Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[Newmanseye]

I just double checked and I am very surprised,  it was news to me and I manage Teco as an account !!

yes Billy, but we are on about Tesco

Sigh!

FML i wish i could type properly.

[tikay]

There is quite a few in Thailand.......

Is the RIGHT answser.

They are all called Tesco Lotus, so I assume they just bought an existing supermarket chain called Lotus?

No idea, but that makes sense. I'm curious, so I'll dig around & try & find out the history.

[nirvana]

I managed to get a lot of good business speakers to my conferences - as well as the guru types like Stephen Covey, Michael Porter, Tom Peters, Gary Hamel et al we attracted some truly inspirational and/or 'just very good at what they did' business leaders like Charles Dunstone, Jack Welch, Anita Roddick, Allan Leighton, Val Gooding and many more

Always grated that I never managed to persuade Terry Leahy - I walked up to him after he'd finished speaking at a major retailers conference and we had a conversation that went something like this.

Me " Hello, I'm Glenn and we organise 'The European Conference on Customer Management'......."

I gave him a one minute pitch on how unmissable an opportunity it was for him and how much our audience would relish hearing from him. He paid me full attention, asked his assistant to give me his card so I could wirte with more details and thanked me for my interest in him and his business.

Feeling lucky, I pressed on "Since we've had this brief chat, is it likely that you'll accept our invitation this time ? "

Sir Terry Leahy, smiling and very politely  ........... "No"

[DesD]

I managed to get a lot of good business speakers to my conferences - as well as the guru types like Stephen Covey, Michael Porter, Tom Peters, Gary Hamel et al we attracted some truly inspirational and/or 'just very good at what they did' business leaders like Charles Dunstone, Jack Welch, Anita Roddick, Allan Leighton, Val Gooding and many more

Always grated that I never managed to persuade Terry Leahy - I walked up to him after he'd finished speaking at a major retailers conference and we had a conversation that went something like this.

Me " Hello, I'm Glenn and we organise 'The European Conference on Customer Management'......."

I gave him a one minute pitch on how unmissable an opportunity it was for him and how much our audience would relish hearing from him. He paid me full attention, asked his assistant to give me his card so I could wirte with more details and thanked me for my interest in him and his business.

Feeling lucky, I pressed on "Since we've had this brief chat, is it likely that you'll accept our invitation this time ? "

Sir Terry Leahy, smiling and very politely  ........... "No"

A class act.

[thetank]

I heard something as to the etymological origins of Tesco, apparently it was an acronym for 'The English Shopping COmpany'

Is this true?

[JaffaCake]

It was a question on Shooting Stars once - What does TESCO stand for?

The answer was 'good quality food at an affordable price'

[Colchester Kev]

TESCO   T.E. Stockwell and Albert Cohen

[GreekStein]

It was a question on Shooting Stars once - What does TESCO stand for?

The answer was 'good quality food at an affordable price'

Used to love that show and that round in particular!

[EvilPie]

Tikay, I know you are quite a fan of Ryan Air, so wonder what you make of this........http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=apr&story=gen-en-220409.

In these days of excess and everything has its price is this now acceptable, is it fair?

Mini bump for this.

Fantastic idea imo. Charge the fatties more.

I can remember my sister once being charged £120 because her suitcase was 15kg over weight.

She actually wrote a complaining letter to Thomas Cook stating that she didn't think it was fair that a 9st woman gets charged £120 for an extra 15kg when there were 25st+ passengers who didn't have to pay any extra even though their total weight was clearly more.

From what I understand the airlines have an average passenger weight which they use to calculate take off weights. Apparently this average weight has had to be increased recently because of obesity issues.

Imo they should weigh both passenger and luggage and apply a surcharge if they are over the average weight combined.

If the fatties want to save some money they could just pack a thong and a toothbrush.

Skinny people could obviously take lots of jeans and jumpers.

[cdw1111]

Tikay, I know you are quite a fan of Ryan Air, so wonder what you make of this........http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=apr&story=gen-en-220409.

In these days of excess and everything has its price is this now acceptable, is it fair?

Mini bump for this.

Fantastic idea imo. Charge the fatties more.



I can remember my sister once being charged £120 because her suitcase was 15kg over weight.

She actually wrote a complaining letter to Thomas Cook stating that she didn't think it was fair that a 9st woman gets charged £120 for an extra 15kg when there were 25st+ passengers who didn't have to pay any extra even though their total weight was clearly more.

From what I understand the airlines have an average passenger weight which they use to calculate take off weights. Apparently this average weight has had to be increased recently because of obesity issues.

Imo they should weigh both passenger and luggage and apply a surcharge if they are over the average weight combined.

If the fatties want to save some money they could just pack a thong and a toothbrush.

Skinny people could obviously take lots of jeans and jumpers.

   Lol,excess baggage is just another way for the airline to make a buck,most larger people do not take up more than one seat but more baggage cannot fit into the hold as it is a specific size.Baggage weight per item is governed by health and safety(for the handlers),i think its now 23kg max per bag,32kg in total:BA longhaul.The airlines use these figures to there advantage,some more than others the cut price carriers are real shady in this respect.

[Royal Flush]

Tikay, I know you are quite a fan of Ryan Air, so wonder what you make of this........http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=apr&story=gen-en-220409.

