Forum Topic

Waitrose staff bonus.

Its just been announced that Waitrose, which together with John Lewis is the John Lewis Partnership and has made a splendid profit this year...it will pay their staff(known as Partners!) a healthy 17% bonus of their annuan salaries! Well done!  If the JLP can do so well, how come the rest of the country is grubbing along at the bottom of the profits margin?

Gerry Tan ● 4773d42 Comments

The staff said they might be getting some later this year. Not before time.

Susan Kelly ● 4738d

Sorry - that was my mistake.I do apologise.I genuinely though that I had seen some there but clearly I was wrong because I avoid them like the plague myself and so never got close enough to see for sure until my next visit after advising that there were some.Ever since then I've been wondering which thread I made the mistake on so I could correct it and now I know!Sorry.

Tony Colliver ● 4738d

Went into Waitrose today and there are NO self-service tills. Why would anyone say that there are when this is demonstrably untrue?

Susan Kelly ● 4739d

The funny thing is that the size of the average Waitrose bonus this year at 17% of salary is higher than the average bonus paid to employees of Barclays Bank. Barclays' staff are also noticeable for earning less than the median wage when calculated across the whole workforce) - the earn less than the median public sector wage.Maybe it's time to move on from Fat Cat bankers to Fat Cat retailers?

Tony Gould ● 4768d

Thanks, I shall look out for them next time, although Waitrose is good at having enough tills open.

Susan Kelly ● 4768d

Right next to the customer service desk at the end of the checkouts nearest the door.They are quite inconspicuous as these types of checkout go.

Tony Colliver ● 4769d

Where are they, Tony? I don't go there much any more but was in a couple of weeks ago and didn't see any. I think they're a god-send. The queues at Sainsbury in West Ealing used to be a nightmare till they installed them.

Susan Kelly ● 4770d

The West Ealing branch of Waitrose does have some self-service tills.Personally, I avoid them at all cost - dreadful things in my opinion.

Tony Colliver ● 4770d

I'd forgotten Fine Fare. Just looked them up and the last one closed (or became a Gateway) in 1986. Where do the years go?

Nigel Brooks ● 4771d

Fine Fare: also long gone. My dad used to manage one of those.

Susan Kelly ● 4771d

Well said Gerry! those little independents, open all hours, provide a great service. Long may they survive, because it cant be easy for them.

Marie Shelny ● 4771d

There used to be Bentalls and W H Cullens - both excellent stores, but sadly gone into outer darkness now.Oh, I almost forgot...there's Mr Sunny Patel and his dear wife Mrs Patel in the tiny corner shop on a small street in deepest W13 - still providing a good service.

Gerry Tan ● 4771d

Wider aisles, so you do not feel so hemmed in, really polite, helpful, friendly staff, who all seem cheerful. If you can not find something or there doesn't seen to be any left, they will check out the back for you or take you to it and if they're out of stock, will let you know when it will be in.

Jaz Brown ● 4771d

Let's not forget MacFisheries (1979), International Stores (1994 - I thought it was earlier),Home & Colonial Stores (1972), Somerfield (name disappeared in 2009 when taken over by the Co-Op), and David Greig (once a rival to Sainsbury's) which disappeared in 1972.

Nigel Brooks ● 4771d

Dear God, was it really that long ago!?!The staff in Waitrose are always polite, friendly and efficient and they usually have enough tills open. Just wish they would get a few self-service tills for people with only a handful of items.

Susan Kelly ● 4771d

Why is it 'nicer' to shop at Waitrose Jaz?

Keith Iddon ● 4771d

Safeway  was acquired by Morrisons in March 2004. Most of its stores were rebranded as Morrisons.The brand disappeared from the UK on 24 November 2005.

Nigel Brooks ● 4771d

Shopping in Waitrose all together is a much nicer experience than Sainsbury, Tesco, Morrison or Asda and definitely Lidl. And if you buy Waitrose essentials, then there is very little if not any difference from other supermarkets. The service is excellent. Once I started shopping there I very rarely go to any other supermarket.

Jaz Brown ● 4771d

Has Safeways disappeared?  Where did it go and when please?

Gerry Tan ● 4771d

Sainsbury do that thing where they give you a receipt showing how much you saved over other supermarkets. If you buy a few bottles of wine half price, it's quite funny as they say you've saved thirty quid or something.

Susan Kelly ● 4771d

Blimey Gerry, Safeways disappeared a good few years ago (weren't they taken over by Morrison's).I have just put a small shopping basket (around £22.00)together on mysupermarket (milk, couple of loaves of bread, eggs, tea, tomato sauce, fish fingers, orange juice, frozen peas, sausages). All branded and the results were that Waitrose were £0.34 more expensive than Sainsbury's who, in turn were £0.90 more expensive than Asda.Tesco's had (has) offers on the bread and milk and were cheapest of all by a whopping £1.65 when compared to Waitrose . Take out the special offers and they were £0.02 cheaper than Sainsbury's.Here endeth the work for today. ;-)

Nigel Brooks ● 4771d

Nigel that's very interesting. I've asked some neighbours, friends and relatives which is the most expensive/cheapest supermkt in Ealing and they all say Waitrose, then M&S, then the same'ish at Sainsburys, Safewayw, Tescos and Morrisons. They kinda implied that Asda, Lidl and others are cheapest. They all agreed that the "indpendant" trader is quite often the most expensive. Now, how accurate this small random survey is anyone's guess.

Gerry Tan ● 4771d

Not really Keith.I print off my shopping list from mysupermarket and with only one exception have found it accurate.I looked at doing a 'four shop shop'. Asda are invariably cheaper on many items but the nearest Asda is in Hounslow. as to the others there are pennies between them and it's not worth either the time or petrol to drive between stores to save a pound.Morrisons don't put their prices online save for offers and my nearest one (Brentford) I believe stocks products to meet its local clients - loads of convenience foods and a limited range. They obviously haven't noticed that Brentford is moving upmarket.

