Just a misunderstanding. MX5 Mania rocks

Postby **NitroDann** » Mon May 18, 2015 11:37 pm

The reality is that brick and mortar is inefficient and cannot make enough money for the effort to be able to do what an online shop can in terms of phone and text based communication, what it can do is talk to you in person and fit the parts and give advice based on real world experience.

Take it or leave it.

greenltd · Postby **greenltd** » Mon May 18, 2015 11:45 pm

Perhaps like my business the bricks and mortar side is dominating over the online side. We are so flat out keeping up with customers face to face or on the phone, that i only get to a computer after we close. I try to answer online questions each day but it's not always possible for various reasons. Finding a solution is hard.
I'm not defending, just highlighting.

Postby **NitroDann** » Mon May 18, 2015 11:50 pm

The solution is making yourself unavailable via phone and keeping customers happy with an online presence. There is no other way that I am aware of.

If your shop charges labour at 100/h and you spend 5 hours a day on the phone or doing phonecall related things you are giving aprox $125,000 a year to your phone customers.

Dann

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue May 19, 2015 7:01 am

This is a forum of course it would be blown out of proportion. Plus it is only one side of the story...

Makes more popcorn and settles down, get some 457 visa labour to answer the phones

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue May 19, 2015 9:11 am

Some recent examples of communications:

1. Mackay Mazda emailed at 0800 on 18/05/15 enquiring about the availability of a part, no response...
2. Emailed the USA on Sat, received a reply on Sun (our time) advising a quote can be provided on Mon (their time). Quote received 0433 Tue our time, transaction completed by 0530. At 0600 an update on order was provided. This was from a company that does not normally ship overseas.
3. Partners birthday on 20/05, emailed a local florist at 0830 on 18/05/15 about delivery times on 20/05, no response... I rang today at 0800 and received a response.

In my opinion Australian consumers whilst making many online purchaes do so with overseas companieshe service is much better and there is a larger market. Non E commerce Australian companies are not setup to handle online enquires/purchasers and as much as this hurts NitroDann's observation is correct, there is more money to be made from the core business.

If in Australia the phone is the best for of communication at least until the market is large enough or there is a paradiam shift in the Australian non E commerce companies.

Postby **Okibi** » Tue May 19, 2015 9:19 am

Depends on the business, recently bought from a big international retailer, took them 2 weeks before the item left their warehouse. :frown:

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Tue May 19, 2015 9:33 am

Okibi valid point.

Postby **NitroDann** » Tue May 19, 2015 11:47 am

Magpie wrote:This is a forum of course it would be blown out of proportion. Plus it is only one side of the story...

Makes more popcorn and settles down, get some 457 visa labour to answer the phones

Many of the millions of under or unemployed people would love to answer phones for <minimum wage, and business would be happy to employ them at those rates.

dann

Apu · Postby **Apu** » Tue May 19, 2015 12:13 pm

That's actually very untrue Dann.

Postby **NitroDann** » Tue May 19, 2015 12:16 pm

I know shitloads of people who would work for less than minimum, and many of the businesses who pay minimum would surely pay less if the market were free to allow it, do you think Mcdonalds wants to have 14 year olds on at 11/h or 20 year olds?

Dan · Postby **Dan** » Tue May 19, 2015 12:32 pm

Minimum wage is there for a reason and it shouldn't be a race to the bottom for who's willing to work for the least.

Postby **NitroDann** » Tue May 19, 2015 12:35 pm

Thats no fun for all of the low experience and low skill people in their early 20's who are completely priced out of the job market.

10 bucks an hour 40 hours a week at a call center or similar gaining skills and references is a hell of a lot less "on the bottom" than $240 a week, a housing commission flat with 3 other people and being totally priced out of the job market.
Its easy to say 'its there for a reason' when you and everyone you know has a job or people to support them, but minimum wage directly keeps the most vulnerable out of work, and I dont know why anyone would promote that.

Do you know what happens when you are genuinely looking for work through an agency and you cant get work, but the agency can see that you really are trying? The govt steps in and pays half of your wage to an employer for a set period of up to 6 months. Thats right, they literally subvert minimum wage so that people can get their foot in the door. There is no other way.

/Rant

Dann

Dan · Postby **Dan** » Tue May 19, 2015 12:59 pm

There are education options out there to skill people and help them get a job, if we got rid of minimum wage those unskilled people would probably end up making less than if they were on Government support while they study. It would also screw people who have jobs already with the minimum wage in place and reduce their quality of life.

Postby **NitroDann** » Tue May 19, 2015 1:05 pm

Dan wrote:There are education options out there to skill people and help them get a job, if we got rid of minimum wage those unskilled people would probably end up making less than if they were on Government support while they study. It would also screw people who have jobs already with the minimum wage in place and reduce their quality of life.

This is how I know you have never sat down and done the math with someone desperate for work but priced out of the market.

$240/40h=$6/h

Anything above 6 dollars an hour in a full time position is more than the dole for a young single person (the majority of the people affected by min wage). Minimum wage is approx triple this figure. It could stand to lower and the govt knows this, which is why it halves it for the most eager job seekers.

Dann

**yes I know that it costs more to travel to work than to sit at home doing nothing.

Dan · Postby **Dan** » Tue May 19, 2015 1:24 pm

As you say there is already an option to assist those people who really want a job.

I personally think it's a bad outcome for everyone who already works on minimum wage to earn significantly less than they do already.

I also don't appreciate you saying I haven't done the maths, I do sympathise with people who are having a tough time looking for work as I grew up in country nsw with a family having a tough time after losing their first business in the recession in the 80's (second hand clothes, limited food etc..) and I know it's a bit different but I took on and mentor a mature age graduate at the place I work at so I try to help people getting into the workforce where I can and just happen to have a different opinion to you.