Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Supermarket worker offering her discount

108 replies

Belledan1 · 11/03/2022 07:06

Went to major supermarket. Realised had left card at home. Luckily DH had cash. Tried to add up as went along as only a top up shop. Realised near the end of the shopping going through it would go over so we said can we not put something through. The cashier said I will put my discount card on if you want so can get it. I said don't worry but thanks. She was really young and a friendly girl and thought dont went to get her into trouble and did not need it financially anyway. Is this a new thing to help people out and I wonder how many people will take advantage that don't need it.

OP posts:
Gilly12345 · 11/03/2022 15:01

I work in food retail and we are issued with 2 discount cards per household, I have one and Husband has the other.

There are strict rules that discount is for employees household only.

The checkout assistant was wrong to offer her card and could face disciplinary action if her manager/colleagues noticed.

LampLighter414 · 11/03/2022 15:06

What a kind gesture

Sparklingbrook · 11/03/2022 16:03

@LittleGwyneth

Fuck of a lot of nacs on this thread. Really nice act of kindness. Just be grateful and move on.
What’s a ‘nac’ ? Confused
Sparklingbrook · 11/03/2022 16:04

Depends on where you work as to how staff discounts work

Which shops allow staff to use their discount for customers?

Arabellla · 11/03/2022 16:38

@Belledan1

melj1213 just to clarify I don't think any shop workers are idiots. My reason for posting was I wondered if it was a new policy to help people that are struggling and was shocked that she offered it as know it is against the rules normally.
Did you really think this?

And you call the girl naive…

melj1213 · 11/03/2022 17:59

@Sparklingbrook

Depends on where you work as to how staff discounts work

Which shops allow staff to use their discount for customers?

As I said upthread, the supermarket I work for has allowed colleagues to give their discount to friends and family for short periods recently. We also have some staff who can give discretionary discounts to anyone.

I also have friends who work in other companies who I know have discretionary discounts to give to customers.

CJay81 · 11/03/2022 18:07

The supermarket I work for would not allow this. Past Colleagues have been taken to court for letting their friends use their card.

Original poster
Belledan1 · 11/03/2022 19:36

No I am not naive Arabellla. If i was I would have just took the discount wouldn't I.

OP posts:
Original poster
Belledan1 · 11/03/2022 19:37

Was asking to see if some companies do do it because of people struggling.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 11/03/2022 20:13

@Belledan1

Was asking to see if some companies do do it because of people struggling.
I think it would be a bizarre way of helping people struggling. There would surely be a reduction centrally or a button to press on the till for that. I believe it was a somewhat misguided attempt to help by a novice cashier who needs reminding of the rules.
Original poster
Belledan1 · 11/03/2022 20:17

Yes you are probably right re kindness. She seemed a lovely girl but there was no way I was going to take disadvantage of her.

OP posts:
WheeshtTheNoo · 11/03/2022 20:23

My friend works in a supermarket, she has 3 discount cards that the store have given her. Friends and family can use the 10% discount but once a certain limit has been used in a year they get turned off until the start of a new year.

I shop on the same day every week and she tells me to go to her till if she is working, I get discount most weeks. The company must be okay with her swiping the card on shift as this has been happening since last year.

ifoundthebread · 11/03/2022 20:27

The company I work for sometimes have a friends and family event where you can give your discount card to any amount of friends or family to use in a certain week, the latest one we could even send a picture of our card to someone and they could use it by showing the cashier the picture. Maybe they have something like that running where she would be able to share her discount.

Sparklingbrook · 11/03/2022 21:10

I shop on the same day every week and she tells me to go to her till if she is working, I get discount most weeks. The company must be okay with her swiping the card on shift as this has been happening since last year

You would hope so but maybe she should double check. In some shops staff aren't allowed to serve their friends and family at their till, even. Certainly the case where DS worked and my friend currently works. They have to go to a different till.

TheHoptimist · 11/03/2022 21:12

I think it is ok at Morrisons?

Baaaa · 11/03/2022 21:17

Pret are always giving me free stuff when I go in. Is it something like that maybe?

Rosebel · 11/03/2022 21:32

She was lucky you said no and I've worked at a couple of supermarkets and both have very strict rules about using the discount card.
If management found out it would be gross misconduct and she'd be sacked.

mizzo · 12/03/2022 00:08

A family friend worked in Morrisons until recently and always let people she knew or people she felt were in need use her discount. She was told by management that it was fine and her allowance to use as she wanted. She used the full allowance once and couldn't use the card for a while.

Arabellla · 12/03/2022 00:12

@Belledan1

Was asking to see if some companies do do it because of people struggling.
No, this is naive thinking on your part.

I can’t believe you even thought this is a possibility Confused

willithappen · 12/03/2022 00:14

Work at Asda and we do often get days where friends and family can use our discount. Quite recently all I had to do was take a photo of my discount card and send to a friend and she was able to use it. It was limited time, but it's not impossible.

Many stores have different policies and throw days/events similar to this. Not sure why so many are adamant it couldn't have been allowed.

Arabellla · 12/03/2022 00:16

What’s bizarre is that anyone thinks management would tell staff to give staff discount to random strangers if they want to.

willithappen · 12/03/2022 00:21

@Arabellla

What’s bizarre is that anyone thinks management would tell staff to give staff discount to random strangers if they want to.
Why exactly? Nothing bizarre about it. Without knowing the store you have literally nothing to base any of this on. In Asda we got vouchers we could give to customers that would take money off.

Just because one store acts a certain way or policy that you know of is like that doesn't meant there's absolutely zero chance any other store in the world could be different

Arabellla · 12/03/2022 00:28

Because staff discount is for staff and maybe 2 x nominated family/friends.

It’s not something that you can pass around to random customers. If that became a thing, supermarkets could lose a lot of money. That policy is set by head office, not individual stores.

UrsulaBursula · 12/03/2022 00:33

She was very kind. It’s nice to know some people still have compassion and empathy in times like this

BashfulClam · 12/03/2022 00:42

@fairylightsandwaxmelts when I worked in ASDa we had ‘smile’ vouchers. Although these were only designed to be used for a few quid if someone was short. You’d write a smile voucher and put it in the till to cover a small shortfall. I used to use them for the elderly and little kids, if they were short by a few pence I’d ‘smile’ it,