tigerheart-hackers
Hello, fellow geeks. As you may already know, a massive number of Lebanese young-adults have problems with Lebanon's Virgin: They hate it.
We're glad to inform you that some great changes are going to happen within the next 2 months. What do you think should happen? Give us all that you think is wrong with Virgin, and what's good. What gets you going there, and what drives you away. What are the V-Megas missing? How do you like the clerks, the assistance, the aftersales, the support... Let it all out, the good, the bad, and the ugly. We need to file up a report by Tuesday, so, feedback the heck out of us. Thank you!
jadf24
Expensive
xterm
Virgin Megastore - Citymall
The Good
1- *Most* books are fine (see the bad)
2- Ironically, checkout is fast.
The Bad
1- Prices aren't competitive - Just because it's Virgin Megastore, does not give them the right to overprice any piece of hardware, book, media or whatnot. I've witnessed prices of atleast 10% higher than the rest of the market.
2- No Computer Science/Software development books - To me, it's much easier to go to city mall than any other location, i dislike the fact that there are no computer science books in virgin megastore. Honestly, not a single book. I like having hard covers, if available, I'd usually go for 1 or 2 books per month.
3- Terrible terrible staff - Not friendly, they don't even smile and they are always either busy looking at books, playing on PS3, using computers or talking to each others. They do not give you any attention easily. They are also either untrained or simply way too stupid. When you place someone in the media(dvd) section the least you could do is make sure they understand what a "region" is and how to figure it out.
Overall
3/10. They are losing me as a customer because of the previously listed points.
monkey-d-luffy
xterm wroteVirgin Megastore - Citymall
The Good
1- *Most* books are fine (see the bad)
2- Ironically, checkout is fast.
The Bad
1- Prices aren't competitive - Just because it's Virgin Megastore, does not give them the right to overprice any piece of hardware, book, media or whatnot. I've witnessed prices of atleast 10% higher than the rest of the market.
2- No Computer Science/Software development books - To me, it's much easier to go to city mall than any other location, i dislike the fact that there are no computer science books in virgin megastore. Honestly, not a single book. I like having hard covers, if available, I'd usually go for 1 or 2 books per month.
3- Terrible terrible staff - Not friendly, they don't even smile and they are always either busy looking at books, playing on PS3, using computers or talking to each others. They do not give you any attention easily. They are also either untrained or simply way too stupid. When you place someone in the media(dvd) section the least you could do is make sure they understand what a "region" is and how to figure it out.
Overall
3/10. They are losing me as a customer because of the previously listed points.
You forgot to mention that they tell you "calling you in week" means "calling you in NEVER"
haidcar
as xterm said the staff is horrible and the got no clue what so ever on the stuff the got in store. An example of that would be when i went shopping for a LCD TV, I asked the guy working there about specs because it didnt not have any spec sheet next to it. He told me these are the new TVs we got they are very good they are LED not like the old TVs that use LCD, he said it very new technolgy i corrected him and told him its LCD but its got LED back light, he on the other hand he was trimend that this is new speics of TVs and they have nothing to do with LCD and that LED is completely new technongy just like samsung galaxy s the got. I corrected him agine and told him that samsung galaxy got OLED not no LED, he replayed by the flowing "hala2 fara2et 3al O!!!! i couldn't help but to laugh at that point. i tried so hard just to explain that they are the same but they use different back light LED in fact over the older flourescent CFL this improves contrast ratio, black levels but the poor guy had no idea what so ever on what i was talking about he even called his friend to listen but his friend was just as smart as the other guy.
nuclearcat
1. Well mostly books are ok, but agree about Monkey D. Luffy about technical books. But i guess because demand for them low and they are getting outdated too fast.
2. Staff is not well trained. When you ask how model A different from model B - usually they tell total nonsense.
But all that not important and not easy to fix :-)
As idea to fix that - put terminals (like kiosk) with intranet, where available technical information about sold items and some guides how to choose what you want. Staff can use it too with customer, to show him benefits of interesting items, or if they dont know much about items, to not humiliate store by answering random nonsense. You can make this catalogs available over wifi, so customer can check items meanwhile from his cellular, but this service i guess ok for geeks only. Customers can leave their feedback at kiosks too, and search for example some item they want (without messing with CD/DVD/BR/books on shelfs and spending time searching something).
