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Original poster

No customer service anymore in supermarkets

95 replies

Cats234 · 07/10/2023 10:23

In aldi this morning, checkout guy doesn't say hello, barely replies when I greeted him. Then asked if he could scan cat litter in trolley and explained I gave a bad back, he looked pretty unimpressed and begrudgingly scanned it in the trolley. The way he spoke to me throughout was just a bit shit.

OP posts:
CherryMaDeara · 07/10/2023 10:26

Have you tried to talking to them?

My local Tesco staff are mostly all lovely. Some of them have gone above and beyond for me (returning stuff that is out of the return window), giving me money back for food I didn’t like, letting me have household items for cheap because they’re the last one.

They all love a natter.

MereDintofPandiculation · 07/10/2023 10:28

I thought that was the deal withALDI? If you want customer service you go to a more expensive supermarket. Cheap food comes from a streamlined process with no time for till operators to scan things left in trolleys.

Morrisons staff are lovely, at least in the north.

Catza · 07/10/2023 10:29

How about all the other times you went there? This is a pretty sweeping generalisation based on one interaction.

Pix56 · 07/10/2023 10:39

I've given up on customer service in retail. Its always shit. I'd rather have the same level of customer service and cheaper prices by shopping online.

user1497207191 · 07/10/2023 10:46

There’s no customer service anywhere anymore. I’ve had a week of utter crap customer service, from the local post office, shops, to the garage, HMRC, utility providers and piss poor buses. Literally no one gives a shit anymore.

Original poster
Cats234 · 07/10/2023 10:49

@user1497207191 I agree!! Wish I could not give a shit at my job and get away with it!

OP posts:
CountryStore · 07/10/2023 10:51

The staff in my local aldi are lovely, generally

Booklover40 · 07/10/2023 10:53

Yes, that’s generally what you get when you go to Aldi and Lidl - and why I don’t shop there, it’s so depressing.

The staff at my local Waitrose are lovely, cheery and helpful.

Ifailed · 07/10/2023 10:54

Aldi staff are there to get you and your shopping out of the way as quickly as possible to keep up the flow rate, not to have a chat.

uhOhOP · 07/10/2023 10:54

MereDintofPandiculation · 07/10/2023 10:28

I thought that was the deal withALDI? If you want customer service you go to a more expensive supermarket. Cheap food comes from a streamlined process with no time for till operators to scan things left in trolleys.

Morrisons staff are lovely, at least in the north.

No. It's not. The point of these discounters is that they don't bother to put shit on shelves, or whatever, and just put things out on pallets. It saves them the cost of having a person to put the stuff on the shelves.

But they are already paying for a person to sit on the checkout, and don't have to pay that person any extra to greet each customer! Literally doesn't cost anything for the workers to smile.

LakeTiticaca · 07/10/2023 10:55

Good customer service is a thing of the past unfortunately. Its all about the profit now. Having said that, there was no need for the Aldi colleague to be so rude about scanning cat litter in the trolley.
B&M are quite happy to do it with a smile 😀

uhOhOP · 07/10/2023 10:55

Ifailed · 07/10/2023 10:54

Aldi staff are there to get you and your shopping out of the way as quickly as possible to keep up the flow rate, not to have a chat.

"Hello" doesn't count as having "a chat", does it??

Original poster
Cats234 · 07/10/2023 10:56

@Booklover40 oh to be able to afford waitrose!!

OP posts:
midgemadgemodge · 07/10/2023 10:56

Perhaps his girlfriend left him last night when he revealed he's just been told he has terminal cancer?

Maybes you misinterpreted his neutral face and he was trying to look professional and efficient?

Really the leap from one lousy checkout operator to no service is a bit of a large one

RaeHitsEbSire · 07/10/2023 10:57

I think in most cases, the boot is on the other foot - customer service staff being treated appallingly by customers.

Crikeyalmighty · 07/10/2023 10:58

@Booklover40 Yep- my M&S till lady's are lovely and chatty , as are the ones in waitrose, and I personally spend less because I go for specific things - whereas in Aldi I tend to go 'ooh that's cheap' and sling it in

Costalife · 07/10/2023 11:02

I think in most cases, the boot is on the other foot - customer service staff being treated appallingly by customers.

Agree

uhOhOP · 07/10/2023 11:03

I agree that customer service doesn't seem to be on offer in most places I go (which is really only supermarkets these days). Staff don't say "hello" when you approach them, whether for help or when it's your turn in the queue. They're skulking about in the back of the supermarket on the personal phones or chatting with their colleagues. There'll be a group of 3 to 5 staff standing by the self-checkouts but it takes several seconds for one of them to notice that one of the checkouts has an error. And if you approach this group of staff instead of waiting for them to notice you and do their job, you either have to wait for them to finish their conversation or you choose to interrupt it.

These people are people who go to their job rather than go to work.

sadaboutmycat · 07/10/2023 11:08

My Aldi staff are lovely. However they are all under a lot of pressure based around speed, which is what keeps the prices low.
You pays your money and you takes your choice, as my Mother used to say.

bambier · 07/10/2023 11:09

I thought this the other day. Almost like you're an inconvenience to get rid of fast as possible. I had a screaming 3 month old last week, he scanned the products (not at Aldi) so fast then kept saying the amount before I'd even had time to get my bags out, thought ffs give me a second! Then soon as I paid he started scanning the next persons shopping before I'd even finished packing. Felt even more flustered

Yalta · 07/10/2023 11:14

Customer service in Tesco when returning stuff in March.

Sorry, you can’t return these as they are over 28 days since you bought the items.
Had to get management to confirm that there were only 28 days in February and not 31
They gave me my money back with the warning that it was a one off and I wouldn’t get to return anything over the 28 days again.

Oysterbabe · 07/10/2023 11:14

In Aldi I expect my shopping to be thrown at me and to get a huff and an eye roll if I don't have my payment method poised and ready to go.

Yalta · 07/10/2023 11:20

bambier The whole point is you don’t pack your bags at the till.

Cashier did nothing wrong

Sehenswürdigkeiten · 07/10/2023 11:24

It seems that supermarket staff cannot win really, some say they are too chatty and others say they are not chatty enough. TBH far too many customers treat them like crap, and still expect them to be smiling, happy, enthusiastic all the time - we all have our off days, and while it doesn't sound like he went over and above he doesn't sound rude either!

MammaTo · 07/10/2023 11:27

That’s not Aldi’s way of operating. It’s all about speed and efficiency. Other stores seem fine but Aldi & Lidl don’t work this way.