Raging at sainsburys!

[bitemabum]

Aaaargh! Just done my weekly shop at sainsburys as I do every week, I have a young child and a stacked trolley, get to the checkout, say hello to the young man behind serving which is met with silence and a blank expression. That's fine, I put my bags down and start to empty the trolley, my daughter now bored is giving out. At no point am I asked if I would like a hand packing my bags, he just sits there talking to the cashier behind him while I struggle to fit everything on. Finally he stops his conversation and starts whiz zing the stuff through so I can't keep up. Now all the stuffs spilling every where while I try to stuff it into bags. By now there's people waiting behind me and another member of staff standing waiting for me to pay so they can get into the till. I glance up and the new member of staff day's "yes, we're all waiting for you", so I decide screw you and start packing extra slowly which gets a sarcastic eye roll from the rude idiot who was originally "serving" me. I resist the urge to rip his smug little head off and leave sainsbury's for the final time. I won't be back! Aaah that feels better, rant over.

[DonkeysDontRideBicycles]

That was bad of the cashier he was talking to as well, normally the experienced ones won't carry on yakking while there's a customer present.

Do complain OP or it won't be addressed. A nice non-ranty email expressing your disappointment and surprise at the young guy's attitude including the sarky comment and eye rolling.

[LadyMacmuff]

You should go to Waitrose - they always ask if you'd like help packing - which I never want so end up running back and forth to either end of the checkout- (only because I've got a tragic system of packing my shopping but that's my problem!) Oh, and they give you a free coffee and paper. Not entirely sure how much more my shop is vis a vis if I were to go to Sainsburys but the one nearest me is horrible and difficult to get to, so I've only been once! (Lazy!)

[anklebitersmum]

Gruntfuttock The customer service girls were horrified and couldn't apologise enough-they gave me the managers name and the Head Office address there and then. The phoneline were equally bemused as to how this constituted any sort of customer service. I had a letter of apology complete with £25 vouchers to compensate for the "unfortunate level of service I received instore" and they said that that particular member of staff would receive "further customer service training" and had been "reprimanded".

I suspect that the cashier's husband turning up to loudly moan about her "still being on the till" and a suited person having to ask the supervisor serving me when that cashier's shift was meant to finish not for ten minutes as it turned out helped my cause.

I went and I spent £25 on free wine and goodies but I haven't been back since.

[Gruntfuttock]

Thanks for the reply, anklebitersmum. I'm glad that your complaint was treated seriously.

[winterhat]

LittleMissSunshine89 there are probably instructions from higher up the chain saying that all assistants have to ask you those questions.

[anklebitersmum]

It was a particularly scathing letter. I used to work in retail so I know full well that the customer isn't always right and it sucks to go home half an hour past shift but I was particularly [shockhorror] and 'had the rage' in this case.

[Gruntfuttock]

"LittleMissSunshine89 there are probably instructions from higher up the chain saying that all assistants have to ask you those questions."


Yes, I think the prompts automatically come up on the till when each customer is served. Also, the person on the till may not recognise every regular customer all of the time, let alone remember who has a membership/loyalty card and who never brings their own bag.

[ChrisMooseAlbanians]

Seriously, complain. I guarantee you the manager will be absolutely fuming. I don't work FOR Sainsburys but I visit alot of their stores wwith my job. There are ssigns all over the place about customer service. Complain!

[ChrisMooseAlbanians]

Oh and I can tell you for sure that Co-OP prompts those questions on the till every time a transaction is made. outs self

[morethanpotatoprints]

Hello OP.
I thought it was going to be a really entitled thread to begin with, sorry.

I would call the number on the receipt, this is really bad and needs reporting. They need retraining in customer service at least and I hope you get some sort of reward for this. Absolutely disgusting, they are lucky you were as passive as you were. I'd have flipped I think.

[ColdTeaAgain]

Please take this up with the store OP, the jumped up little shit needs to be told that his behaviour is unacceptable! Pretty sure the store manager would want to know how the staff are behaving as it reflects back on them.

I've always found sainsburys staff ok where I live, tescos on the other hand think customers are just a massive inconvenience to their day, have never seen one crack a smile!

[Retropear]

Ours are normally quite good.

Lidle,now that's a whole other story.

