Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Even fittings go on sale at Woolies
Tuesday 23rd December 2008, 11:41AM GMT.
From pick ’n’ mix bowls to fixtures and fittings and even a staff flip chart – even if it’s screwed down it was up for sale at Woolworths today.
The closing down sale at the doomed High Street chain has been extended to include display cabinets, wire shopping baskets and even the safe at shops throughout the West Midlands.
Bargain-hunters are being invited to make offers for the shop PA and CCTV systems at the right price, while in Wolverhampton’s Dudley Street branch today, the flip chart from the training room is up for grabs for £20 and the store’s three safes for £300 a piece.
Details of the mother of all sales were spelled out for early morning shoppers looking for an unusual Christmas present or momento of the the fallen former High Street retail giant. Among the towels, suitcases mugs and toys at the Wolverhampton store, which will shut on January 2, were used items from the shop’s training room, canteen, office, warehouse and sales floor. There were also photographs of the items.
Below a sign proclaiming ‘All fixtures and fittings and equipment for sale, please ask store manager for details’ was news of 40 green padded chairs sold as seen for £7 each.
Even the frames holding the signs declaring ‘Nine days to go,’ ‘Store closing – everything must go’ and ‘Total stock liquidation’ were on offer at a tenner each.
The sell-off came after a memo went to Woolies’ 800 branches throughout the UK from administrators keen to squeeze every last pound out of the stores in the frantic final days of trading. The chain is set to close by January 5 with the loss of up to 27,000 jobs but there is still a chance for one last payout for workers.
Staff are being offered hundreds of pounds in special bonuses depending on the amount of goods sold in the shop, right down to the chairs they sit on. Managers can pocket £200 more if they hit sales targets with a similar amount being shared by the rest of the staff. An extra tenner is added for every £100 above that figure that is realised.
Store closure dates include: December 27 – Wednesbury; December 30 – Halesowen, Stourbridge and West Bromwich; January 2 – Bilston, Bloxwich, Brierley Hill, Stafford and Wolverhampton; January 5 – Cannock, Lichfield and Wednesfield.
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A lot of people including me will actually be glad to see the back of Woolworths- truth is that it used to be a great company but in recent years sold overpriced uncompettitve rubbish hence why everyone went elsewhere
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True. I looked around a Woollies at the weekend, and saw that the boxed set of “LOST – series 1″ was ‘on-sale’ for £59.99. It wasnt that nuch when it first came out. You can get it now for under £30 everywhere else.
They can’t even get their sales right.
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“They can’t even get their sales right.”
Absolutely true. I bought some gift wrap, cards and some other bits and bobs all marked at 20% off (not cause they were cheap but because I needed them). When they were put through the checkout the deductions were more like 80% off! If they marked them with this discount then maybe they would have sold more!
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I want a pick ‘n’ mix bowl!! lol
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Good grief, TORQUAY MAN. Do you actually find joy in anything? I’d really hate to be you, especially at Christmas, it must be awfully tiring being so cynical!
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To be fair it’s not just Woolies selling rubbish!
Nearly all the shops selling christmas stuff are selling overpriced tat and people know that it’s going to end up half price so they wait.
As a Painter I often used to buy my rollers from Wollies, £1.59 for their basic one. Now I went in yesterday and this basic roller is in their sale at £2.69??? Work that one out!
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No 5
Cynical No Honest Yes
Woolworths just have not moved with the times.
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How terrible, the sales aren’t as good as you’d expect! All those workers losing their jobs and this is what we complain about. No wonder this country’s full of hatred at the moment.
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They’ve been misleading people. All DVD’s I saw for sale are available elsewhere, cheaper, likewise, books – they’ve actually put some of the prices up, then stuck a sticker on them. No wonder they’re in a mess. Two bit, two bob store management, makes you two bit and two bob in the till.
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Woolworths may not have moved with the times but to actually be glad to see 27,000 people lose their jobs is very small-minded indeed.
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Rambo Said ” To be fair it’s not only Woolies selling rubbish”
And guess where all this rubbish is made, yeap CHINA, is it any wonder the UK is losing so many jobs, the only thing we should be importing into this country is food that we can’t grow due to our climate, a once self sufficient country that once made the worlds
goods is fast becoming the Far Easts dustbin.
