Egg based outrage at EDD...now quite scared

[Louisa]

I would never venture into the EDD because it looks overpriced and snobbish from the outside.. The fact that a customer was treated like that is appauling and outrageous.. We all slant the chain stores and supermarkets for forcing small business out of the market place, but at least when you drop a bottle of wine or some good smash from the shelf, they come to your aid and dont insist on charging you...

[*Bob*]

I'm not sure how a shop can 'look snobbish' from the outside. Surely you can only find that out by actually going in? - unless overpriced = snobbish, simply as a matter of course.

Yes, it is expensive in there, but even if you buy your ham in wafer-thin form from Iceland, I'm sure most people would agree it's a good-looking shop-front?

[SeanMacGabhann]

do I agree that a supermarket would come to my aid in such an event? Not sure

EDD is definitely pricey but as I've said before food, to me, matters more than most other things so if I had buttons to spend every week it would go on good food rather than mobile phone bills, cheap clothes etc

A couple of slices of ham from EDD is something you simply cannot buy in a supermarket - with the best will in the world

But as for customer service and store layout - both could do with improving. And I'm not sure they aren't linked. Back when they opened - 5 years ago? something like that - I'm willing to bet they didn't know for sure how things would pan out success -wise so played safe with the layout in case it was just them and 2 customers. Now, it's the case that it has outgrown it's current setup but with rents having gone the way they have I'm not sure they can afford to expand so they have to suffer with cramped conditions along with the customers

I'm really glad Easter has gone tho - I hate when the shop gets overrun with flippin chocolate (money maker tho it may be)

[Polly D]

They'd be so much better off redesigning the second room. Or apply for a licence to serve food a la Green and Blue. There's only so many lavendar/rosemary/royal jelly infused pots of mustard/honey/olive oil for ?5 a pop you can buy. I think they get too carried away with the festivities too - hence the knocking down event that started this thread. As Louisiana said, you can't move without hitting someone/something. Maybe they could make the till area separate and put it in that second room; impossible to queue at the deli bit where it is now ... anyway, err, all my humble opinion.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I got bored of typing in my previous response but that (Polly's comments around a plethora of similar oils etc) is EXACTLY what I wanted to say

Im not saying I want to go back to the days of buying one type of Olive Oil over the counter at Boots, and hopefully they will retain the range but at the moment it shouldn't be high on their priorities

Then again it is jammed every weekend so what do I know

[capt_birdseye]

The chap there often greets my 2 year old daughter by her name, and we don't go there all that often. I sense that, much like Darth Vader, there is some good in him.

[Scruffy Mummy]

I have to say that he has been friendly enough with me and even joked with me and staff on one occasion.

But the layout is a problem and that chocolate egg display was a major accident waiting to happen - in fact, I think if they had done a proper risk assessment, they would have noticed that it was at high risk for toppling over! Could have been a major lawsuit if the eggs had toppled onto a precious East Dulwich offspring!

[euphorbia]

Perhaps the grumpy-and-overbearing / misunderstood-and-actually-quite-sweet-when-you-get-to-know-him manager might spot this thread and retrieve the situation (a la Green and Blue) by offering a special East Dulwich Forum foccacia and olive oil tasting session?

[mumra]

Yes, have always avoided the shop when am buggy handed for the obvious and previously stated reasons. But this is a shame, as we live in a real world where children have a place and it is not always possible to go shopping without them. I do think the layout needs serious consideration and think it would be better if you could go in the unused door on the right handside and leave on the left.

[vicksg]

EDD must surely have over purchased Easter stock in massive style? You (literally) can't move for eggs and such like. However, being without child & buggy I'm able to nip in and buy too many of their 75% off bargains so can't complain.

[maria]

Having shopped in the EDD since it opened I have always found the staff delightful and knowledgable about their food. Yes it does get busy and crowded in there especially when they have super seasonal displays. It sounds like an unfortunate accident but any shop in similar circumstances would have asked you to pay for anything broken. I love having this shop on my door step which does such a fabulous range of quality food, we should also be proud of our local, independently owned shops and support them.

[spymum]

They sell a mean Harissa paste! It complements my cous cous a treat. Ya gotta love harissa so ya gotta love EDD! That's my (rather frivolous) two cents anyway.

spymum

(Blog: Posh Mum)

[spymum]

They sell a mean Harissa paste! It compliments my cous cous a treat. Ya gotta love harissa so ya gotta love EDD! That's my (rather frivolous) two cents anyway.

spymum

(Blog: Posh Mum)

[TW]

I have to say as the owner of the shop I really am disappointed by all your negative remarks I will speak to my team re charging customers for stock they damage, but sometimes it is un-avoidable; when people just don't care. However we do appreciate that accidents happen! As I am sure most of you are aware, we moved to east dulwich more than five years and put every penny we had into that business and worked hard 7 days a week with just one other member of staff, a few robberies and shop lifters to boot ... Then great things happened on Lordship lane and lots of other fine shops moved into the area and with that house prices increased of watch I am sure most of you have benefited, unless of course the reason you are so bitter is that your still renting!!! I designed the shop myself that door on the right is actually a flat, we did not anticpate the success and I probably have made design errors, of which we will address as and when we can.. My staff of 10 including my Manager Jay are a great bunch and work extremely hard and truly are offended by your comments, what bitter people you must be to verbally attack someone in this way. You know you can always vote with your feet and we don't make you come into the shop.. Not that I want to drive customers away I don't I do feel that you are unjust in saying mean things about people you don't know IE my staff.. why can't you be proud of the fact the we have a thriving community and a great local high street rather than spending you time slagging it off; and for those of you that do like our shop and mention this and I will give you 10% off and a free loaf of bread.. excluding the marked down table all at ?2.00.. xx

[capt_birdseye]

Good on you for sticking up for yourself TW. Despite the somewhat hazardous layout it's still a damn fine deli (in my humble opinion).

