Supermarket abuse of pricing?

[cheesefest]

Anyone in retail can opt out of Sunday working but if your contract includes working on a Sunday then the shop has no obligation to give you replacement hours on another day.

I had a 7 day contract at a major supermarket, hated the current department manager so I opted out just to **** him off as I hardly ever got rota'd in on a Sunday until he started, then opted back in when he moved to another store.

Lidl and Aldi staff work 1 in 4 Sundays and have Friday or Saturday off. What a friend whose son works there. He works every other Sunday and gets a Friday off one week and Saturday the other week

 

[Resident]

At 2pm - as I was going home. I had a customer asking me where I was going. I said to him “I’ve been up since 4:50am and been at work just before 6am. Let me guess at those times you were in bed, asleep?” He did a slight nod and walked away.

It's pretty much the same in public transport when there's a driver changeover or you have a 15+min layover break, you pull up and they're stood with their noses practically pressed against the door as you're getting out of the cab, when they notice you getting out you get a look of you're the person that just **** on their pet dog.

 

[tom_e]

I remember doing a 6am-2pm shift last year. The first hour was helping to put new tickets out. Been to supermarkets in Europe where the tickets are LCDs and probably change via head office, remotely at a computer at the supermarket or via handset (barcode/QR Code on the ticket) like this https://www.pricer.com/about/the-pricer-story

Tesco need to get with the times, these are already in most Aldi stores.

 

[BUDFORCE]

Supermarkets need to employ more staff, my local Tesco is getting bad for this last 3-4 years, used to be great, but you can tell they are running it on an absolute shoe string.

I used to work in Waitrose, admittedly a bit over 20 years ago and there were loads of staff in, we had 3-4 on Fruit and Veg alone and it wasn't particularly big as supermarkets go.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Supermarkets need to employ more staff, my local Tesco is getting bad for this last 3-4 years, used to be great, but you can tell they are running it on an absolute shoe string.

I used to work in Waitrose, admittedly a bit over 20 years ago and there were loads of staff in, we had 3-4 on Fruit and Veg alone and it wasn't particularly big as supermarkets go.

I disagree.

They need to employ the absolute minimum amount of staff they can get away with for the business to be sustainable and not un-necessarily tie up labour when there is a labour shortage and the U.K. suffering from low productivity.

My local supermarket seems to balance checkout staff fairly well to minimise queues but not have people sat around doing nothing. It’s a busy store which is also on the smaller side for a Tesco which probably helps, they are constantly re-stocking the shelves throughout the day and there is only one ‘tut you don’t really need isle’ in the whole store.

 

[cheesefest]

Supermarkets need to employ more staff, my local Tesco is getting bad for this last 3-4 years, used to be great, but you can tell they are running it on an absolute shoe string.

I used to work in Waitrose, admittedly a bit over 20 years ago and there were loads of staff in, we had 3-4 on Fruit and Veg alone and it wasn't particularly big as supermarkets go.

The problem with supermarket and other retail recruitment which puts a lot of people off from applying is minimum 12-16 hour contracts. Former Wilko staff found this to be case. When they are used to double-2.5 times that. My employer says that once your foot is in the door, there's opportunity to increase the hours. Sometimes this opportunity takes months. We had staff start after being told that the number of hours will increase after x weeks. X weeks later and not been given extra hours so they leave. Managers are limited to the number of times they recruit. My previous store manager recruited behind head office's backs a colleague's grand daughter and a colleague's son on more hours. They are very hard workers and do a brilliant job. Plus have fantastic personalities.

Also as mentioned in another post, customers' behaviour is also putting people off working in retail. If customers behaved themselves, staff wouldn't leave and shops wouldn't be short staffed. I have almost quit a few times myself in the past 3 years. Only having little chats with my wonderful colleagues has kept me going. Plus moving from customer service to shop floor has helped my MH a massive deal. Sometimes I help out on the department such as doing a colleague's break on the kiosk/CSD and assisting customer about prices/availability etc.

I tell you now that 5 years ago, only one colleague was on anti depressants. Now I can think of 15-18 plus myself.

It's a problem that needs seriously sorting out across all retail and, probably hospitality and leisure industries. In the past, some retailers may have given 3 people 24 hour contracts and all bugger off within 3 months. Retention of retail staff is and has been low for the first year.

 

[cheesefest]

Many customers, particularly elderly, expect us to sit on a till all day twiddling our thumbs. They are putting out delivery in aisles near to the checkouts. Instead of shouting "Why isn't anyone on a till?" They could approach us and in a nice tone, ask for a checkout to be open. Most of the customers are regulars and should know which colleagues are checkout staff.

If we sat on checkouts all day twiddling our thumbs, delivery won't be put out and these customers will be the first to moan that their items aren't on the shelves.

Supermarkets and other retailers' staff are multi skilled. Back in the day, staff only did one or two jobs. I do delivery, overs, code check, checkouts, CSD, trolleys, dress shelves according to plannograms, tickets, change promo plinths, pushing trolleys from the trolley bays to one by the lifts, change advertising in the car park etc. The latter is not fun when attaching a 10ft banner in 50mph winds with hail lashing down the back of the hi viz coat.

 

[cheesefest]

Just to add in, I wouldn't point the finger at poor management, but rather poor absence policy that the management are tied to adhere to.

It's because some staff in some stores took the **** with sickness. When I was with my ex, he worked for another supermarket chain to me. He said there were always 4 women in their 30s who always rang in sick the day after pay day as they went to each other houses or into town and got themselves drunk.

