The Last Days Of Threshers On Earth

You know, technically, as I’m no longer employed at Threshers, I can afford to be a touch … talkative… about my time, there, I really can …

I mean, it’s not like they can sack me, now is it?

I mean, I can understand a company — any company — being wary about its employees sounding off about it, or its doing, but after it’s (effectively) dead, and being slowly buried?

That’s a different matter, altogether.

But I’m thinking that I and the rest of us who’ve worked there over the years, — like Will, the manager, on the left of the middle picture, and James, on the right — certainly owe the customers — like Kelly, who popped in for a bottle of Irn Bru — a big ‘Thank You’.

But as for the actual directors of First Quench Retail getting the same, from us, and everyone they’ve had to let go, by putting the company into administration?

I think, from what I’ve picked up, there’s many of us former Threshers employees who feel badly let down, if not actually betrayed.

The gossip I’ve picked up …

I know at one local branch, the manageress — someone who was very good at both the job, and at motivating her staff — was several months pregnant.

So I can’t see what’s happened as being welcome news.

And there’s a story doing the rounds that one branch manager got his posting on the 28th of October of this year.

The day before the company went into administration.

As you can imagine …

Well …

Now I’ve got to admit, I’ve enjoyed my time, there, I really have, as well as working with the people, there.

But I know that I’ve walked away from the experience feeling — or believing — a couple of things.

If you were following the news, you’ll know that, in the few days following the announcement of First Quench Retail going into administration, you’ll know they close 373 branches, straight away.

The the consensus — one I can’t help but agree with — was that if these lame duck stores had been closed down at least a year to 18 months ago, then the company would have been able to make quite a saving.

On top of that, there was the website …

Oh, dear LORD, the website.

Being something of a technology fan, the Threshers website was a disappointment.

A serious disappointment.

You could find any of our branches on the site, contact details, the names of the company executives, mission statements, diversity policies, what-have-you.

But you couldn’t do something crucial, in these cybernetically enhance, internet age.

You couldn’t — as with Tescos, Sainsburys, iTunes, Halfords, Amazon, Majestic, et al — buy our products online.

You couldn’t order, and pay for, a bottle of wine, and arrange for next day delivery or pick-up at your nearest branch.

Combine that with the simple fact that the Sainsburys of this world have been able to seriously under-cut their smaller competitors.

In this day and age, I feel that combination of factors has put me, and others, out of a job.

To nobody’s, least of all the former First Quench Retail’s directors credit.