Spill the beans... Trade secrets: supermarket staff, tell us your reduction policies!

Middy wrote: »

If I work on a late night with my store manager and there are reductions still left when the store closes - she insists we buy it, even though it could be food we don't eat or no room in the freezer! I'm not complaining about 10p every couple of weeks. I have parents and friends that will take anything off me. As the thing is if its not sold, the disposal in money terms is the full cost, not at the final reduction price. So the store rather receives 10p for a couple of fishcakes than lose £1.80 in wastage.

I wish I'd worked in your store!! The one that used to kill me was our bakery didn't reduce down fresh bread they just threw it out at the end of the day. I don't think that's company policy just our store but you'd go round with a bin liner when the store was shutting and just put in all the fresh loaves that had been out too long. All the fresh bread begging for butter wasted!

Middy wrote: »

The things I was forced to buy by my store manager have been quiches, potatoes, salad items and ready meals.

...the things people have to do to keep their boss happy (= keep their job)

I've noticed with Tesco that sometimes the first reduction is still leaving the item costing more than you could get it for on a current "deal". I think it also depends on quantity left how much they reduce - for instance this morning (just after first reductions I would think) I got packs of sausages full price £4.39 for 45p each. I'm guessing when they were first put out there were a lot more than the five packs I picked up!

twickmag wrote: »

Yes, my local Waitrose has massive end of the day reductions, but there is a regular price reducer follower, an Eastern European lady, I think, who snatches everything out of his/her hand before it can be put back on a shelf/in a trolley, and stacks it in her own trolley - I've sen it full to the brim at the checkout. It's far too much for her own consumption, and my guess is she sells it on to friends/family.
Frustrating for regular shoppers.

I fail to see why the shopper's nationality is relevant!

A fair number of people don't know about time limits on the length of time items like cooked chicken etc can be kept in the hot cabinets. The maximum time allowed is 4 hours. After this time the item MUST be reduced to encourage a sale. Look on the price label and you'll find the 'Sell By' date. Beside that date will be a time. This is the time the item was put into the hot cabinet. If it was more than four hours previously, then just ask the assistant to reduce it and he/she will.....by 50% or more. The longer the item has been in the cabinet - past the four hour limit - the larger the reduction will be.

Whilst not encouraging anyone to follow suit; many's the time I've taken a large chicken which is 55 minutes past the time limit, done a little more shopping to kill five minutes, then gone back to the hot counter and asked for it to be reduced because it's an hour over. Every little bit helps.