Great 'supermarket staff, tell us your reduction policies' Hunt

duckley

I've signed up purely to reply to this thread I'm a manager at Sainsbury's and it genuinely depends on the manager in question, in some regions there are rules about no reductions being made before eleven on produce and midday on other departments, however there are many things it depends on...if your code checker feels that their dept manager is being slack and not actually checking the reduction reports then they may well knock down a ridiculous percentage for themselves/ friends but obviously it's dealth with if it's found. As a rule you mark things based upon how many of them were found vs how many are expected to sell and you reduce those were supply far outstrips demand as an initial reduction of 30%, those were it's about level pegging at 20% and those where demand outstrips supply at either 10% or not at all ddepending how much time you feel you'll have to check upon the state of play later on in the day.

As far as end of day reductions go, it is down to the individualmanager on the close to ensure that everything is knocked down to sell, as in making the decision whether to sell something for a quid ten minutes before closing and hope for the best or what some would see as the lazier approach (and the one I subscribe to) is chuck everything at 10p and in my case call my mates and tell em to get in for a £20 quid beef joint for err...3p.

But as far as official policy goes it is open to a fair degree of interpretation even though it shouldn't be and there are conflicts in my store alone even on something as simple as my day off about how another manager's instructed them to do it in my absence.

clouise44_2

Lidl

All stores

We discount some bread, some chilled items and all meat and poultry (in the meat and poultry freezers only) down to 30% The bread is discounted in the morning, the rest late afternoon. When the store is closed for a day or two (e.g. Christmas) all bread, chilled and meat and poultry items that will go out of date are given away free at the end of the day.

Some stores

I have worked in a few different stores and the busiest one I worked at gave some of the flowers and all newspapers away free at the end of the day.

Plus we will sometimes reduce non food items if damaged, but not by much.

(side note: Also if your living in a student town, and living in student accomodation sometimes lidl is open for an hour extra and give away free gift bags for students only.)

katylou6180

Hi all, I don't know if anyone else has found this, in my local shops (we are in the vicinity of the "big 3") there seems to be a distinct lack of "yellow stickers" of late! I am not one of the "haunters" that bug assistants and go and hound while they are reducing stock, I won't visit a shop unless I have gone in for something specific....but whilst there I always check the reduced shelves to see if there is anything going that I can use I have been of late at all manner of times of the day and there has been a great white fridgey void where the reduced shelf used to live...also looking up and down shelves nothing jumped out from there either! I just wondered if shops had changed their ordering strategies etc so they waste less (a good thing) and the reduced shelf is now becoming a thing of the past......anyone else finding this?

Doc_N

Kayteehee wrote: »

Noticed in my local Tesco on Saturday 24th April they were selling yogurt in the reduced section that went out of date (assume it was a used by date) 22nd April.

Is this against the law?

If it's yoghurt, yes it is against the law, because it will be a 'use by' date. Tesco seem to be far less bothered about this sort of thing, though, than most other supermarkets - they featured in a TV documentary a few years back, with staff changing the dates on labels to allow them to be sold for longer.

TheDevilFish

Having Worked In A Supermarket And Been A 'Reduction Guy' In One For A While...
I Feel I Have To Add To This Thread From A Slightly Different Angle, Just To Add Understanding And Tribute To Those Brave Men And Women Who Have Risked Life And Limb Bravely Picking Up That Reduction Gun In The Hours Leading To Closing Time..
As Some Of Them Should Be Scouted By The Riot Police For Some Of The Skills And Patience They Possess.
Firstly.. We All Like A Bargain.. Myself Included.. But Witnessing Some Of The Attitudes, Disrespects And Lengths That Some 'Bargain Hunters' Will Go To In Order To 'Grab A Bargain' Has At Times Made Me Lose Faith In Humanity.

Trying To Do Reductions In The Middle Of A Scene From '28 Days Later' Whilst Still Trying To Maintain Composure And Order Can Be A Feat In Itself.
I've Had A Twelve Strong Mob Following Me Around For Hours On The Off Chance I May Be Reducing Those Two Packs Of Asparagus Tips.
Breaking Up Fights In Rugby Scrums Over A Now Flattened Strawberry Cheesecake, And Subsequently Became Fluent In Verbal Abuse In Numerous Different Languages. People Hiding Products In Random Places In The AM In Order To Return To Demand A Reduction In The PM Now The Cream On The Cake Has Curdled At Room Temperature For Hours. Some Who Fill Their Trolley Early Evening With Every Reduction In The Store And Wait Until The Penultimate Moment To Ask "Are They Getting Reduced Further" Effectively Stopping Anyone Else Getting A Look In.. Then Leaving Them Because They're Not Reduced Cheap Enough! That's Not Savvy Shopping, That's Just Waste And Greed.
Obviously Each Store Is Different And Has Different Staff, Demographics & Clientelle.

I'm Out Of That World Now.. But Don't Reflect Fondly On That Job Role.
But If You Are Hoping To Pick Up A Reduced Bargain In A Supermarket, Don't Go Too Militant About It, And Try Give The Person (Yes Person) Doing The Reducing Time & Space To Do There Job, Without Pressure And Harrassment,
A Polite Question About The Price Of The Item Will Go Along Way!!

