E-cash discount

[LowerWesty]

Sorry Miffy, didn't read your post before I wrote mine. If it appears I'm disagreeing with your post, I'm not I agree with all of it.

 

[Miffy]

Nice short notice when most people are away on holiday too so no time to get in before the incentive goes

 

[grummitts gloves]

Nice one. Barber strikes again!

 

[Miffy]

Sorry Miffy, didn't read your post before I wrote mine. If it appears I'm disagreeing with your post, I'm not I agree with all of it.

You're good - read it as you saying the same thing. Queues in the shop on the "special" days will be huge - they're big enough to out most people off on those days as it is and if they get bigger it'll only be worse. So the one off shoppers who will only spend on the offer day benefit - and the ones who probably spend the most across the year don't. Pure. Fricking. Stupidity.

Not sure how much of the merchandise sales makes up the takings for FFP but it wouldn't surprise me if the increased take on food is outweighed by the decrease in merchandise sales. Start of the season will look good with new shirt sales etc ... Lets see where it is beyond that if repeat sales dry up.

 

[Gazwag]

I just don't understand the mentality of it - surely anybody who works in retail knows if you offer an incentive you will sell more, as somebody says above how many people will actually buy stuff in the shop on a non-matchday now. Saving £4 on a new shirt making the cost £36 instead of £40 is quite an incentive, even though it is just £4 I would expect this could make a difference, especially if you have a couple of kids, three new shirts will be £12 cheaper. Many people, never go into the shop on a matchday as it is so busy, what incentive have they now got to visit it on a non matchday.

 

[Superphil]

I just don't understand the mentality of it - surely anybody who works in retail knows if you offer an incentive you will sell more, as somebody says above how many people will actually buy stuff in the shop on a non-matchday now. Saving £4 on a new shirt making the cost £36 instead of £40 is quite an incentive, even though it is just £4 I would expect this could make a difference, especially if you have a couple of kids, three new shirts will be £12 cheaper. Many people, never go into the shop on a matchday as it is so busy, what incentive have they now got to visit it on a non matchday.

I'm only asking because I don't know, but what percentage of annual sales are made on non match days? It may well be that the percentage is so small that it will make little difference to the club. Matchdays the place is buzzing for an hour or more pre match, constant stream of people buying, all tills in use. I went on a non matchday, mid week, once, and seriously, there was one person working the tills, who was arranging a shelf of merch while I was walking around the shop, only went to the till when I did, no-one else in there. Does anyone know for sure what the numbers are?

 

[Gazwag]

I'm only asking because I don't know, but what percentage of annual sales are made on non match days? It may well be that the percentage is so small that it will make little difference to the club. Matchdays the place is buzzing for an hour or more pre match, constant stream of people buying, all tills in use. I went on a non matchday, mid week, once, and seriously, there was one person working the tills, who was arranging a shelf of merch while I was walking around the shop, only went to the till when I did, no-one else in there. Does anyone know for sure what the numbers are?

We purchased our 2 shirts on a non matchday, also I assume it will mean all internet sales will be zero cashback in future.

Interestingly the letter which came with the wallet and fixture card states "Retail cashback will no longer be available for all matches. Instead, cashback for merchandise sales will be product or match specific" which is different from the email.

 

[Miffy]

I'm only asking because I don't know, but what percentage of annual sales are made on non match days? It may well be that the percentage is so small that it will make little difference to the club. Matchdays the place is buzzing for an hour or more pre match, constant stream of people buying, all tills in use. I went on a non matchday, mid week, once, and seriously, there was one person working the tills, who was arranging a shelf of merch while I was walking around the shop, only went to the till when I did, no-one else in there. Does anyone know for sure what the numbers are?

Wouldn't that make it smarter to offer bigger incentives on non match days rather than remove them though? They are too busy on the match day as it is so it doesn't make sense to persuade more people to make it even worse. Whereas if they close it during the week it doesn't look good and they're risking alienating the ones that do go then, making it so there is even less traffic and even more of a waste of money staffing it.

I'm still really confused about what happens on match days too. From the letter sent out it really looks like its not automatic cashback on all match days but only on designated ones and the email really doesn't clarify this for me but just confuses it more.

If I turn up a over 90 minutes early do I get 15% discount on merchandise, 10% discount on selected merchandise and special offers only or no discount unless its a match that they decide the discount applies

 

[Miffy]

We purchased our 2 shirts on a non matchday, also I assume it will mean all internet sales will be zero cashback in future.

