Ridiculous things shops do

[Peter Sarf]

Why do supermarkets not call cleaners, cleaners? Tonight in Tesco someone spilt some milk, and they announced over the tannoy that they needed the Housekeeper.

I mostly hear "in store cleaner".

I pointed out a spillage to a staff member who said they had nothing to clean it up with. I went round to another isle and brought back a brand new mop and bucket from the shelf. I said these are what customers use.

quick point. The ‘out of stock‘ labels usually mean there is no stock at the store rather than the shelf being empty because they haven’t got around to refilling it.

Means the same to me - it is not there. And, as i found in Boots, no one had the time to remove the over information when the stock was replenished.

Argos touch screens -
When searching for a product the screen will display 4 items at a time. (This could be useful - I wanted some batteries.) However, I found it impossible to scroll through the list. It would only display one of the 4 items (that I didn't want) in greater detail.
I managed to find what I wanted by using the word search to limit the number of items displayed, but still managed to order twice as many as I wanted.

One wonders how much testing is done on these non-critical MMI systems, using "customers" rather than people already familiar with the system.
Websites are generally even worse, given the different devices that we use. However, at least we can get annoyed in the comfort of our own homes.

As a former software developer it even happened in the closed environment of staff only. Managers would try an online screen then want it tweaked to look nice but never thought to check with the staff who used it what they actually needed to do their job. So some essential information was left off because it would spoil the layout.

Having to ask to be let out if not buying anything. I remember Toys R Us bring like that before it closed. You had to go through a one way barrier to get in then the only exit was via the tills, with the tills not in use blocked by a barrier, which set off an alarm if pushed. So you had to go to the far end of the tills to customer service to be let out. I've seen some supermarkets in parts of Europe that are similar.

Similar shops with a one way route. I think IKEA still does that?

Ah IKEA. I have a habit of checking the bargain area first (near the checkouts) then, if need be, working backwards to get to the normal stock. I also knew all the shortcuts but now I keep getting confused between Cardiff and Croydon layouts.

 

[Ascotroyal]

Why do supermarkets not call cleaners, cleaners? Tonight in Tesco someone spilt some milk, and they announced over the tannoy that they needed the Housekeeper.

Where i work we used to call the cleaners, cleaners but they got annoyed about been called cleaners so now whenever we call them on our headsets we have to call them sparkle team. I'v no idea why it annoyed them been called cleaners.

 

[Pinza-C55]

It's only a little thing but the various branches of Sainsbury I visit have self service machines with the "bagging area" on different sides of the machine. It's a minor irritant for me when the machine gives me shrill warning but it would be better for blind or partially sighted people if they standardised the machines.

 

[duncanp]

It's only a little thing but the various branches of Sainsbury I visit have self service machines with the "bagging area" on different sides of the machine. It's a minor irritant for me when the machine gives me shrill warning but it would be better for blind or partially sighted people if they standardised the machines.

Same with Morrissons.

It is more than a minor irritant for me, especially when you get it wrong, and the member of staff who comes to sort it out looks down on you in a patronising way.

 

[DelayRepay]

You know what I hate about Tesco?

They send electronic coupons through their app. You scan the barcode on your phone to use the coupon. But the self-service till still expects you to put something in the coupon slot. I used to patiently wait for the member of staff to come and help me. Now I just stick whatever old receipts I can find on the floor in the slot to 'trick' it into thinking I've inserted the coupon.

 

[PeterC]

I think most fashion retailers know the bulk of customers are female, with a lot of males only visiting through necessity! Thinking back to when I was young, I used to be much more into buying clothes and shoes, but also was quite specific about what stores I went to.

Same here, M&S was for the less cool types whose mother's still bought their clothes.

 

[pdeaves]

Now I just stick whatever old receipts I can find on the floor in the slot to 'trick' it into thinking I've inserted the coupon.

Nice

I find it ridiculous that assistants 'pressure' you into going to a self service till, for two reasons:
1) if the assistant can create such a flap, they can put the same energy into actually serving (I realise it's corporate policy, not the individual's choice); and
2) it always seems that I am (almost) manhandled to a card-only machine when I want to use cash, leading to awkward rejoining the queue.

