Co-op complaint

adouglasmhor

jackieb wrote: »

People do stupid things when drunk that they normally wouldn't think of doing when sober. The solution is not to get drunk in the first place. People with depression shouldn't drink - it's well known that it's a depressant. I'm not saying that it's right that a shop should be selling multiple packs of painkillers but people need to be responsible for their own actions. You wouldn't blame a garage if someone bought a car and then went out and drunk drove and killed someone.

I would if they were drunk when buying it.

halibut2209

unholyangel wrote: »

A teaspoon is a potentially lethal product in the wrong hands

This reminded of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VDvgL58h_Y

joannaspanner

Our local Co-op in Hale Barns is appalling, no matter what time of day you go in, there is a queue snaking around, one grey haired till assistant is so appalling rude and slow, she literally takes 5 minutes to serve you if you have a newspaper. People openly shoplift in there in full view of the staff, they either don't notice or don't care, but it really doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

unholyangel

halibut2209 wrote: »

This reminded of this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VDvgL58h_Y

A weapon is only as efficient as the person using it! :rotfl:


Personally it reminded me of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgIUryRxGM4

pulliptears

unholyangel wrote: »

You'd be wrong. Suicidal people can be scarily good at putting thought into killing themselves. Usually because its not a spur of the moment thing and something they've thought about often. It is these people who are more likely to succeed because they are not doing it as a cry for attention or help.



A teaspoon is a potentially lethal product in the wrong hands

'Can be' is the key word. There is also a good percentage of folk who snap, walk to the corner shop and try and buy a dozen packs of paracetamol and a bottle of vodka. You would hope that in those situations cashiers realise that selling potentially lethal drugs in bulk isn't a good idea.

I would add my best friends OH is bi polar and hears voices etc, the powers that be have deemed that he is ok to be at home whilst my long suffering friend desperately tries to care for him. He is also a paraplegic. For the most part he can be a normal, genuine bloke with no outward symptoms, on a bad day he is one of the people likely to go into that corner shop on a whim whilst picking up a morning paper.

System

joannaspanner wrote: »

Our local Co-op in Hale Barns is appalling, no matter what time of day you go in, there is a queue snaking around, one grey haired till assistant is so appalling rude and slow, she literally takes 5 minutes to serve you if you have a newspaper. People openly shoplift in there in full view of the staff, they either don't notice or don't care, but it really doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

I know it well. I believe it is soon shutting down and becoming a Booths? It can't happen too soon!

System

pulliptears wrote: »

'Can be' is the key word. There is also a good percentage of folk who snap, walk to the corner shop and try and buy a dozen packs of paracetamol and a bottle of vodka. You would hope that in those situations cashiers realise that selling potentially lethal drugs in bulk isn't a good idea.

I would add my best friends OH is bi polar and hears voices etc, the powers that be have deemed that he is ok to be at home whilst my long suffering friend desperately tries to care for him. He is also a paraplegic. For the most part he can be a normal, genuine bloke with no outward symptoms, on a bad day he is one of the people likely to go into that corner shop on a whim whilst picking up a morning paper.

The problem is that although the OP seems right and they shouldn't have sold him that many pills. It appears to be pefectly acceptable to buy 7 packs (98 pills) and a bottle of vodka. I am pretty certain that would be enough to kill yourself. Even if shops do limit the purchase of paracetemols I don't see that working.

Just walking 5 minutes down the road for my lunch i've passed 2 Co-ops, a tesco express, a local grocer and a sainsburies local. I could easily have bought pills in each one.

The whole policy is just a smoke screen to pretend that they are doing something to try and limit the risk. In practice however I don't see it does any good at all.

fluffnutter

wajoda2002 wrote: »

... we are disgusted that this could happen.

I shy away from people's 'disgust' at something happening. I also lose sympathy when they're 'outraged'.

That aside, Co-op have contravened some guidelines so if it's something that the OP feels strongly about they could drop them a line, I guess.

In the scheme of things, what's more important? A suicidal friend or a consumer rights issue? Personally I'd concentrate more on getting the friend the help he needs as opposed to posting on the internet about how 'disgusted' I am.

unholyangel

Where there is a will, there's a way.

People who are determined will find a way to do it.

People who snap......well are you honestly expecting a cashier (unless that cashier happens to have a degree/experience as a psychologist/health care professional/police officer) to be able to notice the signs? Even when the loved/close ones of the suicidal person can't see those signs?

Its one of those subjects "where do you draw the line?" And where indeed do you draw the line so that you are not making things as available to people likely to commit suicide and impeding on a genuine need from the majority of the public? How do you define each group? Won't there always be some who slip through the net? Is it entirely possible to catch them all?

Perhaps store staff have been told to look out for people buying pills and only pills and the OP's friend bought other items......perhaps indicating that he didn't consider his time on this planet was truly over since he still required other products?

pulliptears

unholyangel wrote: »

Where there is a will, there's a way.

People who are determined will find a way to do it.

I agree, but making it slightly more difficult buys time.

People who snap......well are you honestly expecting a cashier (unless that cashier happens to have a degree/experience as a psychologist/health care professional/police officer) to be able to notice the signs? Even when the loved/close ones of the suicidal person can't see those signs?

Again you assume they have loved ones. Say you have a man on his own who walks into a shop, visibly upset and buys himself a bottle of Vodka and paracetamol. Do you serve him? Its a pertinent question and actually happened to a friend of mine who did serve him. After he had he realised that this man needed help and contacted the police who found him sat around the corner, half a bottle down and half the pills gone. Fortunately he was found in time and recovered but in this instance the actions of the cashier saved him.

Its one of those subjects "where do you draw the line?" And where indeed do you draw the line so that you are not making things as available to people likely to commit suicide and impeding on a genuine need from the majority of the public? How do you define each group? Won't there always be some who slip through the net? Is it entirely possible to catch them all?

Again I agree, but lets make things a little more difficult. Those of us who just want to stock our medicine cabinets surely don't mind. You won't save everyone but you may just save one life and in that case I think its entirely worth it.

Perhaps store staff have been told to look out for people buying pills and only pills and the OP's friend bought other items......perhaps indicating that he didn't consider his time on this planet was truly over since he still required other products?

Maybe so, and OP hasn't stated if the friend bought anything other than pills, but nobody needs that many pills in one go and thats why they shouldn't be allowed to sell them in that way.