[SchroSawMargeryDaw]

This happens everytime in Aldi, makes me rage as I struggle with my hands. My Gran complained about it last week and the assistant apologied and said that they are all timed.

Pisses me right off as they throw everything in to your trolley and stuff always gets broken, crushed.

[Youarejustwordsonascreenpeople]

SometimesLonely yes I do

[deakymom]

yup happened to me they cracked my eggs so i asked them to replace them more waiting then they put there finger through my pork joint by "mistake" no i didn't want a bag i wanted an new one without finger marks in it which got sent back because it was too small then they bought one too big finally they reduced the big one in price etc etc im normally nice really

ive also been known to tell my daughter to cry just so they will open more checkouts

[TheBitterBoy]

This is why I usually aim for the tills staffed by middle aged or older women, I know it is a gross generalization, but young men (and teen girls) tend to be the worst at chucking everything down the conveyor at speed. You can tell they have never had to pack shopping at the receiving end! Maybe you should have asked him to slow down, but to be fair I have asked this in the past and been met with an eye roll or a tsk, so I don't anymore, and just head for the tills with the more mature members of staff.

[GrumpyRedhead]

Another person urging you to make a complaint, OP. Pre-DCs I was a checkout supervisor in Sainsburys and this will not be tolerated. Either e-mail tonight or phone tomorrow once all the full-time staff are in.

[Mumof3xx]

One of the check out women in out local coop seems particularly fed up with the "have you got membership card" line herself
From the way she asks and talks about it I reckon hardly anyone who uses that store does have one!

I rarely get much shopping physically inside the supermarket so luckily don't have any check out nightmare stories to share! I would deffently complain though

[Longdistance]

Please contact Sainsburys.

I had a crap meal deal with them the other week, and I complained by email to them via their website. They got back to me the next day, and they sent me a £10 voucher. If you fire off an email with all the details that are on the receipt, they'll track it down.

[littledrummergirl]

My store is 21 items per minute with disciplinary action taken if you dont hit the target.
You are expected to greet nicely and say goodbye making eye contact.
You are not allowed to ask the customer if they would like help packing or need bags.
You must smile constantly even if you have failed your A levels, been bereaved, dh left etc.
All for minimum wage.

[harverina]

I would definitely complain. Everyone has bad days at work but he sounds as though he just doesn't give a shit.

Sure, he probably isn't paid a fortune but he is paid to do a job. I worked in retail for years while I was a student and then for a while when I graduated and despite being paid quite a rubbish wage I know my customer service was good and I worked hard. But then I believe that you should try your best in whatever job your in. There are a lot of unemployed people who would kill for that job! Plus he sounds like he went out of his way to be rude so he deserves a complaint.

[steppemum]

Go to Asda, they are unfailingly polite and ask if I would like help, never start until I am ready/finished unpacking and slow down and stop putting stuff through the till until I have put it in a bag etc.

I know Asda gets a lot of stick, but they really do train their staff in customer service.

[Nanny0gg]

Why didn't you ask for a packer? I always did when I went shopping with DC.

My Tesco is fantastic. Pleasant helpful staff who always offer to pack and don't chuck my items at me.

Must remember to compliment them via management next time...

[OhMerGerd]

Hope you have complained by now or intend to do so tomorrow.
My DD start heading for the exits if they get wind of bad customer service when they're out shopping with me because they know I'm not going to put up with it and they know I am not going to worry about holding up the queue ( I apologise to the people behind me explaining why they are being delayed) or be fobbed of with anything less than an apology.
If the cashier had said they were all being held up waiting for me. I'd have stopped packing altogether and said they could carry on waiting until the supervisor gets here ... And added Please ring the bell!

I've done the supermarket till job and so have DD. That behaviour is unacceptable and the line supervisor needs to hear it.

[Hopasholic]

This has just reminded me, I was in Next the other day, returning something from Next directory. I handed over the item, (in next directory packaging) &my invoice at the end of the transaction the sales assistant said:
'Do you have a Next Directory?
Me (with a smile thinking she must just be on auto pilot) 'erm, yes you've just taken a return from me'
Her 'well yes I know that but we do have to ask every single customer you know' in a dead snotty tone!
How fucking stupid was that? If that's their company policy then it is insane.