And it's a shame to see them in this much sh!t - I've got fond memories of them. Especially since my first job was as a Saturday girl in the main Edinburgh branch.

 

Funnily enough, it's an Edinburgh branch that I work at.

 

The CD charts this week in Woolies will look very strange because they've pushed albums they have plenty of stock for to the top (Alesha Dixon, Pink) and the albums they're short on (Killers, GnR etc) have been moved lower down temporarily until we can get a steady replenishment for it, which I hear could be happening sometime this week or next. And there's also a whole load of the sale £5 ones been moved in lower down the chart to make up the numbers, so things like Mika, Take That (Best Of & Beautiful World), Will Young (Keep On), Mark Ronson, Akon and a good few others I'm forgetting will be in our charts now. And if we sell out of something then we have to take it off and infill it with one from a list of sale titles, so if you see something ridiculous at number 2 for example, it doesn't mean we're completely screwed and having to put 2 year old sale albums high up the chart, it just means that store will have sold out of Pink CDs and that one is just to go in its place until they get more in.

 

And deltaofdreams is right, people think we're having some sort of massive closing down sale, which just isn't true at all. Most items are priced pretty much in line with what everyone else is selling them at, and there are many things that are more expensive. But that's because everyone does that this time of year because they know people will pay it.

 

Games-wise things are a bit sparse for the Wii and DS, but my store certainly still has plenty of PS3 and Xbox 360 titles and some of them have had their prices lowered this week in order to remain competitive (at least that what it said on the communication...). The main ones I noticed were Gears Of War 2 (360) for £34.99, Lego Batman (360) for £29.99, Pro Evo 2009 (360) for £29.99, Fallout 3 (360) for £34.99. Can't remember any of the PS3 ones to be honest since I don't have one. :P

 

But chances are we will have items behind the counter that may not be out on the shelf as all chart dropouts haven't been sent back for the past few weeks (for obvious reasons), so if you're after a specific title then just ask at the counter and they'll tell you the price if they have it. You may get a good deal as I know Lego Batman wasn't in our 360 chart this week but has had the price reduced.

And quite a few names are interested in the Woolies retail arm, including Tesco!,

 

Let's face it, Tesco can afford to buy them and not even notice their profit fall (I think they made something like £2 billion last year).

Let's face it, Tesco can afford to buy them and not even notice their profit fall (I think they made something like £2 billion last year).

 

Tesco already have a very successful in-house operation which delivers all entertainment products to stores - They also deal direct with record lables meaning they get them at the lowest price possible and avoid issues such as the recent EUK one. I am sure they will be keen to buy EUK and intergrate it into their exsisting entertainment operation.

Tesco already have a very successful in-house operation which delivers all entertainment products to stores - They also deal direct with record lables meaning they get them at the lowest price possible and avoid issues such as the recent EUK one. I am sure they will be keen to buy EUK and intergrate it into their exsisting entertainment operation.

 

actually i think Tesco's very successful in-house operation is what has f***ed up EUK as Tesco used to get their stuff from EUK a couple of years ago...

For the second week in a row, my local Woolworths haven't posted a chart at all, and just seemingly placed all the available CDs on the shelf in some sort of random order, making it virtually impossible to find anything. I couldn't even see the Killers album there at all.

actually i think Tesco's very successful in-house operation is what has f***ed up EUK as Tesco used to get their stuff from EUK a couple of years ago...

 

Asda was actually EUKs biggest account as Tesco have always dealt with main releases direct with suplliers rather than going through EUK - Their troubles started when due to poor service levels they lost some of their big accounts including Asda who mioved across to T.H.E distribution.

But EUK was a profitable company which was lumbered together with woolies.

For the second week in a row, my local Woolworths haven't posted a chart at all, and just seemingly placed all the available CDs on the shelf in some sort of random order, making it virtually impossible to find anything. I couldn't even see the Killers album there at all.

 

See my previous post: if a CD is sold out in that store they'll have taken it off and replaced it with either a sale CD or a chart dropout. The chart is there, and when we start getting CD deliveries in again (hopefully this week or next) then titles will start reappearing where they should be. For example, in my Edinburgh store we only got 2 copies of The Killers' CD and that didn't even last until the end of the first day. In the meantime, if you ask at the counter they'll be able to tell you if they have anything specific you're looking for. :)

Asda was actually EUKs biggest account as Tesco have always dealt with main releases direct with suplliers rather than going through EUK - Their troubles started when due to poor service levels they lost some of their big accounts including Asda who mioved across to T.H.E distribution.

 

yeah knew it was one of the big supermarket chains that pulled out

Well apparently we've got a MASSIVE sale starting tomorrow - there's people in on night shift setting everything up. Not sure what CD's, DVD's etc. will be in it, but even though I'm not working tomorrow I'll be taking a trip up to see if I can get some bargain Christmas presents. And maybe some bargain stuff for myself. :P

I might have to go in the morning then... I've got to get up anyway so may as well go on my way into uni!

 

 

Who put Woolies on eBay ?

Woolies was busy this morning you couldn't even get inside, everything was 50%, everyone was walking out with at least 5 bagfulls, and I did notice the cue was going round the aisles to get check out.

