Sainsburys Complaint

[TheFruitWhisperer]

I wrote a complaint letter to Sainsburys about 2 weeks ago because we got there one night (about 8.30) and after doing our shopping, found there were no tills open.

We asked a man who looked like he was in authority and he said they couldnt open any tills, but there were self service check outs that were open and manned in case we didnt want to put our shopping through ourselves.

We had a deep trolley full of food and these tills are designed for baskets only, they are tiny! Most of the freezer stuff melted because it took about 40 minutes to put through, the poor lad helping us had to scan it as quickly as possible and look after 5 other tills and customers, and some things went through two or three times as there was no packing room and he'd rested the items on the scanning area. No packing room also meant we had to put the packed bags on the floor around us as the trolley still contained the unscanned shopping at the other end. Honestly it took forever, and if DP hadnt been with me to help Id have dumped the trolley and gone to Tesco.

Sainsburys refunded me the double scanned items and told me to take back the perished freezer stuff to store (2 weeks ago, and obviously no one keeps gone off meat, so why would I still have it in my possession to return?!)

In total I got £6 off them and a rubbish letter saying the manager wasnt aware no tills were open and loads of people were off sick.

Im still angry and want to write again to tell them so! Is that unreasonable?

'For Galana, there WAS no bagging area, we had too much stuff for it to all go in the bagging area.'

Galena, actually.
If you had 'too much stuff for it all to go in the bagging area', then there WAS a bagging area - albeit a small one (And why not get a second trolley so food wasn't on the floor?). The way that the self-serve tills work is that you scan an item and it will not allow you to continue unless you a) put the item on the weight sensitive area, or b) override it manually each time.

If he was overriding it each time then it was a concious decision on his part each time and he was intentionally double scanning things. If not, then I don't understand how they were being double-scanned.

Also, you abviously bought dodgy meat because 80 minutes out of a fridge, when they are cold to start with, really SHOULDN'T cause meat to be rancid within a day or two. Icecream and lollies, fair enough - they would possibly be spoiled by a long trip, but I generally get them as the last things to minimise time out of the freezer. (Oh, and to be completely pedantic, curries don't melt - they defrost).

I'm not a regular Sainsbury's shopper and I like to give people the benefit of the doubt but your story does sound a bit suss - I've never been to a supermarket that has the meat in the first aisle, fridges and freezers are never near the front of the store.
I can just about believe the ice creams but not the meat.

this smells iffy to me (or is that the off meat?)

suitejudyblue, the Sainb's and Waitrose nearest me both have that arrangement; fruit and veg at front of first aisle, then meat at the back.

Can meat go off in an hour and 20 minutes then?

not usually in an air conditioned environment

Ideally raw meat should only be out of the fridge for 20 mins-1 hour but in an air conditioned environment this would give more leway.

regardless of store layout, chilled or frozen meat cannot go off in the time that has been described. You may find some frozen items have thawed but not to the stage of them going rancid!

you have to bear in mind aswell that unless meat goes above 4 degrees it is usually safe and supermarket refridgers are set to keep the meat at a much lower temprature (-4c iirc) so it would have to warm up considerably to go off before leaving the store:o

Frozen should be kept at -17 and is usually stored at -20 +

hope this all helps

Nooooooooooooo.........

Tesco are just as bad!

Well, to be honest I am amazed that me and my entire family haven't dropped dead of food poisioning years ago.

Err I know a couple of people who work the nightshift at our local Tescos and believe me even though they are supposed to get refridgerated stuff out in the fridges asap in reality it doesn't happen and meat etc is very often left lying around on the floor or in those metal wheely things ALL NIGHT :(

Tis why I don't shop at Tescos for my meat (or Sainsburys cos I'm sure they are the same) and only go to the butchers now. And yes, I do appreciate just how lucky I am to have a decent butchers within walking distance, I think that's one of the advantages of living somewhere slightly backwards like Lincolnshire

Meat going off is entirely plausible IMO I've bought supermarket meat before well in date and put it straight in the freezer and found it's well off when defrosted and unwrapped - it's impossible to tell until unwrapped cos it's in it's plastic box but it had to have been off before going in the freezer IYSWIM

Just about to say what 2kids2dogs said about finding your meat is off after defrosting, was Asda by the way.

I also wanted to mention on a completely unrelated topic how bloody expensive Sainsbury's is. We went at the weekend to pick up a few snacks (don't usually shop there) and they were charging £2.10 for Pringles!!!!! I was really craving some pink ones but refused to pay for them and some rather expensive popcorn instead. :o

Its an entirely true story, and I deserve more than £6 compensation for it.

I called them instead of writing and they agree. So hopefully I'll get more than a £6 gift card in this post this week.

You have no proof that the food was "off", so essentially the compensation was for the lack of customer service. If they agree with what you've said, that's great for you, but if you've told the whole story, it really doesn't sound like you deserve more than £6 and if they do give you it, it'll be out of goodwill rather than them being at fault. I'm not a fan of massive supermarkets or (generally) their customer service, but your sense of entitlement over this, especially since you have no proof, is quite surprising.

No offence, but why post this in AIBU if you are so sure YANBU? I never understand that!

If the people at Tescos are doing that during the nightshift they need to be reported to environmental health

Why do you deserve more than £6.00 compensation?

You had a choice - when you got to the checkout and realised there were no "proper" tills open you could have left (I would have) the store and gone elsewhere.

"I've never been to a supermarket that has the meat in the first aisle, fridges and freezers are never near the front of the store"

'Tis true. First aisle in our Sainsbury's is fresh meat and dairy.

Still, I think this story might have been a touch embellished because OP wants to feel justified in fleecing them for some more compo. Good on you, OP.

Our Sainsburys does have meat at the front, and our Morrisons also has Fish at the very front as you walk through the door which makes the store and front foyer stink (I cant see why they do that?!) So I dont think all supermarkets fit your descriptions. Apparently I wasnt the only one to complain that night, some other customers at the tiny self serve tills did too.

Thanks Cupcake, but the story honestly isnt embellished. I think the meat may have been dodgy before freezing, friends have complained before. I dont know why I kept going there, actually! I just very much like their ready meal thai curries !

I like their thai curries too. And their crisps. Mmmmm, crisps...

Agreed with Sainsburys going downhill.

I got a chicken from there, went to use it that night and it stank yet it wasnt due to be out of date for another 6 days. Threw it in the bin outside and when i opened up the lid the next day I was assulted by loads of bluebottles which made me throw up.

It takes a week for maggots to turn into bluebottles so what the hell had happened to that chicken?

I made a complaint only to be told the usual crap and was told that £5 had been awarded to my nectar card.

How the hell they would be able to manage that I DONT KNOW as I didnt give them the nectar card number. No voucher was received either so I was basically fobbed off.

The meat is in the first aisle at our Sanisbos too. Fish is rght downthe back, but also first aisle.

We do not buy meat, dairy or bagged salad anymore from S's as it is always off before the due date.

I'm really surprised about the meat near the front of the store - I've shopped in loads of different supermarkets and can't think of one which has meat and fish at the front.

Are these big stores with two sets of aisles? We don't have Waitrose near me but Sainsbury's/Tesco/Asda/ Morrisons all have fruit and veg first nest to the door, non perishables and some freezers on the first set of aisles then fresh stuff and fridges at the back of the shop.