ASDA runs out of money

ASDA runs out of money

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simpo two

Original Poster:

87,097 posts

272 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
Amazing but true.
I just quoted them a job costing £20.
They want the work done now, but can't accept an invoice until January as they have no money left.


Maybe I'll go and load up with Asda grub and tell them to call me in Jan for the loot?

Muppetts!

Podie

46,645 posts

282 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
Sounds like a typical case of a departmental budget running out to me….

Wacky Racer

38,998 posts

254 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
Despite Asda being owned by Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer......

Tell 'em to feck off and take their "business" elsewhere......

I supplied Wakefield prison with 6 cricket balls, value £36 last May, just got paid last week after 3 reminders.........

Tossers......

simpo two

Original Poster:

87,097 posts

272 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
Well yes. If it was £5,000 I could have understood it - but £20? Jeez, put it on expenses!

Podie

46,645 posts

282 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
simpo two said:
Well yes. If it was £5,000 I could have understood it - but £20? Jeez, put it on expenses!


Been a while since you've worked for a company with red tape..?

simpo two

Original Poster:

87,097 posts

272 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
Podie said:
Been a while since you've worked for a company with red tape..?

Yep, but I was in Marketing so we were still allowed to take the odd flyer. Having no power whatsoever did teach me resourcefulness, a skill that has stood me in very good stead since!

Seems to me that business is polarising into massive corporations at one end and 'high-tech cottage industries' at the other - a bit like sharks and pilot fish. They have ultimate power but lumber along unable to make decisions or change course inside a year, whilst I can make instant decisions and do anything I like, as long as I have sufficient judgement not to screw up.

Podie

46,645 posts

282 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
simpo two said:

Podie said:
Been a while since you've worked for a company with red tape..?


Yep, but I was in Marketing so we were still allowed to take the odd flyer. Having no power whatsoever did teach me resourcefulness, a skill that has stood me in very good stead since!

Seems to me that business is polarising into massive corporations at one end and 'high-tech cottage industries' at the other - a bit like sharks and pilot fish. They have ultimate power but lumber along unable to make decisions or change course inside a year, whilst I can make instant decisions and do anything I like, as long as I have sufficient judgement not to screw up.


nail on the head…

Council's are renound for doing the opposite… spending naff all during the year, and then blowing it on some pointless road scheme just prior to the end of the financial year, otherwise they have their budget cut…

tonyhetherington

32,091 posts

257 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
I supplied Wakefield prison with 6 cricket balls, value £36 last May


They've probably lost them all now anyway!!

simpo two

Original Poster:

87,097 posts

272 months

Thursday 2nd December 2004
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
I supplied Wakefield prison with 6 cricket balls, value £36 last May

I supplied them with a vaulting horse and a spade...

Ex-Biker

1,315 posts

254 months

Monday 6th December 2004
quotequote all
simpo two said:
Amazing but true.
I just quoted them a job costing £20.
They want the work done now, but can't accept an invoice until January as they have no money left.


Maybe I'll go and load up with Asda grub and tell them to call me in Jan for the loot?

Muppetts!


Similar thing happened with a guy would did some promotional printing for a Tesco near me. This was about £3k of work and he owned a very small print business.

He got 2 trollies full of shopping. After it had gone through the till and he had it packed (happy packers!) he told them he would be back to pay for it in 60 days.

A little chat with the store manager and 2 days later he got his money.

victormeldrew

8,293 posts

284 months

Thursday 9th December 2004
quotequote all
Ex-Biker said:

simpo two said:
Amazing but true.
I just quoted them a job costing £20.
They want the work done now, but can't accept an invoice until January as they have no money left.


Maybe I'll go and load up with Asda grub and tell them to call me in Jan for the loot?

Muppetts!



Similar thing happened with a guy would did some promotional printing for a Tesco near me. This was about £3k of work and he owned a very small print business.

He got 2 trollies full of shopping. After it had gone through the till and he had it packed (happy packers!) he told them he would be back to pay for it in 60 days.

A little chat with the store manager and 2 days later he got his money.
I love to have seen that! Good for him, they don't like it up 'em, do they sir!

Doesn't help get repeat business though, so maybe not a good long term strategy.

ATG

21,369 posts

279 months

Friday 10th December 2004
quotequote all
ain't just ASDA ... I remember about 15yrs ago when the whole bleeding MOD ran out of cash and put a freeze on procurement ... pure accounting genius. In our lab alone we had many thousands of pounds worth of kit sitting round that couldn't be used because we couldn't spend a few quid on spare parts and maintenance. So you're burning salaries and depreciation for no return, but at least you aren't spending any more cash.

>> Edited by ATG on Friday 10th December 00:12

simpo two

Original Poster:

87,097 posts

272 months

Friday 10th December 2004
quotequote all
It gets better... 2-3 weeks ago they wanted this job urgently.

They still haven't checked the file!

golfman

5,538 posts

253 months

Saturday 11th December 2004
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I would like to know what job you can do nowadays for £20 quid?

It must have cost you more than that with all the poncing about by the sounds of things.

Phil Dicky

7,172 posts

270 months

Saturday 11th December 2004
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:

I supplied Wakefield prison with 6 cricket balls, value £36 last May, just got paid last week after 3 reminders.........

Tossers......


I do quite a bit with HMP Wakefield & Armley, always pay bang on time, mind you no bugger else does.

Phil

simpo two

Original Poster:

87,097 posts

272 months

Thursday 16th December 2004
quotequote all
Latest...

They finally ordered 20 floppy disks with wallets.

Before I could even get the wallets, they have now asked for prices for 50, 100 and 150.

Without wallets.



Good job these people aren't in charge of anything more dangerous than cheese, isn't it!

AllTorque

2,646 posts

276 months

Thursday 16th December 2004
quotequote all
Can you get cheese in a wallet?

simpo two

Original Poster:

87,097 posts

272 months

Thursday 16th December 2004
quotequote all
AllTorque said:
Can you get cheese in a wallet?

If it's one of those processed slices, yes. I'll do anything for money

Jasper Gilder

2,166 posts

280 months

Tuesday 21st December 2004
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Tell them your prices go up in January and if you bill them in January it will have to be at your 2005 rate - say £40.00. Alternatively if they pay in December it will be big discount time!

simpo two

Original Poster:

87,097 posts

272 months

Thursday 23rd December 2004
quotequote all
It gets better

They rang today and said 'Those 20 disks haven't turned up...'

I said - No, I thought that order was superseded by the 50/100/150 quote - which I'm still waiting for a decision on.

'Oh' they said. Well can you quote us for 20 AND 150?

...WITH wallets.'





ing hell...