Not A Happy Chappie

[Hercules]

and I bet the Olympic coin exchange debacle has demonstrated a drop in productivity and a rise in damaged staff moral - most staff who I spoke to were totally peeved with the Olympic coin promotion

That's the impression I got. On the very first day of the promotion, they were quite happy to swap coins en masse, but as the promotion continued, they all got sick of it. Now, they're probably hoping that Woollies will never impose that sort of thing on them again, because it wasted so much time and effort on their part. Even some of the customers didn't like it, because they had to wait for people like me to get their coins. My advice would be to start shopping at the local IGA, because many of them are family owned and operated, so they'll be more obliged to help.

I informed them that these $2 coins were not part of the Olympic coin distribution and they still said no.

Once bitten, twice shy. :shy:

[Goldseeker]

OK, I have visited m any baks in my area and have been informed the they, the  banks, receive rolled coin only.

How the heck am I to try and secure a bag of coins then.

Further, when I was swapping coins at clubs/Crown Casino etc, several informed me that I should go to a bank and exchange coin.   Now with pokie places using paper credits and not coins, I go to a bank and get ripped off and then when I complained, I was informed "maybe it's time to give up noodling".

I will be sending a letter to both the Comm Bank and Woollies re this matter and try and get some satisfaction all around.

Further, one rolled lot of 20c with armour guard wrapper was 20c down.

I am getting screwed all over the place.

[Fulvio]

I manage staff and if my staff are doing non core business activities - they get the chat

Must be a fun place to work.

I had twelve staff in my shops. And I had over 600 contract interpreters as well. So I'm not just looking at this from a collector point of view.

There are lots of factors involved in making staff and customers happy, and the business successful. And culture is a massive component. Nobody wants to deal with a grumpy or abusive person, be they a boss, customer or staff member.

Being nice doesn't cost anything. There are people I will go out of my way to deal with, and there are those I will avoid at all costs. The businesses they work in benefit or lose as a result. And I'm not the only person in the world to think that way either...

Sure, us collectors are few and far between. But collectively, we are not the poorest sector at the bottom of the barrel. If we accept estimates of 10,000 'serious' collectors in Australia, and $74,724 pre-tax average income, we are a $750 million force, which IS worthy of some consideration. As for assets, there are plenty of million-dollar collections out there. So we're probably worth a couple of billion at least. Heck, Trout's worth that on his own! :angel:

Sure there are core activities. And sure there are also counterproductive activities as well. But ten seconds to swap 25 coins for a bag isn't counterproductive. Not when being an arse about it could cost you a $30,000 a year customer!

I am getting screwed all over the place.

Start carrying scales, and weigh every bag/roll. :angel:

You're right, of course. We're ALL getting screwed, every single day, by everybody and anybody. I just noticed that Optus is overcharging me massively for example, and that's about to be my project for the rest of the day.

But we're part of the problem too. As this discussion has showed, plenty of people seem to think that corporations WHICH ARE NOT REAL PEOPLE have more rights than flesh and blood people who are. Sorry, that's bullshit. A company is a fantasy constructed and inhabited by people. It HAS no rights, certainly not to seek rents on things people do, and to manipulate people in the process. The fact they get away with it is OUR fault, for allowing it.

[Hercules]

I was informed "maybe it's time to give up noodling".

:laughingneqw: Good luck to whoever thinks that!

Further, one rolled lot of 20c with armour guard wrapper was 20c down.

That's very unfortunate. I've done hundreds of Armaguard rolls, and only a very small percentage of them were actually missing coins. I even had one recently that had an extra coin in it (a 5c in a $2 roll). Anyway, I wouldn't even both making a complaint unless it was happening regularly.

But ten seconds to swap 25 coins for a bag isn't counterproductive.

It takes longer than 10s, because they have to count the coins individually just to make sure you've got the right amount.

[robbiegal]

. My advice would be to start shopping at the local IGA, because many of them are family owned and operated, so they'll be more obliged to help.



humm i go to the local IGA most of the time
the little blondie who has been there for YEARS turns her back on all of us customers as soon as we walk in or straight after she serves us
in fact my son refuses to shop there if she is on the checkout

people are people - woolies or  IGA or coles

[trout]

probably worth a couple of billion at least. Heck, Trout's worth that on his own!

I wish Mate :angel:
I personally don't do much noodling because all the banks here seem to have is recirculated coins and NO new ones.
I usually get about $500 worth of coins from the Bank a couple of times a year and take the leftovers away with me to remote minesites that are always coin hungry and they really appreciate the change
If I was charged a few bucks to do this it wouldn't phase me at all given the fun I get from doing this every now and then :ok:
But for you Mob that are swapping out thousands at a time on a regular basis and expect the Banks to do this "gratis" is abusing the system don't you think??
News Flash guys.
The banks are Not set up purely for the benefit of collectors/noodlers, They are also Not a government department and are quite within their rights to dispense coinage as they see fit.
The same applies to Woollies, Coles etc.  :ok:

[Fulvio]

It takes longer than 10s, because they have to count the coins individually just to make sure you've got the right amount.

