Great 'When's best to supermarket shop for discounts?' Hunt

Genasai · 20 April 2011 at 4:12PM

Since moving home 8 months ago and shopping late in the evening when my partner arrives home from work, we've come to realise that the local Morrisons reduce to silly prices!

We usually go shopping between 19:00-20:00 and Morrisons closes at 20:00-21:00 depending on the day and we pick up the most amazing bread for as little as 9p! We also find the staff to be really polite and helpful (Mostly), we'rwe always polite to them and patient - Not standing too close or crowding and they often say when you're looking 'If you wait a sec I'm going to reduce that down again", so being nice often pays off making the bread 9p instead of 19p.

we go once a week and have a freezer filled with delicious bread - We even buy it for our friends and family who don't have a Morrisons. Another great tip is not to be too greedy, it really !!!!es people off if you go in there and take everything, we've seen people do it, and we only ever take what we truly want and know we'll use.

@BostonMan : It's not really the staffs problem that you have a low income. They are still people who are doing thier job, that job is not to be harassed but to ake sure that the shelves are well stocked and that they give good customer service.

BostonMan · 20 April 2011 at 4:31PM

I don't pester them, I don't get bargains, I go shopping at 8am. All I was saying was look at both sides so that there can be a bit of understanding.

GlitterUK · 20 April 2011 at 5:02PM

I reduction shop all the time. I could not afford to buy the food we do otherwise. I am really disappointed that my thoughts on what the staff feel about customers like me have been confirmed. I always stand back and let them do their job and I only ask them to reduce something while they are reducing other food and I have found something they have missed. But as much as I don't let it stop me, I hate doing it because the staff member usually makes me feel like I am bothering them. When a crowd appears they make it even more obvious. There are some staff that are more than happy to help and encourage you to bring them items, so I know they are capable of giving good customer service but on the whole it is not a good experience. I realise its probably not most peoples dream job, so why would they care. It's just a shame that good customer service goes out the window because people would like a bargain. I am surprised at some of the posts that talk about cheap skates etc because if you are signed up to this site, surely you appreciate trying to save money and get a bargain.

synchro_2 · 20 April 2011 at 6:06PM

Wow, I had no idea assistants could choose what to reduce prices to. I always thought they scanned the product and the sticker-machine gave a reduced price automatically..?

leigh777_2 · 20 April 2011 at 9:01PM

Hi all.
I am a manager at Lidl

We only have one discount which is 30%

We do bread in the morning so if you come in at 8am some bread may be reduced ... bare in mind unlike other stores who reduce stuff thats best before is like that day we reduce it a day before so if it went out of date on the 25th we would reduce at 8am on the 24th. Therefore giving you more time to eat it

Secondly things like chilled items from fresh meat we reduce mid afternoon about 3 to 4ish. Items such as sausages, pasties are reduced a day before best before. Items like ham, pizzas and youghurts are reduced about a week before there best before. and we reduce cheese 2 or 4 weeks its best before date... this is because we believe you can then consume it before its best before date.

Hope that helps

ace1986 · 20 April 2011 at 10:22PM

I used to work at Co-Op and now work at Tesco.

Best tip I can give, if you're a regular to the store then have a chat with the guy doing the reductions whilst he's doing them, if he starts to know you, then he'll help you out. I had a couple of customer who used to wind me up and if I saw them coming I'd stop straight away and they wouldn't get any more offers from me. But the ones who I liked used to come in and pick something up, I'd tell them to do a lap of the store and by the time they'd come back, I'd have reduced it with a little extra off and hidden it behind something so no one else could grab it instead.

Also, just remember that hand held PDAs are used for shelf edge pricing, stock counting, confirming deliveries, recording waste, etc... Just because I have a PDA does NOT mean I am reducing and getting aggrivated and swearing at me is just going to convince me to find the guy who is doing the reducing and tell him to wait until you've left the store.

