Tabcorp last week wrote to retailers asking that they self-assess as the company was not putting its assessment team in the field. This team usually visits outlets to judge them on their look at the time they visit. The judgements can have dire business impacts if they are bad. Tabcorp appears to place more value on appearance, often to odd criteria, over actual sales performance. The assessments cause considerable anxiety.
Rather than taking the opportunity to say something along the lines of – hey retailers, stay safe and well, we are giving everyone a gold stay assessment this round, you’re all 100% in our view. We appreciate you and hope this small step by us demonstrates the respect we have for you as front line retailers – Tabcorp asked retailers to do the assessments themselves:
Subject: COVID-19 Interim Measures – Compliance Self-Assessments
Hi Retailer,
Thank you for your ongoing commitment. COVID-19 has impacted us all in many ways, and as we navigate our way through this uncertain time, we must continue to be nimble and adaptive in the way we operate, support you to maximise sales, and meet our regulatory obligations. This is essential to help ensure we continue to protect our business whilst continuing to operate and deliver the best customer experience possible.
The environment in which we operate in is complex with a lot of different rules and regulations, compliance to these regulations is core to our integrity in providing exciting games customer know and love. However, with COVID-19 the way we monitor compliance needs to adapt. As such, we have been working on alternative ways to ensure compliance monitoring continues and incorporates the additional COVID-19 requirements.
From Friday 1st May 2020, we will be introducing a Compliance Self-Assessment to outlets who have not yet been Site Surveyed in Cycle 3 (Monday 2 March 2020 to Sunday 28 June 2020). The Compliance Self-Assessment will be sent to selected outlets each week via an email and link from retailcompliance@tabcorp.com. This assessment will temporarily replace Site Surveys for an interim period.
The Compliance Self-Assessment will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and, we will be asking outlets to upload a series of photos of their lottery outlet only. Further details on how to do this will be shared via a Training Manual when you receive the Compliance Self-Assessment.
All Products Outlet Photos Required
1. Outlet Customer Capacity Customer Notice
2. Social Distancing Stand Here sign
3. Responsible Play sign
4. Internal point-of-sale posters, as per your weekly POS Plan.
5. Instant Scratch-Its Dispenser point-of-sale, as per your weekly POS Plan.
6. External blade
7. Free standing Lucky Lotteries Cat stand (if applicable)
8. Street stand (if applicable)
9. Syndicate board
10. Writing bench (including brochures, coupons and draw slips)
11. Customer Ticket Checker
12. Responsible Play Guide folder
What a dumb and selfish move by this big business supplier against small business retailers who are already in tough situations.
Further to this The Lott’s employees have all been asked to work from home and take pay cuts. Many of these employees remain concerned about their long term job security.
In the meantime Tabcorp have provided no tangible support to franchisees to assist with managing health concerns in keeping their terminals open. Nil cuts to their franchise and service fees and this silly compliance based remuneration model continues.All whilst the service provided to franchisees has decreased.
It appears to me that Tabcorp is using Covid19 as an excuse to lower their costs , push online sales and increase margins. Time for the State Governments to buy back their licenses!
Yes, Steve. While I feel for Tabcorp employees, their handling of COVID-19 with their retailers has been appalling. Where they could have encouraged and supported, instead they have used the big stick of an email, asking retailers to hit themselves. #stupid
It’s a great opportunity to give ourselves A’s in every category.
The Lott’s attitude to the Covid19 pandemic from the start has been reactive not proactive, only moving when pushed by government directives. Basic safety information has not been addressed or completely ignored with no replies given in the early stages from myself about the safety of handling customers phones containing the bar code of their game card. Even NewsCorp sent a detailed information sheet on precautions for the handling and delivery of newspapers. Meanwhile The Lott lay off hundreds of workers, close their distribution centres, get tax breaks, promote online sales on digital screens instore, whilst Newsagents still face 100’s of potentially contagious customers every day. The corporate “We are all in this together” phrase means nothing to me..
Business as usual is a common theme in communications from Tabcorp to Franchisees.
Looking through the rankings it appears for shopping centre based franchises, most with very big lease commitments, its anything BUT business as usual.
This week lotteries have finally recognised their own responsibilities re Covid instore social distancing compliance requirements. Yes that’s right some 11 weeks after the Covid lockdown was announced they NOW provide franchisees with instore signage and floor markings. Well hallelujah and praise the lord!
Only problem is that they now have the audacity to ignore all existing signage and to stipulate where their signage must be placed again using using their remuneration penalty stick! Still no additional assistance with instore hand sanitising, employee health & safe issues or additional cleaning costs of the lotteries equipment. Wish they also could have provided more of their floor markings.