Then get some colleagues who ring in sick with a slight cold. Only times I rang in sick with a cold are those colds where I am a 'machine gun' with coughing, sneezing or blowing my nose. Those times I can't do much bar the above plus not pleasant. I had a chest infection between Xmas/NY and during last week. One thing about working on the shop floor, I can go into the back and have some water much easier than on the checkouts.

 

[Jimbeam3678]

Tesco need to get with the times, these are already in most Aldi stores.

The cost and performance of Electronic shelf labels are prohibitive, I've listen to sales pitches from numerous companies over the years. The numbers rarely add up from a cost-benefit perspective.

 

[BUDFORCE]

For what it's worth I'm always nice to the staff at these places, unfortunately and I have seen it, a lot of people are not.

 

[tom_e]

The cost and performance of Electronic shelf labels are prohibitive, I've listen to sales pitches from numerous companies over the years. The numbers rarely add up from a cost-benefit perspective.

The numbers must have landed right for Aldi, they don't tend to risk peeing money up the wall.

 

[Jimbeam3678]

The numbers must have landed right for Aldi, they don't tend to risk peeing money up the wall.

Aldi are one of the exceptions, which is why I said rarely. Smyths are another one, typically the costs of the integration into the API (which is where the ESL companies make their money) are prohibitive.

Include the expected lifespans of the devices themselves, ensuring coverage everywhere and similar things, they suddenly don’t seem so attractive. At some point, they might do.

 

[jpaul]

Aldi are one of the exceptions,

they haven't updated to electronic labels in our Cambs store yet -
moreover they seem to be refitting stores (like fakenham I use occassionally) with large glass doored cabinets even for non-refrigerated goods, which look horrible, harder to find stuff,
and you see older people struggling to open them. - WTH

staffing - how many are just picking for home delivery ... are us people who visit the stores subsidising those who have home delivery ? rather, should have a 5% reduction if you buy in store.

 

[Jimbeam3678]

Can’t comment on Aldi I just knew had they started with them, when I was on the retailer side of the fence I was focusing on the large convenience sector. Currently on the software side and its not something I have been asked to look at again.

 

[Richie]

The latter is not fun when attaching a 10ft banner in 50mph winds with hail lashing down the back of the hi viz coat.

I would suggest that's the employee's fault for doing it in those conditions or the manager's fault if they are telling you to do it in that weather. As well as lack their lack of care/safety of their staff, it could also impact customers if said banner is blown out of their grip and land across a passing vehicle/person.

Me - I would refuse to do it until the wind had lessened.

 

[cheesefest]

I would suggest that's the employee's fault for doing it in those conditions or the manager's fault if they are telling you to do it in that weather. As well as lack their lack of care/safety of their staff, it could also impact customers if said banner is blown out of their grip and land across a passing vehicle/person.

Me - I would refuse to do it until the wind had lessened.

You can’t have a banner displaying an offer which has finished. As get customers say “there’s a banner in the car park with that offer”

Then have to refund the difference as it’s our fault for displaying out of date offers!

Usually when it’s bad weather have two colleagues doing the banners

 

[cheesefest]

they haven't updated to electronic labels in our Cambs store yet -
moreover they seem to be refitting stores (like fakenham I use occassionally) with large glass doored cabinets even for non-refrigerated goods, which look horrible, harder to find stuff,
and you see older people struggling to open them. - WTH

staffing - how many are just picking for home delivery ... are us people who visit the stores subsidising those who have home delivery ? rather, should have a 5% reduction if you buy in store.

Having glass door cabinets on non chilled stuff must be difficult for shop staff filling the shelves

 

[jpaul]

seems my critique of Aldi refits is not alone V

Aldi customers give thumbs down to Wollaston store changes

ALDI customers have been giving the thumbs down to the new-look Wollaston store which has been revamped as part of a multi-million pound nationwide…

www.stourbridgenews.co.uk

Many have said they don’t like the new doors on the chillers, saying it’s taking them longer to shop as people have to queue to open them to get what they want and they are worried about touching the handles with Covid cases still circulating.

One poster said it had been the “worst decision ever” to put doors on the chillers.

Another said: “I can’t get on with the doors on all the chillers. I get that’s it’s more environmentally friendly, but it’s not very efficient to get round.”

Another commenter said: “How many germs on those glass doors with everyone opening them, never seen anyone cleaning them! Not so long ago everyone was obsessed with sanitising and hand washing.”

Another shopper described the doors as “awful” and said: “It takes an extra 20 minutes to do a shop as you have to wait for everyone to move so you can open a door to get a pack of grapes! Whoever designed it has never tried to shop in it!”

maybe they give out gloves like the petrol station.

 

[Hagar]

Aldi are my number one go to supermarket. I don't have loyalty cards, I don't mind the fridges but I don't particularly like the new self service tills they are putting out now.

Mind you I shop daily by pushbike.

 

[cheesefest]

seems my critique of Aldi refits is not alone V

Aldi customers give thumbs down to Wollaston store changes

ALDI customers have been giving the thumbs down to the new-look Wollaston store which has been revamped as part of a multi-million pound nationwide…

www.stourbridgenews.co.uk

maybe they give out gloves like the petrol station.

Those gloves are a bloody nuisance for litter pickers! Customers pick up several gloves then because of the design of the box, can’t stuff the extra back in or just needs a breeze to blow them out.

Never used the gloves

Yet customers don’t complain about doors on freezers

Now we know about customers reusing disposable gloves shop after shop. They are black, holes appear on the knuckles…. Love to do a swab sample on these filthy things and scare people