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Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

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A0

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Can you pay in coins as well, or is it just notes and cheques?

Officially it's just notes and cheques - however I think if you happen to live near a small post office and know the people who run it, they may be more accommodating.

But as the specific ask was about cheques - it seemed reasonable to point out the service the PO offers which addresses a number of those concerns.
 

Swanny200

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Thing is that some of the banks listed only allow you to withdraw and pay in money to your account in cash, Nationwide (unless they changed when we last tried 6 months ago) will not allow cheques to be paid in via the post office and will only allow it in branch, I also know that when I paid a cheque into my co operative bank acount before the lockdown at the post office, it took 10 days to clear as the post office had to send it via post to the bank, had I known it would take longer, then I would have jumped on a train to my nearest branch and done it there.
 

Typhoon

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Thing is that some of the banks listed only allow you to withdraw and pay in money to your account in cash, Nationwide (unless they changed when we last tried 6 months ago) will not allow cheques to be paid in via the post office and will only allow it in branch, I also know that when I paid a cheque into my co operative bank acount before the lockdown at the post office, it took 10 days to clear as the post office had to send it via post to the bank, had I known it would take longer, then I would have jumped on a train to my nearest branch and done it there.
Can pay in by post. I have tried to provide the link but when I do, and test it, it comes up as blocked. By all means try [URL='https://www.nationwide.co.uk/...-with-cheques']Help with cheques | Nationwide[/url], if not Nationwide BS home page and search for 'Help with cheques', 'How to pay in a cheque' is about half way down. I've never needed to try it so I don't know how efficient it is.
 

jon0844

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I thought you could pay in cheques by taking photos of them in an app these days?
 

jfollows

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I thought you could pay in cheques by taking photos of them in an app these days?
Although this depends on your bank, NatWest for example is relatively late to the party but has recently enabled this capability I believe.
 

Techniquest

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Although this depends on your bank, NatWest for example is relatively late to the party but has recently enabled this capability I believe.

Correct, finally launched a handful of weeks ago. Thankfully not a feature of my account I need, but it is nice to have it there I suppose, if I can't be fussed into going to my local branch on the very, very rare occasion I get a cheque.
 

Mojo

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Convenience shop chain McColls, which also runs shops trading as Morrisons Daily, and Martins, are to enter administration after a lastminute deal by Morrisons supermarkets has fallen through.
 

Iskra

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Convenience shop chain McColls, which also runs shops trading as Morrisons Daily, and Martins, are to enter administration after a lastminute deal by Morrisons supermarkets has fallen through.
Are Morrisons looking to buy them cheaply out of administration?

My local McColls is now branded Morrisons and it seems a viable business, but incompetently run (having no carrier-bags available is not uncommon) and the staff turnover is high and morale low. Hopefully Morrisons can take over fully and improve the business.
 

Chew Chew

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Convenience shop chain McColls, which also runs shops trading as Morrisons Daily, and Martins, are to enter administration after a lastminute deal by Morrisons supermarkets has fallen through.
Hopefully they can be saved.

My local R.S McColl's houses the only Post Office for about 6 or 7 miles and of that went you have to go into the city to post any parcels.
 

Busaholic

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Convenience shop chain McColls, which also runs shops trading as Morrisons Daily, and Martins, are to enter administration after a lastminute deal by Morrisons supermarkets has fallen through.
I can only speak of my local store, which closed last year, but it had been badly run for years, with mostly unfriendly staff who'd been dismissed by other local retail stores!
 

Ediswan

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My local R.S McColl's houses the only Post Office for about 6 or 7 miles and of that went you have to go into the city to post any parcels.
Acording to Wikipedia, McColl's are largest Post Office operator in the United Kingdom. As such, I suspect this may get political. (My local PO is Martin's.)
 

Mojo

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Are Morrisons looking to buy them cheaply out of administration?
BBC News reports that the most likely buyer is actually petrol station operator EG Group, which is owned by the Issa brothers, who are the co-owners of Asda supermarkets.
 

