Supermarket abuse of pricing?

[platinum87]

Look at their annual accounts, they are a listed company, it’s literally a matter of public record.

It’s comments like that and ‘fancy accounting’ which just utterly destroy the credibility of your posts in this thread.

Communists cannot read financial statements.


Every single trash company, once in a blue moon make a profit, and immediately propaganda in the media.

 

[AndyCr15]

I know there is costs, but if they filling that gap, thats a ton of bloat, bear in mind those costs are spread across many many products, the staff e.g. wouldnt be employed just to sell this one product, and likewise warehouse space isnt just for this product so those are costs are split across all sorts of products, manufacturers also have staffing costs including sick pay, warehouse costs, transport costs, of course also electric, and so forth.

Wouldnt surprise me if its a combination of bloat and fancy accounting. Its easy to not take care of bloat when you sell an essential product as can just bump up the price to compensate. You also forgot to mention the fraud at self checkouts and slackness when dealing with shoplifters, retailers just dont seem efficient at all. Its all recoverable via bumping prices.

There's been a lot of silly posts in this thread, but I think you might have won with your last few. Well done.

 

[chrcoluk]

There's been a lot of silly posts in this thread, but I think you might have won with your last few. Well done.

Sorry, but you should explain your comment, I was replying to a post which was giving the impression that supermarkets are special because their energy costs have gone up, so I pointed out the obvious, manufacturers also have energy bills.

So whats silly about that?

 

[AndyCr15]

So whats silly about that?

Your understanding of profit and how businesses operate.

**EDIT** And accountancy and generally how supermarkets work too tbf. Like, 'don't man the self checkouts'. That's often one of the busiest and most stressful roles in the store.

 

[Blackjack Davy]

SICK PAY!! - the company got so sick of the same ones abusing it to its max every year that they made it part of this years pay deal to reduce it right down, over the whole depot in 3 years it was well over a million - yup a lot of people work here and a lot seriously abused the sick

during peak times electric prices for supermarkets go INSANE, im talking from like 5pm till 8pm they can / or did go like 10x the price, they even started turning the battery bay of between them hours to save money because the costs was so high, but that often came back to bite them in the ass when its busy and everybodys got flat batterys on there MHE and there is no charged ones ( still use lead acid )

If they're worried about electric maybe they should turn down the AC/refridgeration whenever I go in sainsburys that side of the store is bloody freezing! Even during the heatwave, the amount they spend on energy must be astronomical

If they're getting sick pay they must be working directly for the company contractors get SSP if you're lucky.

Have you ever used a self service checkout? If you did, you’d quickly realise why they need someone supervising them. For example weight errors, security tags, customer mistakes, items not scanning, vouchers not working, mis-priced products, machine errors, self scan compliance checks and even replacing the receipt roll when it runs out. It’s also why one person can supervise 8-10 self checkouts because it’s a much lower workload than them running it through the checkout themselves.

They need supervising all right self-weigh i.e. loose fruit is the worst for that and alcohol purchases need manual verification. Also there needs someone to watch otherwise people just shove things in a bag and walk out without paying and I've seen it happen

 

[chrcoluk]

Your understanding of profit and how businesses operate.

**EDIT** And accountancy and generally how supermarkets work too tbf. Like, 'don't man the self checkouts'. That's often one of the busiest and most stressful roles in the store.

COOP recently came out saying shoplifting has got so bad they considering making certain area's no go retail zone's due to impact on profitability. Because there is little enforcement there is a rising problem of persistent shoplifters coming back for more.

As for the accountancy, only 2 accountants in family and ran my own business. Fiddling to manipulate profits and as such taxes paid is common place, and for a large company there is secondary perk in manipulating regulators.

Also twisting of words to deliberately interpret different doesn't make you clever, I didn't say don't man self checkouts, I said don't have staff who's role is just to monitor theft if you not going to enforce it.

If you want to disprove arguments post actual information instead of just calling people stupid and giving very short sound bites.

 

[Rroff]

COOP recently came out saying shoplifting has got so bad they considering making certain area's no go retail zone's due to impact on profitability. Because there is little enforcement there is a rising problem of persistent shoplifters coming back for more.

As for the accountancy, only 2 accountants in family and ran my own business. Fiddling to manipulate profits and as such taxes paid is common place, and for a large company there is secondary perk in manipulating regulators.

Also twisting of words to deliberately interpret different doesn't make you clever, I didn't say don't man self checkouts, I said don't have staff who's role is just to monitor theft if you not going to enforce it.

If you want to disprove arguments post actual information instead of just calling people stupid and giving very short sound bites.

Theft in general has gone up massively for retail since things opened up against post pandemic - especially there are several organised gangs originating from eastern Europe who are wreaking havoc currently

I'm finding it super annoying at the moment as there seems to be a complete lack of interest in tackling it.

 

[AndyCr15]

Also twisting of words to deliberately interpret different doesn't make you clever, I didn't say don't man self checkouts, I said don't have staff who's role is just to monitor theft if you not going to enforce it.

Okay, a small example then. You're saying 'if the police don't enforce action off the back of theft, so why man the self checkouts'. That's... not a valid point. It has been explained why already, which you seem to have ignored by keeping on at that point? Specifically on the theft point I will say, BECAUSE the police do nothing, it's even more important that staff in the shop deter the theft, rather than catch someone once it's happened because as you say, the police aren't really interested. Having someone on self checkout is one way you try and do this. The lack of Police enforcement makes the self checkout attendance even more important.

Tbh, I'm not going into the rest. It's a bit like when you put something on Facebook Marketplace for £500. If someone offers £400, you engage. If someone offers £20, you don't bother.

