Tesco - every penny helps . . . . themselves!

pseudodox

When I buy loose veg etc at Tesco I weigh my selections and print out the labels.  THEN I put the produce into one of the 30p bags I purchased to do my bit for recycling.  But of late I have noticed when I get to the checkout the barcode is ignored, the produce is weighed & the price is a penny higher than on the label.  In effect they are charging us a penny every time we use one of our own bags.  So a while back I weighed an empty bag on the veg scales and sure enough it registered a penny.

I queried this with the checkout person today and was told they ignore the barcode and re-weigh to prevent fraud by people who print out a label, then put extra veg into the bag.  Well I understand the concept of fighting crime, but surely they should then automatically give a penny discount for every bag you have re-used.  I got the penny taken off today as usual. I don't care how long this takes holding up the queue as those pennies add up - 3 or 4 bags a week over a year far exceeds the original cost of the bags.  And of course you can quickly dispute this at a manned checkout but not at self service without a load of hassle waiting for an assistant, explaining the problem ad infinitum.

So I went to Customer Service to make an official "feedback" complaint.  Not only was I given short shrift by the person on the desk, but several people in the queue behind me also thought I was making a fuss over nothing.  I was even told that scales can fluctuate.  Which is illegal as all scales used should be calibrated and regularly checked for accuracy.  So from now on I will be placing all my loose carrots, onions, courgettes whatever on the conveyor unbagged.  It was fair enough when they issued "free" paper bags that you effectively paid for that bag, but now you have a to purchase the mesh bags this is not acceptable.

If every customer is being overcharged a few pennies in this way every week then it adds up to a nice little addition to the profits for Tesco.

la531983

Why dont you just use the self scan handsets then?

flaneurs_lobster

la531983 said:

Why dont you just use the self scan handsets then?

.. or just don't bother weighing your veg if it's going to be weighed anyway. 

la531983

flaneurs_lobster said:

la531983 said:

Why dont you just use the self scan handsets then?

.. or just don't bother weighing your veg if it's going to be weighed anyway. 

Never had that in Asda or Tesco on the handheld self scan thing, im assuming here hes going to a manned till.

pseudodox

flaneurs_lobster said:

.. or just don't bother weighing your veg if it's going to be weighed anyway. 

which is what I said . . .  So from now on I will be placing all my loose carrots, onions, courgettes whatever on the conveyor unbagged.

la531983

Or just use my suggestion. No human interference needed usually.

Suzycoll

pseudodox said:

When I buy loose veg etc at Tesco I weigh my selections and print out the labels.  THEN I put the produce into one of the 30p bags I purchased to do my bit for recycling.  But of late I have noticed when I get to the checkout the barcode is ignored, the produce is weighed & the price is a penny higher than on the label.  In effect they are charging us a penny every time we use one of our own bags.  So a while back I weighed an empty bag on the veg scales and sure enough it registered a penny.

I queried this with the checkout person today and was told they ignore the barcode and re-weigh to prevent fraud by people who print out a label, then put extra veg into the bag.  Well I understand the concept of fighting crime, but surely they should then automatically give a penny discount for every bag you have re-used.  I got the penny taken off today as usual. I don't care how long this takes holding up the queue as those pennies add up - 3 or 4 bags a week over a year far exceeds the original cost of the bags.  And of course you can quickly dispute this at a manned checkout but not at self service without a load of hassle waiting for an assistant, explaining the problem ad infinitum.

So I went to Customer Service to make an official "feedback" complaint.  Not only was I given short shrift by the person on the desk, but several people in the queue behind me also thought I was making a fuss over nothing.  I was even told that scales can fluctuate.  Which is illegal as all scales used should be calibrated and regularly checked for accuracy.  So from now on I will be placing all my loose carrots, onions, courgettes whatever on the conveyor unbagged.  It was fair enough when they issued "free" paper bags that you effectively paid for that bag, but now you have a to purchase the mesh bags this is not acceptable.

If every customer is being overcharged a few pennies in this way every week then it adds up to a nice little addition to the profits for Tesco.

Sadly Tesco (and many other supermarkets) are ripping us off with 'small' items like this & many many more.

Just my opinion but I detest Tesco & never shop there (due to examples like this & more ) 

flaneurs_lobster

Suzycoll said:

Just my opinion but I detest Tesco & never shop there (due to examples like this & more ) 

Tesco are useful - they keep the oiks out of Sainsburys

dosh37

As a fellow skinflint, I refuse to pay 30p for a reusable veggie bag.

Instead, I save my old bags from pre-packed carrots, parsnips etc. and use those.

You need to eradicate the original bar code with a marker pen to prevent confusion at the checkout.

Admittedly the weight of the plastic bag may influence the scales slightly but the difference must be less than paying for several of Tesco's own re-usable bags.

I once saw a lady remove the outer layers of onions and the stalks from Tomatoes 'on-the-vine' and Broccoli to reduce the weight. I think it must have been Mrs Scrooge :-)

I seem to remember a sign on the customer scales that tells you to weigh items before putting them in a bag. That would be tricky if weighing at the checkout.

flaneurs_lobster

** whisper it **

Waitrose still have free (compostable) plastic bags for the loose veg. 

People have been known to take a few extra "just in case". 

Perfect size to line small bathroom pedal bin........as sold in Tesco.

Ms_Chocaholic

If you come across a staff member shopping for click and collect orders you can take some of their bags for your veg, I have in the past and they have been happy to give me them.