How do you know? If it's a typical concession arrangement the staff would be employed by Morleys, a Morleys manager would run the operation and Green would just get commission on what they sell. The scenario you describe is highly unlikely - it's equivalent to Morleys subletting part of their store to Topshop.
Brixton Top Shop protest, 11am Sat 18th Dec
- Thread starter editor
- Start date
How do you know? If it's a typical concession arrangement the staff would be employed by Morleys, a Morleys manager would run the operation and Green would just get commission on what they sell. The scenario you describe is highly unlikely - it's equivalent to Morleys subletting part of their store to Topshop.
editor
hiraethified
Nob
editor
hiraethified
I'm pretty sure TopShop and Morleys will manage to survive from this minor, but thoroughly justified momentary inconvenience to their customers.
By staging a local action, the message about their tax-swerving activities gets out to more consumers who are then free to choose to continue shopping with them or not.
Well said. The standard of pro-capitalist troll these days is shit, to be fair. Where's Canuck?
Surely you can work this out for yourself: protest causes sales to go down, Morleys profits go down, staff are sacked. Even a peaceful demo hurts profits. If there's another one somebody might do the windows in, causing much more financial damage. You're the one who's encouraged members of your forum to attend this demo, but you can't even be bothered to find out whether the concession structure means you're hurting Morleys staff more than Green. You've had enough people in this thread draw attention to the issue, but you've said nothing. If you care about Brixton could you please do some homework? What if the Topshop concession is the only thing keeping Morleys going? And these demo(s) cause the place to go the way of the Woolies opposite? Lots of jobs lost, and a historic building carved up and falling into disuse?
Plumdaff
joy in people
As a student I worked for two concessions in two different department stores in central London. Both were run as editor describes, which is typical for that type of store.
I notice that protestors at the Oxford St branch have reported TopShop managers whispering that they agree with the protest. As for potential harm, for more is done to society and TopShop and Vodaphone employees by tax evasion and avoidance than will be done by peaceful protestors.
editor
hiraethified
I can surely work out that you haven't a fucking clue what you're talking about.
But go on: tell me exactly why staff will be "sacked" as a result of today's action and then I'll tell you why you're talking unmitigated shite.
1%er
Well-Known Member
and they can't continue to sponsor a child in Africa and that child will now die!
How do you people sleep at night knowing that you are responsible for the death of children
ajdown
Posting in this thread
No, we were going to do some shopping down the bottom of the hill about that time and were going to look out to see how many had turned up but the snow was so bad and they didn't appear to have gritted the hill so we decided to go to the little Sainsburys instead to get what we needed to - and found some alternatives items there and in the Happy Shopper to the christmas shopping we had planned.
Sorry to have missed your party.
twistedAM
Left Of The Dial
WRONG. Check some facts (a standard thing to do if you call yourself a journalist) about how the modern department store operates.
I've already explained the formula. If you don't understand it, retake your 11+.
Today's action looks from your photos to have been a harmless failure. But no doubt you were hoping that more people turned up: your OP says the intention of the demo was to close the store. Inevitably there would have been a ruck with police and security guards. Stock, fittings, windows etc would have been trashed, the store might not have been able to reopen on Monday. All well and good if the victim is Philip Green.
But who is the victim? I didn't go to the demo, or persuade anyone else to go, so I don't need to find out. You do. But you haven't a clue about the relationship between Morleys and Topshop. I suggested you do your homework. But you couldn't be arsed. It's just lazy thinking.
Plumdaff
joy in people
The Met are out of control, aren't they?
Clearly no amount of reality will change your mind, but why not have a wee look at the photos of the demos, including the larger ones on Oxford St. Nothing of the sort spouting from your feverish imagination is actually taking place.
editor
hiraethified
Your 'formula' was based on some laughably wild nonsense that has no bearing on reality. No one will get sacked as a result of this demo.
