Morrisons;hot potatoes!

DCFC79

Lol "I sent the youth down", looks like he needs to be trained in the art of asking how much they are

dduk

DCFC79 wrote: »

Lol "I sent the youth down", looks like he needs to be trained in the art of asking how much they are

Even if he did ask or even if they did have a price displayed would he still have bought them? I'm guessing yes.

paulwf

When I worked the produce department at M&S every morning one of us had to sign a company compliance form (for internal use only) to say that every item had a price ticket and this was correctly aligned and a country of origin label was showing for every loose item. This was done because trading standards can pick up on price and country, plus of course customers need this info. I'd be surprised if other supermarkets didn't have a similar compliance check.

However...lets get real here. In the morning you might have to put out 60 crates of produce an hour and fruit each and veg is highly seasonal, every day there will be new product lines arriving that you have to find space for and then ticket. It is totally different to tinned items that don't change from week to week.

So, the first reality check is that you need to get the stuff on the shop floor and then leave a note for a ticketing person or ticket it yourself later on. Ideally this would be done within a couple of hours of morning fill but it isn't the highest priority job if the team is behind, getting stock out and reducing queues at the till takes precedence.

The second reality check is that on a Saturday you've probably got a 17 year old with a hangover on not much more than minimum wage getting up at some ungodly hour to do the fill, they aren't going to care about the price of loose potatoes! A manager should come along and check but as before it's low priority.

If supermarkets were not for profit organisations or prices were raised 10% they would be run perfectly. Unfortunately we all complain about the prices and want them cut even more and shareholders complain about profits so we don't get perfection.

geordie_joe

DCFC79 wrote: »

Lol "I sent the youth down", looks like he needs to be trained in the art of asking how much they are

That would be a great answer.........if the question was "Does the youth need training"

But as the question was

gnvqsos wrote: »

Is there a law requiring shops to display the price of loose potatoes?

It's a bit sh!te.

Maybe you need training in "reading and answering questions"?

gnvqsos

calleyw wrote: »

You sent a young adult (you don't say male or female or what age) you told them to get potatoes which they duly did.

It is doubtful even if the prices w(h)ere displayed that(they) would have looked for a price -they got what you wanted.

Personally I never buy anything if I can't see the price,So would have never picked them up in first place. And I suspect a lot of people would do the same.

Maybe Morrisons should have a SEL on display. But you chose not to go and send someone else who was doing you a favour. And now you are blaming morrisons. Did you even tell the "youth" your words not mine not to get them if they where X or Y price.

Yours

Calley

I am glad to see that Morrison has at least one unpaid advocate.I hardly'chose not to go' given I was ill.The young adult was 17 and male.He was pleased to help and benefited from gaining some useful lifeskills.I needed some pots and told him not to buy Jerseys as these are usually a premium line.You are lucky if everything you buy is perfectly priced, but I often have to compromise especially when buying basic items which are needed for the days main meal.good luck for the future.In fairness Morrisons are well-priced with veg but have helped to drive out the independent green grocer,giving them a near monopoly where families have no access to a car.
John(aka fagin the potato merchant)

gnvqsos

DCFC79 wrote: »

Lol "I sent the youth down", looks like he needs to be trained in the art of asking how much they are

Yet another deferential lobbyist for Morrisons.I would like to see a situation where Morrisons removed all prices and employed people to disclose the prices to customers.The usual practice is to display prices rather than rely on guesswork.Judging by your imaginative user name you are waiting for Nigel to emulate father Brian.Do you have to negotiate your season tickets value with the Pride Park Darby and Joan Club.Seeins as you were a child of MRST you will have missed the firewoerk display at the Baseball Ground

gnvqsos

paulwf wrote: »

When I worked the produce department at M&S every morning one of us had to sign a company compliance form (for internal use only) to say that every item had a price ticket and this was correctly aligned and a country of origin label was showing for every loose item. This was done because trading standards can pick up on price and country, plus of course customers need this info. I'd be surprised if other supermarkets didn't have a similar compliance check.