Only if you're a moron, like the one who opened a sealed Armaguard bag to count the coins.

The ones with brains weigh them. I deliberately stack the coins (five stacks of 5) on the scales. All you need to do is look at the weight... 165g. Sweep the coins off into your hand, use the other hand to drop the bag on the scales... 165g, Job done in FIVE seconds.

Oh wait... "The ones with brains"... DOH! :dodgy:

And RG, yes, people are people. But corporate culture determines who will and will not fit in with it. A crap culture attracts crap people.

And as for trout's 'News Flash'... just how big a deal do you think collectors ARE anyway? I'm arguably one of the more active noodlers, and at my PEAK, I was going through $10,000 a day. That's not even an accounting error in the big scheme of things. We're talking organisations that go through seriously massive amounts of currency every day, and keeping us happy would be incredibly trivial.

But for whatever reason, they've decided to be deliberately obstructive. And that warrants a boycott in return. Stuff 'em.

[b_j_w_79]

In my opinion any business whether it is a bank or supermarket shouldn't be required to provide a service free of charge.

A supermarket in particular should only have to provide the correct change for the purchase of items of their business. Why should they have to wear a cost for a service that isn't part of there business? In my opinion this is completely at the supermarket discretion if they swap coins. I wouldn't if it was my business but I'm glad when they do!

Banks in generally provide the coin swapping service as they make up costs on other charges for services they provide to businesses. I completely understand why they try to recover costs (and sometimes more). It's not that I don't work the system as best as I can to avoid fees and charges from the banks.

The world isn't free. We all want jobs and a strong economy etc etc and this comes at a cost. These are business and aren't here to supply free services for our hobby.

[Fulvio]

should be required to provide a service free of charge.

And yet you go on to contradict yourself. :dodgy: :angel: Hehe...

We're getting quite philosophical here, but lets think about what 'Free' really means, shall we?

Everything has value. Either monetary value, or sentimental value, or even environmental value, where, you know, it creates the conditions that keep us alive on this spinning rock in space. Value has been around since the big bang, even if we weren't here to witness it.

Prices are another matter entirely though. Those are strictly monetary, and generally boil down to someone picking up something for free, adding a little blood, sweat and tears to it, and charging like a wounded bull, because, you know, they can. Ah, the joys of free enterprise! Also note that the beneficiaries are almost never actual people, except by accident as sort of collateral effect. The beneficiaries are almost all entities which have only existed in relatively recent times, since corporate structures were invented.

And these entities LOVE charging rent. Because that's a guaranteed income stream that involves little if any work, and the profits are massive. Look around, and you will see our society is stacked to the rafters with rent-seekers of various ilk. And as a result, things which were always 'Free' suddenly become Paid services, whether its access to a given bit of geography, bottles of tap water, tolls, fees for letting you do just about anything, etc etc etc.

And then, when the right to charge rents is directly in opposition to the rights of the people, even to the point of causing actual bodily harm or loss of life, who wins? Surprise surprise, its not the people.

Have you all forgotten the many and varied scams and outright thefts perpetrated by all the banks? CBA cheated ITS OWN EMPLOYEES out of the insurance cover they thought they had. ANZ, CBA, NAB and probably WBC all cheated and manipulated rates, then did their best to cover it up. They've all failed to pass on interest rate cuts. They've forged customer signatures. They've sold grossly inappropriate services and reduced the wealth of their own clients quite deliberately in the name of profits.

And retailers are not much better. Do you realise they have a scam where they charge the SUPPLIER for all of their promotions and stuffups? They've been caught red handed. Coles did try and do the right thing and appointed Jeff Kennett to oversee their remediation efforts, but Woolies don't give a damn.

So tell me this... if a corporation is working against every other stakeholder, be it cheating on taxes, overcharging customers, intimidating suppliers, exploiting staff, putting competitors out of business and shortchanging shareholders, WHAT GIVES IT THE RIGHT TO EXIST? Society in no way benefits from their existence, in fact quite the contrary.

In my book, fair pay for fair service is not just for employees, its even more importantly for all corporations. And even governments. When somebody comes in here and says that I can't grow plant X because they own the patent on its genes, or when a government steals freeways WE ALREADY PAID FOR and hands them to a corporation to rent out for an indeterminate length of time, when some bastard puts a fence around a bit of pretty coastline and charges admission, or any of a thousand other ripoffs, that is not fair, and we should not support it.

In this discussion, both CBA and Woolies are doing the wrong thing. Regardless of what internal policies and decisions they may use to justify it, they have breached customer trust, and should pay the penalty by losing the support of their customers. There are other players in both spheres who can, and do, do a much better job.

