What are you all up to
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I occasionally use JL for on line shopping, we have the large JL at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol or the smaller one in Exeter. I suppose they are the only shops I might travel to visit and very rarely Ikea too.
Through lockdown Boots has proved to be very good with a £25 spend for free delivery and usually arriving the next day.
Today I got an enormous Lindt Nocciolatte Easter egg from the Waitrose delivery as a substitute for a much smaller one....if I was nearer to you all I would share it out!
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I miss BHS, my sister used to be a branch manager years ago. BHS used to do some very good value men's clothing for everyday wear and I quite liked their shirts which were sized well!!! I don't like tight fitting clothes. I have found that both JL and M&S have gone a bit too trendy with their menswear selection and sizing in the last 10 years. I appreciate I may have expanded but not as fast as they have gone the other way!!! There used to be something I think called "Bradford Sizing" which was meant to be a standard, it worked something like this a size 12 you added 20 to equate to a 32 inch chest size and so on and so forth. I can buy a shirt from different suppliers and for the same given size it can range from being unable to do the buttons up to something akin to a tent!!!
David
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I heard that the Chester JL store closing as well. It's set on a shopping centre area called the Greyhound as that's where the old Greyhound racing stadium used to be along with the old Chester Football Ground. We didn't use it a great deal but have bought items from it on occasion. The biggest loss will be that it will take away footfall competition for electrical items and leave only Currys as the main supplier with a store.
We miss the old BHS and Owen Owen stores as well but such is life. Opportunities for others to step in if they can.
A long walk today. There's washing on the line with a brisk breeze blowing. Lawns are cut and weeds extracted just in time for brown bin day tomorrow.
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David you are so right with regard to sizing! Complete nightmare even within the same range, same style in the same shop!
There's a store for the larger endowed ladies in the chest region. I have joined these ladies
. Their designs are cut to accommodate just this area, it's been great not to have to go up a size to get a fit in one area and oversized in other areas like arm length, (Why do designers assume a couple of inches on the chest equals longer arms or legs?). In fact this store has 3 choices for this curvious area. Always been good, buttons in proper places to avoid gaping, no pulling and puckering etc. But now they have gone skinny everywhere apart from this area, beautiful fit over shoulders and bust then it's like a an unflattering corset, sometimes resembling corrugated cardboard 😱,not on me you understand. If this is mentioned to the staff they say lots of people say the same!! I rarely buy their clothing these days.My friend who is 5"9" and always wears 4'inch heels complains that long summer dresses and skirts are too long for her. I just look at her and say I offer free street cleaning service if I buy one.........
So much hassle buying clothes to fit, no idea why anyone considers clothes buying as an enjoyable hobby?
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I think what JL are reckoning is that people will be prepared to travel to visit a store, time will tell if that is correct. In the case of Chester the alternative is Liverpool or Cheadle not places you just pop out to. The Chester store seems to be one of the JL at Home stores which were started not so many years ago as a relatively cheap way of getting a wider spread of stores around the country. For comparison Chester has just under 40000 sq ft of selling space but Peterborough, when it opened, had 150000 sq ft. Kitchen appliances I would just buy online now as I don't think I learn anything from staring at a white box. However something like a TV I would probably want to see it in action before buying?
David
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I agree about the TV David. We bought a new one a couple of years ago and completly changed our minds as to the make and model after going into JL and looking at them 'in action' and speaking to a very helpful member of staff. I have had look at the profiles of the board members of JL - all relatively new appointments and very few if any with a retail background. I am of the opinion that they have jumped the gun and will realise in a year or two that they have made a mistake. I thought that some JLs in large shopping malls had an agreement to pay a much smaller rent as they acted as the 'draw' to bring in smaller retailers?
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Our friend's daughter was a director at JL, she jumped ship a few years back, we wondered why at the time but I think things were starting to change. She was one of the entrants who were originally trained from scratch so they knew the system and the customers.
I wonder what happens to all the "partners" in these dramtic changes and closures?
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DK, yes it was just an "at home" store.
Just had a look to see if our Santander branch was amongst the closures but it isn't.
Full list can be found at following
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brue, yes OH and I were discussing it yesterday and wondered about the 'partners'. It says it all really that the present directors are not trained from scratch. Do they really know what is happening on the shop floor? I worked for the NHS and it was the same there. They sat in their offices 'crunching numbers' and had no clue how the system worked 'at the coal face'.
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The Parachuting of graduates into senior jobs with little or no experiance of the company or how it works is not a new phenominum? it was happening when i was expected to take graduates (as they could absorb knowledge?)in 1992 ,and had no work experiance
When i questioned one , if a fitter had a problem could he give assistants his answer "that is not for me to do that is why we have supervisors"
And it has it seems got worse, some of the directors in most companies this club included have no experiance of the company but they have (as i have seen) wonderfully written CV papers? that makes one wonder how they got such experiance for their age ie 9 posts in 10yrs
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A busy day here, OH laying slabs, I think that's the last of some decent but chilly weather, we've got hail in the forecast tomorrow. Spoke to a relative who had a fall and has broken a foot and a wrist on the same side, similar to a neighbour who ended up in hospital last week after a dog walk tumble...hope there won't be a third incident!
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As the car was out, following my trip to get jab, we had a short drive and then a pleasant different walk. Lots of flowers out and blossom on the trees. This afternoon I finally got round to testing the mover on the van....worked ok....and moved the van it so that it was sitting at a new position on the tyres.
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Had to be in Hartlepool today - yes I know, jet setting again I hear you say!