[Incitatus]

Kentish loaves all round !;-)

[SeanMacGabhann]

TW

Thanks for coming on and speaking out - always good to hear the other side of the story. Perhaps you can read about the Green & Blue experience as well. The owner Kate read some negative comments on here and responded and (I believe) everyone has benefited from the exchange that happened

EDD has had some negative comments but surely you can see it has had many positive ones too - I was here before EDD opened and have nothing but good will towards anybody opening a shop like yours - and I spend my money there too

I think you do recognize the value of what people have said - as you mention the area has changed a lot in 5 years and everyone can benefit from keeping up with the times. If you are stuck in negotiations with greedy landlords however we can only wish you luck

Post again

[SimonM]

>>>for those of you that do like our shop and mention this and I will give you 10% off and a free loaf of bread.. excluding the marked down table all at ?2.00.. xx<<

Well call me shameless and brazen but I do like the shop, and even liked it when it first opened and seemed to have only fresh pasta on sale. And yes it is packed to the gills with merchandise but I think we have been so spoilt with vast supermarket-style aisles nowadays we have quite forgotten what "old fashioned" provision stores used to be like - basically any empty space is lost choice as well as lost profits amd you need to look where you are going...

Just wish it still sold the cans of Illy coffee beans to save me the trek to Dog Kennel Hill...

[bawdy-nan]

You've got a lovely shop, but you must see that calling disgruntled customers "bitter because they are renting" is an odd approach to marketing. I started this thread because I couldn't believe what I'd witnessed and wanted to hear from other customers to find out if it was a one off.

At the time I put the weird behaviour down to end of day tiredness on the part of your manager (if thats who he is) but it was a truly ghastly experience and genuinely made me think twice about going in again and, please remember, I only witnessed the incident. If I were you I'd be a little worried. "Unusual" approaches to customer service make for rapid word-of-mouth notoriety but as you say you are happy for your customers to "vote with our feet". I'm shocked to hear that you have such disdain for your customers, but if this is your attitude then I can see why some of your staff take a similar approach.

I lived here before you set up shop and the high street had lots of great shops then. Which is not to say that your shop hasn't been a welcome addition. You're clearly upset by the comments but people on this forum haven't slagged you off consistently. They've got lots of good things to say about your shop (and the others in the area). Why not use this as a bit of useful feedback, unless you truly think you've got the whole business sussed and don't need to listen to anyone.

[*Bob*]

TW, I'm all-up for a shop-owner sticking-up for themselves in response to negative comments (and the EDD is well-worth sticking-up for), but your posting is a bit of a customer relations disaster.

Perhaps you should consider a hasty re-edit before the morning?!

[TW]

In reply to Baldy Nan, its awful when people say nasty things about each other.. Like Lowly wiping assistant, Napolean and teeny tiny tim.. you cleary think that it is ok to make these comments about another human being.. How do you think they feel reading them? I admit we don't always get it right.. None of us do but to make those comments about people that are trying to make a living is just out of order.. I am by no means attacking people that rent as I am a tennant and a landlord. However I would rather make a broad comment than one that would hurt another's feelings, or look down on another and call them a Lowly wiper... We all have jobs to do I love the community we work and live in and thats why I have chosen to spend my childhood years and my adult life living in the area..

I believe all customers have choices if they feel that we have given them bad service then I will apologise, that is not our intention you do not go into the service industry to be mean to people; I trust that customers will do what is right for them, and if that be not to enter my shop then that is fine.. I do not want to drive customers away, but I would say please do not make personal attacks on other people especially as you really don't know them or their circumstances.

The reason we lock the door at the end of the evening is because we were robbed at the end of the day when we first opened...

I will leave it at that the offer still stands 10% off and a free loaf... I will continue to over buy and mark down as I love what I do!! Wishing you all health and happiness and a good heart. TW

Also can I request that we get spell check on EDF as I am the worse speller in the world and would hate to be personally critised for it..

[Jeremy]

I like the way you're sticking up for your staff, TW. It still sounds as though the guy who threw a wobbly and locked the customers in the shop was somewhat over-reacting though...

[SeanMacGabhann]

Am I reopening a can of worms by saying that the likes of TW and Kate from Green & Blue responding in this way is one of the reasons some of us LOVE our independant shops and want ED to remain largely chain free? The passion and the "hands held up" attitude (not to mention free stuff!) and the desire to want things to be better is all for the good IMO

[Mark]

I second you on that SeanMacGabhann, I admire it too and it shows the passion that the shop owners have in their business. I couldn't imagine the owner of Caffe Nero coming on here and addressing issues.

[edited once]

[SeanMacGabhann]

Cheers Mark

Although I think secretly she/he may read this and might yet post. Of course their ABILITY to change anything might be stymied by "head office"