To think reduced supermarket goods are for customers not staff?

[catlovingdoctor]

I was in an upmarket supermarket chain today and a member of staff, in full uniform, had a trolley load of reduced packs of avocados. They're normally relatively expensive but I thought I'd get some since they were reduced. So I went to take one out the trolley and she literally blocked my arm with her hand, saying it was her own shopping. Surely if she wants to do her own shopping she shouldn't be doing it in company uniform? The stock is there for customers not staff!

Eva50 why is it horrible to let you know they'd be closing soon? most supermarkets and department stores have tannoys put out 15 minutes or so before closing advising customers to make their final purchases. People expecting to be served after closing means people get home late, particularly at that time of night when buses etc are often much more few and far between. If a shop closes at 10 then people should have shopped and paid by 10 not be going to the till at 10.

YABU. I used to work in ops at Waitrose (did all the reducing). Whenever I worked a 9-6 shift on a Saturday I'd get customers helping themselves to my trolley constantly.

The thing that used to really piss me off is the attitude of just taking stuff regardless. Even if she was on her way to empty those avocados onto a shelf, you can't know so why not do the polite thing and ask if they are ok to take? Customers used to regularly help themselves to food that was out of date, damaged, or out of temperature because they just snatched without asking if the food was for sale.

If people were nice to us we used to reduce it extra.

Not the most professional but I don't see anything wrong per se unless it is against that supermarkets rules. I guess one of the perks (that I can imagine there are few) is getting first dibs on bargains.

Just out of interest how many avocados we talking about?

I think the pertinent question here, is who needs a trolley full of avocados?

OP, how many avocados are we talking about?

I often watch people's shopping on the belt and am amazed by what they buy. Fifteen cans of beans and a pack of pitta bread. I just think, WTF??

Any grey areas: USE YOUR WORDS: "are you on duty?" "are these for sale?"

Has to be the weirdest thread I've read today, along with the comment 'I refuse to be told I'm being unreasonable' when that's the f-ing question OP asked. sits here and shakes her head

I got as far as the poster whose son worked in a middle of the road petrol station. Not sure how that would work.....

YABU, get over yourself op.

When I worked in retail the staff got first dibs on reduced stock, makes no difference to the shop who buys it. When the Christmas food went reduced we had piles of tins of biscuits behind the tills for the staff to buy on their way home!

I really want to know how many avocados were actually in the trolley.

what happened to op? how many avocados where involved ?? avocadogate in the dm lead story

No, the DM would need to know the age, dress size and number of children of both the OP and the staff member. They would also need to know the value of everyone's houses.

This made my evening. I hope it really happened!!

.

I worked in a down market supermarket and we weren't allowed to shop in our lovely itchy nylon uniform...

The vitriol i'm getting off most of you is unbelievable. She was in the store uniform, in the middle of the store..hence I assumed she was working there and doing something related to her job! If you were in Mcdonalds and you saw someone in a Mcdonalds uniform in the middle of the place wouldn't you think they were at work?! She had a hell of a lot of avocados in her trolley so yes I assumed she was putting them out on stock! If she was shopping at the end of her shift she shouldn't be in uniform- precisely to avoid this confusion!

I think it was the "refuse to be told I'm unreasonable" comment has caused most of the stronger comments op. It came across as very twatty and obnoxious, plus a bit bizarre considering you posted in AIBU. In response to your last post, I would have asked first if I could take some of the presumed stock, not just dug in. It's pretty rude to completely ignore someone when taking something from under their nose.

If you were in Mcdonalds and you saw someone in a Mcdonalds uniform in the middle of the place wouldn't you think they were at work?!

Actually I would assume that they were queueing for food

If she was shopping at the end of her shift she shouldn't be in uniform- precisely to avoid this confusion!

Are you a retail manager? Or just naturally opinionated/controlling/ psychotically bossy?

You wouldn't like it if the staff stripped to do their end of shift shopping, I'm guessing?

Erm so if a staff member needs to get a few bits they should go home first and change then go back to avoid presumptuous "mistakes" like this?

Riiiiiight.

Sorry OP you missed out on some cheap avocados.

This can't be serious.

You're upset because you made an assumption, and you were wrong. It happens. Get over it. Do you get this upset about being wrong all the time? How do you cope?!

And also "she literally blocked my arm with her hand". Yeah, as you do when someone tries to nick your shopping 😂

I'd be sad about missing out on bargain avocados though so I can kind of sympathise. But YABU.

It just gets better and better. Staff need to take a second set of 'shopping' clothes to work in case the customers get confused. Righty ho.

this must be a wind up

Are you actually a doctor Asper your NN, OP?

Are you trying to highlight poor pay in the NHS? Hence desperate need for bargain avocados and associated avocado rage?

YABU for not asking if the Avocados were okay to take before grabbing at them. If you had asked she might even have shared - if I get the timing right at my local Waitrose the staff will often offer me some of the 'good stuff' they've saved for themselves if they see me shopping for those items, this week that included 20p avocados, 10p bread, £1 fresh trout fillets. Yum.