I was in my local branch just now, and it looked like it had had a tornado blow through it. The offers weren't that great on the DVDs though, and there weren't any CDs left I fancied!

Woolies was busy this morning you couldn't even get inside, everything was 50%, everyone was walking out with at least 5 bagfulls, and I did notice the cue was going round the aisles to get check out.

 

No, it's not - I didn't notice *anything* in our Woolies that was 50% off: everything was either 10% of 20% off.

 

Unless they're going to be reducing the stuff to 50% before Christmas - in which case, all hell will be unleashed.

It's meant to be an up to 50% sale, but I didn't see anything at 50% off either...

The Wonderful Sound Of Woolies

30th December

10.30-11.30pm BBC RADIO 2

 

In 1909 Woolworth & Co opened their first shop in the UK. Today,

people will be familiar with the financial difficulties the store is

facing, but may not be aware of the role Woolworths has played in

bringing music to the masses.

 

Presenter Brain Matthew takes listeners on a 70-year journey looking

at Woolworths' musical contribution, its "popular music on a budget"

ethos and its own-brand recordings from the turn of the 20th century

to the Seventies.

 

The programme looks at Woolworths' own labels, including Little

Wonder, Little Marvel, Victory, Crown, Eclipse, Embassy and finally,

in the Seventies, Chevron, which featured singers like Al Jolson, Al

Bowlly, Vera Lynn, Mrs Jack Hylton and Sir Henry Cooper. Vera Lynn

sold a million records on the Crown label years before becoming the

"Forces' Sweetheart".

 

Brian looks at how the music changed from accordion and xylophone

solos through to The Beatles, Roy Orbison and even Gary Numan cover

versions; and where the Monty Python team discovered two of their

best-known pieces of music, which were then adapted for their own

purposes. He also traces how the discs changed from 5" through to 10"

and back again; and how recording techniques changed from

direct-to-vinyl via a huge horn to using an electric microphone.

 

The programme features new interviews with Dame Vera Lynn, who sings a

few lines of her first-ever recording on the Crown label a capella;

Henry Cooper, who talks about his version of Henery The Eighth I Am;

Ken Barrie, also known as Postman Pat, who used to sing cover versions

for the Embassy label; Mike Redway, who sang cover versions of Cliff

Richard songs and records again, especially for The Wonderful Sound Of

Woolies, the only version of We'll Have A Woolworth Wedding, written

especially for the occasion of Norman Woolworth's wedding in

Westminster Abbey.

 

Presenter/Brian Matthew, Producer/Clive Stanhope

BBC Radio 2 Publicity

That sounds really interesting. Radio 2 are really coming up with the goods lately :)

It's meant to be an up to 50% sale, but I didn't see anything at 50% off either...

 

To clarify, yes the sale is everything has up to 50% off excluding lottery, newspapers and magazines. CDs, DVDs and games are all 10% off and while most of them are sold out or selling out by the minute we are starting to get deliveries back in again. So our branch got a big delivery of albums yesterday morning with plenty of Britney, Rhydian, Pink, Leona etc. Because we were so busy though (and I do mean HEAVING. I was serving all day with 2 other people and saw the end of the queue twice!) we barely had time to set them up properly and I suspect other branches will be the same. So as I say, if you're after something then ask at the entertainment desk if there's someone available, but since money is tight and we're so busy you might find you'll have to just wait in the queue to ask them when you get to the front.

 

The 50% off items are greetings cards, Christmas giftshop and schoolwear.

17:40 GMT, Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Woolworths in store closure sales

BBC NEWS

 

Woolworths is to hold a store closure sale in all its 815 outlets from Thursday amid growing concern that a buyer will not be found for the firm.

 

Administrator Deloitte said that if no offers for Woolworths were forthcoming, "it is possible that some stores may close before the end of December".

 

It added that it would consult with the retailer's 30,000 staff over support available in the event of redundancies.

 

Separate talks are continuing over the sale of Woolworths' store leases.

 

'Maximising sales'

 

It is thought that Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco, the Co-op and discount chain Poundland are still interested in picking up some of the retailer's prime stores.

 

"We continue to make every effort to convert interest in the Woolworths assets into firm offers," said Deloitte partner Neville Kahn.

"While we are still seeking bids from interested parties, Christmas is clearly the busiest time of the year for retailers and it is prudent to do all we can to sell existing stock.

"By moving to a store closing sale and further discounting the stock, we are maximising the sales potential that this period offers."

 

BBC business editor Robert Peston said it was telling that Woolworths stores may now start to close by the end of this month.

 

"This isn't the end for Woolworths, but it is a black day, and many people will see it as the beginning of the end."

 

Woolworths went into administration on 26 November with £385m of debt.

 

The firm's music, DVD and games distribution subsidiary, Entertainment UK, is also in administration.

Last week, rival retailer Zavvi, which is a customer of Entertainment UK, said the situation was causing shortages of certain products in its stores.

 

Media publishing business 2Entertain, in which Woolworths owns a 40% stake is not in administration. The other 60% of this business is owned by BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial division.