EVERYONE taking advantage of my staff discount

[LadyGarcia]

I work for a luxury British brand, and we receive a very generous staff discount. When I first joined the company, I kept this discount between me, my mum, sisters, and sister-in-law. Unfortunately, my sister-in-law couldn't keep it quiet and told her sisters. Soon enough, I started receiving shopping lists from them (SILs sisters) with all the things they wanted to buy using my staff discount, this is ongoing and I still get requests from them every now and again - just to add instead of asking me directly, they go through my sister-in-law, which is frustrating and rude.

My mum nor my sisters have ever asked me to use my discount - probably because they know anything I gift them will be from work, haha!

With my sister-in-law's loose lips, she let it slip to my cousin one day who then asked to use it, so I agreed because it was a present for her daughter. Recently, this cousin and her sister who are travelling abroad soon, asked me separately to use my discount so they could buy gifts for their friends. This really irritates me.

I'm sick a tired of people wanting to use my discount and I'm angry at my SIL for telling everyone about the discount and I get nothing in return from anyone for it.

Am I being unreasonable?

Does it come out of your pocket? I’d be delighted to share it as widely as possible.

Tell them the policy has changed to a certain amount per year, or the discount is no longer part of your work package due to internal cutbacks or something. Even if I knew someone has a discount at work I'd never be comfortable enough to ask to use it, unless they outright offered it to me.

In every company I've known, you can lose your job for this.

Just tell everyone they're cracking down and you can't do it anymore. They're incredibly cheeky.

Where I work, staff discount being used out of your immediate household is gross misconduct and sackable offence. Can you just say “sorry, rules have changed, don’t want to get sacked”

If it's allowed I'd do it. If not, just tell them it's not allowed.

I said YABU because you need to just start saying 'no, I won't be able to'.

Even if it was against company policy, which these things often are?

I would tell them that rhe company is clamping down on staff giving their discounts to people.
This happened to a friend of mine and she was reprimanded.
One of her 'relatives' was selling things on.
I think they are all rather rude.
Say No

I’d just tell them that the company policy of staff discount has changed and going forward you can’t accommodate all their requests, end of.

I could do with a few things OP can you use your discount for me?
You need to start saying no.
Practise in a mirror first if it helps. It's no good blaming sil, you could have, should have said no before it got this far.

Do the rules of the scheme not limit your use on behalf of others? Typically they allow for immediate family or household members only. It is a disciplinary offence to abuse such schemes , often by dismissal. Just tell them it is not allowed,

Interested to know OP if there were any rules around the use of your staff discount code. Whether its stipulated only for your own personal use or whether its up to your discretion whether you share it or not?
I used to work for a major supermarket chain - so nothing like your luxury brand. But there were very strict rules about the use of our staff discount card e.g. it was a disciplinary offence if you lent the card to someone else in store and it was discovered.
Just wondered if there were rules in place and you you could legitimately say to any one who expected to use your staff discount code that you couldn't let them as it might put your job in jeopardy.

I'm amazed that you've cooperated.

Tell them that the discount is now only for you and immediate family. And tell your mum and sisters not to get things for any of them.

I'm amazed you've not been sacked op.

Please be careful! I work for a brand, we get discount. I'm also responsible for tracking staff purchases, there's an unwritten fair usage but big spends or frequent spends are flagged and I look in to this/track employees patterns. Most are unaware of this but it's closely monitored to ensure people aren't taking advantage. I'd honestly put a stop to it immediately if I were you x

Staff discount misuse is a sackable offence. If any suspicious activity on a colleague’s card comes up, they are pulled up. Heard about a member of staff at another store bought about 20 games consoles from various stores in the area. Then sold them on for huge profit. It was the year when one of the Xboxes or PS4 came out.

Staff discount for employees is only the household. As when I got my own place, had to get a new discount card as had to omit my mum’s signature. Second card holders have to provide evidence of them living at the same place as the employee

You could get in trouble with your company. Just say that it's been limited to 2 gifts a year or something.

I agree. Say all the staff have been told to cut down on the amount of discounted orders they make.

I would check the rules for the staff discount v carefully OP in case you've breached them

And any future requests say no because they have changed the rules & you can no longer do it, it's personal use only and spends are tracked.

I would learn to say "No, sorry" Change the password or whatever you need to do and refuse from now on. A relative of mine gets a fantastic discount at my favourite shop - Id never think of taking advantage like your relatives are.

Oh FFS.

Why do you have such a problem saying no?

Surely you’ll lose your job

"No." Is a full sentence.

It's a sackable offence where I work and there have been grumblings that they're going to stop doing discounts because they are being abused. As a pp says they are closely monitored.

I know of someone who lost her job because she was sharing her staff discount with people.
Most companies will let you get away with a certain amount but if you’re buying a huge amount they will know it isn’t for personal use and you could get into real trouble.
As other posters have suggested tell everyone the company policy has changed, you’re not allowed to share anymore and you will be sacked if you do.