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Friday, October 22, 2004

EPOS

there is something that i find wonderful about technology it is liberating, it is enabling and it allows me to voice my opinion to the whole wide world (ok so there are some downsides to it!)

but i also know that technology isn't our friend (at least where it comes to any of the technology i own or have to use), technology is just a tool for our use and most of it works on the SISO (shit in shit out) principle.

i remember reading somewhere many years ago that supermarkets where in some ways the pinnacle of capitalism, they proved the power of the market, they showed the working of the invisible hand, the wonder of supply and demand. supermarkets responded to the need of the individual.
and the secret of this EPOS, thats electronic point of sale for you and me.
and that to JIT, thats just in time for you and me.
but what you get is is
SHIT, thats should have it tomorrow to you and me.

i know some people who are putting EPOS into their stores (hi jim, hi kenny) and i wish them well with it, but the one thing i have learnt about EPOS is that it is a very SISO system. it don't matter how good the EPOS system is if you do not put the right information in you get the crap out, not only that if you do not have the staff they are not going to implement it all properly.

now i may have mentioned that sainsburys is my local supermarket, and you may have noticed they have been in the news recently because they have had to offer a profit warning.
but how can that be they have EPOS - they should know what is selling and what is not.
they might do - they just don't look at it properly.
some of my favourites from them recently
1] i am a veggie and i like quorn slices for my sandwiches. so where am i going to find my meat free food? oh yeah silly me, of course in the meat aisle. after all it's the first place that a veggie would go. but it's ok when i do finally find the section i can always guarantee that it will be virtually empty.
2] bread when i go into the supermarket at 9am i would like to think it has the essentials such as bread and milk already stocked up. nope, no not even close they are stocking it up. but there is going to be someone stocking up the booze section so it packed with gleaming filled bottles and shiny tins of alcohol.
3] i have a goatee, sometimes i have to shave the rest of the face to make the goatee look distinctive. just finding disposable razors is a nightmare. last night i discovered that my local sainsburys has moved them to a new "shop" in the store. i go buy them after i do the rest of the shop. only to find out that the new "shop" might sell the razors, it doesn't sell the shaving cream, foam, gel....... they go together like beans on toast, but not in sainsburys thats for sure.

geez i have no retail experience but i couldn't run that store any worse.
no wonder they lose money.
but they have EPOS.

just goes to show sometimes technology isn't going to help you if you have idiots at the top.

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