As part of a legal manoeuvre worthy of Monster Cable, Apple has set its lawyers on Australia’s largest supermarket chain because their new logo is a little tad too similar to their own.
Remember back in February when we told you Woolies was planning on launching a MVNO off the back of Optus’ GSM network? Well, it launches today.
In today’s Australian IT, among the regular doom and gloom that the current global financial situation is forcing journalists to write about, was news that Woolworths are planning on launching an MVNO off the back of Optus’ mobile network. Much like the current arrangement between Crazy Johns and Vodafone (or Virgin Mobile and Optus, even), the Woolies network would use Optus’ infrastructure, while they look after the customer relationships and billing side of things themselves.
Back when I was a teenager, all of my female friends acquaintances were checkout chicks. They’d spend their weekends working at Coles, or Woolworths or Target or somewhere similar, for a minimum wage and a lower self-esteem. But, as they said, at least it was better than working at Maccas.
Now though, it looks like the days of teenage checkout chicks (and guys these days) may be coming to an end with the news that Woolworths is set to trial a self-checkout system in their Carlingford (NSW) and Camberwell (VIC) stores this month. More than 70 stores are expected to introduce the system b the end of June.
The system will be like the setup currently at many Big W stores, where you scan your own items, swipe your credit card or insert cash, sign a panel and get your receipt. The difference is that Woolies will also let you weigh your own fruit and veg.
There will still be some staff there, standing about to make sure you scan everything and helping the technologically illiterate through the process, but the days of the checkout chick seem to be numbered.
After outselling HD DVD 10 to 1, one of the UK’s major retailers has decided to go all Blu-ray and eliminate the sadly ill-fated format from their stores this March. With HD DVD’s lousy sales and Blu-ray numbers increasing about 40% every month, Woolworths say it’s over. According to them: “Sales figures clearly show that the market is moving towards one format of high definition DVD. The main reason is the success of Sony’s PlayStation 3.” [Retail Bulletin via The Inquirer]