 

[stuartl]

Shops such as Dunelm that ask you for your email address when you buy something so they can send you advertising emails. I just tell them I haven't got one.

 

[Typhoon]

You know what I hate about Tesco?

They send electronic coupons through their app. You scan the barcode on your phone to use the coupon. But the self-service till still expects you to put something in the coupon slot. I used to patiently wait for the member of staff to come and help me. Now I just stick whatever old receipts I can find on the floor in the slot to 'trick' it into thinking I've inserted the coupon.

I don't know whether it is still the case but at one time you could only use two coupons at a time unless an 'assistant' verified it. This was when they sent you coupons to give you points for spending a certain amount on particular products. My nearest Tesco is difficult to get to by public transport now they've cut the free bus, so I don't go in there much but when I do I want to take as much advantage as possible from offers that we use, so often I would have 3 or 4 coupons and having to wait for someone to come along - there is that silly message 'someone is coming to help you', which is not always true. A couple of times I have asked someone who looks (and acts) like a manager to help (knowing they are unlikely to have a clue). They soon find somebody.

 

[Phil56]

I wonder why shops don't put more effort into keeping their "stock" database correct. Yes, I appreciate that there's shop lifting and damage, but I'm talking about systemic failures.

For example, I've recently been wanting several rolls of a particular wallpaper from B&Q. Out of stock for home delivery, so I'd have to buy from a physical store, far enough. Local store shown on the website as having 22 rolls - made a special journey to go for it - only 2 on the shelves, both different batch numbers, I asked the CS desk where the others were, and they claimed there were none in any store room, she checked her computer and agreed, there should be 22, and gave me the aisle number and shelf - still only 2. Then she said they may have been damaged and destroyed. So, back online and found they had 18 at the next nearest store - didn't want to be caught out with a wasted journey again, so bought them online for collection - within an hour, message back saying they didn't have the required number in stock. So, back online, the next nearest store and exactly the same happened again. At that point, I gave up, as we were going on a UK mini break and I googled they had a few stores in the area so thought we'd try to get them there. Exactly the same happened - online said the store had plenty, we drove down, only to find 3 on the shelf.

Same happened a few years ago when we were buying toys for our son. It was Boots, I think, whose website showed that a particular item was in stock, so we went down to buy one - empty shelf, thought we were just too late, so checked online from our phone, and still showing as in stock, so we asked a shelf-stacker and she just rolled her eyes and says it's always happening!

If these stores are using their stock databases to value their stocks for their accounts, I dread to think just how far wrong their published accounts are! It's not as if they're genuinely going to be doing proper complete physical stock checks at each year end - they use their databases and their auditors do random sampling!

 

[BanburyBlue]

Self-service tills that ask if you want to round up the price to the nearest pound, so the loose change can go to charity.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

If these stores are using their stock databases to value their stocks for their accounts, I dread to think just how far wrong their published accounts are! It's not as if they're genuinely going to be doing proper complete physical stock checks at each year end - they use their databases and their auditors do random sampling!

Apparently supermarkets sell surprisingly large quantities of carrots via their self-service tills!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Self-service tills that ask if you want to round up the price to the nearest pound, so the loose change can go to charity.

Moto services are the worst. It says "charity" without saying which charity.

 

[najaB]

Self-service tills that ask if you want to round up the price to the nearest pound, so the loose change can go to charity.

It might be annoying but it does raise a significant amount for those charities.

 

[DelayRepay]

Self-service tills that ask if you want to round up the price to the nearest pound, so the loose change can go to charity.

I have a feeling this was some government initiative from a few years ago. Personally it doesn't bother me that they ask; I normally say no. If I'm paying cash then I might say yes rather than end up with a few odd coppers.

 

[43096]

I have a feeling this was some government initiative from a few years ago. Personally it doesn't bother me that they ask; I normally say no. If I'm paying cash then I might say yes rather than end up with a few odd coppers.