 

[jpaul]

*REBOOT*

@ Cheesefest - what's the deal with the headsets that most staff wear in shops now ?

are they continually listening to chatter from colleagues in the store ..... and, as I find in Aldi, can be unresponsive to customer questions or conversation at checkout ?
or do they make observations about regular customers .. is it all recorded.

 

[Resident]

Got to be honest in my experience if people are abusing sick pay in numbers it is probably because it isn't a great place to work - you always get a small number who'll abuse it anywhere. The only exception to that really is when you get a bunch of long timers set in their ways who react to changes made necessary by progress by maxing out their sickness absences to be as disruptive as possible in a slow quit.

Probably best as another thread but the NHS is rife with staff abusing sick pay and with poor management they get away with it mostly.

There was a case where the nurse was jailed for fraud as she claimed 35k in sick pay whilst working at other hospitals via agencies.

 

[CREATIVE!11]

Supermarkets seem to have two prices - one with a card and one without. It seems the with card is the normal price but the prices without seem to be inflated or following inflation.

It seems to me that this is abuse of pricing to force membership of their reward system and force customers to hand over their data or suffer financial disadvantage.

GDPR bans preventing offering a service to force handing over customer data.

Thoughts?

I noticed this occurring more and more, I think there needs to be a stop to it tbh....

 

[AndyCr15]

*REBOOT*

@ Cheesefest - what's the deal with the headsets that most staff wear in shops now ?

are they continually listening to chatter from colleagues in the store ..... and, as I find in Aldi, can be unresponsive to customer questions or conversation at checkout ?
or do they make observations about regular customers .. is it all recorded.

Simply used as a communication device. Actually really handy and saves a lot of time and can give customers a much better experience for example often being able to check in seconds if a product is in the warehouse, or maybe simply 'where did product X move to?' Is amazingly useful when there's a dodgy geeza trying to nick all your Dry Aged Steak too. No, not recorded.

One of the few things that Head Office removed hours for and I was still grateful for.

 

[Mr Badger]

*REBOOT*

@ Cheesefest - what's the deal with the headsets that most staff wear in shops now ?

are they continually listening to chatter from colleagues in the store ..... and, as I find in Aldi, can be unresponsive to customer questions or conversation at checkout ?

Is the external technology not just a visible confirmation that they have become part of the collective? It's actually normal behaviour for them to ignore you and continue with their assigned task unless they perceive you to be a threat.

 

[ubersonic]

I noticed this occurring more and more, I think there needs to be a stop to it tbh....

The government tried to put a stop to it a year or so ago, they wanted to ban meal deal scams/etc.

However the tabloid/Facebook media managed to convince the public that getting scammed by supermarkets was in their best interest and that the government was trying to do them over so the plan ended up highly unpopular as was dropped as a result

 

[cheesefest]

Simply used as a communication device. Actually really handy and saves a lot of time and can give customers a much better experience for example often being able to check in seconds if a product is in the warehouse, or maybe simply 'where did product X move to?' Is amazingly useful when there's a dodgy geeza trying to nick all your Dry Aged Steak too. No, not recorded.

One of the few things that Head Office removed hours for and I was still grateful for.

My store ditched them many years ago- can’t remember why. Yet the bigger stores use the headphones.

If need to speak to a manager - either ring their extension number of cordless phone they are using or tannoy them.

 

[jpaul]

Is the external technology not just a visible confirmation that they have become part of the collective? It's actually normal behaviour for them to ignore you and continue with their assigned task unless they perceive you to be a threat.

yes you are right it's like universal soldier , or maybe there is more ... like existenz.

Average teenager with their headphones & smart phone is already modelling this trend - awaiting instruction from their influencer.

no on has yet confirmed but I guess they would continually be listening to chat around the shop, even though though they have to press a button to talk.

 

[cheesefest]

Yeah it is surprising how many costs there are you wouldn't think of though not limited to retail/distribution but even small things like keys needing replacements, pest control, general facilities management like blocked drains, we've got a plasterboard wall which has taken a beating over the years from pallets being pushed against it and needs a metal plate put up, bunch of us are coming up on needing a first aid course refresher which IIRC is about £200 each and so on.

There’s also pallet truck maintenance, cost of baskets being replaced as customers nick them. A few weeks back, I saw a customer filling his car boot with shopping and he transferred his shopping from the trolley into 4 of our baskets. If I see him again, I will make sure a manager is aware of his presence and follow him to his car. Then to take the baskets from him. Also baskets are used in shoplifting. Found a couple of empty baskets dumped outside store - sometimes with the empty box or security tags left in there.

Then there’s the maintenance of chillers and freezers - both shop floor and back ones. Then boiler, bailer, office equipment (photocopier/printer), my store has lifts to underground car park so that’s more maintenance.

First aid - there’s a minimum number of people who need to be first aid trained at a time at work. All managers are plus a few more. Been asked many times if I want to do 1st Aid. No thank you. Got fear of blood

 

[Fubsy]

I like to use baskets/trolley to my car when I forget my bags, then pack up there.

I do however, ask permission from the security chap at the door and show my receipt to prove I have paid for the goods.

 

[LeeUK]

I'm glad I left retail work before these headsets became the norm wise I'd be wearing one now. I hate headphones at the best of times never mind having to wear one for a full shift.

And they may say it's not recorded, but like Horizon, that's probably a lie.

 

[Fubsy]

I'm glad I left retail work before these headsets became the norm wise I'd be wearing one now. I hate headphones at the best of times never mind having to wear one for a full shift.

And they may say it's not recorded, but like Horizon, that's probably a lie.

I always thought they were comms from loss prevention teams.

I.e. "keep tabs on the lady next to the Pampers as her trousers have tripled in size since entering the store. It's probably nothing, but maybe hang around, ask her if she needs help with the sizing so she knows she's seen"