... to complain about a member of staff at our local Aldi?

[InSearchOfMartin]

In Aldi two weeks ago I took five bottles of perfume to the checkout along with my shopping. I wasn't buying the perfume but I noticed they'd ben opened and squirted and one bottle was damaged. They were unsellable, total cost not a great amount about £35-£40. The woman on the checkout said they couldn't provide testers, so I said that it was a shame as they were losing stock. She said I could talk to the manager, who came out and I asked her about testers. She said Aldi didn't provide testers so I said, as the manager, couldn't you make that decision as you are losing sales. She said no, and I said well, then, it's a shame you are losing stock. I asked what would happen to them and she said they would be sent back. End of conversation, neither party was rude to the other.

I posted on the local Facebook forum about it, with the focus being not on the store, but the standard of customers who were entitled to open and spray themselves with perfume as follows.

What is wrong with people? I've been in Aldi today and found five boxes of perfume opened and squirted, two with damaged lids. Not testers. These are now unsaleable, and at about £7 for goodness sake just buy it and give it away if you don't like it. Really bad behaviour.

A few comments followed all agreeing with me, one person saying they had actually seen testers in a different Aldi in our city. Then today, this rant appeared from one of the Aldi members of staff!

I love how u have failed to mention the attitude & horrible, uncalled for comments to 2 members of staff on this post. U conducted ourself in the most awful & embarrassing way. U should be embarrassed, we all know u just wanted the perfume reduced, staff & customers that overheard, we all know what u were after. ok, just mind ur manners next time. It costs nothing to be nice.

So I want to complain about this. A member of their team is accusing me of wanting freebies, being rude, being embarrassing, awful and so on in embarrassing English, too. I was not rude at all. Nobody was rude. I was cross at the customers being so bloody entitled and thought I was doing the store a favour!

Conversely, this Aldi member of staff should be mortified at her level of English, customer service and ranting on a local Facebook forum. She's made herself look thick, and she's lying. Also, if someone at a doctor's surgery, library, local council etc wrote like this on a forum they'd be in trouble at work for it.

So would you complain, leave it or what?

@Needmorelego Then the store assistant who posted on Facebook could have said that, instead of writing the stuff she did.

If this really happened, you just need to let it go. You’re giving way too much headspace to such a trivial thing.

Yeah she could of done that.
Maybe she was pissed of with having randoms explain her job for her.

Why should she? You were intent on sticking your nose where it wasn't required. If you're that invested in Aldi apply for a job there.

Yes she could have. I didn't see her on the day in question though. I spoke to someone else, who said she'd get the manager to talk about the testers. It wasn't this woman.

It really happened. I'm not in the habit of making fake stories up on Mumsnet.

It's totally usual for items in the middle aisles at Aldi and Lidl to be opened and pawed at, most people who shop there would know that and the staff definitely would know that. The staff member shouldn't have engaged with your Facebook post but bringing opened products to the till is usually done by people who want a discount. Hearing you out was probably not the best use of the staff member or manager's time so it's understandable that they would be frustrated with you even though it isn't really professional to express so publicly.

Aiden hasn't started working at Aldi, has he? Do they pay better than M&S?

it wasn't this woman who I spoke to. It was someone else, who then suggested I tell the manager about it. I never met this person who's written on Facebook.

@PonyPatter44 Who the flip is Aiden?

OP, can’t you understand that the staff at the checkouts are often busy (even at the self-service checkouts)? You wasted not only the cashier’s time but the manager’s too, over something that really didn’t concern you at all.

Most people would’ve thought “What a waste!” and continued on with their shopping. Why did you feel the need to raise the issue? It feels very much like you think you know better than everyone else.

All right, it doesn't concern me.

But what if someone had gone in to specifically buy one of those bottles and the only ones there were opened and sprayed by people who didn't want to buy, but felt entitled to help themselves? It would concern that customer, wouldn't it. It just wouldn't be me. There's a lot of advertising by Aldi and in general about 'dupes' of Jo Malone, Creme de la Mer and Pixi Glow.

Yeah. This is very odd.

