I've worked for Halfrauds for six years now as Team leader and duty manager and from a working point of view it's gone down hill big time. Halfords were sold of from Boots to CVC who have taken it to the bare bones with not enough staff to run each store to keep the public happy and tbh as long as the store opens they don't care. The store i am in now has around a quarter of the staff it had six years ago and takes three times as much money, which is great for the share holders but not for anyone who works in the store.
It is true that managers are in short supply from leaving or being of sick with stress, then the deputy managers end up stressed and on the sick......
I to have worked for Comet,Power house and others and tbh retail is no joke but Halfrauds is just the same as most now. It don't matter what ya sell it's crappy hours,crappy pay and lucky if ya don't get stabbed from a unhappy customer!