Supermarkets discussion

[Busaholic]

Years ago, department stores had 'Floorwalkers' - men formally dressed in a suit, shirt & tie that prowled around ready to answer questions from customers and be generally helpful.
Wearing, in those days, similar formal wear for the office it was not unusual for me, when calling in for a purchase in my lunch break, to be mistaken for one, and asked a question. Although I normally replied honestly there was a temptation, in shops which had upset me in the past, to answer in a very unhelpful and even offensive way, before making good my exit.
I was never certain that being mistaken for one was a compliment.

Are you sure that wasn't you who was so disrespectful to me in Bourne and Hollingsworth in Oxford Street in 1973?

 

[david1212]

Tesco this morning. In front of several hundred tubs of Celebrations was a big sign, 60 x 60cm if not more, ' £4 Clubcard price '.
At the self-service checkout these showed as £5. After I presented by Clubcard £1 was not deducted. I waved at a staff member. They asked where I had picked the tub up from plus suggested the offer was for a different weight and would I like them to change the tub. While they were gone and I was touching the screen so the sale was not cancelled another staff member came over. After explaining they said the offer finished yesterday and they had removed all the signs. I stated that a big sign was in front of the tubs. The second staff member then said they would report this. The first staff member returned with a tub, I presume the same one, and overrode the price to £4.

 

[Lost property]

Tesco this morning. In front of several hundred tubs of Celebrations was a big sign, 60 x 60cm if not more, ' £4 Clubcard price '.
At the self-service checkout these showed as £5. After I presented by Clubcard £1 was not deducted. I waved at a staff member. They asked where I had picked the tub up from plus suggested the offer was for a different weight and would I like them to change the tub. While they were gone and I was touching the screen so the sale was not cancelled another staff member came over. After explaining they said the offer finished yesterday and they had removed all the signs. I stated that a big sign was in front of the tubs. The second staff member then said they would report this. The first staff member returned with a tub, I presume the same one, and overrode the price to £4.

I bought 4 cans pf John Smiths, shown as £4.79. but, at the checkout shown as...£4.99 so I queried the difference. After some discussion, via her headset, the lady agreed it should be £4.79 and, less than enthusiastically, changed the price....as I mentioned to her "every little helps doesn't it....towards your profits "

Frankly, Tesco, having conned the public for many years, are now going downhill. The meat, I've tried three different forms, tends to be old, oozes junk and isn't really edible...let's put it it this way, when the dog turns her nose up at either the pre-cooked chicken thighs / drumsticks, which have shrunk in size and are now anything but succulent, that's a pretty good indicator.

I don't buy much in the way of prepared sandwiches, but do like a hoisin duck wrap at times. Got one from Tesco and another a couple of days later from Sainsbury's...size, as they say, matters and the latter was larger and more filling...

 

[dangie]

I bought 4 cans of John Smiths, shown as £4.79. but, at the checkout shown as...£4.99 so I queried the difference….

Without meaning to criticise your choice of beer selection, I would have thought £4.79 for 4 cans of John Smith’s was about £4 too much….

 

[Typhoon]

Tesco this morning. In front of several hundred tubs of Celebrations was a big sign, 60 x 60cm if not more, ' £4 Clubcard price '.
At the self-service checkout these showed as £5. After I presented by Clubcard £1 was not deducted. I waved at a staff member. They asked where I had picked the tub up from plus suggested the offer was for a different weight and would I like them to change the tub. While they were gone and I was touching the screen so the sale was not cancelled another staff member came over. After explaining they said the offer finished yesterday and they had removed all the signs. I stated that a big sign was in front of the tubs. The second staff member then said they would report this. The first staff member returned with a tub, I presume the same one, and overrode the price to £4.

I bought 4 cans pf John Smiths, shown as £4.79. but, at the checkout shown as...£4.99 so I queried the difference. After some discussion, via her headset, the lady agreed it should be £4.79 and, less than enthusiastically, changed the price....as I mentioned to her "every little helps doesn't it....towards your profits "

Frankly, Tesco, having conned the public for many years, are now going downhill. The meat, I've tried three different forms, tends to be old, oozes junk and isn't really edible...let's put it it this way, when the dog turns her nose up at either the pre-cooked chicken thighs / drumsticks, which have shrunk in size and are now anything but succulent, that's a pretty good indicator.

I don't buy much in the way of prepared sandwiches, but do like a hoisin duck wrap at times. Got one from Tesco and another a couple of days later from Sainsbury's...size, as they say, matters and the latter was larger and more filling...

