Supermarket closing time deals scrum!

[Bakingnovice]

I usually shop late in the day due to child care issues and used to find loads of bargains at that time around 9pm. I only bought what I needed, never deviated from my list and meal plans but there was always loads of down priced meat fish bread etc. now it's murder at that time. Last week there were 30 people at the reduced bread trolley. Everyone grabbing as much as they could, elbowing others, screaming and the poor young girl putting the stickers on was elbowed in the face.

People are so ruthless and rude. I helped the girl up and she said its getting worse and worse. She said people are actually filling their trolley full of meat and bread that expires that day and then insisting its marked down. They don't even wait for the stickers to go on as they know which products get marked down. It just makes me sad. I know times are hard but a lot of these people had 10 baguettes in their trolley, and huge boxes of donuts and meat. Either times are tougher than I think or people are getting greedier! Anyone else experienced such scrums or is just an up north thing?

I'm not sure its a Northern thing - I go at that time on purpose as I have a tight budget, and meal plan around what I get cheap. Other people are fairly polite about it though, won't just grab and if there is more than one, they'll make sure others don't want it first. Only time I've seen aggression in the supermarket was during the big snowstorms a couple of years ago, one lady hit another with a french stick!

No. Can categorically state I have never seen hordes of people screaming or knocking over staff members to get a cut price baguette.

Imnot - you reminded me that I did witness a French stick fight. It was one of this massive long baguettes and two ladies were tugging each end. It snapped in half and they both walked away. It was hilarious.

The sticker girl said the biggest scrum is for the baked goods like cakes and creamy stuff like trifles. I am surprised as in the past I've seen people take just what they need but now people tend to want it all.

I've seen this, I try to get a couple of things like reduced meat/fish for the freezer as we're on a budget, but sometimes the scrum and elbows means I can't get anywhere near. I always see old people loading up their trollies with stuff that doesn't make economical sense, like 10 bottles of posh orange juice reduced to £1.50 each when the normal stuff non-reduced is only £1, and packs and packs of sandwiches which need eating that day! Makes me quite angry when I see other people at the back who wait patiently and get nothing!

That said, in Leeds once a man handed me a pack of duck reduced to £1 even though he'd got there first - I nearly cried!

Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against anyone who gets bargains. I've had a few myself but it's so cut throat out there. It makes it hard for normal shoppers like me who just want to get to the bread aisle. Unless you have a lot of freezer space I find the cut price goods a bit of a false economy. I really feel for the ones at the back as they are often the ones who look like they are on a budget.

I happened to be in sainsburys at closing time a few weeks ago. I went to take a Danish pastry that had been marked down and was told by a staff member that it had been reserved for him and that he always took the left over Danish pastries!

I was a sainsbo's bakery girl 17 years ago, it was just the same then. I used to be surrounded by a small hoard as I came out from behind the counter with my reduction gun. They would pick full priced items out, stick them under my nose and ask I reduced it down to 10p. They were really aggressive.

I still can't believe they fill trolled with food expiring that day and then get the sticker gun people to put a sticker on it. There was a poor guy in the veg aisle and he kept saying 'please, leave all food where it is. I will mark down what I can but I cannot mark down food in trollies as it takes me longer and not all of it is eligible for mark down!'.

Trollies. Not trolled.

If I was doing the reductions, I'd take the stuff off the shelves and out back to price down in peace! And if anyone was rude enough to stick something under my nose and ask for it to be reduced, I'd take it off them and say that couldn't be sold any more. Politeness costs nothing and reaps its own rewards in my book!

We don't get that behaviour in our local supermarket but then they tend not to have a huge amount reduced. Though maybe don't notice as they reduce throughout the day not just around closing?

hello does anybody know of any decent greek restaruants in north london .please

sorry I am tyring to start a new thread in chat. I will try again.

Paneri on green lanes N18 I think is the postcode - really excellent
and Vrisaki on Middle lane N8 - also very very good

Back on topic.. they don't seem to do reduced items where I live :(

I have heard of people filling trolleys and asking to reduce. I would take it all out the back to mark it down.