There's a major crossover with the "Comedic things you'd ban" thread with this one!

I'd ban this practice as a) it just means the whole process takes longer (including anyone in the queue), b) it's a bit crass to ask for this currently given the huge price rises and c) I will decide which charities I support, not a shop (I bet they don't support the one that I primarily help).

 

[hexagon789]

It's not as if they're genuinely going to be doing proper complete physical stock checks at each year end - they use their databases and their auditors do random sampling!

I dont know about everywhere, but where I work we do TWO full stock counts each year and we do count or weigh everything. The end of which, the bookstocks are reset to the 'updated' figures.

Some stock levels do go askew between stock takes for various reasons, but out of stock items can be 'zeroed' on the system to correct it between those times.

I'd say 95% of lines are correct, and 99%+ to within a few singles.

Part of the issue where I work is that sales of items are only updated once a day at 7am, so something could sell out after 7am and would still show as 'in stock' at 7pm the same day.

 

[AY1975]

Having to ask to be let out if not buying anything. I remember Toys R Us bring like that before it closed. You had to go through a one way barrier to get in then the only exit was via the tills, with the tills not in use blocked by a barrier, which set off an alarm if pushed. So you had to go to the far end of the tills to customer service to be let out. I've seen some supermarkets in parts of Europe that are similar.

Similar shops with a one way route. I think IKEA still does that?

Yes indeed, IKEA stores are deliberately designed to encourage you to buy more than you originally intended to buy by forcing you to go past countless items that you have no intention of buying or wouldn't otherwise have thought of (as with many other shops, especially furniture shops and department stores).

I have also noticed that many reduced items in supermarkets don't have the reduced price label and barcode covering up the original barcode as they should. Not sure if this is just negligence or deliberate in the hope that you will scan the original barcode by mistake and pay the full price (which I recently did and didn't realise until after I had paid).

Talking of reduced and short-dated (or out of date) items, from my experience supermarkets tend to go by the letter of the law and refuse to sell any food or drink items that are even one day out of date even if they should still be safe.

AFAIK it's illegal to do sell anything that's out of date but I have occasionally found such items still on the shelf and managed to buy them although I thought the tills were programmed to reject any such items. Sometimes I have tried to buy an item not realising that it was out of date and been told that it was out of date so they couldn't sell it.

On the other hand, independent retailers often tend to use their discretion with such items. Sometimes they will offer them for sale at very cheap prices (often only a few pence) or give them away for free.

 

[Gloster]

I think that shops can sell items marked ‘Best Before’ (or similar) after the date, but they should draw the customers attention to the fact that they are overdate. Items marked ‘Eat by’, ‘Consume by’, etc. should not be sold after the date: I think that also applies to ‘Sell by’ markings.

 

[jon0844]

Waitrose will always cover the barcode with a new one that reflects the reduced price, so I've never had an issue there.

Some products for Aldi and I've noticed some other supermarkets have multiple barcodes to aid scanning, so I bet that would be a nightmare!

 

[hexagon789]

I think that shops can sell items marked ‘Best Before’ (or similar) after the date, but they should draw the customers attention to the fact that they are overdate. Items marked ‘Eat by’, ‘Consume by’, etc. should not be sold after the date: I think that also applies to ‘Sell by’ markings.

Yes, 'Best Before' is simply guidance but items marked 'Use By' cannot be sold after the 'Use By' date.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Yes indeed, IKEA stores are deliberately designed to encourage you to buy more than you originally intended to buy by forcing you to go past countless items that you have no intention of buying or wouldn't otherwise have thought of (as with many other shops, especially furniture shops and department stores).

I have also noticed that many reduced items in supermarkets don't have the reduced price label and barcode covering up the original barcode as they should. Not sure if this is just negligence or deliberate in the hope that you will scan the original barcode by mistake and pay the full price (which I recently did and didn't realise until after I had paid).

