(FB) Supermarket customer service says my job to speak to manager ?

[SerendipityJane]

For 5 weeks running I've been unable to buy a favourite treat from my local (massive !) Sainsburys patisserie. It's not sold out, just "never in".

Usually I'm pretty mellow but after the 5th time straight I thought I'd have a Facebook chat with the Sainsburys team, and at the end of the exchange :

Hi there, thanks for your patience whilst this has been looked into. I'm sorry to have to say that the brownie is still an active item that is sold in our stores so this issue would have to be taken up with the bakery manager directly in store as to why this is no longer available to you. Apologies again that we have to pass this back to you.

AIBU in thinking that complaints to customer services shouldn't be batted back to the customer to resolve in this way ? I know we've already started doing some of their jobs by self-scanning, but is self-customer service the Next Big Thing ?

It would rankle less if I ate more than one cake a week, but I don't. This is genuinely my "cake of the week". Or would be if they had it.

Be curious to hear some views before next weeks Saturday shop.

Daily Mail are quite free to contact me for more details .

Clearly you've never experienced ..

"A brownie ? Sorry, not much demand for them. Funny, you're the 10th person this morning to ask."

That doesnt make sense. If they sold loads and loads of people ask for them, then there maybe a problem with the product

That's got nothing to do with the scenario that I out forward that you buying an average of 1 per week, isnt going to keep a store stocking them unless lots of the other people buying them.

Honestly, I work at a supermarket Head Office. I have heard it all. Random things customers say and staff say. I get it from both ends.

I also know supermarkets have plenty of customers that believe we should constantly stock fresh products that dont sell very much, because they want to buy it every 2 months.

Each store will look at what they sell and dont sell. If they sell alot of it and its not there, it's more likely theres an issue with the product. A store would not purposely decide to not stock a big seller.

Given that all the big supermarkets are promising to reduce food waste, stocking a product that will go in the bin after a couple of days goes against that. Stores are also targeted on waste.

Also 10 people may have wanted to purchase brownies. But if the brownies come in packs of 100 and only 10 -20 are sold. It's still waste.

Was it a truffle mouse because those things are amazing

However, good as my baking skills are, I'm not really prepared to spend ages to get a perfect taste for something I would eat one square a week of. And I don't have the huge circle of friends needed to absorb excess cake

Slightly off topic OP but Nigella's emergency brownies are your friends here - www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/emergency_brownies_43976

Former Social Media manager for a big retail brand. Yes they should have taken this up and sorted it out. Social media is as much PR as it is customer services. Sadly large organisations usually struggle to recognise this or get the teams to coherently work together because of I ternal politics.

I'd tell them as a representative of the company you expect them to take this back and resolve it on your behalf.

We used to have direct contact with all areas of the business from board to buying and really made some difference during the time I was there.

Keep going. Annoy them enough politely and they'll eventually give in.

Thanks, @Treacletoots. I'm getting fed up of Twitter corporate accounts telling me to contact customer services. I have contacted them as the public face of the company and they should be able to pass this on (with my permission if there are GDPR concerns). When I worked in retail our staff manual was very clear; if you needed to take a customer's issue to another colleague then it was your job to explain it, the customer didn't want to have to do it all over again.

It might not be low demand, it might be one of their best sellers. I read an interview or article (it was a few year ago) with an (anonymous) retail manager that said stores often have fewer of the best-sellers as people only buy that one and ignore other options which have to be destroyed (he was referring to fresh produce; sandwiches, bread, cakes etc). If you don’t stock a popular item then people are forced into buying an alternative (especially people on lunch breaks who haven’t got time to go from shop to shop). No idea if true, but it does baffle me when sandwiches etc that sell out every day are not stocked in greater quantities.

It's hopeless trying to communicate with Sainsburys their customer service is awful. It's amazing you got a reply!
Do you have an alternate supermarket?

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Serendipity I did not mention that you're lazy at all I said why not make your own WHEN YOU HAVE THE TIME

You can make them in one saucepan, using the exact ingredients you like. Make more than you need and keep the others in the freezer. To have when you like!!!!

Sorted

Yeah Sparkling How are you?

Good thanks.

Can I chip in about a complaint I have about the bakery in my local supermarket store??? The bakery stuff is Never ready/baked till very late in the morning (9/10am?). Makes me cross!

Why shouldn't OP ask Customer Services about this?

It isn't a customer service question. It is a local supply chain question that only the store can answer.

The bakery stuff is Never ready/baked till very late in the morning (9/10am?). Makes me cross!

Again speak to the store. They may do that to fit in with busy periods.

If not a lot of people go in looking for freshly baked goods before 9am, that store may choose not to bake them. If a store usually doesnt seel these, they wont pay staff to come in earlier to bake them.

If the store knows people do want them early they will bake them. This is why people should speak directly to the stores.

My local morrisons is always out of cornish pasties by 9am. I get them for Dps lunch. But I have to be there early. The reason being is that if they value some at 10am, they rarely sell them. As explained to me by the manager. Just creating waste.

Rather than just leaving it. If enough customers asks the question, they may change what they do.

You’re complaining about what they’re choosing to sell? That’s not really a complaint & yes it’s reasonable to tell you to go away

@DocusDiplo if you offer to pay for some early morning staff I’m sure they’d be willing to change their working habits to suit your life

How is it poor customer service to inform her that the item has not been discontinued, apologise and tell that she will have to speak to the specific store manager to see why they aren't stocking it?

Because the customer service people work for the same company as the store manager and should ask him or her on the OP’s behalf then report back to OP! Getting her to ask herself is just lazy!

Make a batch of brownies and freeze them, removing one a week. Problem solved!

It isn't a customer service question. It is a local supply chain question that only the store can answer.

@KatherineJaneway literally everything in a supermarket is a customer service question because the only purpose of a supermarket is to serve customers! If there is a local supply chain issue then the CS staff should talk to the local store and find out what the issue is.

t isn't a customer service question. It is a local supply chain question that only the store can answer.

So they should check with the local store and let her know.

I understand that a brownie might appear too insignificant but it might be the reason a customer goes to another shop.

I have a favourite biscuit I buy in Waitrose and if I knew they were not available I would just pop in the nearest other supermarket and I won’t bother with Waitrose.

It’s little things like this that keep a customer loyal.

If you ask the bakery manager you will get the reply straight away. cut out the middle man and all the back and forth.

But really. All this over a cake?

Why not? What’s wrong with cake?

What would have been more acceptable for you?

If you ask the bakery manager you will get the reply straight away. cut out the middle man and all the back and forth

But this is no longer about speed, it’s about the company actually making an effort to answer customer queries instead of passing the buck back to the customer.