to think supermarket shelf stackers shouldn't get annoyed because I want to get items that have a later best before date?

[supersup]

When I am food shopping, I always choose the items at the back with the later best before dates. The items at the front are sometimes out of date in the next day or two. When I am planning ahead, I want to get food with a later date as possible.

I know the dates don't have to be strictly followed but I prefer the later dates.

Shelf stackers are getting increasingly annoyed when I pull out items from the back and I was told I should just get one from the front. I put everything back properly so it is not as if I am messing up the shelf.

AIBU?

"Lately in my local M&S I have lifted items dated that day. These usually have a yellow sticker. Noticed this well into the day."

What do you mean by "lifted" @MrsClatterbuck? Where I live that means stolen.

I think we're all familiar with the yellow stickers, but thanks.

I take stuff from the front for the most part, but pay more attention to dates when buying fresh items that I know won't be needed until the end of the week.

We meal plan, so generally know what dates we need. I'll do another quick check when putting things away. Mostly things can be frozen if the dates turn out to be tight.

I do this too. I want my bread to last the week not go mouldy before I’m halfway through and I might be planning on doing the sausages for dinner on Friday so need them to last until then. Etc. Etc. I also used to work at a supermarket! Generally the shelf stackers won’t give a shit unless you’re messing up their display and then they’ll need to face up again. I think either you’re encountering one crazy busybody or is it possible you’re leaving the shelf in a bit of a state whilst looking for the ones with the longer shelf life and thus creating work for them?

Agree with this. Not U at all to get the longest date items, but I'm not sure I'd do it while the shelf stacker was standing right there. I'd probably go and grab another few items then swing back when they'd moved on to a different area.

Maybe they don't care, but surely it must be a little bit soul destroying to watch a customer rummage at the back of the section you've literally just finished tidying.

Yep, always go for the back of the shelves with better dates because I don't want to be running to the store every 2 days for food for meals.

Not unreasonable. I always look for the longest date on milk as I don't use a lot.

If it's something I'm using that day I'll grab a short date as I don't like to think of it going to waste!

And bread I look for reduced as we eat that from the freezer (toast).

Tesco make a point of telling you about short use by dates when you get deliveries. The impression I got was that when they pick the food they try and avoid them. So if that's the case what you're doing is entirely normal! As others have said though, I'd try not to get in their way while doing it.

How many shelf stackers are getting annoyed at you and actually saying something? I do this all the time and no one has ever said a thing. 🤨

I do this when shopping for my mum, as I only go once a week so need the perishables to last. With mine I get from the front of the shelf, unless it's meat for later in the week. But I meal plan so I can tell what can be used quickly.

I do this too, unless I know I'm going to use it soon/that day, but I don't do it in front of shelf stackers, I wait until the coast is clear
Especially in fruit and veg where I lift up the crate to get to the one underneath if need be.

I feel a bit bad not using things up with a shorter date, so I do use them if it works for me. But OTOH as a PP said there are loads of people who don't, they just breezily pick up the nearest and don't even look. This might partly explain why there's so much food waste.

Most stuff freezes. So you can buy orange-stickered food at a discount and put it in the freezer for later.

I'm a shelf stacker and I often hand customers stuff from the back, if I'm putting it out - why wouldn't I? No skin off my nose if we get left with closer dated food. It will get orange stickers and there are plenty of people hard up who come in and buy ONLY the stuff that's reduced.

My objection is to those customers who throw everything about looking for the longest dated food. Other than that, knock yourself out, I don't mind!

So because it has not happened to you, it could not have happened to anyone else?

Lifted? 🤨

How often has this actually happened to you OP? If it's frequent and bothering you I suggest 1. mentioning it to the store manager so that they can ask their staff to stop telling off their customers or 2. shop in a different supermarket.

@supersup I hate that "because it has not happened to me, it could not possibly have happened to anyone else" mindset.

I do this too. Mainly because if I haven’t and get home and everything goes off in a day or two then I need to renovate meal plan and freeze/ defrost bits. Only really for meat or fish.

Do it all the time, never been told by any shelf stacker not too.

I mean they’re unlikely to be stacking a lot of the shelves you want each time you shop.

How big an issue can it be?

No it’s there responsibility to stack the shelves. If it were on them to make sure the old dated stuff was sold, they would be on a much higher wage. It’s whoever is in the big office out back that does the ordering of stock that has that responsibility.

Absolutely this
I've noticed things like ham that are going to be used over the week for lunches now expire in a couple of days
Useless to me so I get a longer date.
Cynical me thinks it's a way to get us to spend more

I didn’t mind customer choosing items from the back to get a better date.

What annoyed me and annoys me when shopping are customers who leave the shelf a mess or lean on bread which crushes the loaves or opens the pack. Often had to dispose bread because of customers leant on the bread splitting/popping the bag

I see customers reaching at the back for things like tuna which has 6 years on it!! Most are consumed within 6 weeks

In my sainsburys the expensive fresh baked in store bread is going at full price on either its best before date and the nigh before - you have literally hours to consume it before it is past it's bb date

I do the same. There's only one stacker in my supermarket who gets huffy but she gets huffy enough to make up for the rest of the store. It's almost amusing...

I’ve worked as a shelf stacker and never come across this personally. I even do it myself.

I've stacked shelves in supermarkets and that it messes up their nicely fronted shelves is their issue to deal with, not yours.

I do exactly the same but you need to leave the shelf tidy