I quite like it now. I like that you can buy clothing that is more subtle than the full kit with just a sword or something on. I don't miss the rows and rows of holiday type tat with a logo clearly bunged on as an after thought.
What a different attitude to customers now. I remember when I paid a visit to the the portakabin shop ( we were then I believe playing at upton park and the valley was in limbo after the clean up ). A customer asked the shop manager if we could take some photo's and within minutes he unlocked the Valley gates and we found ourselves on our favourite east terrace spot.What a great bloke that manager was I think his name was Chris Tugwell-he could certainly teach the present administration about hood customer relations.
I don't think you can really blame the club for this. Security concerns put an end to this type of service years ago.
I had a similar experience, my first sight of the valley was during our exile. visit to the portakabin and loads of enthusiasm and warmth from that guy
20 odd years later still hooked. In some ways, thats the value of a club shop.
I experienced a vile finger jabbing tirade from Chris Tugwell once, when I suggested he shouldn't have had a two and a half hour lunch break and keep customers waiting for a response that only the shop manager could give. He also harassed me outside Upton Park when, as a supporters club person then, I was promoting the supporters club away coach travel, which was in competition to the away travel he was trying to establish. On that occasion I was even treated to a 'people like you' additional comment, which I thought was a bit rich coming from a Wimbledon supporter. As for the SUPERSTORE. Do me a favour, I would spend a little bit of money there if a) There was anything worth buying of any decent quality. b) It was possible to find stuff. c) If it was possible to traverse the space on matchdays without feeling I was on the subway during a Beijing rush hour.
Whatever you say about Mr Tugwell at least in his day you had things you wanted to buy.Sorry but the shop as it is now i have very little interest in. Anyone know how long the contract is with the shop as it is now and do Charlton still own the building.Have been asking questions before about the shop,but not been given any answers.
Whatever you say about Mr Tugwell at least in his day you had things you wanted to buy.Sorry but the shop as it is now i have very little interest in. Anyone know how long the contract is with the shop as it is now and do Charlton still own the building.Have been asking questions before about the shop,but not been given any answers.
They are in the second year of a 4 year contract, or was it 3, cant remember but was told earlier. so stuck with them a while unfortunately.
Bought my little boy the new kit today total cost for smallest small boys kit including name and number =£73 if u r buying the kit just letting people know the shorts are the same as last years and havent changed .
Blimey, my son wants the new kit, that's a lot of money.
Certainly is i had vouchers from my boys birthday which helped but if u have last seasons shorts then u only need top and socks shorts are the same . Only bought the shorts again other ones ruined otherwise would av put em back.
If the high prices were to the benefit of the club (100% over cost price going in to CAFC coffers) then I wouldn't feel so bad but cos we minged out as a club and sold our soul to Just Sport what is the percentage of profit that the club receive over cost price now ?
If the high prices were to the benefit of the club (100% over cost price going in to CAFC coffers) then I wouldn't feel so bad but cos we minged out as a club and sold our soul to Just Sport what is the percentage of profit that the club receive over cost price now ?
How do you know we 'minged out' I'm sure Just Sport will pay a fee of some sort to run the shop, maybe that fee is around the same amount the club used to earn from the shop.
I admit that I haven't been in the shop once since it was taken over, but I think the problem is partly one of confused objectives.
Fans want to buy quality (well, in the context of this market) merchandise at reasonable prices and will accept some premium on the basis it's good for the club and the Charlton items are largely unavailable elsewhere.
The club has looked at the offer and compared it with previous earnings against costs, plus the Nike kit deal against previous.
Ditto the decision to contract to change both kits every season, which a few years ago it explicitly promised not to do (and then did anyway in some cases).
The outsourcing also got several members of staff off its payroll and the club out of a business that historically it wasn't very good at. Our retail income has always been poor relative to attendances when benchmarked against other clubs, although there is a deeper issue here than just the way retail has been done.
The tighter the club's finances the more likely it is to take a narrowly financial approach, and potentially you will see it in other areas.
The obvious response is that if the shop better reflected what fans want the club / franchise would make more money, but that's not necessarily the case. Unless the franchisees are stupid they will sell lines that make the most profit - they are not going to be interested in whether fans want other items with a lower mark-up.
In short, we can't run (what's now) their business for them. But they ought to be open to lobbying so that they at least understand what fans think would make them money. And the club, which is on a mark-up, has an interest in facilitating that discussion, if the management is doing its job properly.
As for DVDs, that's partly my fault. But the previous CAFC retail management didn't want to sell them either, which is a part of the reason why they weren't included in the contract.
I must admit I didn't know the shop had new owners but it all makes sense now. The new establishment is sparse, sterile and unwelcoming with a corporate blandness that does nothing to invite custom. I occasionally venture in to kill a couple of minutes but invariably walk straight out again.
That's helpful Airman, thanks. Like most others have said here, I find the new shop unattractive. Sure, it looks like a posh shop but then that row of shops at Bluewater is not my thing either. The sterility and lack of range of products leaves me with no interest in shopping there. Coupled with the fact that Nike 'do not do sales' (an example being that you will never be able to buy a reduced shirt at the end of the season) means they are very unlikely to take any of my cash..............and I'm someone who was a frequent visitor and spender in there..........so it suggests that the marketing strategy is somewhat flawed. Like most things at CAFC these days, the supporter is far from the most important consideration in decision making at the club. Such a shame.
Comments
I had a similar experience, my first sight of the valley was during our exile. visit to the portakabin and loads of enthusiasm and warmth from that guy
20 odd years later still hooked. In some ways, thats the value of a club shop.
He also harassed me outside Upton Park when, as a supporters club person then, I was promoting the supporters club away coach travel, which was in competition to the away travel he was trying to establish. On that occasion I was even treated to a 'people like you' additional comment, which I thought was a bit rich coming from a Wimbledon supporter.
As for the SUPERSTORE. Do me a favour, I would spend a little bit of money there if
a) There was anything worth buying of any decent quality.
b) It was possible to find stuff.
c) If it was possible to traverse the space on matchdays without feeling I was on the subway during a Beijing rush hour.
Anyone know how long the contract is with the shop as it is now and do Charlton still own the building.Have been asking questions before about the shop,but not been given any answers.
Crazy.
Real money will still buy you the same shit, but it can also buy you a beer or some grub!
I don't know for a fact if that is what we get but I doubt it is far off.
Fans want to buy quality (well, in the context of this market) merchandise at reasonable prices and will accept some premium on the basis it's good for the club and the Charlton items are largely unavailable elsewhere.
The club has looked at the offer and compared it with previous earnings against costs, plus the Nike kit deal against previous.
Ditto the decision to contract to change both kits every season, which a few years ago it explicitly promised not to do (and then did anyway in some cases).
The outsourcing also got several members of staff off its payroll and the club out of a business that historically it wasn't very good at. Our retail income has always been poor relative to attendances when benchmarked against other clubs, although there is a deeper issue here than just the way retail has been done.
The tighter the club's finances the more likely it is to take a narrowly financial approach, and potentially you will see it in other areas.
The obvious response is that if the shop better reflected what fans want the club / franchise would make more money, but that's not necessarily the case. Unless the franchisees are stupid they will sell lines that make the most profit - they are not going to be interested in whether fans want other items with a lower mark-up.
In short, we can't run (what's now) their business for them. But they ought to be open to lobbying so that they at least understand what fans think would make them money. And the club, which is on a mark-up, has an interest in facilitating that discussion, if the management is doing its job properly.
As for DVDs, that's partly my fault. But the previous CAFC retail management didn't want to sell them either, which is a part of the reason why they weren't included in the contract.