For anyone doing last minute shopping in Smyths.

captainscarlet · 30-11-2009 08:40PM #1

Just to warn you that this 'loophole' is only useful in the last 2 weeks of Christmas.
On the Smyths website they guarantee that if you reserve something online and its not there when you try and collect they'll give you a 10euro voucher to spend on anything.
http://www.toys.ie/InStock_Guarantee.aspx

In the run up to christmas, stock will start to sell out. However, all those ride on tractors and buggys on display are counted as Smyths stock online, but Smyths cant sell display models for insurance reasons. So if one particular model is sold out, the display model will still be there and will be counted on the computer system. Therefore when searching that model on the website it will tell you that 1 is available. You reserve it, they cant sell the display model to you and you get a 10e voucher for your hassle.

Just a handy savings tip. The only difficult bit is knowing whats sold out, but any of the staff will tell you in conversation.

I worked in Smyths in Drogheda and seen many people do this and get 10e off every item they bought.

Fnz · 30-11-2009 08:54PM

captainscarlet wrote: »

Just to warn you that this 'loophole' is only useful in the last 2 weeks of Christmas.
On the Smyths website they guarantee that if you reserve something online and its not there when you try and collect they'll give you a 10euro voucher to spend on anything.
http://www.toys.ie/InStock_Guarantee.aspx

In the run up to christmas, stock will start to sell out. However, all those ride on tractors and buggys on display are counted as Smyths stock online, but Smyths cant sell display models for insurance reasons. So if one particular model is sold out, the display model will still be there and will be counted on the computer system. Therefore when searching that model on the website it will tell you that 1 is available. You reserve it, they cant sell the display model to you and you get a 10e voucher for your hassle.

Just a handy savings tip. The only difficult bit is knowing whats sold out, but any of the staff will tell you in conversation.

I worked in Smyths in Drogheda and seen many people do this and get 10e off every item they bought.

Doesn't seem right to take advantage of a good-will gesture in this way.

jhegarty · 30-11-2009 08:55PM

Good way to get smyths to stop the offer.

captainscarlet · 30-11-2009 09:02PM

Fnz wrote: »

Doesn't seem right to take advantage of a good-will gesture in this way.

Im not forcing you to do it, just making it known.

cotwold · 30-11-2009 09:14PM

Which will encourage people to do it.

yoshytoshy · 30-11-2009 10:10PM

What a croc of sh1t

sdanseo · 30-11-2009 10:51PM

Sounds like more hassle than its worth tbh

jenno86 · 30-11-2009 10:59PM

I don't like this thread. Belongs in the con-artists forum.

Nabber · 30-11-2009 11:48PM

Basically stealing 10 euro.

Not really the christmas spirit there Captian.

sdanseo · 01-12-2009 02:44AM

Ahh now if it was less hassle you'd all do it; don't pretend otherwise!

TomCo · 01-12-2009 06:47AM

Bad form tbh.

(anyway, imagine you ended up having to buy a big electric tractor just because you tried to scam €10 out of smyths)

01-12-2009 06:54AM

Smyths don't actually tell you how many items are in stock though, do they?

They just list "low stock" and generic values like that don't they? So I can imagine quite a few people going in to buy the item, realising it is in stock, and then having to find a way out of buying it.

All for €10?

PeteEd · 01-12-2009 06:58AM

TomCo wrote: »

Bad form tbh.

(anyway, imagine you ended up having to buy a big electric tractor just because you tried to scam €10 out of smyths)

just check if the big electric tractor is in stock,

head north to leisure world, (bomb-damage was the best deals to be had), or scam smyths; some people are never pleased!

loyatemu · 01-12-2009 08:59AM

we really need a "no thanks" button on this site - this suggestion stinks and is not a bargain alert either.

tororosso · 01-12-2009 09:09AM

I cant really see whats wrong with it to be honest. The chance to get 10 euros off an item in store is nothing to complain about. Getting indignant at taking advantage of a retailer is pretty strange in my opinion as normally they are the ones taking advantage of the consumer!

This might not seem to be a bargain to some people but Im sure others buying a product in Smyths with a 10 euro discount would deem that as a bargain??

elliotts · 01-12-2009 09:14AM

I must say that Ireland is full of moral people, but I just have not seen any apart from on this site.!?