Talking of reduced and short-dated (or out of date) items, from my experience supermarkets tend to go by the letter of the law and refuse to sell any food or drink items that are even one day out of date even if they should still be safe.

AFAIK it's illegal to do sell anything that's out of date but I have occasionally found such items still on the shelf and managed to buy them although I thought the tills were programmed to reject any such items. Sometimes I have tried to buy an item not realising that it was out of date and been told that it was out of date so they couldn't sell it.

On the other hand, independent retailers often tend to use their discretion with such items. Sometimes they will offer them for sale at very cheap prices (often only a few pence) or give them away for free.

Talking of price errors. I always try to check the receipt before leaving the store. My better half gets impatient but there often errors. Things scanned more than once, reductions not picked up (old barcode exposed), price not matching the shelf edge label (they always give in on that one so I think it must be a legal thing) and offers (buy several and get one free).

It works both ways. Currently Morrisons are doing one of my favourite ales for 99p instead of £2 - Marstons Pedigree and another one. But the shelf edge label was still showing £2. I might stock up but really I already have enough for beyond Christmass from the last time I spotted it (sometime before August). They have limited stock though (6 * 8 bottles per day).

 

[PeterC]

AFAIK it's illegal to do sell anything that's out of date but I have occasionally found such items still on the shelf and managed to buy them although I thought the tills were programmed to reject any such items. Sometimes I have tried to buy an item not realising that it was out of date and been told that it was out of date so they couldn't sell it.

The barcode doesn't include the use by date. There is no way for the till to identify the age of an item.

 

[Falcon1200]

Talking of pricing errors, in August I bought a sweatshirt from the Reading branch of a very well known UK chain, price tag said £19.50 but they tried to charge me £20.00! A few weeks later I bought the same item (in a different colour) from a Scottish branch of the same chain and the same thing happened again.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Now I just stick whatever old receipts I can find on the floor in the slot to 'trick' it into thinking I've inserted the coupon

A staff member at my Tesco showed me how to wiggle a keyfob in the slot to make it accept a coupon, so I use my Clubcard key fob.

Speaking of Tesco, there's a deal on for Heinz soup at the minute. 4 for £4. Problem is, they're 95p each. Enjoyed listening to a conversation with a customer who'd been charged £4 not £3.80 and was not happy about it.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Nov 2022 ==

Shops such as Dunelm that ask you for your email address when you buy something so they can send you advertising emails. I just tell them I haven't got one.

I used to scoff at that too, but I was glad of an emailed receipt recently after I'd lost the paper one.

 

[hexagon789]

Problem is, they're 95p each

Coming up at £1.40 per 400g can for me and then 4 for £4 on Clubcard.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Coming up at £1.40 for me.

On the app for me they're all 95p (except one soup), and I had a couple of tins delivered last night for that price.

Shall we add differential pricing to the list?

 

[hexagon789]

On the app for me they're all 95p (except one soup), and I had a couple of tins delivered last night for that price.

Shall we add differential pricing to the list?

Something weird going on, on the app and website I still get £1.40 individually/4 for £4 Clubcard.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Nov 2022 ==

On further investigation, it seems the soups went from 95p to £1.40 back in July as part of the Heinz vs Tesco pricing feud.

So they haven't been 95p for months.

 

[gg1]

Speaking of Tesco, there's a deal on for Heinz soup at the minute. 4 for £4. Problem is, they're 95p each. Enjoyed listening to a conversation with a customer who'd been charged £4 not £3.80 and was not happy about it.

Tesco have been making that particular cock up for years. I got caught out once well over 10 years ago with a similar 'offer' on 2 litre bottles of 7up.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Something weird going on, on the app and website I still get £1.40 individually/4 for £4 Clubcard.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Nov 2022 ==

On further investigation, it seems the soups went from 95p to £1.40 back in July as part of the Heinz vs Tesco pricing feud.

So they haven't been 95p for months.

I also have Heinz soup 400g as £1.40 at Tesco.

Both Morrison's and Sainsbury's (and Asda) have the 4 x 400g Heinz soup multipacks at £3.50 just now.