named Maurice Pratt who ran Quinnsworth???? Istandto be corrected but think that that was a seperate company???

whiskeyman

Lump wrote:

Didn't fergal Quinn sell it to Quinnsworth, who then got taken over by an english company?

John

nope - SRH got it.
http://www.checkout.ie/News.asp?ID=504
You're thinking of the Quinnworth (Power Supermarkets) sell out to Tesco a few years ago.

Rantorama

whiskeyman wrote:

.

Not sure if Superquinn have plans to keep a store there - I guess it'll depend if Lidl can move into Rathfarnham (old Glaxo site).
.

AFAIK the residents association put the kybosh on that...well for the time being anyway.
Agree Superquinn in Ballinteer is looking a bit grotty of late.
Still make the best sausages and nicest cakes though

luckat

I think it's been taken over by an Irish group, actually.

The Sundrive Road one used to be brilliant - nice staff, good attitude, if you liked something they'd get it in for you, genuine "offers", employment of local disabled people, and a generally happy atmos.

In the last - I'm not sure, two years anyway, but possibly nearly three - it's gone downhill to the point where people who used to do all their shopping there now go down to Rathmines to the Tesco there, to the Sunday farmer's market in the multi-denim in Ranelagh, and into town to Lidl and Aldi.

Even people who shopped there because of a commitment to buying Irish have eased back on the place.

I don't know if it's actually lost sales or not - this is purely my own observation.

whiskeyman

Rantorama wrote:

AFAIK the residents association put the kybosh on that...well for the time being anyway.

yeah, they rejected it for the forth time last week I think.

Rantorama wrote:

Still make the best sausages and nicest cakes though

Sure does!! It's the only reason I go there now!

Real shame though to see it go downhill. I've always admired Quinn and his business structure / ideals - his book "Crowning the Customer" is an excellent read, whether you've an interest in business or not.
I grew up near the ballinteer store and often saw him going around making sure everything was in top order.
He really valued the customer and acted on so many of their ideas and comments.... and the customer service from the staff was excellent.

JungleBunny

hmmm.... superquinn sausages on superquinn fresh batch *drool*

holly_johnson

Blanchardstown is just as bad. I used to work there (long time ago when I left school) so I always keep going back out of loyalty I suppose.
Shop is dirty, shelves unstocked, zero customer service etc.
I sent an e-mail to Fergal Quinn about it several months ago, and got a personal reply from him promising to sort it out. Then got an email from the store manager in Blanchardstown saying to ring him. I rang him 4 times, left messages and never got a reply. Approcahed the manager in the store, and got the bums rush basically. Most of the staff that were long term there have left as they too think the whole setup stinks now.

What a shame that the last truly Irish owned and run supermarket is going down the drain. I for one will be really disappointed if this happens.

Ann Elk

Afaik it was bought out by a group of Irish businessmen, one of them is from Clifden and has a pub in Galway too, so it will stay in Irish hands de facto at least - it would be a pity to see it go down the swanney though. Haven't been to the ones in Dublin but the Kilkenny one is great - always clean with loads of stock too.

Board@Work

I heard that one of their problems is that they updated recently their stock control software which has led to the situation where they have nothing on the shelves due to it not working!!!

Dunno how true that is!!

larryone

JungleBunny wrote:

hmmm.... superquinn sausages on superquinn fresh batch *drool*

With superquinn red cheddar.
*mops chin*

Red Alert

That's at least two years ago. Sounds like a bad excuse to me. I only go back to Ballinteer for the cakes and pizza. The manager or assistant manager seem to be rarely in the shop as well.

At one stage their butcher's was the best for miles around. Plenty of lads who all knew their stuff and would carve anything off the bone for you. Now they've combined it with the Bacon and Fish and only one 'real' butcher there at a time.

cousin_borat

I just had a conversation about somebody coming back from buying lunch in the Pavillion, Swords branch about exactly this issue.