Can't you tell by the responses here OP?

It's not rocket science - when there's no official policy of testers in a store selling cheap stuff, opened bottles just act as unofficial testers.

The mark up pays for it. Customers have a squirt of the open bottles and buy a sealed one. Eventually the opened bottles go in an ''even cheaper'' bin and some get sold.

It's SO odd to make this much fuss about Aldi and a few 7 quid bottles of cheap perfume.

And yes, even though you had your own reasons why it happened that way, taking them to the till just screamed ''look what i've found! i'll buy these if you knock them down a bit''. I've worked in retail and some people damage packaging on the shop floor themselves and then bring them to the till offering to 'kindly' buy this damaged one they've 'found' ... at a discount.

And if boiled eggs are runny, they're not hard boiled eggs 🤷‍♀️

If you're this concerned that someone might not be able to buy their Aldi perfume, just email head office.

@Laiste It never entered my head that the staff would think that I was after freebies.

OP: AIBU?
everyone: Yes.
OP: No, I’m not.

tale as old as time 😂

Well - perhaps this info. sheds light on why they might have not taken you at face value.

Getting the manager just made you looked determined.

You wouldn't believe the hoops some folks jump through to get a couple of quid off. And then when it doesn't work make a fuss about something else because they are embarrassed.

Exactly...I always open perfumes to test!

I didn't get the manager!

The first woman I spoke to said she'd get the manager to have a chat. I didn't ask, I didn't insist, I wasn't rude, I didn't ask to take the bottles home or get them reduced. She said she didn't think they did testers so she would get the manager to clarify.

I'm still trying to work out why you were telling Aldi how to run their store.
It's a bit odd to take 5 bottles of perfume to them....they do have staff

No matter what happened, the Aldi employee should not be posting such a personal attack on a customer, accusing them of wanting a discount and saying everyone knew it. They couldn’t know what “everyone” was thinking, for one thing, and from what the OP has written the criticism was of how other customers have behaved - no mention or criticism of Aldi staff behaviour that I could see at all.
Taking the issue to the till would be more likely to reach a manager-level staff member who could log the issue - I imagine that you thought talking to a shop assistant the issue wouldn’t be passed on to a manager so would be pointless.
I understand that people think it was petty, but if no-one ever pipes up nothing will change and I agree it’s wasteful and unenvironmental. It doesn’t sound like the original encounter was particularly dramatic, and the staff should not be dealing with it by posting personal attacks.
In answer to your question I think if you bring it to management‘s attention they can just have a word with the staff/improve training on how to deal with things through the right channels, not by making personal accusations on social media.

it was you, Kate! 😃

Would you do the same with a bottle of Tom Ford costing £300 if there wasn't a tester though?

No...but if it's the big 9.99 bottles of perfume they have on offer then they are not selling well at any aldi I've been to. Tbh they're a bit crap cos they're copies of Victoria Beckhams really expensive line of perfumes which aren't at all mainstream. They seem to sell out in days of good copies like the one that's like prada paradoxe and burberry goddess and gualtier divine (all of which i tried I store and bought the ones I had opened)

Yes they were the ones, and another that looked like a Jo Malone bottle.

Then how do you know for definite it was a staff member? If it wasn't the person you've spoken to and you've never met them? And if both people were polite with you at the time?

And the shop assistant got you the manager because you asked a question she couldn't answer, so she got someone who could. You may not have asked for the manager specifically but she didn't know the answer to your question, aren't people always banging on about how shit service is? This strikes me as an example of good service!

It is, and that is not my issue.

The issue is why a member of their staff would pipe up on Facebook two weeks after this event, which had been forgotten about, to badmouth customers, make accusations and incorrect assumptions. It looks unprofessional.

If she wanted to put me right, and say this isn't their policy, they know what they are doing etc, then she could have done that in a professional manner. She chose not to.

Everyone seems to be missing the point that this staff member has acted unprofessionally, regardless of what happened two weeks ago. THAT is the issue.

I do know for definite it is a staff member. I checked her profile and we have a mutual friend, who is one of my customers. I have now blocked her.