Ashamed to accept Visa shop

[Smudges dad]

We went to the Olympic shop in Hyde Park today and there is an art gallery attached. Fot the prices they are charging, the quality of the framing is terrible. Corners don't match up properly, they've used plastic moulding and some of the mounts are ragged as though they've been cut with a blunt blade. You'd have thought you would get a decent frame for £250.

Hope no-one on here was responsible for them.

[easypopsgcf]

Doesn't sound too good, but can i ask what your thread title means?
Why not say, 'Rubbish framing at olympic shop' ?

[Smudges dad]

Apologies for the title - the Olympics is being sponsored by Visa so you can't pay with mastercard, amex etc and they have "proud to accept only visa" posted everywhere, which I think is probably against the competition act and is incredibly annoying. I've seen atrocious framing in quite a few places but the wife (a GCF) was really upset about the lack of professional standards being shown in a major / prestigions location.

[misterdiy]

Alas, it seems the problem with "Big Business" in that the whole Olympic thing has been hijacked by pretty much the worst of "corporate" and not allowing any smaller better quality manufacturers to get in on the act. GB will be the loser though as people shun the tat being offered (including the food) leaving the games loss making. Already the crowds are not as expected - probably due to the media and Government saying those not involved in the Games should stay clear of London. Well they have - and now the media says the advice has been taken too literally.

I realise that sponsorship is essential to funding the games, but stifling "the best of GB" is not a good route forward.

[Graysalchemy]

Don't get upset about it, its a shop full of over inflated tat for people who are stupid enough to pay over inflated prices using a visa card. You can't compare what you do with what has been produced for that store. At the end of the day the 'framer' involved would have probably only sold them for a small percentage above cost. Buy the time the IOC, the London Organising Committee, the BOC, the City of London the government and anyone else with their nose in the trough have taken there cut the poor person who bought the franchaise to run that shop will be wishing that they hadn't bothered.

[stcstc]

i heard one about the opening too, all the kids that voulenteered were to only were addidas trainer or cover up the logos from any other brand as addidas were the sponsor!!!

[Jonny2morsos]

I have just done two London Marathon medals for a customer.

She brought in one from 2010 done by Marathon Photo which had her medal, finishing line photo and a photo of the start of the women's elite race (hardly appropriate as her time was over 5hrs!) plus a tacky printed title on that gold metal sheet stuff.

The double mount looked like it had been cut with a penkife, the layers were separating and she had to put the medal in herself onto a bit of double sided tape and a blob of sticky stuff. This had dropped to reveal the legend "stick medal here" Horrid plastic frame of course.

Priced around £120. Not such a rip off but pretty pricey for a DIY job.

[The Jolly Good Framer #1]

I must say, having just got back from seeing the Archery at Lords yesterday I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of ‘Sponsorship’. There was no McDonalds in sight and the only stuff I bought was an official programme, a pie and a bottle of.... ‘cola drink’ which I paid cash for.

The only other ‘retail opportunity’ other than the food was a smallish Olympic brand merchandise shop.

I guess the manufacturer of the framed artwork in the Olympic shop will be knocking them out as cheap as possible to maximise profit.... what does he care? He already has the contact to supply the shop – until he gets a complaint. But by then he’s sold a shed load and made a nice profit.
The only person to lose out is the poor blighter who bought one thinking it was a quality product because the price was so high.