Superquinn since changed owner has gone down in terms of quality. What once you didnt mind paying a small premium for in terms of service and quality is now seeming very expensive.

jesus_thats_gre

Simply, Superquinn are trying to copy the Tesco model.. Many people will not pay well over the odds for a few extras like plenty of staff and more frest food.. Their management structure and ordering systems have been updated in the past 2 years to basically reflect Tesco.. They have even started selling non-food items with crazy offers to hopefully attract people in to the stores...


Why.. Alot of the superquinns were either operating at a loss or just about breaking even.. The one in Dundalk is the perfect example of this.. While they were taking in 400 grand a week, their staff costs and fresh food wastage is just too high.. Seemingly the new owners plan to shut half the stores down, concentrate in getting the gems in order and slowly expand after that..


Also, Tesco are starting to kick into gear finally.. Their new custom build shops are slowly starting to replace the stores they inherited from Power Supermarkets, the numbers of staff on old contracts are being offered fairly large pay offs to leave if they do not adopt new contracts and work practises, their stock replenishment systems are startingt to work as efficiently as those in the UK and they now have the largest fleet of lorries in the country. Give it another few years and the perception of Tesco here will what it is in the UK..

Scarinae

The one in Bray isn't as good as it used to be but I wouldn't call it crap (not yet anyway) They still have the nicest sausages I think!

pats22

the balinteer one is gone to cack allright - i recently bought a house up that way and was working on it a lot at weekends so i was buying freshly made up rolls in s/q for a very reaonable 2.85

next week went in noticed all the prices and promotioanl material around the hot counter was down but didnt think much of it - asked for the exact same roll and price sticker said 4.25 - so i told them to stick it -

Red Alert

it's a absolute shambles. the store's starting to look awful but the manegement don't care. i complained about the fact that they've stopped putting the cardboard sheet under the pizzas and the store manager said "we don't do them anymore" and walked off. i know from working in retail that you don't piss off customers that blatently.

PH01

Went to Superquinn Ballinteer after a long time after a long while and yes I agree it's going to the dogs. It has been steadily getting worse over the past two years.
The only good thing about it now is the meat, sausages and the free parking.

I've reluctantly switched over to Tescos. I go to the one in the Dundrum shopping, sorry, "Town Centre". Now it doesn't stock as broad a product range as Superquinn but it's definitly cheaper. And currently they'll give you a free litre of fuel when you spend more than €30.
Tescos butchers aren't great. Well when I say butchers there was just this man behind the meat counter who didn't speak English very well. So it was hard to get him understand what exactly you wanted (though I did then get the 1.5kg of steak for €4 )

Probably won't go back to Superquinn again - well probably for meat and sausages (mmmmmmm sausages).

Scarinae

Those sausages are probably the only thing that are keeping Superquinn's customers, by the sounds of it

Dagnir Glaurung

Superquinn was going downhill when I worked there and will continue to do so. Understaffed as much as anything(and the staff don't exactly live up to the Superquinn ideal of friendly staff). It used to be nice shopping in Superquinn. It's no different from Tesco now. Nicer sausages though.

Wertz

Looks like I'm gonna have to try these famous sausages so...

whiskeyman

Wertz wrote:

Looks like I'm gonna have to try these famous sausages so...

You've never had??
You've never lived....

cil_aine

what happened to the L&N?

Calina

I think L&N was bought out by Musgraves/Supervalu but I'm open to correction.

CrazySka

Havent been to Superquinn in ages, dont see the point in paying an extra 10 % for everything just cause they have decent sausages and bread.

Not sure if Superquinn have plans to keep a store there - I guess it'll depend if Lidl can move into Rathfarnham (old Glaxo site).

heard a rumour aldi or lidl are building on the old HB/Premier Dairys site in nutgrove, anyone else heard bout this?

Gazza22

I also think Superquinn has gone downhill lately...

I would identify more with the Walkinstown branch, there is so many things missing off the shelves it's unbelievable! Oh and don't get me started on the 'fresh' fruit and veg...you see items with fur growing on it! It's quite disgusting sometimes

But in terms of the bakery, Superquinn hasn't lost it's touch