I am not convinced it is deliberate, I cannot remember whether it has happened to me in Tesco, certainly in other supermarkets. Sainsburys and Asda, no trouble. Morrisons and (in particular) Waitrose, through gritted teeth. To me it is just that labels are not always up to date. Offers labels are not always updated I have even been told that all the other offer labels had been changed - but not the one on the big display (and I wasn't going round the shop to see if there were different prices elsewhere). In my view, when I take an item to a checkout, the deal is that the price is the one on the shelf-edge. If they want to withdraw the offer - fine but I will not purchase it at a higher price to the one on the shelf-edge. I also offer to show the assistant where the display was, as well as where any other labels are. It is not usually their fault.

Regarding Tesco, if I didn't have a Clubcard, I would be unlikely to shop there. I bought a few things at Clubcard prices which I would touch at their standard prices. I know I can get them cheaper at many supermarkets. What has surprised me is that in some areas practically all stores are 'Express'es,, including some that are reasonably sized. That appears to mean a restricted choice and, in some, an emphasis on alcohol. To be honest I only go in big Tescos and then only if I am passing through the area.

 

[Gloster]

My feeling is that it is not deliberate or policy, but that there are some things that they take greater care in getting right and checking than others. It just happens that the whole system prioritises profits over other matters, such as getting things right for the consumer.

 

[lyndhurst25]

Has everyone worked out the “secret” Best Before dates that shops have been using since they took Best Before dates off certain items such as packaged fruit and veg, allegedly to reduce waste, but in reality to sell items near the end of their shelf-life at full price? I know that the Co-op and Booths use simple letter+number code e.g. B28 for the 28th of February. What are other shops using?

 

[Busaholic]

A new one on me at at Tesco yesterday. Having had a small operation earlier in the week I felt like a consolatory meal and spotted a yellow stickered lamb joint reduced from the low £11s to the high £7s and thought that fitted the bill. It was the type of joint where each is individually priced according to weight, and the original price was obscured by the 'reduced' sticker.

When I got home and put the lamb in the fridge, on the spur of the moment I removed the yellow sticker and discovered that it had originally been priced in the low £10s, but the penny price points were entirely different. I can only imagine that there were two joints both being reduced in price and the assistant had mixed them up, nevertheless I felt slightly aggrieved that I hadn't got quite the bargain I imagined!

 

[Typhoon]

My feeling is that it is not deliberate or policy, but that there are some things that they take greater care in getting right and checking than others. It just happens that the whole system prioritises profits over other matters, such as getting things right for the consumer.

I suspect some employees care as much about their employers as their employers seem to care about them.

My nearest supermarket has doubled the number of self-service, still the same number of staff (1). At peak times people get frustrated because a load of problems come along at once, she cares but there are 14 of the things and when you have bar codes that are creased so don't scan, liquor that needs authorising, 'unexpected item in the bagging area', problems with payment, damaged item that needs replacing. My worry is that she will leave (must be close to retirement - deserves better, which is why I take any baskets back) and we will end up with last month's stand-in - on the phone part of the time so some people, like me, solved our own problems (which might mean leaving items behind).

Has everyone worked out the “secret” Best Before dates that shops have been using since they took Best Before dates off certain items such as packaged fruit and veg, allegedly to reduce waste, but in reality to sell items near the end of their shelf-life at full price? I know that the Co-op and Booths use simple letter+number code e.g. B28 for the 28th of February. What are other shops using?

I bought an item in Tesco yesterday labelled L2 so much the same, also an Asda bag of veg K17.

I've certainly started looking at these - they will have to do better than that if they want us to ignore 'best before'; I watch 'Only Connect', it is barely 'House of Games'.

 

[_toommm_]

Has everyone worked out the “secret” Best Before dates that shops have been using since they took Best Before dates off certain items such as packaged fruit and veg, allegedly to reduce waste, but in reality to sell items near the end of their shelf-life at full price? I know that the Co-op and Booths use simple letter+number code e.g. B28 for the 28th of February. What are other shops using?

Most use a letter to represent the month I.e. A benign January, B being February etc. Some use Julian date codes, with 1 being 01/01, 2 being 02/01, up to either 365 or 366 being 31/12.

Some supermarkets do a mix, with some products still having traditional dates on them.

 

[Lost property]

Without meaning to criticise your choice of beer selection, I would have thought £4.79 for 4 cans of John Smith’s was about £4 too much….

Fair enough, I usually drink Boddingtons, but like some variation at times. Given the chance, I would drink Warsteiner, or Wobbly as it was more universally referred to and which probably doesn't feature on many on here's list of choices, but this isn't a wise idea, the reason / clue being in the name.