Taunton

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I can only speak of my local store, which closed last year, but it had been badly run for years, with mostly unfriendly staff who'd been dismissed by other local retail stores!
Only 9 months ago they were being reported for profits of £300m (including the worst of lockdown) and for calculating wages which fell below legal minimum wage, which was being discussed about being repaid (wonder if it was).


Their auditors, mainstream firm BDO, should have serious questions asked about signing off the last set of accounts which showed a good and supposedly robust trading position, full of upbeat statements. Also notable is the company using free cash to buy back their own shares.
 
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skyhigh

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Acording to Wikipedia, McColl's are largest Post Office operator in the United Kingdom. As such, I suspect this may get political. (My local PO is Martin's.)
As I'm sure you're aware but just in case others aren't, Martin's is a brand of McColl's.
 

jon0844

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Are Morrisons looking to buy them cheaply out of administration?

My local McColls is now branded Morrisons and it seems a viable business, but incompetently run (having no carrier-bags available is not uncommon) and the staff turnover is high and morale low. Hopefully Morrisons can take over fully and improve the business.
The supermarket owned by a hedge fund that will load it with debt and strip all assets? Can't see how they can improve things!
 

david1212

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Convenience shop chain McColls, which also runs shops trading as Morrisons Daily, and Martins, are to enter administration after a lastminute deal by Morrisons supermarkets has fallen through.

The McColls around a mile from home which is a Post Office operating most if not all of the shop hours was only rebranded as a Morrisons Daily a couple of months ago. I had not realised that Morrisons Daily was just a trading name of McColls rather than actually Morrisons in the same way as Tesco Express is part of the Tesco group so it was effectively just a rebranding.

I would not miss the shop but I would the Post Office. I am unsure where the next nearest with evening, Saturday afternoon and Sunday opening is. Both of those in shops not far off my route home from work have stopped evening opening.
 

DelayRepay

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The McColls around a mile from home which is a Post Office operating most if not all of the shop hours was only rebranded as a Morrisons Daily a couple of months ago. I had not realised that Morrisons Daily was just a trading name of McColls rather than actually Morrisons in the same way as Tesco Express is part of the Tesco group so it was effectively just a rebranding.

Morrisons tried to launch their own convenience stores (similar to Tesco Express) a few years ago, called 'M Local', but it didn't work out. So their new approach to the convenience market is to act as a wholesaler (they brought back the Safeway brand for this reason), and to franchise the Morrisons Daily brand.

McColls is a business that should have done well during the pandemic, as people were shopping locally in order to avoid the chaos at supermarkets. I can only speak for myself but I spent far more money in my local convenience shop (a Spar) during the Lockdown periods than I ever have before.
 

telstarbox

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Convenience stores are very hit and miss. I can think of some (both chains and independents) which have great range and quality and others selling a load of Ginsters pasties and terrible fruit and veg which I wouldn't miss at all.
 

Techniquest

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Convenience stores are very hit and miss. I can think of some (both chains and independents) which have great range and quality and others selling a load of Ginsters pasties and terrible fruit and veg which I wouldn't miss at all.

Very true that, and at highly inflated prices for a lot of their stuff. Higher prices for the convenience factor, sure that's reasonably acceptable (depending on the difference), but some of it is taking the biscuit.

The most conveniently placed McColls for me, in the opposite direction to where I normally go at that, got taken over by Premier last year. I can't immediately recall if the other one further on is Martins, McColls or whatever now, but I don't use them anyway. I especially avoid the Premier one, as they happily sell energy drinks to children who are clearly too young for such things. With business ethics like that, I'd rather not support such a shop, and from the sounds of other posts it's similar in places like McColls.
 

SuspectUsual

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The most conveniently placed McColls for me, in the opposite direction to where I normally go at that, got taken over by Premier last year

Premier is a franchised convenience store fascia operated by Booker, who are now owned by Tesco
 

richw

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Very true that, and at highly inflated prices for a lot of their stuff. Higher prices for the convenience factor, sure that's reasonably acceptable (depending on the difference), but some of it is taking the biscuit.

