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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Me or Sainsburys staff member?

278 replies

HouseofSkullduggery · 21/02/2022 14:31

My local Sainsburys is in a shopping centre with chargeable parking. You usually have to spend £10 or more to get free parking unless you are also using the pharmacy or Argos which is also inside.
So this morning I had to return some items to Argos that I bought yesterday. I did that no problem and never asked them to validate the ticket as I had a few other things to get from Sainsburys and thought it's quicker to go to the self service tills and do it myself.
I bought items which were just over £7. Paid and started to walk to the machine to validate my ticket. The staff member immediately saw me approaching and stood blocking the machine. She actually had to walk backwards to make sure I didn't go round her.
She then said have you spent £10? Where's your receipt? In a really snotty tone. I explained I'd just been to Argos too but needed other things hence why I was there. But no that wasn't good enough. She said no I would have to pay to park because I hadn't spent the £10.
She was really off and I felt like a naughty child! I just said again I'd been to Argos, I was in a rush and as it made no difference to her please could I use the machine on this occasion. But no she wouldn't back down.
I left and just felt quite bewildered at her attitude. Nobody normally mans the machine. I go in there all the time. Never had any issue. Even going through the normal tills staff have been happy to validate the ticket as long as youve bought something. I feel she was rude and a jobsworth. Aibu?

OP posts:
TheOccupier · 21/02/2022 14:42

YANBU but I would have complained at the time

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 21/02/2022 14:45

YANBU but you should have asked to speak to the manager while you were there.

ChaosMoon · 21/02/2022 14:45

She must have a very small and empty life. How sad for her.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 21/02/2022 14:46

But you can still go back to the store and complain; state the time you were there. They will have it all on CCTV anyway.

AnxiousHeffalump · 21/02/2022 14:46

Was this in West Yorkshire?

quitefranklyabsurd · 21/02/2022 14:48

I’m sorry I don’t get it. You didn’t meet the required spend time get free parking and you didn’t validate your argos thing to get free parking.

Her tone might be off but your it sounds as though you didn’t have the necessary receipts to prove you were entitled to free parking.

Zillamop · 21/02/2022 14:51

She was probably just doing what the manager instructed. It sounds like a miserable job TBH, having to hang around in a car park to tell off indignant customers.

SartresSoul · 21/02/2022 14:51

@AnxiousHeffalump

Was this in West Yorkshire?
Wakefield by any chance? Grin

She sounds like a jobsworth but I wouldn’t have backed down personally because you were in the right.

gunnersgold · 21/02/2022 14:54

She is no doubt told by the manager to not let anyone get away with not spending £10. It's the same in my locks sainsburys as it's in a busy town . During covid you were allowed to validate thr ticket yourself and no doubt people took the piss . She is only doing her ( minimum wage ) job !

Fuzzy303 · 21/02/2022 14:54

I would have asked to speak to the manager

dementedpixie · 21/02/2022 14:54

So you didnt have proof from Argos and didn't make the minimum spend so how does she know you qualify for free parking

Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious · 21/02/2022 14:54

Did you actually buy things from Argos? Because if you didn't, you actually didn't spend enough to get free parking. She sounds like she's been given a crappy job to do. But if you didn't buy in Argos, she was actually correct. You didn't meet the £10 spend for free parking.

Ramalamadingdongs · 21/02/2022 14:56

You didn't qualify for free parking, your fault.

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 21/02/2022 14:57

So you didn't validate the ticket at Argos, you only spend £7 in Sainsburys? Technically she was right, maybe her manager has asked her to make sure people are spending the £10?

MyCatEatsPrawnCrackers · 21/02/2022 14:59

@SartresSoul but the Op wasn't in the right Hmm

JamSandwich89 · 21/02/2022 15:02

If you don't qualify, you don't quality. If she let you off everyone would have to get let off (which sounds like that's been happening) so I agree with PPs that managers have probably told the colleagues to be stricter.

OMGItsEarly · 21/02/2022 15:03

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy

But you can still go back to the store and complain; state the time you were there. They will have it all on CCTV anyway.
They will also be able to bring up the till receipt on their computer and see op didn’t spend the correct amount.

Personally I would have gone back to Argos to validate my parking, or just pay for the parking, and make sure I’d met the requirements next time.

gettingolderandgrumpy · 21/02/2022 15:04

It does seem petty but so does the £10 rule tbh if you spend £7 or £70 you are still a customer so I think that’s very unfair . I probably would of just said fine I’ll pay for bloody parking and avoid the supermarket going forward as I’m petty too .

gunnersgold · 21/02/2022 15:04

You didn't spend £10 , you returned something and spent £7. This is your answer .

DameOctaviaOstrich · 21/02/2022 15:05

But from what you've written you didn't qualify for free parking. Those are the conditions that you agreed to when you entered the car park
Her attitude may leave a lot to be desired but you were trying to get something you weren't intitled to

PriamFarrl · 21/02/2022 15:08

You might not have liked the way she said it but she was in the right.

SNUG2022 · 21/02/2022 15:10

Op said its free to park if you use Argos, which she did.

arethereanyleftatall · 21/02/2022 15:11

But she was right wasnt she?
You didn't reach the qualifying spend, and you didn't get your ticket stamped in Argos, which was your fault entirely, not hers.

gunnersgold · 21/02/2022 15:11

If it's the same as my local one you can use the car park for free for half an hour regardless of what for which is plenty of time to return something to Argos .

Notanotherwindow · 21/02/2022 15:11

Why should she get a bollocking from her manager just to save you a couple of quid?

It DOES make a difference to her. Where I work, we get in trouble for things like that. You're caught 3 times it's disciplinary.

You didn't meet the requirements. She doesn't set those requirements but has to enforce them.