To think Aldi staff need to stop being jobsworths over 6p bargains?

It hardly makes them a jobsworth for not selling something for 6p to you that they know they aren’t supposed to sell.
You already bought 2, 10 more is just taking the piss.

They almost certainly will end up going to charity. I volunteered at a Foodbank that collected from Aldi and we were given all kinds of random things. Always appreciated by our clients.

It does sound ridiculous. They should have let you have them. But all your pathetic pleading about being a hard-up mum buying stuff for her daughter's birthday party, and them being cruel, probably annoyed them. It would annoy me too. Your circumstances have nothing to do with it - otherwise you’re saying they should assess the wealth level and intentions of every shopper before they decide how to treat them.

It’s not cruel or unkind, your sob story about a child’s birthday party is unnecessary.
This is what happens when people rip the arse out of something. You bought 2 things at an insanely discounted rate, that wasn’t enough for you and you tried to buy 10 more and ruined it.

Ah, I remember something similar in retail. Once an item is classified as a return you're not allowed to sell it. It broke my heart when a desperate customer really wanted it and I knew it was in the basement with slight damage to the packaging. We weren't allowed to sell it, even tho the item was perfectly fine, once it was classified as a return because it would fuck up the accounts. I used to try and get it sold with a discretionary discount before another member of staff could classify it as a return. When the store is audited they will get pulled up for that, albeit only 60p, discrepancy in their accounts if they sold it. The one free they gave you can be justified within loss adjustment. But your kids party is another person's, dog costume competition/kayak party/belated Halloween celebration. Everyone has a reason that they need the item so its easier to just be consistent and stay within the rules of the company.

You sound like a very unpleasant person.

I’m with the OP. What does a huge, multi-national retailer care about whoever buys their end of line stock! It’s beyond ridiculous.

I don't use Aldi that much now as I find the staff extremely rude.
The headsets they wear are in constant use and it makes you feel uncomfortable.
Also they want you to use self service checkouts but then watch you like hawks like you are stealing.

You did absolutely nothing wrong in picking up another 10 6p balls. She was being an absolute jobsworth.

If you go in just after Christmas and grab the Christmas stock by the trolley load they wouldn't bat an eye lid as they want the shelf space.

Because the person on the till is the person who gets in trouble when they break the rules of the huge multi-national company. They aren't being served by Mr Aldi. They are being served by Jane from down the road who also would love to be able to get a good discount when she shops but also has to follow the rules of the people who employ her or she will be fired.

You say a you understand they have a job to do but then criticise them when they do what they are meant to do and make flippant remarks about National Security and then make it all emotive about children missing out.

You don't really understand people have jobs to do when it doesn't suite you. So stop saying you do.
If it's categories as waste on their stock system then they aren't permitted to sell it. Do you understand now.
And, yes, they can get into trouble for this as it is a corporate policy and it's based on very good reasons. Might not suite you, but that's your problem.

I hate the use of the word 'jobsworth' (inevitably used to describe someone whose role is deemed to have a lower social status). What's wrong with wanting to keep your job? I'm sure we all have to follow rules we aren't thrilled about for that very reason

These ChatGPT ‘witty’ rhetorical questions are getting tiresome.

They could have let you have them. They were just being arsey

I get the annoyance, and agree stores should deal with this sort of thing better; however, it would be far more cruel if they lost their jobs over fluff balls.

Then we have a must bigger issue here don’t we? And instead of defending the supermarket we should really be asking why we let a huge corporation pay people low wages and fire them for ridiculous preventable issues.

People are defending the staff, not the company. It's been pretty much agreed that ALDI and similar companies who pull this type of thing are in the wrong. Your posts largely are against the staff, calling them jobworths and cruel/unkind, when this ire should be aimed at the company.

I've had a lot of people trying to get me to break the rules for them over the years, many of it appears like small things, but the 'it's just...' do wear down when you get people calling you names for wanting to keep your job with policies you have little say over. You say they could have ignored it, but once the first staff member had noticed it - it's going to be on the cameras, they're risking those being checked and being spotted.

And really, kids will have just as good time at a party without balls in their party bag, or any party bag. Those things are more stress than they're worth and certainly not worth stressing about party planning around them.

I work for Aldi. We are absolutely not allowed to sell 6p items and will face a disciplinary if we are caught doing so.

Do you deliberately put your job at risk y dlubg something that us against your employer's policies and procedures.

The policy is a bit pathetic. They don’t like their customers, do they?

Your language and emotional reaction is FAR too extreme for what's happened. For this alone YABU

But she's a mum, doncha know?!

I think that Aldi donate items to the Salvation Army. They may mark down to 6p for reporting purposes. Tesco mark things down to 4p. They are not meant to be sold.

Yes, could have let it go. Equally if they are not meant to be sold. If we are getting emotive she ensured that items intended for donation were handled correctly.

There are reasons they do this and are very strict on it.
Categorisation of waste includes food passed its sell by date that is illegal to sell, food past its best before that, whilst not illegal to sell, could result in quality issues and complaints, products on recall or stock requiring removing due to stock control. Once it's categorised as waste its not differentiated so nothing can be sold. They can not, and do not permit employee descretion. They also have to reconcile it with returns so they know staff aren't taking it home, so they can reduce future waste and reconcile it with their waste costs.
Of course, any procedure can be made slightly ridiculous by a one off example, like 10 fluff balls, or whatever, which we know aren'ta gealth risk. But most jobs have something we do that outsiders think is slightly ridiculous, but there are reasons we do it as an employee. But where is the line on discretion for staff. Their employers don't give them discretion so no line has to be decided at store level.
Calling them jobsworth is insulting and shows no empathy for what they have to do.
Thinking they should risk their job for you shows entitlement. Playing on disappointing children so they risk their job is pretty low.
If they say they can't sell them. Just accept it.

@specialbuy.i fuly agree with you, but there are very few people in a union, we all need our jobs and its a very time pressured environment, and I strongly suspect that Aldi in Europe operates v differently to Aldi UK.

Made up rules I would take this further and contact the headquarters.

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