Former Jaguar worker
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I think it’s very sad, I don’t think there would be so much sorrow if it was any other retailer which was going to the wall.
As a child, I remember hating Marks & Spencer’s, because it was beige and sold boring things. Woolworths, on the other hand was red, and sold sweets and toys.
Woolworths has also stayed loyal to the traditional high street, while other retailers have taken flight to these vile out-of-town shopping centres.
Part of our towns will die when Woolworth’s goes – let’s hope somebody will buy the name and revive this wonderful brand.
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When I can afford to return to Dudley,for a holiday-
I will miss the store front sign (same as the Firkin sign), I agree that inside Woolies was no big deal, I used to look at he old tv show video rack- but that and the candy- were way too costly with the exchange rate-
Hey #1 Torquay stay where you are you will not be missed in the Black Country-
Rest in “pick n mix” peace
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Went into the Dudley store last week. Purchased, or rather got from the shelf the empty box for a video game. Joined the queu, 20 minutes later got to the till….to be told by the assistant, `Oh this one is out of stock` When I asked why there were empty boxes of the same all around the store, I was told, `We have to do this to get people in` The mind boggles. Also E & S how come no mention of the closure date for the Dudley Store????? Silly me, Dudley no longer exists, according to the E & S!!!
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Well said 8 (Michael) makes you sad you are British when everyone is moaning about the poor sale, have they ever been made redundant, been there done it got the tee shirt……..
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we live in north wales and in porthmadoc, many sale prices are higher than the previous retail, is’nt this illegal?
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Too bad to see Woolworths go down. Living in Canada since 1998. I only get back to my native Wolverhampton once in a blue moon. I loved going to Woolies and stocking up on Cadbury chocalate etc. The place just is not going to be the same next time I visit.
Although, if the Wolves are in the Premiership. It will more than make up for the loss of a retailer. Having said that, my heart goes out to all the Woolworth employees.
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Good-morning!
It is a sad thing indeed to see Woolworth,s
going down the drain.As long as I can remember
they have always been part of the average
High Street.I wish all those now becoming
redundent all the best.
FJ Bartling,Hilversum,Holland.
Once a lad from Dudley,never forgotten!
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It is so sad to see Woolies go but even more so for the 27,000 that have lost their jobs. I no longer live in the UK but I’m sure loosing Woolies in Stourbridge will a big loss to the town.
RIP Woolies
Long live Pick and Mix
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hi from dudley wood, many high street stores have sadly gone from dudley i am surprised beatties are still there.as a child i loved spending my pocket money on glitter pencils books and pick n mix.we also had lunch in littlewoods cafe, so many toys to choose from in woolies for christmas and birthdays miss you loads,dudley will never be the same.I have brought 2 little chrimbo salt and pepper penqiuns in the sale so every christmas these wil remind me of woolies for years to come.xx
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NEVER MIND SAME SHOP ANOTHER NAME SELLING THE SAME CRAP WILL OPEN.
I DO FEEL SORRY FOR ALL WOOLWORTH STAFF SOME WILL
NEVER FIND WORK AGAIN.THE OLDER YOU GET THE HARDER IT IS TO FIND WORK.NO MATTER WHAT REDUNDANCY IS GIVEN IT WILL HAVE TO LAST A LIFE TIME FOR SOME.MOST REDUNDANCY ARE EQ TO 12
WEEKS PAY.
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PENDING ON TIME SERVED .
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I work for Woolworths – we close soon – you should appreciate we work on a day to day basis being treated by the general public something they have trodden in – spoken to like it too – if it says it was £10 and it is now £1 they want to know why it isnt 50p – another one if it says 50% off marked price – how many people went to school because they are asking me constantly how much a £10.00 item is? well when I went to school 50% off £10 was errrhh $5.. need i say more……………
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I think it,s bloody sad!If all the scavenging B—–ds had shopped at Woolies before this disaster, then it would not be closing!!
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I Loved Woolies and shopped there alot.Its charm was that you could get loads of things without going to the supermarket and it was unpretentious. If you want cheap with poor customer service, buy online or at another cheap shop like Poundland. Woolies was always there and kept places going like Dudley, Bilston and Wednesfield.I have many memories of the Wolves shop especially when it was the biggest in Europe. Good luck to the employees in whatever you do and thanks for the good work you have done whilst at Woolies.
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