I normally take a lunchtime walk by the sea but the cold wind drove in inland and I found such fascinating streets behind the town centre with some interesting architecture of buildings that must have been very impressive in their day but now sadly in need of some loving care.
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Brue
JL have a fairly generous redundancy package, certainly more than the basic, but it often doesn't compensate for losing your job of course. I would imagine I any of those within say 10 years of normal retirement age may well be able to take early retirement plus the redundancy package depending on length of service. In a branch like Peterborough some of the Partners will have probably been working in the nearby Waitrose and it is possible a few jobs will be secured that way but nothing near the numbers that work in the main shop. Do you remember the name of your daughters friend?
David
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"This afternoon I finally got round to testing the mover on the van....worked ok....and moved the van it so that it was sitting at a new position on the tyres"
did ours yesterday, i have to brush the tyres before moving as the chuckies i put down for the hard standing have a tendancy to stick to the tyres when it has been standing for a period and would then grind up through the mover and do lots of damage.
going to do my monthly deep clean of the wet room today, we live in a very hard water area and lime scale is a constant problem, we do now have a water filter which has allieviated much of the problem but the black non slip tiles in the wet room continue to be a bit of an area for concern
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Life goes on here, despite all the troubles in the world. Our son put a photo on Instrgarn, with "everything you always wanted to know about calf rearing". Click on the link (I don't think you have to log on - but I may be wrong, so apologies in advance).
https://www.instagram.com/p/CM2O7H-hNy_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
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B2, you have lost track of time! The wee fellow is coming up on 9 weeks old.
I have the same problem, cannot believe how fast time passes these days.Work on his bedroom is nearing completion now. I have been able to put in all the skirtings, door surrounds, facings, and the doors themselves, wardrobes too, and he even has a cot, not that he will sleep there for a while yet, but at least he has somewhere to keep his clothes! It is all looking very good, just the curtains to make now.
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Trying to find out when we can get our van serviced to comply with insurance requirements. Dealer has been closed since late November so they have a huge backlog as they were fully booked till the end of March.
Apparently all the staff were furloughed, so they did not get our e mail enquiry in January, but will be starting to rebook cancelled services from Monday but not fully open for servicing till April 26th. If we have read it correctly, we can ring from the 5th to see what might be available later, but it is not looking too hopeful for a slot before we plan to go away in June.
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KJ - the dealer we bought our van from is down in Preston and we went there for the first 2 years but since then have used a mobile engineer who has been very good. We have used him twice now and he also services my sisters caravan and another relatives MH. It is Caradoctor think he is based in Ayr so not sure if he would do up your way but may be worth a phone call
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Kj, might be checking the Manufacturers website to see if they've extended warranty periods due to the Pandemic.
Supposed to be rain all morning but it had stopped by 9.30 so we toddled off for our morning stroll. Bit blowy but not too bad. We can tell it's Friday as it's windy. Always the same when it's recycling day. Cardboard, paper and plastic bottles everywhere because people are too thick to realise that overflowing bags will lose their contents quickly if not tied up properly. I despair sometimes at the level of Common Sense. We seem to have a CS rate in minus figures.
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Wherenext common sense is a very rare commodity as far as I can see. I'm well endowed 😉.
Recycling here requires a degree to sort BEFORE getting as far as collection. Plastics and cartons go in a plastic bag that they take away and keep, cardboard and paper in different sacks alternative week, sack dropped on your drive, if you're lucky! Box for cans and glass and a container for food waste, see a comments re return! Either brown or black bin, see returning comments. Many consider just leaving said containers out is sufficient rarely with contents secured and if course as you say generally windy on collection day. Plastic either collectively or individually blows into the road and no one can see it, pedestrians leave it and drivers had to run it over to add to the mess! Rant over 🤐
Great news our grandson can come home today no infection 😀 DIL has had infection, started during labour and been on antibiotics so hopefully clear or oral for her now. Luckily their heating fixed this morning! Car seat arrived Sunday and Parm is coming tomorrow. Neither if them work in a just in time industry but it appears they would be capable 🤣
Goldie beautiful calves, lovely photos.
Our Dora is 1 year old today!
Sudden really heavy shower of rain........
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Haven't been on here for a few days been busy at the sewing machine again.
Bakers, congratulations on the birth of your new grandson, good to hear he is ok to come home.
We've had all 4 seasons today, currently we have blue skies and sun but a freezing cold strong wind.
OH busy up in the attic sorting out, he made a right mess up there a few months back sorting out some of the pipework that was knocking. Today he has finally decided as its to cold to work outside he will tidy it up.
Must go online and look at specs, I have an appointment for an eye test next week. I'm pretty sure I will need a new prescription, trouble I have is getting petite frames. Still it is getting better.
Don't think we will get out for a walk today, weather to changeable.
Good to hear some folk getting second jabs
Have a good weekend all.
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No worries over warranty .......the van is now 13 years old!
It is the CAMC Caravan Cover policy which states that as we have "new for old" cover, the van must be serviced annually.
Since it has gone nowhere since the last service, we are not too concerned. I will check over most things myself if they cannot fit us in at the dealer. Unfortunately we do not have a flat area at the house to allow mobile servicing.
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Not sure if I like Brue any more
Followed her link to discover that Santander, Crewe branch, is not closing ( Good) then saw her post about the Lindt Easter egg substituted by Waitrose { Very Bad } sniffle snivel sob !!Still I did get a couple or four bags of the thumbnail sized eggs from Morrisons yesterday -- Well I spent a good £8 { eight quid
} on the pressure wash for the Dukky so the old girl looked lovely 'til the overnight rains came 
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