Shame on you Sainsbury's

[JumpLeadsForTwo]

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.

How incredibly pathetic. Maybe they didn't remove items to replace maybe it's stock issues!
Get a hobby

@LuluBlakey1

They are such a greedy business. Enormous profits now- absolutely enormous - tripled I think- and they cancelled the 'Double Up' scheme this year. Disgraceful.

A business trying to maximise profits? How DARE they!!

Good for you.

They'll call healthy eating when it suits them, marketing wise, but budge up veg, we've got unnecessary crap to sell.

@GeodesicDome

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

I’m pretty sure she gets the concept. It’s not like fruit and vegetables are free.

@JumpLeadsForTwo

I don't understand why so many of you are saying complaining was unnecessary. Completely different obviously, but if generations of women hadn't complained about inequalities, life would be very different for the majority of us. Obesity abs lifestyle related health problems is a huge issue in the developed world. I don't understand why more people don't complain!!!

Are you really comparing your complaints to those of the Suffragettes?

@ColinTheKoala yes, I think it's fine to rant at someone who deliberately started their own thread asking for opinions on their behaviour.

And if it helps, here's why I feel it's worth a rant.

Someone close to me has worked in a supermarket for several years, and has recently had to leave the job they loved, because of people exactly like the OP. Every shift at work had turned into rounds of constant abuse since the pandemic started (and Brexit). The hard working staff on the shop floor, under huge pressure due to staff shortages, face daily complaints, haranguing, and insults, not least from people refusing to comply with Covid restrictions.

It was affecting this person's mental health so severely that they had to resign. Now, this person is lucky enough to have had that option and have the choice to do something else. There are many people out there without that choice, who are just having to suffer ongoing abuse and pressure at work.

And I feel very sorry for them, and if the OP can take her head out of her arse for long enough to read this, then perhaps she - and others - might try and be a tiny bit nicer to people they come into contact with. And the world might just be a tiny bit nicer to live in.

I shall enjoy my Christmas biscuits thanks. Fat bastard that I am.

Mind and not over poetic justice your pudding.

Licence.

Not justice.

I’m tired.

It is all that extra weight I’m carrying clearly.

OP I fully understand your frustration at not being able to buy what you needed to. However, I am also perimenopausal and struggling with various symptoms including mood changes and aches and pains. I have never once bullied anyone or had a go at retail staff because of this. It so no excuse and is insulting to those of us who manage without being unkind to others.
I have worked in retail and the abuse/ incessant moaning you receive from some customers is unbelievable. Retail staff have had a terrible time of this with Covid so moral will be particularly low at the moment. If you genuinely wanted a change then you went about it in a pretty stupid way: the person you spoke to will have no say and may not even mention your complaint to someone higher anyway. Put your rants to better use my emailing head office or going on Twitter, or at the very least, have a polite word with the shop manager. Ranting won’t get you anywhere and may have ruined that person’s day. I met many people like you who ranted about things I had no control over. When I, or my manager suggested they write to head office they would always get annoyed and say they didn’t have time/ couldn’t be bothered with that. They didn’t really want to instigate change they just wanted to use the nearest member of staff to take their frustrations out on

@JumpLeadsForTwo You have had a real pasting here but if you are still reading, come back and tell us what was not on the shelves.

I make soup almost daily and I'm intrigued as to what you needed and wasn't there.

Normally, recipes ask for root veg, maybe some greens, basics like onions and leeks, possibly butternut squash or beetroot if you're being a bit fancy!

What did they not have?

I think it is license rather than licence. The noun is with a c. I think poetic license is probably the verb.

Obesity abs lifestyle related health problems is a huge issue in the developed world. I don't understand why more people don't complain!!!

You aren't going to tackle obesity by moving the biscuits and crisps away from the vegetable aisles.

People who want to buy that kind of stuff will move on to the main aisles where they are normally kept and other people like you will ignore them.

Have you noticed all the mince pies and Christmas goodies by the tills?

Are you going to have a go about that as well?

@BobLemon

I think it is license rather than licence. The noun is with a c. I think poetic license is probably the verb.

It's not. It's "poetic licence".

Which I only know because I looked it up in Chambers earlier 😂

@BobLemon

I think it is license rather than licence. The noun is with a c. I think poetic license is probably the verb.

No it will be with a C as it's a 'pass' or permission to do something, like driving with a driving licence. It's a noun. You have a licence, so it's not a verb. In poetic licence is means 'freedom' to use an expression or word out of context.