In these days of excess and everything has its price is this now acceptable, is it fair?

Mini bump for this.

Fantastic idea imo. Charge the fatties more.



I can remember my sister once being charged £120 because her suitcase was 15kg over weight.

She actually wrote a complaining letter to Thomas Cook stating that she didn't think it was fair that a 9st woman gets charged £120 for an extra 15kg when there were 25st+ passengers who didn't have to pay any extra even though their total weight was clearly more.

From what I understand the airlines have an average passenger weight which they use to calculate take off weights. Apparently this average weight has had to be increased recently because of obesity issues.

Imo they should weigh both passenger and luggage and apply a surcharge if they are over the average weight combined.

If the fatties want to save some money they could just pack a thong and a toothbrush.

Skinny people could obviously take lots of jeans and jumpers.

   Lol,excess baggage is just another way for the airline to make a buck,most larger people do not take up more than one seat but more baggage cannot fit into the hold as it is a specific size.Baggage weight per item is governed by health and safety(for the handlers),i think its now 23kg max per bag,32kg in total:BA longhaul.The airlines use these figures to there advantage,some more than others the cut price carriers are real shady in this respect.

Bags can weigh anything regarding the handlers, i just needs to be noted as heavy.

One bag 3/4 full weighing 30kg takes up as much space as the same bag full up carrying 40kg, the only diff obv being fuel consumption.

[Ironside]

Tikay, I know you are quite a fan of Ryan Air, so wonder what you make of this........http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/news.php?yr=09&month=apr&story=gen-en-220409.

In these days of excess and everything has its price is this now acceptable, is it fair?

Mini bump for this.

Fantastic idea imo. Charge the fatties more.

I can remember my sister once being charged £120 because her suitcase was 15kg over weight.

She actually wrote a complaining letter to Thomas Cook stating that she didn't think it was fair that a 9st woman gets charged £120 for an extra 15kg when there were 25st+ passengers who didn't have to pay any extra even though their total weight was clearly more.

From what I understand the airlines have an average passenger weight which they use to calculate take off weights. Apparently this average weight has had to be increased recently because of obesity issues.

Imo they should weigh both passenger and luggage and apply a surcharge if they are over the average weight combined.

If the fatties want to save some money they could just pack a thong and a toothbrush.

Skinny people could obviously take lots of jeans and jumpers.

let them try and get me on the scales they will break

[tikay]

I managed to get a lot of good business speakers to my conferences - as well as the guru types like Stephen Covey, Michael Porter, Tom Peters, Gary Hamel et al we attracted some truly inspirational and/or 'just very good at what they did' business leaders like Charles Dunstone, Jack Welch, Anita Roddick, Allan Leighton, Val Gooding and many more

Always grated that I never managed to persuade Terry Leahy - I walked up to him after he'd finished speaking at a major retailers conference and we had a conversation that went something like this.

Me " Hello, I'm Glenn and we organise 'The European Conference on Customer Management'......."

I gave him a one minute pitch on how unmissable an opportunity it was for him and how much our audience would relish hearing from him. He paid me full attention, asked his assistant to give me his card so I could wirte with more details and thanked me for my interest in him and his business.

Feeling lucky, I pressed on "Since we've had this brief chat, is it likely that you'll accept our invitation this time ? "

Sir Terry Leahy, smiling and very politely  ........... "No"

Great story.

You mention Tom Peters - he was, in the 80's, in America, the absolute top guro of Management theory, & he charged tens of thousands ($$'s) for lectures, & folks would flock from all over to attend. I was a Member of the American Management Association (AMA) for many years, went to Amereica twice for major Management Courses, & read all his - many! - books. It was inspirational stuff, he was messiah-like, sort of evangelical in the way he spoke/lectured/preached. He was probably a crap, failed, businessman, but he could really talk the talk. I imagine he's retired now.

Of the other names you mention, I would not trust Dunstone an inch, despite his clear vision, & I'd not cross the road to listen to Roddick. In fact, I'd have crossed the road to avoid her. But Jack Welch - now there's a proper man, and he makes O'Leary look second-rate. What a man, what a career! He reserructed GE almost single-handed. His autobiography is an absolute must-read.

As to that Leahy story, it does not surprise me at alll - as DD says, "class act" him. Tesco, under Terry, have been astonishingly successful. They survived one of those periods a few years back wheh the media got on their case - because they were successful. British disease. Since then, they have powered on, & they made some daft profit this year, £3billion or somesuch. Amazing, & something to respect.

In his Annual Report, he stressed that Tesco will expand - build more stores - in the UK in the next 2 years than ever before. And why? Because, in recession, Construction Costs & Capital costs are so much lower. He can build 30% more store space for the same money as he could 3 years ago.

Top man him. I'd love to meet him. Never ruffled, across his brief totally, does his share of Charity work, several NED's, & a personal life untouched by scandal.

He the man.

[tikay]

Prompted by nirvana's great Post, I wanna start a "best Businessman" Top 10.

I need to do some dwellage, but here's my starters.

Warren Buffett

Jack Welch

Terry Leahy

Michael O'Leary

John Harvey-Jones

John Kirkland

Sir Arnold (later Baron) Weinstock.

Bill Gates

Sergey Brin & Larry Page.

Go on, challenge that.

[Colchester Kev]

I raise you Alan Sugar.