To report the village butcher

[Matchstickbox]

Am I?
I'm on a budget (like us all) and I'll ask butcher for 1kg mince then I'll go home and weigh it in to portions to freeze.

(Butcher always tell me a portion is more than the 125g I've read else where. He thinks about 200g pp.)

I came home last time and weighed up the two bags of minice to dived up and I'm short. About 125g.
It's been playing on my mind but my neighbour said I'm being sill and should report him...
I think I should, he'll not know it was me, will he, and he should be weighing food correctly, so not unreasonable to report him.

[ToTheWinnerTheSpoils]

Before you go in guns blazing, surely you need to ascertain whether, when you last bought mince, he charged you for 1 kg or 850g. If the latter then there is nothing to complain about. Since you don't have an itemised receipt for your last purchase, perhaps go and buy just mince, weigh it and check against price.

[toastytoastbear]

Just tell him

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

Ooh er missus!

[randomer]

hello mr butcher I think you may have made a mistake.

Oh I'm so sorry Mrs customer. Here is my finest sausage as compensation.

sorted

[hpsaucy]

Maybe it's bagged in pound bags which is 454g, so only been charged for 2 bags

[helpimitchy]

Fetching stuff out of the back indicates that he's selling you meat with a higher fat/water content than what's on display. You should be served the meat that's out on display.

He sounds like a right tricky dicky

[MimsyPimsy]

As this thread shows, people generally give a small butcher's shop the benefit of the doubt. With the amount he was out by, he would have known by eye. If you spend all day weighing, you get a good idea.

[a7mints]

He must have been displaying his prices.Did he charge you the kg price or 875g.That's what you need to establish first!

[Pineapplemilkshake]

If he was the sort to try and diddle someone, I'd find it strange that he would pick the customer who came in and asked about portion sizes, and who is therefore likely to weigh it at home?

[eddielizzard]

well it's bloody tough for butchers who compete against low cost supermarkets. but this isn't the way to go about things.

who would you report him to?

i would buy again, take my scales with me in the car, measure in the car (make sure the scales are flat, maybe bring that 500g bag of flour with you to check), then take the scales and the meat back to the shop if you're short again.

it might be that his scales need recalibrating [benefitofthedoubt]

[JosephineMaynard]

Does he not weigh it in front of you?

The butchers in our village has the scales on the counter, they weigh the meat there, with a readout positioned so customers can see it and see whether the meat weighs 1kg or 875g. That's normal in most butchers I've been in. Plus as a pp says, they'll say if it's slightly out from 1kg and ask if that's okay.

It's a bit awkward knowing exactly what the situation is without an itemised receipt or sticker on the bag saying how much you've been charged for though. And pretty poor practice to not provide proper receipts IMO. You really need to know whether he's charged you for 1kg of mince, so overcharged you, or whether he's given you less than 1kg of mince but only charged you for the weight he's given you.

[JoJoSM2]

I think you should do it. Nothing devious about it. It sounds like he might be cheating the entire village out of money.

[button10]

If this butcher diddles every customer like this just think of the money he's making dishonestly? Also this behaviour would make me question everything about the business and wonder where else corners are being cut.

I would give them 1 more chance and if it happens again use it as evidence and report to trading standards. Everyone deserves to be treated fairly (customers & retailers) and if they have nothing to hide there won't be a problem.

[MimsyPimsy]

To those saying tell him first, I disagree. If OP tells trading standards, they will check, and if he does it to them, he will be prosecuted. If he doesn't, then he won't. If OP tells the butcher, he'll just not do it to her again, but carry on doing it to others.

He would surely be able to tell by eye that the amount was wrong, as it was out by so much.

