Things that annoy you in supermarkets

rebeccak

The crappy plastic bags that start developing holes before you've even left the shop - and then having to spend the rest of the journey home trying not to lose any of the contents of your shopping. I like to re-use my plastic bags (e.g. as bin liners) but, these days, I'd say less than 10% make it home in one piece. Even the bags for life aren't that sturdy.

The self-service checkouts' annoying foibles and there not being enough staff on duty to deal with all the problems.

Incorrect pricing.

Misleading pricing due to items being stacked on the wrong shelf.

Pricing of the same type of item in different ways, making it more difficult to compare.

Bag packers

BOGOF or other multiple purchase offers where I wouldn't use the extra items before the best date or would struggle to carry that number of items home.

I didn't think there was that much that annoyed me about supermarkets but actually I could go on :-)

Aura

Whatsinmypurse wrote: »

'Ripen at home' fruit.

I spot what looks like some lovely juicy plums/peaches/nectarines and buy them, only to find when I get them hope that they're hard as bricks. Where on earth can I buy some fruit that I can eat now ?

From a market?

System

Customers that put these things in carrier bags - large packs of nappies and packs of 9+ loo rolls. They have handles on them to be designed to be carried alone.

Customers that put put really heavy things in carrier bags - multipack 12 cans of dog food, case of beer etc. Don't shout at the cashier if the bag breaks or sue the supermarket if the said contents fall out the bag and break your foot.

Customers that go through self scan with something small and yet put it in a carrier bag, when they have other bags of shopping from other places they can put it in.

Roll on Oct 2015 when the bags will be chargeable in England

Nicklt

TBeckett100 wrote: »

My supermarket hates

1) narrow car bays. Usually my posh car ends up parked next to a children's minibus. If I park at the furthest corner of the car park, trekking like Phileas Fogg to get to the shop door, don't bloody park next to me

2) 10,000 disabled bays. Yes I know there are disabled and elderly people out there and they should have parking but the space ratio is too much. If anything, the Paralympics taught me that one legged people are a lot fitter than me.

3) charity collection. I want to buy bread and milk not singlehandly save a the cats, dogs and Ethiopians

4) Chappie in the charity dog food collections. Seriously, if you are going to feed a dog, feed it something half decent

5) special needs checkout people. There is one guy in our local shop who speaks so loudly that I can hear him all over the shop. Bless him, but I can barely understand a word he says and I can't do small talk

6) bearded woman at the checkouts. Seriously, some women do have stubble. It's Tesco, not Ripleys Believe it or not

7) you child dwaine. If you must bring the 12 disciples shopping with you, please at least bring a taser. Having to trip over Dwayne and Dwaynetta when I am procuring smoked salmon is not my idea of a good evening

8) would you like a bag? Well, as you can see checkout person, I'm not a bloody octopus

9) do you need help packing? No it's three items. Having walked three miles from the corner of the car park through the desert of disabled spaces, I think I can muster the energy to pack three items

10) have you got a nectar card? No I dont. At this point I explain that a man who chopped up his girlfriend was caught because he put the black sacks on the nectar points. Usually stunned silence except for special checkout guy

11) 20p reductions. Your food is stale, about to grow mould any moment and you have reduced it from £5.00 to £4.80?

12) £1 trollies. Seriously, if you are going to make me draw £10 out of the cash machine, wait for ages at customer services to get change for the trolley, then I will just take a hand basket in protest. However, after about half a hour, the hand basket is laid down regularly before my arm falls off

13) checkout operators who hug your warm baguette. Yes I know it's lovely and fresh but please don't hug it and warm your breasts on it.

14) unexpected item in the bagging area. It's either my shopping or patience

15) the location of fresh custard. Naturally this should be in the milk, youghart aisle but for some reason it's at the other end of the store

16) car park car washers. No I don't want you to wash my car with the same cloth and bucket of water you have done everyone else's car with

17) old people who shop at lunchtime. If they aren't in the bank or queuing at the post office, why not leave the lunchtimes to busy working people. If Matilda the cat needs her salmon, buy it at 5am when you get up.

Points 1-7 make you sound like a right ignorant tool!

enjoyyourshoes

Hi

why not use on line grocery shopping and delivered at home.

Saves your fuel (there and back and there and back again because you forgot the most basic of item !)

Saves time

Have a on-going list on kitchen wall to add items only when you have run out

Allows you to review your shopping list , thus keep it below a target £ figure

Avoids being tempted by the skilled marketing experts

Can add or remove items from order

You may miss out o specific timed in shop promotions, but you probably didn't need the items any way, let alone 2 or 3 of them !

Buy all your bread and milk and freeze it. Avoids distressed purchase and temptation from another shop visit

Money-Saving-King

TBeckett100 wrote: »

15) the location of fresh custard. Naturally this should be in the milk, youghart aisle but for some reason it's at the other end of the store

I'd assume it's with desserts, is this where it's located by any chance? If so I'm not surprised.

Knit_Witch

Changing the factory or recipe of an item which means if you have a food allergy you need to check every item, every time!

DSmiffy

OMG! Till operators who announce loudly and comment on every item you are buying....mainly in Asda this happens.
You put your items on the conveyor belt and then the cashier puts them all through the scanner with comments like, "Ooo I haven't seen that before, that looks nice"..... "Are you having this for your tea then?".... "Live on your own do you?"... "Who's got a gluten allergy then?".... Seriously it's like that comedy sketch in The Fast Show with Caroline Aherne....
I'm thinking of going to the till with 20 pots of vaseline, 10 tubes of hemorrhoid cream and a couple of bottles of vodka to see the reaction. I think it annoys me mostly because they do that with every customer which is why the queue is so long.
They should open a dedicated till for "Mindless chit chat and faff"

ben_m_g

Customer service is terrible in some of these stores, one from the other night:

I tried to buy a dvd only to find that the staff couldn't remove the tag. She called another member of staff to walk over and pick up another.

Fair enough I though, these things happen. Only to be left waiting like a lemon for the next 20 minutes with no idea what was going on.
Said other member of staff, passed me on to another member of staff, (as it turned out, passed the task on to another member of staff) disappeared with no trace, and out of boredom if nothing else, I went to customer service (waiting again) before politely asking for an update.

Said customer service staff threw up her hands and stated that she didn't have anyone spare and in a hissy fit barked the "now i'm going to have to do it!" (She left before I could apologise for asking her to do her job. )

Before that, in the same store a metal brace from the top of a shelf fell off, striking my head before hitting my two year old.
The manager "wasn't available" but the lady on the desk assured me that they would take care of it.

Still there months later, wonderful customer focus.

Red*Dragonfly

ScarletMarble wrote: »

Roll on Oct 2015 when the bags will be chargeable in England

Don't think things will get better!!!!!
your going to get about six months of abuse from customers who are insulted by the charge.
I recommend smiling, use sympathetic tone, and point out that its government policy.