Fnz · 01-12-2009 10:47AM

tororosso wrote: »

I cant really see whats wrong with it to be honest. The chance to get 10 euros off an item in store is nothing to complain about. Getting indignant at taking advantage of a retailer is pretty strange in my opinion as normally they are the ones taking advantage of the consumer!

This might not seem to be a bargain to some people but Im sure others buying a product in Smyths with a 10 euro discount would deem that as a bargain??

The information is up now for those who want to avail of it. It would just be a shame to see a retailer, with a pro-consumer policy such as this, punished for offering good-will gestures and, possibly, causing them to decide against such policies going forward.

Man, I want to say something positive about the OP's intentions but everything comes off as presumptuous/patronizing when written.

01-12-2009 11:29AM

Did it last year . they didnt have a camera for my niece . So when i mentioned about the €10 voucher they had a loophole to get out of it . This was after 2 hours of waiting .

the groutch · 01-12-2009 11:40AM

if everyone started doing this, it would be pulled very quickly, and those who genuinely deserve some sort of compensation will lose out
and forgetting about that, they'd have to make back al those tenners some other way, which could well be reflected in higher prices on some products

Linoge · 01-12-2009 11:54AM

tororosso wrote: »

I cant really see whats wrong with it to be honest. The chance to get 10 euros off an item in store is nothing to complain about. Getting indignant at taking advantage of a retailer is pretty strange in my opinion as normally they are the ones taking advantage of the consumer!

I agree for the most part, but Smyths is actually a decent and fair retailer. Good returns policies and no outrageous price differences between ROI and UK - very competitive prices in general in fact. Many a Bargain Alert have come from them too.

03-12-2009 01:43AM

tororosso wrote: »

I cant really see whats wrong with it to be honest. The chance to get 10 euros off an item in store is nothing to complain about. Getting indignant at taking advantage of a retailer is pretty strange in my opinion as normally they are the ones taking advantage of the consumer!

I think people like Smyths, though. They don't seem as greedy as many other stores and they are a friendly enough company with very few horror stories and always offer plenty of good deals (especially where gaming is concerned).

I can't speak for all, obviously, but Im a rasslin' fan, and when I used to buy the figures, they'd always be very quick to catch up with the US releases of figures where other stores like ToyMaster and World Of Wonder fell behind by months, and whenever a series went out of date or the weaker figures in the set weren't selling, Smyths would always reduce their prices and try to get rid of them, again, unlike others, who would leave the figures on the shelf for months at a time at full price in the hopw someone would buy them.

So from a personal standpoint, I like Smyths and I can see why other people do too.

I also like this thread actually. I think it should be linked to in a sticky or something on here. There's so many people moaning and complaining the whole time about Harvey this and argos that... it's nice to see that when a retailer does go ahead and put in a genuine effort, that their customer base will respect and appreciate them for it.

Little A · 03-12-2009 09:36AM

Smyths is a wholly owned Irish company who don;t tend to have some of the outragous price differences the english shop have (well except for games)

- They are very generous to the local community groups
- The have a very good returns policy
- they offer to compensate genuine customers who have come to the store after reserving something and it's nolonger there.

I think it is really unfair to proactively aim to bend the rules on a nice offer - all that will happen is they will stop these over and above the call of duty schemes. You'll end up with no returns policy and soon you'll be stuck with that 2nd copy of a game you already have or the pressie your kid just didn't want.

Not really in the spirit of things!!

slave1 · 03-12-2009 09:46AM

Their €10 system replaces their need for continuous stock cycle counting which would cost more that all the €10 refunds combined, it's clever, get your customers to point out where there are stock outs and as they will only point out what they want to buy Smyths will only restock items in demand.

Back to OP, not ethical especially from an employee, disappointing from an employer perspective, however I'm sure there are some that will benefit from it

Stealdo · 03-12-2009 09:48AM

Although I think that ordering something to get a voucher like this is horribly dishonest, I don't really get the level of indignation....how is this so much different from a misprice that people often clamour to get in on?

Is the mistake the justification? Would people take advantage of a misprice on Smyth's website despite all the nice things being said about them?

For anyone doing last minute shopping in Smyths.

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