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Original poster

Supermarkets and staff picking

40 replies

Butterflies13 · 26/04/2019 21:27

Went to one of the major supermarkets today and I’m finding more and more that the aisles are filled with these massive trolly type things with staff rushing around picking for customers home delivery/click and collect. Normally they don’t bother me I quietly manoeuvre myself and dc around them but today..I was reaching out to grab something and out of no where this arm reaches across the front of my body to pick an item - the staff member said sorry- I was slightly irritated but brushed it off with a ‘no worries’ . No more than 2 minutes later the same thing happened again with the same staff member at a different aisle and she said ‘sorry again’. This time I felt really really annoyed but by the time I worked out what I wanted to say (something along the lines of “your not sorry at all otherwise you wouldn’t have done it a second time”) she had already disappeared. Am I being unreasonable to be slightly irritated as I feel that this individual was being rude and actually wasn’t sorry at all. On an aside I’m also wondering whether the shear rush to pick items may be because they have targets to meet (like the amazon warehouses) in which case I should loosen up a bit. I do realise there are much worse things going on in the world this is just a light hearted moan and I’m just wondering whether I’ve started to become a grumpy so and so or if my irritation is normal!

OP posts:
Leeds2 · 26/04/2019 21:30

I haven't noticed this.

But maybe mention it if you have a Nectar/Club card etc, and you fill in one of their post shop surveys. Details are given on your receipt.

Beeziekn33ze · 26/04/2019 21:30

You could complain to the manager and/or name and shame the supermarket here.

girlwithadragontattoo · 26/04/2019 21:31

Meh. I wouldn't have been bothered. I think your over reacting

Namechangeforthiscancershit · 26/04/2019 21:32

It does annoy me too, but yes I think they have a lot of orders to get through

swampytiggaa · 26/04/2019 21:34

They have to do the shop within strict time limits. Probably 4 lots of shopping at a time. It must be vile doing the picking when it’s busy.

My H works in a supermarket and purposely works nights in order to avoid customers 😂😂😂

Reddedder · 26/04/2019 21:49

I used to do picking. I hated picking when the shops opened as some customers treated you like shit. We also get timed on how many picks we did and if a customer is loitering, the urge is strong. We were meant to wait though. It also used to annoy me when people complained we were still working when they had opened. Even when we opened early for Christmas. What did they expect? Glad I don’t work with customers anymore

Shootingstar1115 · 26/04/2019 21:54

I get my shopping delivered so I don’t shop in supermarkets often enough to comment on this.

I am not sure if they have targets to meet but I know it’s all extremely pushed for time at my local supermarkets particularly at busy times - weekends, school holidays, Christmas etc and the holidays.

The thing is customers often go into browse whereas pickers just wanted to grab the item and crack on.

CynsterBitch · 26/04/2019 22:02

The target for our supermarket is about 100 items an hour per picker which can be tough at busy times especially when you are delivering orders as well

IggyAce · 26/04/2019 22:02

Hate pickers at my local Asda they are like a plague of locusts all in the same aisle.

MissBehaving1000 · 26/04/2019 22:14

After watching a programme once, can't remember what it was but think it had Greg Wallace or someone similar on... I was under the impression that home deliveries came from massive warehouses with automated picking rather than the local supermarket?

Quite happy to be corrected, but up until recently my mother has been placing orders at a well known supermarket for either delivery or click + collect... but online it says the product is unavailable yet instore when I visit the shelves are full? Can't say I've ever come across or been made aware of staff picking orders for customers tbh

isabellerossignol · 26/04/2019 22:19

Quite happy to be corrected, but up until recently my mother has been placing orders at a well known supermarket for either delivery or click + collect... but online it says the product is unavailable yet instore when I visit the shelves are full?

I queried this with Tesco and they explained it to me. They said that since the number of products available in each store is so huge (something like 40,000) it just isn't possible for them all to be available on the website because it would be too big and slow and would crash under the strain. So they have algorithms that constantly monitor what are the biggest selling products in store in the preceding week and those are the ones that are available to buy online. So that's why your local shop generally stocks the same stuff every week but you can't necessarily order the same products each week if you do your shopping online.

sweeneytoddsrazor · 26/04/2019 22:30

Most grocery deliveries come from the local store not a warehouse or depot. The pickers do have targets to meet. They are expected to pick a certain number of items an hour.

LavaLampLover · 26/04/2019 22:50

I've never felt it's been any different to having regular shoppers round me. In fact they don't browse like I do, they know what they need, so they're out of the way faster. I genuinely don't see the problem. They have a particular job to do to earn their living and they crack on with it. Good for them.

WorraLiberty · 26/04/2019 22:51

You could complain to the manager and/or name and shame the supermarket here.

Or she could just simply let it go, because she didn't speak to the person at the time?

LavaLampLover · 26/04/2019 22:52

I've actually considered trying to get a job as a picker. But you've reminded me why I left a supermarket job when I was at college.

I do get it - I hate people. I need my space. If I feel followed by someone, it irates me in a way that's hard to explain. But it's easy to work out how to avoid the pickers.

VladmirsPoutine · 26/04/2019 22:53

Of all the petty gripes this has to be the winner. Literally so petty you might almost trip over it whilst looking for it.

CupOhTea · 26/04/2019 22:54

For some reason I thought they picked the shopping out the back in somewhere! I’ve only very occasionally seen this.

Lochroy · 26/04/2019 23:01

This drives me nuts. It's the reason I've stopped going to the big Tesco near me.

origamiunicorn · 26/04/2019 23:05

On an aside I’m also wondering whether the shear rush to pick items may be because they have targets to meet.

I didn't realise there were targets, this explains how I get a dozen yoghurts that all go off the next day.

e1y1 · 26/04/2019 23:09

Quite happy to be corrected, but up until recently my mother has been placing orders at a well known supermarket for either delivery or click + collect... but online it says the product is unavailable yet instore when I visit the shelves are full?

Depends on the brand of supermarket and where your house actually is - eg, you may physically shop in your nearest preferred supermarket but an online shop with the same company may come from your 2nd, 3rd,... (and so on) neatest one along (tends to be the biggest stores in the chain that do the online) eg of all the big 4 stores, my online orders don't come from my very nearest one of the chain. This explains why sometimes online may out of stock and then in stock in store (and vica versa)

SparklesandFlowers · 26/04/2019 23:12

I'm another one who thought orders were picked out the back somewhere!

I can't remember ever having seen a 'picker' at a supermarket. Maybe I'm in there at the wrong times. I do get annoyed with the big cages though.

adaline · 26/04/2019 23:14

I used to work for ASDA.

Pickers normally worked from about 4/5am through until midday or so, sometimes later depending on the time of year.

They had targets to meet (x number of items per hour) and most stock was picked off the shop floor or from the warehouses out the back. They don't work in some big warehouse somewhere.

It was a horrible job and you were disciplined if you regularly missed your targets.

lyralalala · 26/04/2019 23:15

The pickers have targets. That's why if the system thing suggests a shit substitution they generally go with it rather than query it, or find something else.

alltoomuchrightnow · 26/04/2019 23:15

yes they have to do it.. I'm in a large non supermarket store, which prides itself on being family friendly, we have to do nightly picks for in store or out of store, we are being timed, we literally have to run around at times and sometimes move 7 full trolleys at a time. This with all our other usual tasks to do plus being stopped to help customers. But I am always polite and try not to reach over someone ! If I need to reach something I just ask if I can reach over, and I apologise to customer..

alltoomuchrightnow · 26/04/2019 23:16

and nope picks are not down 'out back'., not everywhere has an out back, or , it's not on site! So in my case.. all on shop floor.

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