[Chinlo]

The question you haven't answered yet is how much are you PAYING for? The meat must have a cost per kilo, right? So are you paying for a kilo (in which case he could be deliberately cheating you out of money), or is he giving you 875g and charging you for 875g ? (in which case he's probably just not bothered about weighing to exactly 1kg, which although kind of annoying, is not a crime)

[Matchstickbox]

I told him I wanted 1kg. He did not say it's under. Just popped it in the bags.
The only receipts this shop gives is the card machine one & I've not paid cash yet so don't know if I'd get an itemised for that.
I also tell him I portion it out at home.
He's nice but you know not to cross him, the type that can be charming but when crossed are obnoxious.
See previously I've only got two peoples worth of mince from him and just frozen or cooked. Last month I decided to get more (clearly) so weighed it myself.
I'm 99.9% positive the scales read correctly but at home I was less.
I have as previously stated checked mine.
I think I'll buy normally this month and if it's out again, tough, I'm reporting him.

[Badbadbunny]

Next time you buy, ask for it to be weighed in sight of you to check.

It is an option to report to TS, but they may take weeks/months to go out and check, so in the meantime, you'd be continuing to risk buying short.

Far better to nip it in the bud by tackling direct.

[Scaredycat3000]

I avoided my local 'Ye olde sweet shope' as the staff were so rude. New boss, same owner, so I give it another go. The law is very simple, goods sold by weight must be on or over weight charged for. 98 grams is not 100g. If you're going to blatantly rip your customer off maybe not have such clear scales visible to the customer. All she needed to do was not take that last sweet off the scales and it would have been legal. I think they also included the paper bag in the 98 grams, I'm not sure that's right ether.
I know it sounds petty, but the shop is the one in wrong, when does it stop being petty, 2-5% loss petty, 5-15% loss annoying, 15-25% loss have a word, 25-50% loss complain? These consumer laws are there because shop keepers have abused their customers trust since trading began. Go and weigh a bakers loaf out of a supermarket. it will weigh more than the label says, so that they are within the weights and measures laws. OP report away, you might start getting the right weight but he'll still be devious and rip off all his other customers.

[PigPigTrotters]

Most butchers I've ever bought for have a price per kg, so you pay for the exact weight of meat you've paid for. The scales weigh the meat and calculate the cost of the meat. So no comparison to buying pre-packaged and weighed meat from the supermarket.
There are cases where meat is pre-weighed and pre-packed, but these have to be labelled with dates and weight on.

Most butchers whether scary or not will not have everything in display, as there simply wouldn't be room, plus things like mince will be in high demand so extra will be stored in a larger fridge.

If you don't trust the butcher not to spit on your food (which sounds ridiculous, as this would actively put his business at risk) go to a different butcher.

On the basis of your op, I would let it go for now, but if you go again, check how the butcher does it. At that point you can ask him to add more to make it up to the 1kg you asked for. If you are being charged for 1kg but not getting that amount, then report to trading standards. He won't know it's you, if he is doing this, he won't be singling you out.

[Seeline]

If this is the first time that it has happened I'd probably give him the benefit of the doubt.
Next time you go in, I'd confirm that he has bagged you 1Kg (or whatever you have asked for) before paying and then check at home. If it wrong again I would report to Trading Standards - he had his chance when you queried it.

[DubiousCredentials]

I would stick to your plan of seeing what your next order weighs and reporting if that is short.

[Littleballerina]

Just say 'can I have the full amount this time please' next time you go in. Explain that you measure it in to portions when you get home and have noticed that you aren't getting what you have paid for.
Reporting him rather than pulling him up on it seems slightly ott.

[SquawkFish]

Does he not weigh it in front of you?

Ours does that. I get he could have diddled his scales but that means he's screwing everyone over.

[Redpony1]

Wow, you'd report someone over something so simple, without going and raising it with them first??

Jeez. Put your brave pants on and tell him it was down on the 1kg ordered. Don't be devious without giving him a chance first!

[BolshierAryaStark]

I don't think reporting him without first giving him a chance to rectify his mistake is fair tbh. Be a big girl & speak to him about it.