If you can make discount cards, you can use them as personification in this kiosks, and for example customers can make pre-orders.
Make a each staff employee some code, like police officer number, and customers with discount cards can leave feedbacks about each and rate them. Best employee will get bonus at the end of the month :-)
kareem_nasser
Yeah i had the same problem with untrained staff not even at Virgin but most Consumer Electronics stores.
The wrong person in the wrong place.
samer
Briefly, I would say:
• I feel the staff is undertrained, sometimes the clerks are rude or don't get what I'm saying, I often need to break down the author / artist name for the clerk to understand (both my English and pronunciation are good).
• Poor selection, especially in music. I would love seeing more independent artists from Lebanon distributing their music at Virgin, just because it's more convenient for me to buy the albums from there. Ditto on the technical books, although nuclearcat's explanation makes sense - they don't think it's worth filling up that vacant niche because they estimate that the books would 'expire' before anyone buys them. To solve this, invest in timeless classics: Introduction to Algorithms, The Art of Computer Programming, K&R, etc.
Keep in mind that people purchasing these books are likely to buy something else at the store, say a tech magazine, which would minimize the losses in case other books are not being bought before they "expire".
• I love nuclearcat's kiosk idea. Sometimes I just need to get things done, what easier way to do that than self service? The UI must be simple and accessible, although I can predict that it will most likely be crappy software, given their past history.
• Clerks with inflated egos: just because the guy has long hair and listens to music doesn't mean he is a specialist. Often times I see clerks trying to argue with me over silly things and acting all stubborn – don't, that's poor customer service.
MrClass
Well the good thing about Virgin is that they do have some exclusive computer hardware / electronics that you cannot find anywhere in Lebanon. When I was looking for Razer products, I couldn't find any place in Lebanon that would sell them; Virgin saved the day.
The bad is that they rip you off with the price. Also the staff there is rubbish. Very weak/ Zero experience in both sales experience and technical experience. I can't judge their music/book department cause I don't buy CDs and printed books anymore; all soft copy now.
A week later after Apple released their new macbook pros, I went to Virgin to check if they have them. I asked one of the Virgin staff if they got the new Macbooks with the Thunderbolt port. He simply said yes we do have macbooks. I asked again if the macbooks are the new model, then he said, I will go check for you. I waited 2 - 3 minutes, then saw him dealing with another customer. He simply ignored me. I approached him and said, well next time you check something for someone you don't forget about it and move on. Simply rubbish. (ABC Ashrafieh)
Another staff member showed direct disrespect to me. I was looking for some Sennheiser headphones. I saw one of the staff just standing doing nothing, so I approached to ask him about the availability of a specific model. I was in the middle of my question and suddenly some other staff member grabbed him and they began laughing while walking away from me. Truly unacceptable.
The worst are those "Emo" style staff who think they look cool, but honestly know shit about technology and smell like crap.
What the hell Virgin?
Badieh
Increase the number of PC online games that are sold there. I mean, when something new is released, the first place people would think of would be Virgin. The collection there is just poor. I only saw World of Warcraft.
Another idea, related to the first point as well, give the option for people to request stuff. Take advantage of the fact that people can't actually download much because of their limited quotas, and so, those that request something, they don't mind paying 20$ or even 40$ above its usual price just to acquire it.
Flakk
Reduce prices, more PC games, better staff.
kheleil
A couple of ideas not mentioned in this thread:
- In major libraries/bookstores, there are always a few couches were cutomers could sample the books in an enjoyable manner before deciding whther to buy them or not. It is utterly ridiculous to see clients (and sometimes staff) sitting on the floor, or laying on some desk while trying to find the books they find value in. I understand that there is both a physical space limitation, and a drive not to change the books floor to a reading lounge, but at the same time, having a proper space for users to enjoy sifting through books to read greatly increases the image of Virgin and its likeability.
- Also in the books section, I find it a great plus to include a section that caters for customers looking for classics in different languages, portuguese, italian, german, etc. Most works are portrayed better in their native language, selling such books is sure to differentiate, giving Virgin a more positive positive appeal.
As for the Kiosk propsition, nuclearcat's idea is a greast plus if executed properly.
ryeobot
I have to agree with what most of the previous posts already mentioned: Staff.