You don't tackle obesity by moving the junk somewhere else

This Isn't quite true . Moving cigarettes behind the counter is part of a package of measures to reduce the acceptance of smoking

by reducing the amount of fruit and veg you are giving a message that fruit and veg are the lowest priority to keep

Which is the wrong message from a public health perspective

I stand corrected, it is indeed a noun! #everydayaschoolday

Haven’t read it all but there’s a few suggesting empty spaces are being filled with Christmas stuff. It happens every year. I went in M&S food on Sunday and realised it’s that time again, when there’s a distinct lack of normal food because most of the fridges are rammed full of party food. I don’t know why we need multiple fridges of spring rolls and mini burgers in November but clearly someone thinks we do. It will only get worse between now and new year. I didn’t complain because I’m not a twat, but they didn’t have any of the things I wanted so they didn’t get my money.

@EssexLioness

OP I fully understand your frustration at not being able to buy what you needed to. However, I am also perimenopausal and struggling with various symptoms including mood changes and aches and pains. I have never once bullied anyone or had a go at retail staff because of this. It so no excuse and is insulting to those of us who manage without being unkind to others. I have worked in retail and the abuse/ incessant moaning you receive from some customers is unbelievable. Retail staff have had a terrible time of this with Covid so moral will be particularly low at the moment. If you genuinely wanted a change then you went about it in a pretty stupid way: the person you spoke to will have no say and may not even mention your complaint to someone higher anyway. Put your rants to better use my emailing head office or going on Twitter, or at the very least, have a polite word with the shop manager. Ranting won’t get you anywhere and may have ruined that person’s day. I met many people like you who ranted about things I had no control over. When I, or my manager suggested they write to head office they would always get annoyed and say they didn’t have time/ couldn’t be bothered with that. They didn’t really want to instigate change they just wanted to use the nearest member of staff to take their frustrations out on

Exactly. And retail staff have worked all through lockdown(s), taking all kinds of crap, and having to worry about possibly getting covid, with so much exposure to the general public. The last thing they need is someone taking their temper out on them.

Being peri menopausal or anything else for that matter, does not excuse ranting at someone who is simply doing their job, and has no input into whether veg or goodies should be on a particular display.

If I want to complain about something, I complain to someone in charge or to head office.

Lol at this thread. I went into Tesco yesterday and the fact that the entrance was stacked high with Christmas stock barely registered. I walked past it all, bought what I went in for (including fresh and frozen veg to make soup) and left.

No one is forcing you to buy these items OP. And as for the practice contributing to an obesity and ill health crisis - I think that's a bit of a stretch. People who eat that badly do it all year round not just in December. Hiding the Christmas goodies at the back of the shop won't motivate them to suddenly start eating their 5 a day.

by reducing the amount of fruit and veg you are giving a message that fruit and veg are the lowest priority to keep

That's simply not true. No one thinks that amount of shelf space a shop gives to a product indicates how important that item is nutritionally. By that reasoning crisps are a higher priority than eggs and wine is more nutritious than milk. And I don't think anyone, anywhere thinks that. They might prefer to eat the unhealthy stuff but it's not because they think it's good for them!

Having piles of chocolate stacked at the door WILL encourage people to impulse buy those items but I don't think anyone then reasons 'I've bought some chocolate so now I don't need any fruit or veg this week'. They buy the chocolate and then buy their normal fruit and veg as usual. Or, if they aren't in the habit of buying fruit and veg, they won't buy it as usual. That's an education issue and supermarkets are not responsible for educating people.

I think the real message here is that fruit and veg are less profitable than Christmas items and if supermarkets don't make a profit they will cease to exist.

Also, if

@BleuJay

I can’t believe that someone would actually be so ghastly as to take offence let alone complain about this!

This! Also sensible people shop with a list. If the position of food has changed they go off and look elsewhere regardless of whether it’s been replaced with Christmas food, gardening soil or a Lamborghini.

They don’t think ‘ye no veggies here I’ll just get some chips instead’

If you’re lashing out you’d better find a way to stop it before you cause.m real problems …

You don't tackle obesity by moving the junk somewhere else

it's what the government wants from next October though (that's the UK government, but for once, their plans were supported by the Scottish and Welsh authorities, I don't remember now whether the regulations extend to NI or not).

I agree though - I think some investment in reducing our reliance on cars would have been more effective. But that costs, and this doesn't - not the government anyway.