Good point especially when the postage charges are already ludicrously high as it is.

Does it mean that the Queens Road store will not have any discount at any time either? Not everyone will be buying from the Amex superstore

 

[Gazwag]

If I turn up a over 90 minutes early do I get 15% discount on merchandise, 10% discount on selected merchandise and special offers only or no discount unless its a match that they decide the discount applies

You are right, I have just re-read the letter and I must admit I assumed the tiered discounts apply to food and drink, I believe it is intended to do this BUT it doesn't actually say this.

Again and again nobody at the club seems able to proof read communications

 

[Thunder Bolt]

You are right, I have just re-read the letter and I must admit I assumed the tiered discounts apply to food and drink, I believe it is intended to do this BUT it doesn't actually say this.

Again and again nobody at the club seems able to proof read communications

I assumed it only applied to food & drink.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

You are right, I have just re-read the letter and I must admit I assumed the tiered discounts apply to food and drink, I believe it is intended to do this BUT it doesn't actually say this.

Again and again nobody at the club seems able to proof read communications

I thought Barber was brought in to run the club more professionally. Communications is utter pants on his watch. Mind you, what was once straight forward ie travel and cash back, now seems so bloody complicated its no wonder messages get muddled.

 

[Superphil]

Wouldn't that make it smarter to offer bigger incentives on non match days rather than remove them though? They are too busy on the match day as it is so it doesn't make sense to persuade more people to make it even worse. Whereas if they close it during the week it doesn't look good and they're risking alienating the ones that do go then, making it so there is even less traffic and even more of a waste of money staffing it.

?

I asked the question, what are the percentages? If 90% of sales are on match days, what's the point of incentivising for non match days? Bear in mind there are 25k plus there on matchdays, nothing like that number go to the Amex in a week. I really can't imagine the club are doing this to lose money, believe it or not, their agenda is to make money, they know the facts, the statistics, the numbers, they have (now) got some astute people responsible for making sure the clubs maximises sales and revenue.

FWIW Personally I think they should have left the discounts, but truthfully, if I am buying football merchandise, it's a luxury item, I don't need it, if I get a discount because I buy on a matchday, then it's a bonus. What other clubs give ALL their STH a 10% discount across the board on their club store items?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

And if the cash-back is diffucult for the club to write coherent emails about , and we cannot figure it out, god knows what the poor untrained Sodexo staff are going to do.

 

[clapham_gull]

What other clubs give ALL their STH a 10% discount across the board on their club store items?

Swansea, Southampton and Doncaster via a quick Google search.

 

[Miffy]

Think you might have misread the tone of my reply as wasn't being argumentative with you - I understood what you were asking I just didn't understand how they decided that the solution to being too busy on match day was to get more people shopping then. The point of incentivising on non match days is to persuade more people to shop outside of busiest times if they can. They have to have a certain number of staff there during the week so can't save on those wages but increasing traffic on match day could well need more staff so will increase costs. It just doesn't see logical to me. I can even understand persuading people to shop earlier by offering higher discount early and benefitting the transport situation but I don't understand removing the incentive on non match days. It just doesn't make business sense to me.

Anyway - after days of trying to clarify the situation the official twitter team have just replied to say that the tiered system DOES apply to match day merchandise purchases so it is possible to obtain up to 15% discount. Now that at least makes sense. I'm still not sure if its only for certain matches or why that's in total contradiction to the information in the letter sent out but at least it now makes more sense.

 

[Superphil]

Swansea, Southampton and Doncaster via a quick Google search.

Saints make up for it by charging £50 for a replica short, Swanse £45, neither offer discount for online sales.

So there you go, a handful of clubs do it, and we are one of them.

 

[brightn'ove]

If they aren't careful, these perks that will have undoubtedly kept custom coming, may result in losing custom altogether.

Foolish move imo.

 

[8ace]

Surprised the discount last that long - it was only introduced as incentive to stop losing more STHs holders at the Withdean.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Is the ground still open 90 mins after an evening game?

Very shabby to announce all this now season tickets sold and many have put cash on their cards.

I fear one of the next 'cost cutting' measures will be the closure of the Queens Road shop. After all, it no longer sells tickets and, so it seems will not be the place for discounts.