Argos catalogue

Steedie · 13 Dec 2014 at 21:44

It's about time, pointless in this day and age. Waste of money for them

robgmun · 13 Dec 2014 at 21:46

Orionaut said:
This.

Is is considerably more difficult and time consuming to "Browse" a website!

One can skim through dozens, if not hundreds, of pages of a paper catalogue in only a few minutes.

The only time "On Line" beats paper is when you know exactly what you want (And even then, you still have to figure out exactly what precise Cabalistic incantation needs to be typed into the "search" box to get to the right page!)

People not knowing how to browse amazon!

lsg1r · 14 Dec 2014 at 00:24

Honestly... they need to keep the catalogue until they can figure out to keep their website up and running. The amount of issues their website has had recently is ridiculous, this wasn't even on black friday or anything and the site just didn't have the capacity.

Amazon, which likely has a magnitude higher number of online shoppers than argos can keep theirs online during black friday yet Argos can't even seem to manage on a normal day half the time I have tried to go there.

Having said that Tesco's failed too on black friday and they don't have a catalogue so....

But at the end of the day this isn't about them trying to be eco friendly, this is all about money and cutting out the free catalogues can easily save £100,000+ (guestimate) per edition which for a company that isn't doing to well financially is a lot of money... personally I'd say stop selling stuff that is broken before we even get it would save them more money but what do I know.

UberTiger · 14 Dec 2014 at 07:44

Amazon are a tech company though. Argos isn't.

A rather large chunk of amazons business revolves around cloud computer and serving web pages. AWS is the fastest growing software business in history

http://mobile.businessweek.com/arti...astest-growing-software-businesses-in-history

Hyburnate · 14 Dec 2014 at 07:48

UberTiger said:
Yeah, I'd forgotten too until I moved into my new place and started shopping around for homely items. Same with the ikea catalogue.

It's great being able to take a poop and browse through the catalogue! Dog earing the pages with stuff that piques your interest. It's currently my favourite bathroom activity, I've not taken my phone in with me for weeks!

This is the correct way to do it, I order catalogues just so I can see if there's any stuff I don't know I need but need

Juicy_vessel · 14 Dec 2014 at 09:19

In the Stores I have visited. I like the Electronic Catalogue. It saves flicking through hundreds of pages.

thepharcyde · 14 Dec 2014 at 09:24

Every time the wife would bring one back I put it in the recycling. They are a thing of the past.

UberTiger · 14 Dec 2014 at 09:30

Hyburnate said:
I order catalogues just so I can see if there's any stuff I don't know I need but need

This is just it. Amazon is great if you know exactly what you want, and you can search for it. It's not that great for browsing though.

The only website I regularly use to browse for products to buy is Hot UK Deals.

I pop on, browse through a few pages, see crap I really don't need, but can't say no to as it's a good deal, and then purchase!

Cosimo · 14 Dec 2014 at 09:32

All those great toys:

Want to see some more:

http://retromash.com/argos/

Served a purpose and now all you need is search.

Scrutinize · 14 Dec 2014 at 10:06

It's interesting looking back at toy prices which have risen substantially whereas tech has stayed broadly similar.

I read through all of the 80s catalogues yesterday and realised how much of my childhood was mapped by the autumn winter Argos catalogue.

*Moangroan* · 14 Dec 2014 at 11:55

Its nice to browse through catalogue sometimes.

But when argos first started it was cheap and obviously you could not see the item until you paid or got home.

Its still the same and now no cheaper than retail boxed stuff. So i dont bother with argos anymore

UberTiger · 14 Dec 2014 at 12:05

Surprisingly, the 2 most expensive gifts I've bought so far this year have been from physical Argos and Tesco stores, and not ordered online.

The Argos item was one of those compact rechargeable vacuum cleaners. £140 discounted to £80 on amazon, but the same price in Argos. So I was able to nip out and have it within the hour for the same price as Amazon.

The second item ironically, was the Kindle Voyage. It's listed at £169 at the moment on Amazon, with no stock available until the 22nd December.

So I went to my nearest large Tesco yesterday and ordered one to the shop from there. What's even better is the guy at the counter told me about the current Tesco Direct £20 online voucher and applied it to my order, so I got it for £149. Absolute legend

Dirk Diggler · 14 Dec 2014 at 12:24

robfosters said:
...Do you think it is an Eco-unfriendly, outdated antique of a shopping method?

Yes. Yes I do.

RoboCod · 14 Dec 2014 at 13:14

String said:
Yes. Yes I do.

Do you also agree that it gives people who do not have access to the Internet or a computer (poor and elderly) the ability shop and order things. Surely those groups would be excluded have they no catalogue to browse through at home.

Dirk Diggler · 14 Dec 2014 at 14:11

Captain Planet said:
Do you also agree that it gives people who do not have access to the Internet or a computer (poor and elderly) the ability shop and order things. Surely those groups would be excluded have they no catalogue to browse through at home.

Yes, I would agree that's an issue. However, (and I'm not fishing for reactions here) I think it would be reasonable to charge for the print version, just like Next does as an example.

We simply can't expect a business to take a hit for the production costs when so few people will actually require the service. In the case of Argos, it's incredibly easy to browse for an item and have it reserved at the touch of a button. The company need to direct their funds squarely at improving and sustaining that particular service, as opposed to outdated print catalogues.

People moaning about the death of the Argos catalogue are similar to people moaning about additional delivery costs because of where they live. They're essentially expecting the overwhelming majority of people to provide a subsidy.

RoboCod · 14 Dec 2014 at 14:14

Are argos reporting a loss from catalogue production over the revenue it creates?

Dirk Diggler · 14 Dec 2014 at 14:20

Captain Planet said:
Are argos reporting a loss from catalogue production over the revenue it creates?

I have no idea.

RoboCod · 14 Dec 2014 at 14:28

I guess if they are looking to review the matter then it is obviously an issue. I think they just feel the pinch with Amazon and might be looking to be more competitive with them. Maybe they would be better concentrating the other way though and focusing on those groups they cater to rather than excluding them by going all online/in store.

Dirk Diggler · 14 Dec 2014 at 14:33

Captain Planet said:
I guess if they are looking to review the matter then it is obviously an issue. I think they just feel the pinch with Amazon and might be looking to be more competitive with them. Maybe they would be better concentrating the other way though and focusing on those groups they cater to rather than excluding them by going all online/in store.

I think a company like Argos would have done their research. I don't have time to research, but I'd be willing to bet that online sales and website traffic have been increasing year on year for them.

Nix · 14 Dec 2014 at 15:36

Argos need to diversify and focus on becoming more like Amazon than a strange 90s-hybrid catch-all of a shop. Keep some outlets obviously, but they certainly need to make their online presence stronger if they are to compete in the long-term.

Argos is internet-shopping without the internet. The internet is here now, so they need to adapt.