How running a store in mining community works: A lesson for the bored housewife!

[Michael Alexander]

I see yet another housewife commenting on a social networking site about how irritated they are being stuck in this small town of ours with only this pathetic SPAR to shop at.

How she wished that she could live in a place where there were deliveries of fresh fruit and veg 5 times a week, a town where the shops catered for your every whim!

Well, my dear, at the end of the day, it all boils down to money....

Oranjemund, a nice enough place , is stuck in the middle of nowhere, we produce nothing of value here to export back to the city. We have to spend N$18 000.00 per truck for transport.... Therefore N$ 9000.00 for an empty return truck.We currently have two trucks a week.

We also do not have enough people living in Oranjemund to warrant 5 trucks a week, there is not a big enough local market for this.

There is not enough money flowing in the local economy. When the mine shut down for three months, this store lost N$ 60 000.00 per month just on expired goods, and that was just running on one truck a week. This does not even take into consideration the lost sales incurred.

Why, my dear, do you think Woolworths stopped getting in fresh groceries.....? IT WAS NOT ECONOMICAL to continue doing  this...... Why has west Cafe closed down, the facts are, the economy has shrunk, all those upper c band and d band people that earned the nice salaries have gone.,.... the masses want their Mahungu....So next time , before you start to complain about the shop, try and understand the mechanics involved in running a store in such a remote destination.

On the point of being so expensive..... one must compare Apples with Apples..... Ask yourself the question, Why do ex Oranjemund residents living in Luderitz , send us shopping orders.....? Why do people living in Baken and Alex Bay shop here....?

But please feel free to talk to any of the managers at your local Expensive empty shop, if you need something we do not have stock of, we can order it in for you.!

[Skinny]

I am currently in Durban and have just walked out of a huge shopping mall in total disgust with the noise, rude people,shitty shop assistants that think they are not there to assists customers and on top of it all I had to pay R10.00 for parking for an hour. Yes we "only" have the spar and yes it does get frustrating when you see something on TV and want to make it or open your favourite recipe book and discover there is no danish feta cheese or fish sauce. BUT if you go to any of the Spar Managers they go out of their wat to help and get the goods for you. I have offered many times to buy the whole case but Mike and staff won't hear of it. Where else in the world could you have an epileptic fit and the staff load you off to hospital, deliver your groceries to your house and then phone the next day to find out if you need anything and drop off the bread you did forget as you cannot drive and your dearly beloved can't get out of a meeting to collect it? I will tell you where Oranjemund Spar that's where. So if there arn't carrots for a carrot cake, use your imagination and see what sweet potatoes can do in place of carrots, phone a friend or look on your social networking site and ask for ideas!!!!!! Way to go Mike and Co .

[Andrew Darné]

GO Skinny, you tell them...

Been here for near 25 years. Seen all sorts of changes in the retail section (supermarket...) over the years and sure, there are times and there are times. Every remote place, especially in the mining communities have their share of issues regarding shops. If it affects you, do something for yourself... don't just squeak out and complain. If SPAR's prices jab you in the butt, save up progressivley, look out for specials at your big shop locations and when you go out buy in bulk to save on the non perishables. The saving you make there will offset the 'higher' price you pay here for perishables.
For those rabbits out there who can't live without their fresh produce... If you have money to spend online on a social networking website instead of putting it in the cookie jar, you obviously live in a pad with a big enough yard to plant some of your own veg. Now come on... we are in Africa after all, get with the boere program plant some goetjies and get a life.

Ok... i hogged a bit make that my $2 worth.

[Chris Macpherson]

I was in Pick and Pay Circle Centre Table View today  and noticed chicken were selling at between R50 upwards for 1.5kg size. Who ever said that chickens went cheap, think they were County Fair.

[Andrew Darné]

In SA country what's fair...?

[Bertie Horak]

Well put Skinny!  And Mike, I've heard from so many people who passed through your Spar who were very impressed, and in comparison, you would have to search very far to get a better shop in the rest of Namibia.  I think the complaining housewife probably grew up in a crowded suburb in a city, on the stoep of a crowded shopping centre.  All my growing up years were in mining towns, and I agree with Skinny, I can't remember my Mom ever complaining, just improvise a little, you can still prepare a delicious spread even if you cant get your precious Siberian caviar from the third mountain from the eastern border which had to be gathered by a group of monks.
Go Oranjemund Spar.
Oh, and by the way - the one Spar in my town here in the Cape has been robbed by armed gunman for the third time this week. Lot of shooting - one robber dead, one in hospital, 6 in jail.   Now, Would you rather go buy your bread here and risk being caught in a robbery, or in Oranjemund where you see friendly staff in a safe environment?

