In case you haven’t heard, Dick Smith is having quite a large sale today all over the country. There are some sizable savings to be scooped up, but there is an ominous cloud that looms in the distance, and it’s a repeat of last year’s gaming sale debacle.
Last year, customers lined up around the block waiting for Dick Smith to throw open its doors. The leaks promised 80 per cent off gaming accessories, consoles and titles. Price lists were revealed and the savings looked sizeable. The doors opened, however, and customers were met with paltry sale stock and few savings. As the dust began to settle, a Dick Smith staffer was exposed on Facebook saying that he’d scored something ridiculous like $1100 worth of gaming stock for a paltry sum before doors had even opened to the public.
Not ideal.
Customers were left with disappointment and anger in their little hearts, and they took to social media to vent. This wasn’t what they were promised.
After the sale, a Dick Smith staffer anonymously told Tracy Lien at Kotaku that Loss Prevention staff were meant to be keeping a close eye on what staff were buying so that customers could get access to the sweet deals first. Staff were allowed access to the stock, however, and that became a problem when it was discovered that deals were extremely light on the ground.
The whole pricing list for the gaming sale leaked ahead of the doors opening, meaning that a huge amount of hype was created for products that most people couldn’t actually buy.
So a few greedy staff, a lack of stock and a monumental communication breakdown saw customers walk out empty handed during the gaming sale with scowls on their faces, soured over the Dick Smith experience.
Now that the XXXL Sale is upon us, Dick Smith has a real opportunity to correct its mistakes. Communication about the sale has been tight, and no specific price lists have been leaked. No word yet on how staff will react to the sale, but given the reaction to the behaviour of a specific few last time, I’m sure that the gadget retailer will be keeping a close eye on things.
We’ve asked Dick Smith if they’re offering staff specific discounts different to those that the public gets access too so they can be rewarded, too. Because cutting staff off from the savings directly would be wrong. Dick Smith just needs to find a way to balance the love for staff and customer satisfaction.
Here’s hoping the gaming sale disaster was just an exception.
Do you plan on snagging a bargain at the sale today