Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Shame on you Sainsbury's

197 replies

JumpLeadsForTwo · 01/12/2021 07:15

Went into our local middle sized Sainsbury's yesterday and just had to complain. One end of the fruit and veg aisle which had previously had a variety of veg had gone. Replaced by Christmas offers for huge boxes of crisps and biscuits
I know they are just trying to push their Christmas sales, and that people will buy them, but come on, there is the whole store to use. Hmm

OP posts:
LubaLuca · 01/12/2021 07:22

A retail store uses business knowledge to maximise profits - this doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. It's been happening for a lot longer than I've been shopping for myself (a long time).

Did you manage to buy what you wanted?

Sirzy · 01/12/2021 07:23

Where you unable to buy anything or did you just have to look in a different place?

Bagelsandbrie · 01/12/2021 07:25

Eh? It’s called marketing…. it’s Christmas and they’re trying to sell Christmas things. You can still buy fruit and veg!

DillonPanthersTexas · 01/12/2021 07:26

You complained! Really?

RunRunGingerbreadMan · 01/12/2021 07:29

I don't understand what you complained about? Staff member must have been inwardly rolling their eyes!

wheelsfallenoff · 01/12/2021 07:29

I get it. Like the fresh fruit and veg aisles aren't already such a small percentage of the store - but there's no profit there, is there?

My local Tesco is similar - as soon as you go through the doors, boxes of enormous bags of crisps and tins of chocolate are piled high.

It's not a holiday if you're not trying to flog masses of ultra-processed shit food to your customers 🙄

kowari · 01/12/2021 07:30

@Bagelsandbrie

Eh? It’s called marketing…. it’s Christmas and they’re trying to sell Christmas things. You can still buy fruit and veg!
Why replace fruit and veg? Why not replace crisps and biscuits with Christmas crisps and biscuits?
KaptainKaveman · 01/12/2021 07:31

Talk about over-reacting, Hmm. Nothing better to do, OP?

Outlyingtrout · 01/12/2021 07:31

Why did this total non-event annoy you so much that you "had to" complain and start a thread on mumsnet? If this is genuine and not the lamest trolling of all time then seriously, you need to think about why it bothers you so much. My mum is like this. Wound up about everything constantly and it's bloody exhausting. It's absolutely pathetic and it makes her unpleasant company. Not to mention embarrassing when she "confronts" people over some ridiculous perceived slight or error.

icelollycraving · 01/12/2021 07:32

Seriously? You complained? That complaint will have gone no further than the person who nodded and said they’d pass on your comments, then rolled their eyes as you walked off.

skippy67 · 01/12/2021 07:32

Go you.

Bagelsandbrie · 01/12/2021 07:33

@kowari because people will always buy fruit and veg. The types of biscuits / chocs etc people buy are more likely to change depending on what’s being promoted.

A580Hojas · 01/12/2021 07:35

Yes this is one of the things that annoys me about Christmas. At my local small M&S foodhall you literally have to navigate around a huge in your face stack of Christmas bobbins as you step through the entrance door.

itsgettingwierd · 01/12/2021 07:35

Did they put the fruit and veg they moved where the crisps and chocolates usually are?

I do think OP has a point.

One thing we've learnt the past 18 months is our poor diet leaves us as a nation vulnerable to viruses which have an affect on those who are obese more than those who aren't.

Yes, it's Christmas. Yes I also love the nice crisps and biscuits they have. But I also continue to make soups for lunch every day and eat fresh fruit and veg. I don't want this option replaced with food - I want it supplemented.

Original poster
JumpLeadsForTwo · 01/12/2021 07:35

Yes I complained as I couldn't buy what I wanted to. I know it's all marketing, but I get annoyed that these big companies try to sell us overpriced "healthy" food that is anything but, and then remove a chunk of actually healthy food to sell instead. With the rise of obesity, leave the Christmas junk in the Christmas aisle/ with the actual crisps and biscuits. I'm not saying get rid of it altogether- I like crisps and biscuits as much as anyone, but in moderation. I don't need a box of 40 packets of crisps instead of my veg to make soup.
The poor teenager at customer services was a little bemused at my rant!!

OP posts:
HolidayTime2021 · 01/12/2021 07:36

There is a national veg shortage.

Sparklingbrook · 01/12/2021 07:37

How embarrassing for you.
I am sure they’ll be busy changing it back now after your complaint now though.

Crunchymum · 01/12/2021 07:37

My Sainsburys is terrible. Whole walls shelved with Xmas food and booze. Much noticeably different to usual times though and the empty shelves recently least me to believe this is as much about filling shelves as it is maximising profit.

The fresh fish and meat counters have both been removed and before being shelves of Xmas stuff it was just shelves of random shit that they had in stock.

Complaining was really unnecessary.

Immaculatemisconception · 01/12/2021 07:38

I’m really annoyed with Sainsburys but for a different reason. We went for our Click and Collect order last week and the usual van wasn’t there. We wrongly assumed they’d gone to collect more orders, so waited.

DH tried to call them but forget that, it’s virtually impossible to get through to someone. We eventually went into the store to find out what was happening. Apparently the van had broken down, so orders had to be collected in store. Well thanks very much for telling your customers Sainsburys! Even a hand written note, pinned to the C&C station would have sufficed.

DH wanted to complain. None of Sainsburys email accounts accept messages so you hang on and on for Customer Services. Eventually I spoke to someone and explained our complaint. I don’t expect to hear anything.

We had a couple of substitutes, which we rejected on our order, which weren’t refunded. It took three calls to sort this out, each time you hang on and on and listen to endless messages and crap music.

Sainsburys Customer Service is awful.

Sparklingbrook · 01/12/2021 07:38

I think most supermarkets rearrange their stock at this time of year. When it sells through they’ll replace within something else.

Original poster
JumpLeadsForTwo · 01/12/2021 07:39

I am peri menopausal so finding myself rant at things generally, but I don't care. Customer services are there to help, and things don't change if people don't complain. I wasn't rude at all, just pointed out that there were healthy items missing from their store and replaced by unhealthy food, and in the current climate that is a problem

OP posts:
FabriqueBelgique · 01/12/2021 07:39

Annoying! But yeah, it’s all about profits and the staff just do as they’re told.

(My local Morrison’s has an entire double-fridge full of yoghurts but naff all dinner options!)

Sparklingbrook · 01/12/2021 07:42

@JumpLeadsForTwo

I am peri menopausal so finding myself rant at things generally, but I don't care. Customer services are there to help, and things don't change if people don't complain. I wasn't rude at all, just pointed out that there were healthy items missing from their store and replaced by unhealthy food, and in the current climate that is a problem
What did they say when you complained?
GeodesicDome · 01/12/2021 07:43

Sainsbury's is a business, OP. You don't seem to get the concept.

DillonPanthersTexas · 01/12/2021 07:43

I had a good moan at Tesco's when they went to town promoting egg shaped chocolate confectionery and gold chocolate bunnies over the Easter period. It's almost like I have no free will in my ability to buy stuff I actually need tucked around the back of the promotional displays.

Swipe left for the next trending thread