It's obvious that you really haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about, and all that hysterical, fact-free nonsense about people being sacked, shops closing, 'rucks' with the police, fights with security guards, windows being smashed, stock and fittings being trashed, and 'historical buildings being carved up' is nothing short of embarrassingly stupid and ill informed.
Actually he hasn't described anywhere in this thread how the store is run. Because he doesn't know. Various people have theorized about it. But nobody knows. Nobody has troubled to find out. I once worked in a concession run the way that I described. So did my girlfriend (at the Oxford Circus Dorothy Perkins, funnily enough.) I'm not presuming to know about the Brixton Topshop. But I'm not one of the people trying to damage its business, am I? All I'm asking is that apparently intelligent, educated, informed people take the trouble to learn the facts before they incite others to take an action which could cost other people's jobs. If it turns out that Philip Green IS the victim of this protest, I'll be delighted to join the next one.
free spirit
more tea vicar?
shops have been closed up and down the country over the last couple of months via ukuncut protests, without a single window being smashed, or any stock or fittings being trashed. The main medium of these protests being the sit down protest in the store / on the stores doorstep, it's hard to see why you'd expect windows to be smashed or anything to get trashed, so frankly you're talking out of your arse.
I'm being logical and using my brain. You're just showing yourself up now. Do us all a favour and walk away from the keyboard until you can type a rational reply.
ymu
Niall Ferguson's deep-cover sock-puppet
Even if Morleys do run the Top Shop instead of merely renting them space, if these protests will cost people their jobs, why is that OK if they work directly for Top Shop and not if they work for another shop? It's a bizarre line of reasoning.
The protests have had a lot of support from staff - loads of them muttering about their static wages and £5 bonus compared to the company's soaring profits. But don't let the facts get in the way of a bit of armchair criticism.
The protests have had a lot of support from staff - loads of them muttering about their static wages and £5 bonus compared to the company's soaring profits. But don't let the facts get in the way of a bit of armchair criticism.
This is the demo that got most news attention - the one where a window DOES get smashed. If ukuncut didn't organise it, so what? The protesters aren't shouting about tuition fees, are they?
There was a carol-singing protest outside BHS in Churchill Square shopping centre, Brighton today. It was bizarre, a line of coppers stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the doors and windows while the protesters sang and handed out leaflets. A dozen police vans and cars were parked nearby, other patrols gathered round the clock tower. Maybe 100 police in all. 
Shoppers were steering clear of the store and Topshop next door. Though strangely it was possible to enter BHS from the other entrance.
Very effective protesting.
Shoppers were steering clear of the store and Topshop next door. Though strangely it was possible to enter BHS from the other entrance.
Very effective protesting.
free spirit
more tea vicar?
you've posted up a link to a youtube video entitled 'Student Demo London - Top Shop windows getting smashed'.
While the motivation for targeting topshop windows may well have been inspired by the uk uncut protests drawing attention to their tax avoidance, it's got fuck all to do with the actual UK Uncut organised protests at which AFAIK no windows have previously been smashed, or stock trashed, so it's out of order to suggest as you do that this would be the likely result of todays protests.
to suggest that it doesn't matter who's organised a protest as to the form that protest is likely to take shows you have zero understanding of the history of protest movements in this country, never mind what's going on today.
editor
hiraethified
You're not wrong there. The wild, alarmist, hysterical drivel he's posted up today proves that beyond any reasonable doubt.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
Dont know about Topshop but a lot of people n retail are on "Zero Hours" contracts not fixed
Blagsta
Minimum cage, maximum cage
Didn't know that.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I suppose Green has been targetted because he is an unpleasant big mouth.He does not keep keep his head down like other rich people. Im always seeing him in Standard mag with someone like Kate Moss. What him and Vodaphone do is normal practise. As readers of Private Eye will know. Its how big business and rich individual operate.
Also big business have regular talks with Goverenment to make sure that UK has a "competitative" tax regime in a globalised economy.
http://www.private-eye.co.uk/sections.php?section_link=in_the_back&issue=1277
