AIBU to complain after being wrongly refused scratch cards at Sainsbury’s?

Yes, complain but don't complain to customer service.

Complain at Sainsburys headquarters, just in case the store blame you or choose not to take your complaint seriously.

It is likely that the fool who refused to serve you was having a bad dogs' day and was showing prejudice because she may have thought she would get away with it.

I suggest that you put your complaint in writing, draft it first and remember to include your telephone number and full address then email it to their HQ.

Her behaviour was atrocious, she was prejudiced, mean and intollerant.

@HandsOfMyStinkingBishop - I’m so sorry that happened to you too.

For DH he wasn’t ever actually banned but he was questioned a good few times and after he was dragged back after leaving one day it took him months (and a change of owner) to even want to go back there and feel ok about it. After he was dragged back, one staff member realised the mistake and he was allowed to go but he didn’t get an apology or anything. Thankfully there haven’t been any issues since it was taken over so we don’t know if the “twin” has gone away now.

I've had one awful addiction after another that totally ruined my life
I know without a doubt,the excitement of a scratch card , would absolutely send me down another dark path .
But I'm obviously in the minority,thank goodness x

Probably being cautious. One mistake can trigger a full trolley check. Then you will be there twice as long 😅

What happened to him? Did he get it sorted?

I had similar and got told I was banned from Asda and given a sheet of paper saying I was officially banned that had the wrong name on it.

I kept asking what I’d done wrong but the staff member wouldn’t answer so called a security guard who gave me the paper in an envelope and escorted me out whilst I was in tears.
I suffer from anxiety which was really extreme at the time and it was one of the few places I went on my own so it was a nightmare happening in a busy store.
I’m also autistic so was really confused and upset and kept asking why I was banned but no one gave me a straight answer.

It wasn’t till I got outside and read the ban sheet that had the wrong name on that I realised they must have thought I was someone else who had shoplifted from the store.
I emailed head office who were very unhelpful and didn’t seem to believe me and said it was down to individual store policy if they wanted to ban someone.

This was over a year ago but after reading this thread and hearing it has happened to others and now my anxiety is more under control I decided to go back this evening and stand up for myself.

No one seemed to know what I was talking about and the manager and security guard that were involved have left.
I got no apology but at least I don’t have to travel 20 miles to go to Asda anymore!
There aren’t many supermarkets in the small town where I live.

I think OP should say something.

If the shop assistant has made a mistake over the policy and does this to someone else it might affect them more then you would imagine and it’s embarrassing in front of other people.
I wish I’d had the courage to go back and sort things out in Asda earlier but the whole experience was so upsetting I just wanted to avoid the shop.

It was the laying out that irked me! 🤣 She set it all up on the table like a bloody display! 🫣

Ohhhh I love that show but ALSO I think you lucked out there with the laying out. I just get the grab and throw back in the bag when I’ve spent the whole shop packing as I go with Tetris precision 🤣

The basket cheque isnt instigated by the colleague. Trust me we hate them just as much as the customers do

I had a “38 item bag check” in Tesco yesterday where she very methodically took a few items from each bag and laid the whole lot out on a special table like when they suspect drugs on Nothing to Declare. I was questioned very slowly and carefully before ‘the process’ began about if I was sure there weren’t any items I’d forgotten to scan 🫠

Don't let it go. Again, who do staff in shops think they are, there seems to be more and more complaints about useless rude supermarket staff. Inform the manager that the staff need better glasses and get a letter of apology. They would be able to check the CCTV.

I love a scratchcard every now and again but I havent developed an addiction. I like i nice glass or two of wine as well but im not an alcoholic 😉

Exactly. What a present to buy someone - here have a gambling addiction for your birthday. Lose all your friends and family and become destitute. Nice!

Incorrect. Customers may purchase 10 cards in one transaction.
They may come back again and buy more. Colleagues dont "use their judgement" on this. As long as the customer passes the think 25/has valid ID they can have the scratchcards

But it's very easy to say you've not been in when you have. There policy is to limit it. It's a non essential item. Op could have put the cash in the card or got something elseTgey we're doing their job and using their judgement, much like ID"ing me on my 30th birthday, me not having ID and having to get my bf to go in later and buy me alcohol 😂

It's 10 per transaction the colleague is wrong even if you did buy earlier which I know you didn't. I don't even see how they would remember someone.

As someone who works in customer services, we'd just say sorry about that and move on to the next email!

If they have a store polocy of limiting it to then, then the customer services person did the right thing if thry believed op to have been in earlier. Similar to if thry thought she was under 25 and didn't have ID. Trying to get them in trouble because you couldn't buy scratch cards because they were trying to do their jobs is petty

Aww that was very kind of them!

I would have been complaining to customer services (or the manager actually) there and then. What a cheek the assistant had. Plus she was mistaken about you too.

I buy them once a year for crackers at Christmas. Needed 16. She sold me ten. Then said I had to go back (in very long queue) for the next six.

nice people in queue let me go straight back in and I got my once a year scratch cards

You can buy 10 but the system declines any more than that. There is no rule that says you cant come back later and buy more, AFAIK.
The 10 cards limit rule is in place by the national lottery to discourage people from gambling addiction.
Its not the cashiers job to decide who can buy them.
Speak to the manager about it

Or he’s a secret kleptomaniac and you just don’t know about it - pretty good cover for the wife don’t you think?

Oh I bet they’ve had an incident and all been on a refresher training course re. policy and legalities. Our Sainsburys went through a spell of taking the “think 25” alcohol policy several steps too far - I had a bottle of wine confiscated from me like a naughty teenager because I didn’t have any ID despite being in my 40’s and buying it with a weekly food shop, and similar happened to a guy in front of me who spent over £150 on a food shop, must have been well in his 50’s and got his 4 bottles of beer confiscated. Now the staff on our customer service desk have started huffing when you return clothes, like it’s my fault they haven’t reopened the changing rooms since lockdown!! I shop there less and less these days.

Personally I would complain because
a. It’s horrible to be wrongly accused of something
b. You might need to go into the shop again and you’d be aware that if you saw that assistant they’d remember you as a gambling addict and a liar
c. You might see that assistant in other places and you’d have the same issue plus she might tell others . Depending on where you live, word gets around

Edited to add that I’ve read the post below about framing this as feedback rather than a complaint