However...lets get real here. In the morning you might have to put out 60 crates of produce an hour and fruit each and veg is highly seasonal, every day there will be new product lines arriving that you have to find space for and then ticket. It is totally different to tinned items that don't change from week to week.

So, the first reality check is that you need to get the stuff on the shop floor and then leave a note for a ticketing person or ticket it yourself later on. Ideally this would be done within a couple of hours of morning fill but it isn't the highest priority job if the team is behind, getting stock out and reducing queues at the till takes precedence.

The second reality check is that on a Saturday you've probably got a 17 year old with a hangover on not much more than minimum wage getting up at some ungodly hour to do the fill, they aren't going to care about the price of loose potatoes! A manager should come along and check but as before it's low priority.

If supermarkets were not for profit organisations or prices were raised 10% they would be run perfectly. Unfortunately we all complain about the prices and want them cut even more and shareholders complain about profits so we don't get perfection.

You are spot on about the minimum wage.I am not concerned about the s/holders who shelled out to headhunt the chief exec from M and S.Perhaps you remember he took over from Stuart Rose for a twelvemonth.He had a Dutch sounding name but I think he was a fugitive from RSA.Anyone want some cheap new potatoes?

gnvqsos

This article was taken from London Evening Standard

Supermarkets have been accused of rigging the price of fruit and vegetables to fool shoppers that they are getting a bargain.
Industry insiders claim that Tesco has inflated the cost of some of its most popular produce to make subsequent price cuts appear more generous.
The claims come as the big four supermarkets squabble in the crucial pre-Christmas trading period about who is cheapest.
Tesco's low-price claims are heavily linked to a promotional campaign which promises 50 per cent off five fruit or vegetable ranges every week.
However, this is not all it seems.
The price of loose white grapes was raised on November 19 from £3.98 per kilo to £4.99 - a rise of £1.01 or 25 per cent.
Two weeks later - on Monday - the price went back down by £1 a kilo to £3.99.
Tesco launched promotions in its stores and on the internet announcing that it had cut the price of the white grapes by £1 per kilo.
A similar tactic appears to have been used with the staple of the Christmas dinner, Brussels sprouts.
Tesco held the retail price for 500g of sprouts at £1 despite the fact that an increase in farm supplies allowed its rivals
to charge between 50p and 79p. But this week, it cut the cost to 50p per 500g in a "half-price" Christmas promotion.

gnvqsos

From Greenwhich (LONDON) trading Standards
How should price indications be given?
When selling to the general public, all pricing information must be CLEARLY LEGIBLE, UNAMBIGUOUS, EASILY IDENTIFIABLE AND INCLUSIVE OF VAT AND ANY ADDITIONAL TAXES.
Pricing information must be given close to the product; or with distance contracts (e.g. online or mail order sales) and advertisements, close to a picture or written description of the product. In relation to sales by telephone, price indications must be clearly audible and linked to the subject of the transaction.
Prices can be shown:

• on goods themselves;
• on a ticket or notice near to the goods; or
• grouped together with other prices on a list or catalogue(s) in close proximity to the goods. If counter catalogues are used, there should be sufficient copies for consumers to refer to.

Pricing information must be available, i.e. clearly visible, to consumers without them having to ask for assistance in order to see it.

geordie_joe

gnvqsos wrote: »

From Greenwhich (LONDON) trading Standards

Pricing information must be available, i.e. clearly visible, to consumers without them having to ask for assistance in order to see it.

Except it doesn't give the whole story, does it. It quotes Price Marking Order 2004, but that says the following

"selling price" means the final price for a unit of a product, or a given quantity of a product, including VAT and all other taxes;

and then

Obligation to indicate selling price
4. - (1) Subject to paragraph (2) and articles 9 and 10, where a trader indicates that any product is or may be for sale to a consumer, he shall indicate the selling price of that product in accordance with the provisions of this Order.

(2) The requirement in paragraph (1) above shall not apply in respect of:

• (a) products sold from bulk; or
  
  (b) an advertisement for a product.

Loose potatoes are "sold from bulk" and this is what the thread is about.

It also says that small shops are except from having to display unit pricing, small shops are those with less than 280 square metres of "relevant floor area".