For the avoidance of doubt, the price was displayed on the shelf as £4.79, but, came up as £4.99 when the bar code on the cans was scanned.

 

[ChrisC]

Has everyone worked out the “secret” Best Before dates that shops have been using since they took Best Before dates off certain items such as packaged fruit and veg, allegedly to reduce waste, but in reality to sell items near the end of their shelf-life at full price? I know that the Co-op and Booths use simple letter+number code e.g. B28 for the 28th of February. What are other shops using?

I find this really annoying. I’m not one of those people who throws food out when it gets past the best before date. If vegetables, fruit, salad items etc are still ok I don’t mind if they are a week or more beyond the best before date. Living in my own, I don’t get through packs of things very quickly, therefore I at least want things to be as fresh as possible when I actually buy them. For example when I buy a pack of tomatoes I don’t want those that are near the end of their shelf life because I may want to be still eating them up to a week later.

 

[gswindale]

Indeed - better education is the key, not hiding useful information.

A slightly squishy tomato that was "Best before" three days ago will be absolutely fine once cooked into a pasta sauce or something.

 

[AM9]

Indeed - better education is the key, not hiding useful information.

A slightly squishy tomato that was "Best before" three days ago will be absolutely fine once cooked into a pasta sauce or something.

Theoretically yes but it is naïve to think that most people will choose the oldest items when there's more recent dated stuff on the same shelf. Just look how often buyers raid the unopened trays of goods that the stackers have put at the back of the shelf or even in the lower basket when they are double stacked.

 

[gswindale]

Theoretically yes but it is naïve to think that most people will choose the oldest items when there's more recent dated stuff on the same shelf. Just look how often buyers raid the unopened trays of goods that the stackers have put at the back of the shelf or even in the lower basket when they are double stacked.

I take a different approach in store - there I will try to get the longest date I can, but once it is home, as long as it still seems OK, then the date is not important if its a Best Before

This way I am maximising the time available to consume said produce

 

[Lost property]

When it comes to Best before dates, with Morrisons, now reverting to their old abysmal standards, this is quite straightforward.

It's achieved with their "fresh " produce by the time you leave the store after purchasing it.

 

[jon81uk]

I find this really annoying. I’m not one of those people who throws food out when it gets past the best before date. If vegetables, fruit, salad items etc are still ok I don’t mind if they are a week or more beyond the best before date. Living in my own, I don’t get through packs of things very quickly, therefore I at least want things to be as fresh as possible when I actually buy them. For example when I buy a pack of tomatoes I don’t want those that are near the end of their shelf life because I may want to be still eating them up to a week later.

But if the items are not wrapped you wouldn’t know the code and would have to judge on feel and appearance anyway.

 

[AM9]

But if the items are not wrapped you wouldn’t know the code and would have to judge on feel and appearance anyway.

Depending on the product, it can be determined by the state of array the goods are in that indicates how long they have been on the shop floor.

 

[Busaholic]

Depending on the product, it can be determined by the state of array the goods are in that indicates how long they have been on the shop floor.

Personally, I wouldn't buy anything from a shop floor.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Nov 2023 ==

Latest attempt by Sainsbury's to get me rushing back arrived this morning - 'Nectar coupons worth at least £4.30 inside'. Don't know how I contained my excited anticipation for the eight hours I waited before opening it, but I'm reasonably numerate and the 460 extra points only add up to £2.30 whichever way you look at it. That is unless they are having the gall to include the £2 off £20 worth of Tu clothing 'offer', a much inferior variant of the £3 off £15 coupons I used to get on a regular basis! Whatever, I have a hospital appointment next week which takes me close to both Waitrose and M&S, so I'll be spending my hard-earned there instead,

 

[Merle Haggard]

I experienced an interest contrast between Tesco and Sainsbury customer service recently and it was the reverse of what some might expect.

Presumably as an assiduous buyer of cooking apples at Tesco my recent offers included '25 extra points on Fresh Apples'; When I tried to claim it (self service) it came up, message something like 'Invalid - Conditions not met'. After checking the date (in date) and banter about whether they weren't fresh it was passed through several staff and all were keen to help me. Eventually, a more senior person input it manually. Took about ten minutes' staff time for a trivial amount, but customer contented.

A few days later, I used Sainsbury self service. I always press 'Yes' when it asks if I want a receipt because it only seems to produce offer vouchers after printiing a receipt. And I did get an offer voucher; a completely blank one. I asked the assistant and her answer was 'well that light's on (pointing) - so it's ok for ink'. I said 'But..." and she said 'You'll just have to wait until someone else uses this machine and get another one'; I said 'but vouchers are specific to my nectar card, so that won't be any good to me' and she then gave up! I'll never know what I missed.