PS: My stoush with Optus today resulted in an admission that they've been charging me for something that was included as a free component of the package we negotiated 12 months ago. They're now checking exactly how much they owe me. Want to bet they won't offer me interest on that amount? But they're happy to charge me $2.50 if they send me a paper bill. :dodgy:

[trout]

And as for trout's 'News Flash'... just how big a deal do you think collectors ARE anyway?

In the Big picture we are but a speck on an elephants back.
As a recreational fisherman I have WAY more influence as a group than coin collectors ever will and I still have to pay exorbitant licence fees just to fish.
If you think that coin collectors can influence the way that the Government or private enterprise goes about their business Then you are unfortunately sadly mistaken :ok:

[Fulvio]

Of course I don't. But I take my simple pleasures where I can. And occasionally, very occasionally, I get to revel in the knowledge that the demise of some group of *I HAVE A POTTY MOUTH* or other was in some small part due to my unwillingness to play along with them.

[trout]

Of course I don't. But I take my simple pleasures where I can. And occasionally, very occasionally, I get to revel in the knowledge that the demise of some group of  *I HAVE A POTTY MOUTH* or other was in some small part due to my unwillingness to play along with them.

I can relate to that :good:

[nealeffendi]

A companies SOLE reason to exist is to make a profit. How can they make a profit by swapping coins?  They also run the risk that you might stiff them (such as putting foreign or counterfeit coins in the bags, or by putting in say a couple of dollar coins and taking out some $2 coins as the bags will weigh the same but be worth less). They do not exist to serve your needs or desires and they owe you nothing and can refuse to serve you if they want. Don't like it then set up a shop in competition.

[b_j_w_79]

should be required to provide a service free of charge.

And yet you go on to contradict yourself. :dodgy: :angel: Hehe...

We're getting quite philosophical here, but lets think about what 'Free' really means, shall we?

Everything has value. Either monetary value, or sentimental value, or even environmental value, where, you know, it creates the conditions that keep us alive on this spinning rock in space. Value has been around since the big bang, even if we weren't here to witness it.

Prices are another matter entirely though. Those are strictly monetary, and generally boil down to someone picking up something for free, adding a little blood, sweat and tears to it, and charging like a wounded bull, because, you know, they can. Ah, the joys of free enterprise! Also note that the beneficiaries are almost never actual people, except by accident as sort of collateral effect. The beneficiaries are almost all entities which have only existed in relatively recent times, since corporate structures were invented.

And these entities LOVE charging rent. Because that's a guaranteed income stream that involves little if any work, and the profits are massive. Look around, and you will see our society is stacked to the rafters with rent-seekers of various ilk. And as a result, things which were always 'Free' suddenly become Paid services, whether its access to a given bit of geography, bottles of tap water, tolls, fees for letting you do just about anything, etc etc etc.

And then, when the right to charge rents is directly in opposition to the rights of the people, even to the point of causing actual bodily harm or loss of life, who wins? Surprise surprise, its not the people.

Have you all forgotten the many and varied scams and outright thefts perpetrated by all the banks? CBA cheated ITS OWN EMPLOYEES out of the insurance cover they thought they had. ANZ, CBA, NAB and probably WBC all cheated and manipulated rates, then did their best to cover it up. They've all failed to pass on interest rate cuts. They've forged customer signatures. They've sold grossly inappropriate services and reduced the wealth of their own clients quite deliberately in the name of profits.

And retailers are not much better. Do you realise they have a scam where they charge the SUPPLIER for all of their promotions and stuffups? They've been caught red handed. Coles did try and do the right thing and appointed Jeff Kennett to oversee their remediation efforts, but Woolies don't give a damn.

So tell me this... if a corporation is working against every other stakeholder, be it cheating on taxes, overcharging customers, intimidating suppliers, exploiting staff, putting competitors out of business and shortchanging shareholders, WHAT GIVES IT THE RIGHT TO EXIST? Society in no way benefits from their existence, in fact quite the contrary.

In my book, fair pay for fair service is not just for employees, its even more importantly for all corporations. And even governments. When somebody comes in here and says that I can't grow plant X because they own the patent on its genes, or when a government steals freeways WE ALREADY PAID FOR and hands them to a corporation to rent out for an indeterminate length of time, when some bastard puts a fence around a bit of pretty coastline and charges admission, or any of a thousand other ripoffs, that is not fair, and we should not support it.

In this discussion, both CBA and Woolies are doing the wrong thing. Regardless of what internal policies and decisions they may use to justify it, they have breached customer trust, and should pay the penalty by losing the support of their customers. There are other players in both spheres who can, and do, do a much better job.

PS: My stoush with Optus today resulted in an admission that they've been charging me for something that was included as a free component of the package we negotiated 12 months ago. They're now checking exactly how much they owe me. Want to bet they won't offer me interest on that amount? But they're happy to charge me $2.50 if they send me a paper bill. :dodgy:

It should have said shouldn't....sorry! (edited)

[Fulvio]

Try trimming attributions. Spamming a wall of text serves no purpose other than to increase the number of pages people need to wade through.