Wot No Scales.

Kavanne

In shops with self scan systems in place they all have the electronic scales which you could just use to find out the price

lindos90

I often find scales very useful in supermarkets, especially if there are two options of the same product, one pre packed, and one loose.

Weighing the equivelent 'loose' tells me quickly which is the best value. Especially when comparing items like bags of apples, where it just says the price of 8 apples, rather than a weight cost.

I also find it useful when im shopping for a recipie, so I get the correct weight for what im making, rather than guess the weight or buy pre packed, and then buy more than I need.

So I actually think there are some very valid reasons for wanting scales for customer use.

As for whether its illegal not to have scales for customers to use, I have no idea. Ive googled it too and come up with little.

I once had a similar question about whether a shop was allowed to obscure the till display on the customer side as well as refuse to give a reciept, but mainly recieved replies like 'shop somwhere else' which is not that helpful really!

There is legislation about how fruit and veg must be weighed, but legally that would be covered by the scales at the till, but agree thats a pain in the bum when you just want to weigh while selecting.

Sadly people have got so used to buying prepacked stuff that scales are perhaps not used as much, so shops get rid of them.

I would love to say that I support my local market, where the stall holders weight what you want but because of regularly being:

given inferior veg 'from the back'
being given underweight bags
being overcharged or shortchanged

I sadly choose to pick my own in Morrisons now.

Mark_Hewitt

It's alright saying, 'just buy what you need', but for all other products you can see an exact price before you get to the checkout, why should loose items be any different?

brightonman123

keep fresh stuff til end of scaning, an ask to check the weight/price first- can then decide whether you want / can afford them..

or try compare weight of selected items with something prepacked, which has the weight shown..

have seen some shops in the past with scales 'on the shop floor', and even scanners to check the price of things as you go round!

LeeSouthEast

It doesn't seem all that long ago there were "print your own label" machines in Tesco for loose fruit and veg, and slightly before that just normal scales. I hadn't actually noticed them going until this thread... where DID they go, and why?

McKneff

Bogof_Babe wrote: »

Lol I used to shop for my housebound parents until one died and the other went into a home.

Point taken though.

See what i mean, life is too short to worry about paying a few pence more or less for a few tomatoes/mushrooms/apples.

Bogof_Babe

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

It doesn't seem all that long ago there were "print your own label" machines in Tesco for loose fruit and veg, and slightly before that just normal scales. I hadn't actually noticed them going until this thread... where DID they go, and why?

They seem to be alive and well and living in Waitrose! I just used one today. We don't have a local Waitrose, but I was visiting and popped into one. It was fun!

kah22

I'm assuming that it is legal not to have scales on the shop floor for customers use, otherwise the local trading standards office and/or consumer groups would have kicked before now.

I am concerned though that I have no control over the goods I've bought until I reach the checkout; and it can be embarrassing if there are three or four customers behind you and you start telling the till operator to take one apple out or leave that back. Basically it is not good enough.

For me to contact my local Sainsburys and tell them I'm annoyed at not been able to check my goods before I arrive at the till would be less than useless, at best I'd get a nice standard letter explaining company policy and thanking me for contacting them. So how does one go about a 'bring back the scales,' campaign. How does one go about giving the customer just a little bit more power over their shopping bill.

Kevin

Bogof_Babe

You could contact your local Trading Standards Office, and ask what the official policy is. That would be a starting point. If they say it is a legal requirement, then tell them which stores appear to be disregarding it, and see what they can do.

lindos90

kah22 wrote: »

I'm assuming that it is legal not to have scales on the shop floor for customers use, otherwise the local trading standards office and/or consumer groups would have kicked before now.

Sadly not always the case, trading standards may do checks from time to time, and respond to claims made by the public if significant enough, but some shops try it on, even if they know its illegal, until they are 'found out'.

For example, a large supermarket near me consistantly block fire exits and fire extinguishers/hoses with extra stock, I once asked if they considered it safe to do so and was given some abuse back by the assistant, and told to use the front doors if there was a fire.

I was not happy that they treated the safety of its staff and customers so poorly, so I contacted the local fire officer, he visited and all the stuff was moved shortly after that, but within a month it was back again, so whats the point?

As an individual, I have neither the time or inclanation to call the fire officer every few weeks when the shop fall back into old habbits, and I guess the fire officer has too many places to visit to constantly check every place is doing what it should be..