Poor salesmanship, inadequate practical knowledge about the products they are trying to sell. Every time I visit Virgin, I always see the floor staff just standing around doing nothing in particular. No one approaches me and asks if I need some help. Perhaps it's because I'm not Lebanese they probably think I'm just waiting around for my "madam". Doesn't matter that I'm in charge of technology purchasing for my company.
Secondly, DVDs are crazy expensive. A season of a TV show could cost around $90 when the same thing costs less than $30 in the US. This is why I always wait to purchase DVDs when I'm in the US.
If and when Lebanon gets fast internet in the future, I'm sure their sales will suffer even more due to availability of online sources.
tigerheart-hackers
So, basically, it's all about the staff and the prices? Come on, people. What else needs change? Let's make an ordered list here:
* More online games
* Lower prices
* Better staff behavior
What else?
Regarding the catalogues, there is wifi there and there are computers which you are supposed to be able to use with the help of a clerk, but like you guys mentioned, the staff ego thing. We're working on that. But let's narrow things down to pencil tips. Makes lists. What do you want?
elchebib
Nothing much important to add other the already mentioned points.
Some minor suggestions would include:
- Midnight releases for major games/books/etc....
- Online site with updated items availability (maybe even some form of online purchase and delivery)
- Some form of online music service for purchases of individual songs rather than whole tracks
xazbrat
I went to a couple in LA and was not impressed--I have heard that they have closed since then. I am not surprised. I have been to the ones here in ABC-Ashrafiyah and downtown, and honestly, I don't see the appeal. I like the bookstore part, but I have been partial to going to Barnes and Noble and Borders while living in the US. The electronics part is not that appealing and the "sales rep not knowing crap" is not only a Lebanese phenomena--it is a worldwide epidemic. If you want to find a place which has knowledgeable salespersons, looks for a smaller store.
Gomez012
It's too expensive. And I would like to see more Xbox 360 games at reasonable prices, I'm sick of seeing crappy Xbox games at Virgin with a 1/100 of getting a good new game.
EDIT: Also they need a Lebanese website, much easier.
Shatilov
elchebib wroteNothing much important to add other the already mentioned points.
Some minor suggestions would include:
- Midnight releases for major games/books/etc....
- Online site with updated items availability (maybe even some form of online purchase and delivery)
- Some form of online music service for purchases of individual songs rather than whole tracks
I'd also like the above mentioned
Flakk wroteReduce prices, more PC games, better staff.
I second this
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It would be good to have reduced prices, many times I wanted to buy a movie or a tv show, to find it priced at 50$ or 60$,
A good example is AVATAR Collectors Edition, it is being sold for 69.99 & also Back to the Future Trilogy Collection is being sold for 89.99$ i think, I got both of them from Amazon for less than 60$ !!!!!! & with shipping to Lebanon they still coast less than 160$ which is their price here in Lebanon.
I'd like to get more PC Games, & have their prices updated in a good timely manner. I don't want to buy a game to find it's price is still old 49.99$ but rather I'd like its price to be up-to-date.
Better staff, I hate it when the staff leaves me waiting for him to come with an answer, & he is chatting with the other clerk, or simply went to another customer because he is more probably to buy something.
I find it rude to do something like this.
hussam
I went to virgin megastore in downtown beirut with my sister around 8 years ago. The prices were a bit expensive but the service was ok.
invalid-user-43
I don't mind the clueless salespeople in the music section. But there is no excuse for them to exist in stands where technical stuff is being sold, like TV's, computers, etc.
Regarding the rock/metal music section, I would suggest the inclusion limited editions and digipacks. Personally, I already have all the music I like on my MP3, but would be inclined to buy the albums if they are in digipack / limited edition rather than a standard CD.
There should be a wider selection in rock and metal, and black/death should be included as well. There are tons of bands who play these genres who don't have "objectionable" lyrics. And even disregarding black / death metal ... the selection should be more tasteful and less random. There is no reason why albums like Opeth - Damnation , or Sleepmakeswaves' debut album are not on sale in virgin.
Also, I suggest a request system, where requested material would be followed up and queried, rather than "eih, mneb2a menjibo la hal album/dvd/whatever".