The most conveniently placed McColls for me, in the opposite direction to where I normally go at that, got taken over by Premier last year. I can't immediately recall if the other one further on is Martins, McColls or whatever now, but I don't use them anyway. I especially avoid the Premier one, as they happily sell energy drinks to children who are clearly too young for such things. With business ethics like that, I'd rather not support such a shop, and from the sounds of other posts it's similar in places like McColls.
Convenience stores seem the popular choice of underage purchases of any restricted product not limited to a specific brand of store in my own observations
 

Snow1964

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The McColls around a mile from home which is a Post Office operating most if not all of the shop hours was only rebranded as a Morrisons Daily a couple of months ago. I had not realised that Morrisons Daily was just a trading name of McColls rather than actually Morrisons in the same way as Tesco Express is part of the Tesco group so it was effectively just a rebranding.

I would not miss the shop but I would the Post Office. I am unsure where the next nearest with evening, Saturday afternoon and Sunday opening is. Both of those in shops not far off my route home from work have stopped evening opening.
It has been reported that those rebranded and operating as Morrisons Daily were generally doing well. However I suspect at other end of spectrum McColls have a number of stores not really covering costs.

Since covid restrictions ended, shopping locally has waned, and cost of living crisis is unlikely to help as some will move onto places like Lidl and Aldi which would be cheaper.

The problems seem to be that the company had borrowed millions. I have read over £170m borrowed for 1200 shops. With interest rates rising that financing cost is only going to go up.

I suspect some will close, others survive, but depends on local conditions and competition of each store
 

Techniquest

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Premier is a franchised convenience store fascia operated by Booker, who are now owned by Tesco

Thanks, I didn't know that :)

Convenience stores seem the popular choice of underage purchases of any restricted product not limited to a specific brand of store in my own observations

Fair point. I don't use such shops too often so I can't provide a lot of observations. Mine came from having been unfortunate enough to lock up outside Co-Op following a ride some months back, upon observing the string of clearly under-16s coming out with Monster etc, well that was enough to persuade me never to shop in there. Quite, I've only been to one other Premier shop since then, when I was in urgent need of fluids on a lengthy walk earlier this year, and with not enough time to find a reputable shop before the train out of Runcorn.

So I personally wouldn't mind seeing the back of such questionable shops!
 

D6130

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The chickens are now coming home to roost after the 'government's' shocking treatment of the hospitality industry during lockdown. Large numbers of pubs and restaurants are closing and - tragically for those of us who enjoy a pint of two of quality real or craft ale - a lot of small independent breweries are going to the wall. In the past couple of weeks, Exe Valley Brewery in Devon, Kelham Island in Sheffield, Beatnikz Republic in Manchester and Fallen in Scotland have all ceased trading....and there will be more - many more - as the loans and debts are called in and the market diminishes.
 

PG

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Convenience stores seem the popular choice of underage purchases of any restricted product not limited to a specific brand of store in my own observations
That has always been the case, usually due to their proximity to homes and schools. Some staff members may be only just old enough to sell restricted products themselves so perhaps vulnerable to peer pressure from those who are only a year or two younger...
 

Ediswan

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Mine came from having been unfortunate enough to lock up outside Co-Op following a ride some months back, upon observing the string of clearly under-16s coming out with Monster etc, well that was enough to persuade me never to shop in there.
As far as I can tell, there is currently no age restriction on the sale of energy drinks. The government has stated that there will be a ban on sales to under-16s, but I can't find any evidence that this legislation has been passed. As ever, the press has muddied the waters by reporting the intention to impose a ban with headlines such as "UK bans sales of energy drinks to U16s".
 

pdq

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As far as I can tell, there is currently no age restriction on the sale of energy drinks. The government has stated that there will be a ban on sales to under-16s, but I can't find any evidence that this legislation has been passed. As ever, the press has muddied the waters by reporting the intention to impose a ban with headlines such as "UK bans sales of energy drinks to U16s".
Whenever I buy a Red Bull or similar in Morrisons and use the self checkout, I get the age check, so there must be some current reluctance to sell these kinds of drinks to young people.
 

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