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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:
WonderfulYou · 21/02/2022 15:41

So you to use the machine to need to spend £10?

But you spent £7?

Therefore you were obviously in the wrong.

Arabellla · 21/02/2022 15:42

I think you've misunderstood the policy. OP. Does it actually say you get free parking if you go to Argos or the pharmacy?

Our local supermarket has a similar set up but you have to spend the minimum in the supermarket, it doesn't matter if you've visited the other shops.

They are probably just fed up of people abusing the system (not saying you are) and are enforcing it a bit forcefully.

Nocutenamesleft · 21/02/2022 15:42

I feel so very sorry for the lady whose job it was to police that

I bet she gets people screaming at her every day. I bet she gets paid minimum wage too

I would of just gone and validated it at Argos. Surely that’s an idea?

Or paid it. I couldn’t get worked up for that.

OrganisedChaos22 · 21/02/2022 15:42

SHE USED ARGOS.! Therefor doesn't have to pay. Whether she'd gone in to spend in argos or return. She still used the shop!

I wouldn't have backed down.

Arabellla · 21/02/2022 15:43

If Argos can validate the parking then that's a different set-up, I should say.

Arabellla · 21/02/2022 15:43

@OrganisedChaos22

SHE USED ARGOS.! Therefor doesn't have to pay. Whether she'd gone in to spend in argos or return. She still used the shop!

I wouldn't have backed down.

How is the Sainsbury's assistant supposed to know OP 'used' Argos?
WonderfulYou · 21/02/2022 15:43

Sorry just saw that you can park there for free if going into Argos.

I’m not sure if that’s correct though as surely everyone would park for free and say they’re going to Argos but the item was out of stock.

SpilltheTea · 21/02/2022 15:44

Are you seriously moaning because someone was doing their job? You should have validated the ticket in Argos or spent more in Sainsburys. She shouldn't have spoken to you in that tone, but you're in the wrong.

Woofwoofbarkbark · 21/02/2022 15:45

@Bunty55

Its petty. I would complain to the Argos manager and let them deal with it.

It does make you wonder what makes some people tick though..

@Bunty55

I think this might be one of the worst answers I have ever read on Mumsnet.

Did you read the OP?

Why would she complain to Argos?

And what's making the woman tick is probably her manager, who will be in charge of this woman's duties as a member of staff, and if she doesn't fulfil these duties she gets fired.

I've worked in retail. The abuse is unreal.

vivainsomnia · 21/02/2022 15:46

SHE USED ARGOS.! Therefor doesn't have to pay. Whether she'd gone in to spend in argos or return. She still used the shop!
The rule is you Argos AND get you ticket validated. OP didn't. She only undertook half of the requirements. She's in the wrong.

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 21/02/2022 15:48

@WonderfulYou

Sorry just saw that you can park there for free if going into Argos.

I’m not sure if that’s correct though as surely everyone would park for free and say they’re going to Argos but the item was out of stock.

That's why they get them to validate the ticket at Argos, which OP said she didn't do. All this could have been solved if OP had been bothered to validate the ticket at Argos
Juno22 · 21/02/2022 15:52

You're in the wrong OP. In the scenario you describe anyone could say they had been to Argos if they hadn't spent enough in Sainsburys to qualify for free parking. You should have got your ticket validated.

hellcatspangle · 21/02/2022 15:52

It's ridiculous anyway that you should have to pay to park when spending less than £10. I'd just shop elsewhere.

Member869894 · 21/02/2022 15:54

did you qualify for free parking or didn't you?

Member869894 · 21/02/2022 15:55

aaah I see. YABU as you should have validated your ticket at Argos

Oneborneverydecade · 21/02/2022 15:55

@gettingolderandgrumpy

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 .
By enforcing the rule the supermarket are ensuring that the carpark is available to genuine customers and not people who park for 2 hours plus, wander around the rest of the shops and then pop into Sainsbury's and spend next to nothing. I don't imagine many of us would be too impressed if we always struggled to get parked
Teeturtle · 21/02/2022 15:55

You were in the wrong, you didn’t meet the spend limit. I don’t understand how you think you might be right to be honest. What you did in Argos is nothing to do with Sainsburys.

DahliaMacNamara · 21/02/2022 15:55

As a youngster I had a job which involved enforcing a silly rule that inconvenienced people for no good reason. It was a pain in the arse, and we didn't need the hassle on top of everything else that needed to be done. I'm sure the Sainsbury's staff member felt the same.
After a while, we got a minor kick out of annoying people who were particularly unpleasant about it. But it still wasn't our call to make.

SweetFelicityArkright · 21/02/2022 15:56

@OrganisedChaos22

SHE USED ARGOS.! Therefor doesn't have to pay. Whether she'd gone in to spend in argos or return. She still used the shop!

I wouldn't have backed down.

So why didn't she validate the ticket at Argos?

Using Argos or pharmacy - free parking and ticket validated in that store to show this.
Using Sainsbury's - free parking when spending £10 or more, ticket validated to show this.

OP used Argos but didn't get ticket validated, OP used Sainsbury's but didn't meet the minimum spend to validate ticket. OP expected Sainsbury's staff to validate ticket regardless of the above and insists that the Sainsbury's staff are unreasonable, and for extra clout, rude and a jobsworth too, to add weight to the OPs gripe.
OP is unreasonable in expecting the above when she clearly understands the terms of using the car park, but has failed to meet those terms, and wants to blame the Sainsbury's staff for that.

Arabellla · 21/02/2022 15:57

By enforcing the rule the supermarket are ensuring that the carpark is available to genuine customers and not people who park for 2 hours plus, wander around the rest of the shops and then pop into Sainsbury's and spend next to nothing. I don't imagine many of us would be too impressed if we always struggled to get parked

Exactly! How do people not get this?

Pigeonsdontliketrucks · 21/02/2022 15:58

@hellcatspangle

It's ridiculous anyway that you should have to pay to park when spending less than £10. I'd just shop elsewhere.
Not really. The parking lot costs Sainsbury money. If they have no minimum spend they’ll just get people parking there for hours, going off to do other things, go to other shops etc and then come back to saivsbury’s a buy a packet of crisps.
OperationDog · 21/02/2022 15:58

You didn't bother to get the ticket validated at Argos then didn't spend enough in Sainsburys.

I'm surprised you have to ask if YABU and even more surprised that so many posters think you're in the right.

Oneborneverydecade · 21/02/2022 16:00

@OrganisedChaos22

SHE USED ARGOS.! Therefor doesn't have to pay. Whether she'd gone in to spend in argos or return. She still used the shop!

I wouldn't have backed down.

She returned something to Argos. At our local store as mentioned by pp, there's 30 mins free parking. Plenty of time to return something to Argos. If you go over 30 mins you have to spend £10, in Argos or Sainsbury's
ExtremelyDelighted · 21/02/2022 16:01

YABU you shouldn't have tried to get away with breaking the rules.

sadpapercourtesan · 21/02/2022 16:03

Well, technically YWBU, but it's not hard to see why you were frustrated if a rule which isn't consistently enforced was suddenly and snottily insisted on by this member of staff. Big mistake posting it on MN for the follow-the-RULES brigade though, not sure what you were expecting Grin