Nigel Brooks ● 4772d

What if you were to buy the cheaper of the compared items at either supermarket Nigel.Would you not save considerably more?

Keith Iddon ● 4772d

Good luck with that!When I tried using that site I uncovered all sorts of anomolies which quickly led me to conclude that it was a completely unreliable source of pricing information.(I had each of the main supermarket web sites open whilst I used the mysupermarket.com web site to build a basket that I could perform direct comparisons on using my own eyes in real time.  It did a disastrous job of it - the pricing was all wrong and it was frequently quite unable to match up products from the various supermarkets substituting instead rediculous "comparable" products even though the supermarkets concerned did actually stock the identical products that it claimed they did not.)

Tony Colliver ● 4772d

I use mysupermarket.com to compare prices.Last week, across a full and 'normal' shopping basket, Waitrose were £0.65 more expensive then Tesco on a £72.00 shop. I save that on petrol by shopping at Waitrose so I thought - why not?

Nigel Brooks ● 4772d

i normally pop into sainsburys at west ealing to pick up bits and pieces on the way home from the school run. i was interested in the comments on here about waitrose prices being more competitive so i went there this morning for the 4 items that i needed, and then i went to sainsburys. the price difference waitrose v sainsburys was £3.22 v £2, £1.36 v £1, £1.47 v £1.05, £2.78 v £2. these were the only 4 things i needed, and were therefore totally random and exactly like for like in product size etc. good luck to JLP but i'll be sticking to sainsburys.

Milena Vincic ● 4772d

Andy Street (Managing Director, John Lewis) was interviewed on the radio yesterday morning. He sounded genuinely 'chuffed' for all of the partners and came across as someone who really cared about his business rather than simply 'spinning for the shareholders'.

Nigel Brooks ● 4772d

Can't argue with that. In a different kind of world perhaps all businesses would be run like John Lewis, but it isn't a different kind of world. As I recall, the CEO gets a very low salary compared with others in the sector and what he could be earning elsewhere. Nice to know that there are some people for whom money isn't everything.

Susan Kelly ● 4772d

But that would defeat the object.  :-)

Tony Colliver ● 4772d

I agree, Gerry. I'd buy shares in them if there were any.

Susan Kelly ● 4772d

Not that I am an employee, and clearly not a shareholder, but it is very convenient that I can purchase John Lewis products on line and pick them up at Waitrose, West Ealing the next day.  Far easier than trudging up to the West End (or Brent Cross)or waiting at home for your delivery slot.Apologies if you all knew that as I am commonly somewhat behind the curve.

Philip Coe ● 4772d

Yes, those excellent Partners of the John Lewis Partnership made about £410M profit this last trading year and will enjoy a record 17% bonus in addition to their individual salaries! Think I'll go to Waitrose tomorrow and get me a case of Burgundy, some aged Aberdeen Angus prime fore rib beef and a selection of root vegetables and have a feast this weekend - all on offer! Each week, Waitrose have excellent special offers on wines and other lines - if you buy a case of 6 bottles on special offer, you get an extra 5% discount on top of the offer price! Waitrose are great traders - no wonder they do well financially.

Gerry Tan ● 4772d

I heartily agree with all of that.Doesn't alter my original point one bit however.

Tony Colliver ● 4773d

gerry the rich get richer!more money to spend, and wisely spent at the posher shopsStory over I say

R Gill ● 4773d

Some of their high street peers also give bonuses to all staff - Tesco and Sainsbury's both give out company shares to staff at all grades.

Tony Gould ● 4773d

I would like to see most big companies run on the John Lewis Partnership lines. Make you employees part of the company they serve and things can only get better and fairer. And maybe some professional football clubs could learn a lesson. Involve the fans you spend your time exploiting! I shop at Westfield's Waitrose quite often, find the staff pleasant and helpful and the prices reasonable. They also help British farming.

Michael Wale ● 4773d

I'm not and I shop there as their prices are often identical to Tescos and Sainsburys (believe me I check).They will match prices for items online (subject to few sensible conditions) and their service is excellent.As example, my son got his laptop computer from JLP online because of the free two year warranty. Between order and three-day delivery the price dropped by £55. I thought that I would ask if they would price match their own product. No questions, simply an apology that the price had not been altered automatically. The refund to his card was posted the day before his laptop arrived. Guess what, the laptop was 'dead on arrival'. One phone call secured the replacement which was sent by courier and arrived the same day along with a return bag for the dead laptop and a number to call to have it collected at a time to suit.That's why they have such loyal customers!

Nigel Brooks ● 4773d

They are a well organised company with motivated staff at every level. That is a key. When you work for firms that demotivate are you likely to provide that little extra. a lesson to all companies.

Peter Chadburn ● 4773d

JLP are a wonderful success story.They deliver great service for which, even in these straitened times, people are prepared to pay a small premium.Their online presence is easy to use with very competitive prices something that killed Comet) and their stores have well-trained competent staff (something that killed Jessops).Well done to them say I. Perhaps more stores would do well to follow their partnership model where the partners (staff) have a real interest in the bottom line rather than feeling that they are simply 'cogs' generating cash for some overseas pension fund.

Nigel Brooks ● 4773d

Perhaps the key thing is the 'partnership' concept, where every member of staff feels that they have a stake in making the business successful. Certainly the check-out staff tend to be a cut above the other supermarkets.

Susan Kelly ● 4773d

Waitrose customers are relatively well-heeled and are feeling the pinch less than others.

Tony Colliver ● 4773d