Previously, also in Sainsbury, I used to use the weigh and label machine for my tomatoes. Once, when I pressed the 'print' button it said 'error - printer out of labels'. I found a young assistant and told him exactly the problem. So he took me to back the machine, showed me how to put the bag on the scales, pointed out and told me that I had tomatoes and pointed out to me the button with a big picture of a tomato on; every step theatrical gestures and patronising as if I was stupid (I must be, I'm old ) And. of course, when he pressed that button guess what - yes 'error - printer out of labels'. Did he apologise for being condescending and ageist and not listening? - of course not.

 

[Mojo]

I said 'but vouchers are specific to my nectar card, so that won't be any good to me' and she then gave up! I'll never know what I missed.

FWIW, the printed vouchers (unlike the ones in the Nectar App which annoyingly enough you can’t screenshot, at least on iOS, despite most Sainsbury’s shops blocking phone signals) do work with any Nectar card. I know they have “only valid with Nectar card number…” printed at the top but I have used probably hundreds of these vouchers over the years which I will swap between our multiple household cards or just ones that have been left by previous customers.

Sadly these vouchers are extremely rare nowadays and even when the system decides to issue you with one (you can tell if it has or has tried to print one as you can hear the printer beep) I find on most occasions the printer has malfunctioned or it has no consumables meaning you never end up with one.

A good few years ago well before the App, back when these vouchers were decent I complained at the customer service desk that the voucher failed to print because it was out of paper and the staff member gave me some points there and then.

 

[Russel]

despite most Sainsbury’s shops blocking phone signals)

Never knew that, is it intentional or a side effect of them being big metal boxes?

Can't say I've noticed it myself.

 

[Hadders]

Never knew that, is it intentional or a side effect of them being big metal boxes?

Can't say I've noticed it myself.

Shops do not intentionally block phone signals but buildings with metal roofs, containing lots of metal equipment (eg shelving and refrigeration) arfe not ideal for phone signals.

 

[Mojo]

Never knew that, is it intentional or a side effect of them being big metal boxes?

It’s down to the architecture, most of their shops (the ones with the brick cladding that look like 1970s construction which is most of their branches) I find that you just can’t get phone signal. The more modern shops are fine.

 

[johntea]

An annoyance in Iceland today, I'm a bit of a Dr Pepper addict so regularly need to stock up on 2 litre bottles

Earlier in the year it was 2 for £3, today I walk in and the offer has changed to 3 for £5

So not only has the price gone up I had to lug home the weight of an extra bottle!

Interesting idea though in that they've essentially launched this 3 for £5 (or 3 for £10) business across many of the product lines in store and you can mix and match things

 

[AM9]

An annoyance in Iceland today, I'm a bit of a Dr Pepper addict so regularly need to stock up on 2 litre bottles

Earlier in the year it was 2 for £3, today I walk in and the offer has changed to 3 for £5

So not only has the price gone up I had to lug home the weight of an extra bottle!

Interesting idea though in that they've essentially launched this 3 for £5 (or 3 for £10) business across many of the product lines in store and you can mix and match things

Actually, an 11% rise at retail level isn't that unreasonable in these inflationary times.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

An annoyance in Iceland today, I'm a bit of a Dr Pepper addict so regularly need to stock up on 2 litre bottles

It's 2 for £3.50 at Morrisons, Asda and Tesco just now, so maybe the 3 for £5.00 offer at Iceland is the cheapest unit price anywhere for the product.

 

[Busaholic]

Actually, an 11% rise at retail level isn't that unreasonable in these inflationary times.

Um, but how much do two bottles cost now? I bet they've increased by more than 11%. Also, unless prices only increase on a strictly annual basis, the figure of 11% is fairly meaningless. My local Costa Coffee has increased prices three times this year on its basic product, round about 10% on each occasion, so the rise doesn't then seem so steep if you're not in the know.

 

[route101]

I was in Farmfoods and noticed some chicken products are from China, Ukraine and Brazil. Puts you off a little.

 

[RuddA]

I was in Farmfoods and noticed some chicken products are from China, Ukraine and Brazil. Puts you off a little.

Tesco, Lidl and probably other chains have some of there cheaper pre-cooked chicken breast pieces made using chicken from Thailand and I think South America.
I usually buy the more expensive British chicken, do we really need to ship it halfway around the world, and bred to what standards?