Was in Waitrose 15 mins before closing and 2 girls doing final reductions, I got some fresh custard for 15p, and spied some other nice bits not wanting to dive in with the girls stood there I said to dd lets just look in this aisle but 1 minute later the nice meat bits had gone. I am to worried at what others think to sharpen my elbows but wish I wasnt like this.

Its bad round here too.

I went to the super market about a week before Christmas just before closing time hoping to pick up some bread and maybe some reduced meat. I picked up a well reduced joint of pork only for the man behind me to launch himself at me, snarl "that's ours" and remove it from my basket! I was so shocked I just stood there speechless while he threw every item worth having in his basket.

There's also a family who drive everyone mad. In short there seem to be six children inclduing 2 in a double pram and their mum and dad and they all stand round the shelf making a screen of people and pick everything up. No one else gets a look in.

They are just 2 examples. I'd like more reduced stuff but our local supermarket is a frightening place in the half hour before closing time

Terrible where I live (inner London)! Pushing, hassling of staff and loads of mad people buying things like 16 pots of double cream - what are they going to do with that?! and it is just as bad in naice Waitrose as it is in Tesco, sadly.

Oh I agree. Some pretty sharp elbows in waitrose. I was there last week and saw it first hand.

The chiller cabinet is bad in our Sainsburys. I sometimes pop in at the end of the day on a Sunday and I have to wait a while to get to the front.

The reduced bread display is better though so I often go there first and stock up on bits for the freezer.

It has got bit hairy in large co-op in past.

sainsburys knock hardly anything off so dont see reduced scrum in there but dont think I go late enough.

Morrisions -yes can get hairy really busy other sunday just before close but o reductions.

Unlike tesco metro saw old couple asking guy to reduce stuff down further. I just chose to hovere by chilled there was loads stuff in bay for him to reduce. so i helped in made small piles of same product and helped put on his trolly told him probabbly only anted 1-2 other customers can have rest because i helped and was polite he did knock things down for me byt thats luckiest ever been in tesco.

Yesterday went tesco and co-op again half hour before close and no reductions

I went boxing day, bew years eve and day dident do xmas eve and think may have missed stuff xmas eves quite scary.
I cant complain my freezer full with jan meals.

sometimes smaller shops like spar/tesco express have the reductions without the scrum. Im fussy has to be least 50%off though or really need it. got 52p a pack covent garden soups in spar.
Always see reduced sausages.

I do need reduced bread this week but not been too lucky finding any.

I wouldent let someone snatch something from my trolley.

I strike up conversations with some other day me and lady offered her few of my things if had more than 1 and we walked round each section together was lovley. yes they have their regulars.
I always think always be nice to other customers waiting too as well as staff pays off sometimes.

its getting harder thats for sure as everyones so skint.

Someone said waitrose is fab but went in new years eve and it as rubbish.shame as like wautrose food. best bargains nearly always bank holiday.

When it got really bad last year they did the reductions behind deli counter then wheeled out trolley i made mistake circling going back and missed it all takes patiance and going and at right time it really is luck more than skill as depnding on staff depends when reductions are done wouldent say theres a set time.

cream yes odd-some people make on butter and some people reckon it does freeze well

I also think there are less bargains now as the supermarkets near me were open new years day so there aren't any days they close, apart from Xmas day. And even then our small tesco express was open which made me feel v sorry for staff. In previous years when shops closed on Sunday or bank holidays there were more bargains. I still like to go at either 9am or 9pm as its very quiet and I can get my shop done quickly. I have also started to cut supermarket shops to 2-3 times a month and buy local.

There are some vile rude people about in general, let alone where there is a bargain to be had.

People just seem so aggressive and rude and frankly grumpy at my local supermarket.

yes agree lolly bolly odler people can be really grumpy and ram me with their shopping trollies. hate takeing bus as so many grumpy rude people including driver one old lady stole my shopping on bus before xmas .some xmas pressies for kids partially drivers fault as he was awful he dident want buggy on his bus.i had to carry buggy and baby off my eldest went to get bags and old lady said leave them alone they hers. dident realise until we got off bus and had driven off.

Mam29 how awful for you.