Anyway, Now That's Off My Chest, Be Nice And Happy Bargain Hunting!!

calleyw

I went to one of the supermarkets I do frequent for reduced to clear. I needed to do some shopping anyway.

Usual people in. Husband managed to get a packet of fresh raspberries for 40p. Said it was like a scrum and one person had half a trolley load :eek:

So we went back after everyone had their fill and managed to get a couple more boxes. Had one packet for our tea with a very nice reduced chocolate cup cake. Rest have been frozen.

I do feel sorry for people doing this job as they are mobbed. And in the supermarket mentioned above it is often teenage boys doing this job. And it is the same old faces again and again. Who do hang around for hours. I might hang around 10-15 minutes while scout around the rest of the shop and pop back. But these people hang around for ages blocking in the person doing the reductions.

But I have noticed they keep moving the reduced to clear around the store as well as withy fruit and veg some times leaving it on normal display and sometimes shoving in it trolley. Trying to fool us :rotfl:

I suspect the staff get fed up with doing the job and seeing the same old faces. But I am polite and wait until the items are put back on the shelf after being reduced I will not push and shove not my style, and I am not that desperate for the reduced to clear maybe they are and good luck to them.

Yours

Calley

trufflebuggy

I remember one christmas eve in tesco's, when I popped in for sellotape (as you do) and ended up browsing........

I happen to pause with my basket a few seconds too long by the chiller cabinet, where upon I was engulfed by a throng of manic trolley whielding shoppers looking for reduced items:eek:..................

Don't know what was more frightening being trolley rammed or the glares on their faces when they realised I wasn't looking at unseen bargains, but rather boring fresh pasta!!

LOL...... never shop on Xmas eve without full body armour and crash helmet!!!

Doc_N

TheDevilFish wrote: »

Having Worked In A Supermarket And Been A 'Reduction Guy' In One For A While...

Just out of idle curiosity, why do all your posts start each word with a capital letter? It's your choice, of course, but it does make reading them quite a chore.

Rainyday100

trufflebuggy wrote: »

I remember one christmas eve in tesco's, when I popped in for sellotape (as you do) and ended up browsing........

I happen to pause with my basket a few seconds too long by the chiller cabinet, where upon I was engulfed by a throng of manic trolley whielding shoppers looking for reduced items:eek:..................

Don't know what was more frightening being trolley rammed or the glares on their faces when they realised I wasn't looking at unseen bargains, but rather boring fresh pasta!!

LOL...... never shop on Xmas eve without full body armour and crash helmet!!!

That's so funny! Maybe we should do that, dummy reductions!! We've managed to keep the 'bargain hunters' at the bakery area while I covertly took labels to the chiller. Not sure it worked, but made us feel better! They just really really get on our nerves!!! :mad:

kirsteenatom

oh I *wanted* to read your thread, but it made my eyes go completely squiggly and I just had to give up. Anyone who has been reading for any amount of time has a mental reflex to capital letters as it signifies the start of a new sentence/concept. I don't mean to be rude, but it's kinda antisocial to type with caps at the start of every word.

TheDevilFish wrote: »

Having Worked In A Supermarket And Been A 'Reduction Guy' In One For A While...
I Feel I Have To Add To This Thread From A Slightly Different Angle, Just To Add Understanding And Tribute To Those Brave Men And Women Who Have Risked Life And Limb Bravely Picking Up That Reduction Gun In The Hours Leading To Closing Time..
As Some Of Them Should Be Scouted By The Riot Police For Some Of The Skills And Patience They Possess.
Firstly.. We All Like A Bargain.. Myself Included.. But Witnessing Some Of The Attitudes, Disrespects And Lengths That Some 'Bargain Hunters' Will Go To In Order To 'Grab A Bargain' Has At Times Made Me Lose Faith In Humanity.

Trying To Do Reductions In The Middle Of A Scene From '28 Days Later' Whilst Still Trying To Maintain Composure And Order Can Be A Feat In Itself.
I've Had A Twelve Strong Mob Following Me Around For Hours On The Off Chance I May Be Reducing Those Two Packs Of Asparagus Tips.
Breaking Up Fights In Rugby Scrums Over A Now Flattened Strawberry Cheesecake, And Subsequently Became Fluent In Verbal Abuse In Numerous Different Languages. People Hiding Products In Random Places In The AM In Order To Return To Demand A Reduction In The PM Now The Cream On The Cake Has Curdled At Room Temperature For Hours. Some Who Fill Their Trolley Early Evening With Every Reduction In The Store And Wait Until The Penultimate Moment To Ask "Are They Getting Reduced Further" Effectively Stopping Anyone Else Getting A Look In.. Then Leaving Them Because They're Not Reduced Cheap Enough! That's Not Savvy Shopping, That's Just Waste And Greed.
Obviously Each Store Is Different And Has Different Staff, Demographics & Clientelle.

I'm Out Of That World Now.. But Don't Reflect Fondly On That Job Role.
But If You Are Hoping To Pick Up A Reduced Bargain In A Supermarket, Don't Go Too Militant About It, And Try Give The Person (Yes Person) Doing The Reducing Time & Space To Do There Job, Without Pressure And Harrassment,
A Polite Question About The Price Of The Item Will Go Along Way!!

Anyway, Now That's Off My Chest, Be Nice And Happy Bargain Hunting!!