Retail laws and consumer rights

Valli

Hardly surprising though - I mean it's not a well paid job AND they have to put up with some awful members of the public.
However it's not against the law. There's nothing, however, preventing you from shopping elsewhere if you choose to (assuming you have access to other retailers, of course). Equally there's nothing stopping you complaining - though if I wanted to complain about something like that I'd be doing it by letter to the Head Office rather than the supermarket manager, in case it was a store-wide problem.

Chances are it is against company policy, much like you may not be allowed to serve friends and family. When I worked for Littlewoods (many moons ago - they sold food then) we weren't even allowed to do the pools - well, not Littlewoods pools - just in case we managed to find a way to fiddle them!

Forwandert

The point of retail is to make profit. Once you start reducing items the profit is lost and the aim then is to limit the loss on wastage, so if someone/anybody buys the items its better than throwing them away who that person is doesn't really matter. I don't see why you think customers should have a priority over staff wanting to buy, are staff not customers too if they are buying reduced items?

Skinnymoo

alkaline_shuvvy wrote: »

Yes, know for sure they're doing it, seen them do it on several occasions. And i would know about perks of retail i have worked in it in retail jobs for most of my working life (I'm only 25, but now training to be a social worker) and I know that they already get staff discounts- which is enough for most of us. Being in the current climate everybody is looking for a bargain, but to PURPOSELY conceal items so that somebody else can't get it is beggars belief. I'm sure those of you that are saying 'why bother?' would have a different attitude if, for example, a TV was reduced to £50 from £300 and not one of you could have that item because the staff were all shipping them off to the back room for their own purchase. However, this would be somewhat different as a TV is not a neccessity but you catch my drift. What would be the point in selling things to the public at all....why not just hire staff to hide all the things away so that you could make a loss on their greed? Just gets my goat a bit really, they already have the perk of getting 10% or more off that product but people like us struggling to feed our families aren't entitled to the same products? I will be having a word with the store manager...if they want to buy it it's fair enough, but at least give the customers THE PEOPLE WHO PAY YOUR WAGES the chance to buy it first, after all, that is the point of retail!

So you have seen them do it on several occasions?? Right that makes it a fact does it?? You know I work in a well known store that also sells food, and I see the same people night after night waiting on the reduced items, I have seen them snatch stuff out of sales assistants hands while they are trying to price it up, I have seem them fight over items with other customers:( I have also seen them accuse staff of "keeping" the "best" stuff for themselves, this includes non food items......Staff do not get "loads" of perks now, as for a measley 10% discount:rotfl:Most staff do not even get a look in now at reduced items.....As for complaining, how can you? Stores used to have or still do their own staff shops, but hey, maybe that's illegal:rotfl:Some people just can't bear the thought of staff getting any perks.... sad:(

whatmichaelsays

Are staff not customers also?

DCFC79

alkaline_shuvvy wrote: »

I'm sure those of you that are saying 'why bother?' would have a different attitude if, for example, a TV was reduced to £50 from £300 and not one of you could have that item because the staff were all shipping them off to the back room for their own purchase. However, this would be somewhat different as a TV is not a neccessity but you catch my drift. What would be the point in selling things to the public at all....why not just hire staff to hide all the things away so that you could make a loss on their greed? Just gets my goat a bit really, they already have the perk of getting 10% or more off that product but people like us struggling to feed our families aren't entitled to the same products? I will be having a word with the store manager

Well if tv's were reduced then id most likely miss them anyway as id be at work or by the time id found outi wouldnt have been to it by other people but its a non issue for me.

Your going to tell the manager, that sounds like being at school, im going to tell on you etc.

do you also think its fair when certain customers take a load of the same item for themselves eg 10 x 1 pints of milk, i think other customers and staff on chekouts would like a look at whats reduced. I also work for a major chain but i dont get to see whats reduced as i work in the mornings.

sarahg1969

What is this "Active Concealment" of which you speak?

mo786uk

sarahg1969 wrote: »

What is this "Active Concealment" of which you speak?

concealing. activley

wealdroam

mo786uk wrote: »

concealing. activley

Oh... that's alright then.

lateandlive

The ONLY parts of the act that might be an issue is the active concealment and self-reduction parts.
If their chosen hiding place was their bag in the staff room then there could be an allegation of theft - albeit stuffed by the fact they pay for them. However, I assume they conceal them in staff areas of the store, therefore that also stops that being a problem.

If they knowingly reduce an item more than it should be, or reduce a similar item that isn't in the sale then again, they could be accused of fraud.

However, the store makes as much money if they sell to you or to Joe Bloggs off of the meat counter. The £50 TV is £50 either way. Like someone said before; staff are customers too.

alkaline_shuvvy

I'm not saying that staff aren't customers and that they shouldn't have equal access to goods . I can see both sides of the table being a customer and a retail employee and I am not being 'petty' I was asking a simple question. Someone said 'have a word with the manager' so I said I would to find out. And no I dont agree with customers taking 10 of milk or whatever but you can't stop them doing that, same as if it was an employee but at least everybody has had a chance to see.where I live we have this one small supermarket and nowhere else to buy food on a Sunday, the fridge shelves are bare because everything's been reduced. I've never seen anyone here loitering for reduced items or anything like that but I did where I worked before. Was asking a genuine question in a forum that provides answers but wasn't expecting an onslaught of abuse for being 'petty'. I know I dont HAVE to shop there, that wasnt the case, just want equal access to goods. Was just trying to see if I had any right to question it, or just let it be. But thanks to those of you that suggested it was store by store policies, will bite my tongue and try to shop there on a Saturday to get my goods