[Michael Alexander]

Thanks for the support people, I am not knocking the "Bored housewife", all I am asking for , is for her to be more understanding of the  situation, how the mechanics of such an operation run.... that's all.......

On another point of comparing apples with apples, customers often complain about our milk price, why are we charging N$ 13.50 per litre, but just across the border in Port Nolloth, it is N$7,50..... are you, as the customer aware, that the government has a 40% special tax added to Milk products at the border, trying to encourage (force) us to but local. By the way the "local" price is the same as our imported milk price..... I also believe people in the country stores are paying upwards of N$17.00 per litre..... the same applies to pasta products also, they want you to be encouraged "forced" to buy Namibian products from Namib Mills, who once again, the local price cannot compete with the South African price...

When comparing South African products, ie.. Fruit and Veg, eggs..... with South African stores, bear in mind that these items are VAT free in ZA, in Namibia we only have a few basic items that are VAT Free.....

As I said, understand the mechanics of how things work..... in closing.... Springbok is only 2 hours away, and even some of my fellow managers go shopping here, so the choice is indeed there.......

For the lady that went into a tantrum on tuesday morning, because we had no fresh mushrooms, my dear, the fruit and veg arrives fresh every tuesday and thursday afternoon....

The perishables also arrive on a Tuesday afternoon and the Groceries every thursday afternoon........ Fresh Milk every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon...... Namdairies every Friday afternoon...... The Eggs, every thursday afternoon, the Fresh Meat on a Friday......

I think thats about that......

[SandyB]

I will echo ..  my visit last year ,, the  OM  Spar  in  size and variety  of stock  on shelves , neatness  etc .. impressive ...  that  it  cant  stock evrything under the sun   I accept that .. I know that  for  certain things  I shop at certain shops in  CT ..  fact is  O,mund population and demographics  dont allow that ..  so  yes   there is only  one shop and  if  one  is  staying there  accept  that and  yes  adapt  and  make  plans ...

[toonfandangl]

Michael its hard to imagine a SPAR in Oranjemund !! my memories films and photographs are all around the late 60/70s, and the only store there was the Oranjemund retail store.

I think the butcher shop and bakers were on the other side of the road, and I not sure if the dairy was somewhere there to, and in them days the US dollar and S/A Rand were on par.

The British Pound was double the value, one Pound = two Rand, incidentally the Rand was fairing a bit better against the Pound.

The point of this is that the Oranjemund retail store and others were subsidised by CDM so we as customers enjoyed prices that even the big city's could not match................it was a great life.

I remember Sandy B's. Mum in the retail store she reminded me of the late 'MOLLIE SUGDEN' in  'ARE YOU BEING SERVED' and I say that Sandy in the nicest possible way.

There was no pressure on the sales people (well it seamed that way to me) and remember we the work force only got to the store every forth Saturday, because we worked a 5 and a half day week.

Arrrr!! yes still waiting for that Michael!! when did the working week change its hours. maybe that's why the groceries were cheaper CDM were getting an extra 4 hours out of its work force.........................................................................

Power to the WHINGERS hope you know I am JOKING here..........................................................

[Paul Alexander]

Old topic I know, but I don't get the time to pop in all that often. Mike, where is your depot. Have you not considered discussing the sharing of the truck with Namdeb commercial. I'm not sure if we send much stuff back that way anymore (mostly incoming) but is might help cut costs?

[Michael Alexander]

Me has doubts as to Namdeb running refrigerator lorries up here......

[Alfred Boehme]

Mike A you mentioned earlier in the topic that milk prices are so high due to a 40% charge on them you also mentioned that this is so to force people to buy local products, my question is where is the local milk in namibia? the price of milk is all the same local or not, maybe namibia have no cows to get the milk from

[Michael Alexander]

Namdairies just built a Superdairy up at Mariental, their problem is they cannot produce enough or compete on a fair basis, price wise and therefore got the gov to place those 40% surcharge at the borders, thereby screwing their own people.... just to save 200 jobs....

[SandyB]

Frank  ... I  remember so well that my Mom was very popular in the  retail store ..  and when she took on buying  as an extra duty .. and in later years  was a kind of right hand woman  to the store manager .. when she was due to retire    in 1980 at 55  they offered her a position at  head office   central buying .. always caring about customers and trying to get the  best variety .. I recall as a small boy accompanying  her to all the wholesalers in CT  ..  sadly wholesalers and indent agents  hardly seem to exist anymore ..   the big  boys  do it all ...

[Alfred Boehme]

Namdairies just built a Superdairy up at Mariental, their problem is they cannot produce enough or compete on a fair basis, price wise and therefore got the gov to place those 40% surcharge at the borders, thereby screwing their own people.... just to save 200 jobs....

I wonder if being screwed is tax deductible? I persume in sertain jobs

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