It might not be the most professional way of doing things, but I will go out of my way to have a dig at customers who offend me just as much as I will go out of my way to help customers that I like!

puppypants · 20 April 2011 at 10:48PM

That days dated food is discounted around 10am. Then after 5pm anything that days date goes to 50p. BUT if its hasn't been marked 50p it can't be discounted at the till only the person that is doing the checks can do it.

babzblue · 21 April 2011 at 12:51AM

The dig about "cheap skate" was clearly a joke.
I do appreciate a bargain as much as the next person, and I am quite proud to be a cheap skate... We are working in supermarkets do you think we are rich?

Its exactly these kind of attitudes which annoy the staff when they are working. At the end of the day, we have all gone out of our way here to take 10 minutes listing tips for you all and help you get a bargain, and I cant see any thanks being posted? It is exactly the same in store, we could save ourselves grief and time by sticking to the management rules on reductions but 9 times out of 10 staff will be more than happy to reduce items for customers. Too many shop workers are treated with no respect, a man used to whistle to me for my attention - did that really inspire me to want to then help him? NO! We are telling you to be polite to the staff and not pester them or act rude. If you wouldnt act that way to your doctor, vet, a police officer then dont act that way to shop assistants who at the end of the day are also just trying to provide a service.

Mollie-rose8_2 · 21 April 2011 at 8:57AM

:think:

BostonMan wrote: »

I don't pester them, I don't get bargains, I go shopping at 8am. All I was saying was look at both sides so that there can be a bit of understanding.

Totally agree with you Boston Man. @ Genasai No its not 'staff problem' but maybe you, your partner

and staff need to get a little empathy for goodness sake.

Rachel_123 · 21 April 2011 at 11:00AM

[FONT=&quot]Which supermarket do you work for/did you work for?[/FONT]

Waitrose

[FONT=&quot]What times of day do you reduce prices?[/FONT]

Things like cheese, yoghurts etc are done a few days in advance but this will be a crappy first reduction. For everything else (meat etc) first reductions in the morning, 2nd around 4-6PM and then maybe another one an hour before close.

[FONT=&quot]How big are the discounts? (If the computer does it automatically, do a rough estimate)[/FONT]

First reduction around 25%, 2nd reduction depends on time of day. The gun suggests a price but we are free to override it if we are feeling generous/there's a lot to get rid of. In the last few hours things will get knocked right down.

[FONT=&quot]What time is the final, final reduction (to 10p-ish)?[/FONT]

2 hours ish before close. We normally have other things to do in the last hour so will just wander over occassionally to see what's left.

[FONT=&quot]Who has the authority to reduce prices?[/FONT]

Waitrose has a department that focuses on the whole stores reductions (apart from counters). So the whole of that department.

[FONT=&quot]If a customer asked you to reduce something because it’s on it’s sell-by date are you allowed to?[/FONT]

Yes as if it's been missed we'll get a bollocking! Don't have a problem as long as people ask nicely and don't just shove it in my face.

[FONT=&quot]Does it vary if it’s a 24-hour store?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And any other useful tips …[/FONT]

Watch out for the buy 2 for £5 etc deals as when these items are reduced it will still take the whole amount as if it were full price off.
Watch out for loose reductions on fruit and veg, these aren't advertised very much apart from a reduced sign on the SEL, these can be very good prices (at my store anyway).

Echoing the above don't pester, don't grab things out of my hands, don't treat me like dirt as I will suddenly start feeling much less generous. Also don't push me out of the way of the chiller as I will find something else to do. Don't expect me to sort out who's having what and who was there first as I don't particularly care. Do be nice and polite and have a chat with us, we are more likely to tell you about any other bargains.

Don't keep coming up to us and asking if this item will be reduced when it goes out of date in a months time. Don't change your mind about reductions and leave them all over the store as I get in trouble. Let me stick the sticker over the barcode before taking it, it will be your loss if you don't. Don't grumble when I run out of stickers, battery etc. Don't stalk me round the shop, I will suddenly start having a nice long walk round the shop.

Waitrose has the genius idea of letting the reductions team have the store phone, so please let me answer the phone when it rings.

After going through the trauma of reducing turkeys on christmas eve, please don't crowd around me, it's not nice.

Great 'When's best to supermarket shop for discounts?' Hunt

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