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?

Sensible approach I think.

My employer if you mention that you are going to spend more than you normally do - such as buying the booze for a wedding, moving house etc and if these transactions are highlighted on the suspicious misuse report, they can reply saying that X colleague has their wedding or moved house.

As a colleague who can't drink alcohol due to medication reasons told a manager that she will be using the discount to buy the booze for DD's wedding just in case this is reported. Normally she probably buys about 4 bottles of spirits for gifts in the year which doesn't get highlighted.

It really isn't. Just say NO. She doesn't owe these people an explanation.

It really isn't. Just say NO. She doesn't owe these people an explanation.

We have unlimited discounts to use, in the central London theatre chain I work, but people really do take the piss. The minute a new major show opens, I get fb messages from people who haven’t bothered to contact me in 10 years, asking for ‘freebies’. Then there’s the other lot, friends who say ‘I was telling my cousin’s colleague next door neighbour where you work, can you get them free or cheap tickets?’
Although there is not a limit to what I can do, I do rein it in as at the end of the day, it is a business that I work for, and if I get someone a free pair of tickets, that’s £200+ not being spent at the theatre. I have friends who work for airlines, and I wouldn’t expect free or cheap seats! I wouldn’t walk into Tesco and expect my friend to waive the cost of my shopping.
I just do favours for friends and family who bother to keep in touch, even when they don’t want something!

This is excessive and entitled of all those people. Just tell them you don’t get a discount anymore - and keep it for your sister and mum only. Sounds like it was the SIL who spread it far and wide.

Just say no

No is a complete sentence & all that

Er... just say "no". You don't need to apologise or make up an excuse. A simple "no" will suffice. I don't know why you told anyone in the first place, and it was crazy to start doing this for other people.

You're your own worst enemy on this I'm afraid @LadyGarcia. They couldn't use it if you didn't agree.

I voted yabu for not saying no to the fucking cheeky fuckers. Do you want to lose your job?

People are taking advantage of your staff discount because you are allowing them to. It’s your fault.

I’d just tell them that work are tightening up on it and you need to stop using it for others.

For heavens sake stop blaming everyone else. Just say no.

Your comment about getting nothing in return is a bit odd - are you expecting a gift in return for sharing the code?

I'm very surprised it's not in your contract that any discounts are for own use/immediate, same household family only. When I worked for John Lewis I received a 25% discount across the board but there were strict rules as above. It would have been considered gross misconduct to use my discount for other than my own household and I would have most likely lost my job.

Anybody that asks

just say

"I can't do it any more"

Don't give a reason, don't explain - just repeat I can't do it anymore

if they ask further

repeat I can't do it any more and thats all Im saying

they'll stop asking, they'll also pass this on, so people will ask knowing you have said"I can't do it anymore"

Don't do something you don't want to do

My daughter has a similar problem, also a luxury British brand. They have in fact cracked down on it because people were buying via staff discount and then selling on at a massive profit. So now my daughter keeps it to me and a couple of my close friends and a few of her close friends. None of us take the piss. If I get asked outside of this, I just say that she can't. It's not on. You just have to firm and say that they've put limits on it now so it's not possible.

I have a friend who works for a famous British brand and she’s only allowed to buy items in one size range. They obviously don’t keep tabs on her size but if she’s buying 8s one week and 16s the next, it will be flagged up.

If applicable you could try that!!

It really shocks me when people do this. I don’t think you should even do this for friends as some PPs mention. The discount is part of your employment benefits and shouldn’t be shared beyond what is permitted in your contract.

I agree with PP: you should never have agreed to this. It’s not the intended use of staff discounts and you could probably get into real trouble if you were found to be doing this. Just say no going forward.

I will be in the contract.

Delighted to share it 😂

It's a thank you for the employees of the company not a marketplace. Op just tell them your company has put limits on the amount you can buy due to people taking the piss.

Sorry but your daughter, her close friends and your close friends are already "taking the piss"

I suggest your daughter reads her employment contract.

Boundaries OP. Learn to say no. It's a full sentence.

@IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle No we are not. When they changed policy, she checked with her employer. All our addresses are in her staff account. What a judgemental post when you don't know who she works for and what her contract is.

No she said a luxury brand.