Customers using supermarkets as wholesalers.

Bob2000

Hello.
I don't know if this is the right place for the question, so apologies if not.

I've noticed recently that there is a big increase in customer obviously  shop/takaway owners who are clearing the shelves of certain items and leaving nothing for others behind.
Are they allowed to do this?
I know the shop gets their cash, so I don't care, but legally, should they be doing this?

I'm asking this question because yesterday l saw a guy take all the whole chicken from one shop and a elderly woman asked him if she could have one and he just laughed at her. 
Another occasion some guys took all the white cabbages  and cucumber, leaving nothing.

TheSpectator

What law do you think is being broken here?

If they weren't allowed to then do you think the supermarkets would let them?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Hello OP

There's nothing unlawful about this, best bet is to write to the head office of the supermarket, they may impose limits if it's identified as an issue (they don't really want one person to buy all the good deals, they want you to go in for £5 chicken and leave with £50 worth of food). 

Supermarkets are massive and their scale makes them cheap, food wholesalers also tend to sell better quality food that obviously has a cost so it's not surprising. 

I'm sure I remember as a kid being taken shopping in Netto and there being signs up limiting x per customer but it's not something you see nowadays, at least not in our sleepy corner of Wales.  

TELLIT01

Nothing illegal about it.  If they can purchase more cheaply at a retail supermarket than at a trade outlet why wouldn't they?

Bob2000

TheSpectator said:

What law do you think is being broken here?

If they weren't allowed to then do you think the supermarkets would let them?

I dont know what law is being broken. That's why l asked the question.
Thanks.

Bob2000

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Hello OP

There's nothing unlawful about this, best bet is to write to the head office of the supermarket, they may impose limits if it's identified as an issue (they don't really want one person to buy all the good deals, they want you to go in for £5 chicken and leave with £50 worth of food). 

Supermarkets are massive and their scale makes them cheap, food wholesalers also tend to sell better quality food that obviously has a cost so it's not surprising. 

I'm sure I remember as a kid being taken shopping in Netto and there being signs up limiting x per customer but it's not something you see nowadays, at least not in our sleepy corner of Wales.  

Thank you for the reply.
It's just a moral  issue then taking everything and sod the next person.

Bob2000

TELLIT01 said:

Nothing illegal about it.  If they can purchase more cheaply at a retail supermarket than at a trade outlet why wouldn't they?

Fair enough.
Just leave some products  for the retail shoppers who shop at a retail outlet l guess.

la531983

Bob2000 said:

TheSpectator said:

What law do you think is being broken here?

If they weren't allowed to then do you think the supermarkets would let them?

I dont know what law is being broken. That's why l asked the question.
Thanks.

Even if there was a law stopping shopkeepers using supermarkets, how would you imagine this would be enforced?

"Who are you buying these 20 bottles of Coke for"?
"Oh, they are for me".

Nobody can disprove it.

born_again

Bob2000 said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Hello OP

There's nothing unlawful about this, best bet is to write to the head office of the supermarket, they may impose limits if it's identified as an issue (they don't really want one person to buy all the good deals, they want you to go in for £5 chicken and leave with £50 worth of food). 

Supermarkets are massive and their scale makes them cheap, food wholesalers also tend to sell better quality food that obviously has a cost so it's not surprising. 

I'm sure I remember as a kid being taken shopping in Netto and there being signs up limiting x per customer but it's not something you see nowadays, at least not in our sleepy corner of Wales.  

Thank you for the reply.
It's just a moral  issue then taking everything and sod the next person.

Think back to Covid & it was exactly the same, only just everyone at it...

eskbanker

la531983 said:

Bob2000 said:

TheSpectator said:

What law do you think is being broken here?

If they weren't allowed to then do you think the supermarkets would let them?

I dont know what law is being broken. That's why l asked the question.
Thanks.

Even if there was a law stopping shopkeepers using supermarkets, how would you imagine this would be enforced?

"Who are you buying these 20 bottles of Coke for"?
"Oh, they are for me".

Nobody can disprove it.

I'd have thought that the major supermarkets would have the capability within their systems to cap volumes of specific items allowed on an individual transaction - I've certainly seen this on a number of occasions over the last few years during supply shortages.  Such limits obviously aren't foolproof though, but if they felt the need to impose them, I believe they could - clearly there's a difference between items routinely sold as multipacks (such as bottles of Coke) and shelves of whole chickens....

[Deleted User]

Faster turnover of fresh goods means less chance of wastage - the supermarket probably appreciates it.

If it's a regular occurrence, it would be helpful if the business customers spoke to the store manager and gave them some notice but I guess that some people are just inconsiderate....