Sainsbury’s Gives Lifetime Ban To Shopper
A shopper who frequents retailing giant Sainsbury’s has been banned from every single store of the UK supermarket chain, after redeeming points belonging to someone else’s Nectar card.
The shopper named Christine Turton, who resides in Crosby Merseyside was arrested by police on suspicion of fraud, after using a Nectar card belonging to someone else to purchase groceries at her local Sainsbury’s outlet last month.
The 48 year old shopper had both her finger prints and DNA taken, and was also required to undergo a drug test after being interviewed by police and then being released on bail.
Sainsbury’s has banned Ms. Turton from all its stores for life and have refused to lift the nationwide ban despite the case having been dropped by the Merseyside Police.
Ms. Turton says that she was accidentally handed the wrong Nectar card by a cashier on a previous trip to the supermarket. The card had been reported lost by an elderly gentleman.
Ms. Turton also insists that she has never received a letter from the retailers suggesting that she had been banned and has continued shopping at her local Sainsbury’s every day.
Mrs Turton, who shopped at the store since it first opened more than 20 years ago, said: “I would never use someone else’s Nectar card . It’s preposterous. I would have nothing to gain.”
“It must have been a mistake at the check-out weeks earlier. Like everyone else I didn’t check the back of the card for the signature. All the cards look the same and I can understand that a mistake was made, but to have me arrested over it was just ridiculous.”
“I was treated like a common criminal. It was a terribly frightening and something that I would not wish on anyone.”
“I’ve been a loyal customer of Sainsbury’s for two decades and think I’m owed an apology. But instead of that they’ve banned me from every store in Britain and now I have to go through an appeal process to get allowed back in.”
“I’m not prepared to let them blacken my name so I want them to overturn this unjustified ban.”
A spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s said: “We want to serve our customers, so we never take this kind of action lightly or without investigation.”
“Mrs Turton can appeal the ban but at this stage we stand by our decision.”
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Tesco Opens UK’s First Self Service Store
British retail giant Tesco has opened the UK’s first completely self service store in Northampton.
The convenience store Tesco Express, has no checkouts that are staffed, and instead uses a set of five self service scanning tills which are overseen by a single staff member.
Tesco says the aim of the “assisted service store” was to speed up trips made to the store and increase efficiency. The retailer said however, that there were no plans to implement the checkout in its larger supermarkets.
A Tesco spokesman said: “Customers like the fact that there are five checkouts available. Before, you could have four manned checkouts but only one person working the till. It’s a lot quicker but some people have never used them before so a member of staff is there to assist.”
The head of the British Retail Consortium, Richard Dodd, says he believes the move could trigger the beginning of a technological revolution, which would be the end of manned checkouts at supermarkets.
Critics say that unmanned checkouts signal the end of “basic human interaction” between shoppers and check-out staff, which could mean job losses in the thousands.
But critics of the move warned that it signalled the end of “basic human interaction” between shoppers and check-out staff, and could ultimately result in thousands of job losses.
A spokesman for rival Asda was quoted by supermarket .co.uk as saying that “hell would probably freeze over” before it opened a store with no customer interaction on the checkouts.
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Campaign Slams Supermarket Bakeries As Tanning Salon For Baguettes
A report recently released by the Real Bread Campaign has branded the bakeries of supermarket chains as being nothing more than tanning salons for baguettes.
In a scathingly critical report, the campaign highlights a common practice by many retailers of freezing pre baked loaves of bread, and then re-baking them in store, which has the effect of softening the loaves and making their crusts crunchier.
The campaign says it contacted six retail chains, and found that only Marks and Spencer stocked bread baked in-store that met the campaign’s definition of ‘Real Bread’ , i.e, made with flour, water, yeast and salt, with all natural ingredients and using no processing aid.
The Real Bread Campaign seeks to highlight the increasing loss of jobs in the bakery industry and the worrying trend of including hidden additives in bread.
According to the report many supermarkets make use of a legal loophole which does not force them to disclose a number of additives on their bread labels.
By law, the burden falls on the customer to ask what additives are in the bread rather than the responsibility falling on the retailers to publish.
According to the Food Labelling Regulations 1996, processing aids such as enzymes used to affect colouration and prolong softness need not be declared at all, even if a customer asks for an ingredient list.
The campaign claims that loaves of bread that have been re-baked, which many retailers sell often go stale much faster and requires far more energy to produce.
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Waitrose Starts Selling Luxury Toilet Rolls Made From Cashmere
Wiping one’s behind after visiting the loo has never been silkier, with upmarket grocery retailer Waitrose, upping the luxury ante, offering its customers luxury toilet rolls made using one of the softest materials known to man, cashmere.
Usually cashmere is a material used to manufacture very expensive and extremely soft jumpers, scarf’s and socks, but the retailer is now using the material to make toilet paper for customers who wish to indulge themselves.
Waitrose says that the toilet paper is covered in oil extracted from the hairs of the cashmere goat and is “most luxurious bathroom tissue yet”.
Waitrose is retailing the luxury toilet rolls at nearly double the price of regular toilet paper. The cashmere toilet roll sells at Waitrose stores nationwide for £2.29 for a pack of four, compared with £4.79 for a pack of nine Essentials Ultra toilet rolls.
Carla Smith, buyer for the upmarket grocery chain, said: “Cashmere provides that stamp of quality to any fashion garment from a designer suit to the finest luxury knitwear .”
“It’s indulgent, it’s stylish and it’s helping provide that extra softness to our new premium bathroom tissue collection.”
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Tesco Forces Customer To Leave For Carrying Daughter On Shoulders
The UK’s largest retailer Tesco has been in the headlines of late, after bizarre reports emerged that it had first banned customers from shopping in their pyjama’s and then carded a customer for trying to buy a 51p quiche. The retailer has hit the news again after banning a shopper from one its stores for carrying his daughter on his shoulders.
Cambridge shopper Mark Dunkley found himself accosted by a security guard after entering a Tesco Extra store carrying his six year old daughter Natalie on his shoulders.
Mr. Dunley a 45 year old taxi driver was issued an ultimatum by the security guard to either put his daughter down, or leave the store. The security guard cited health and safety concerns as the reason for the demand, which Mr. Dunkley refused to comply with, taking his daughter to Iceland instead.
He said: ‘I couldn’t believe it. It’s ridiculous. I think she was actually safer on my shoulders rather than running the risk of being hit by a trolley. This sort of pettiness gives health and safety a bad name.”
He added that Tesco had “lost a customer for life”.
A Tesco spokeswoman urged Mr Dunkley to return to the store and talk to the manager about his concerns.
She added: “We take the safety of our staff and customers very seriously. Each store can make these decisions on an individual basis. We have no blanket policy on this issue.”
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Asda Entertainment’s “Big Night In” And Voucher Codes – Offer Valid Until February 15th
Asda Entertainment has started its “Big Night In” sale which offer great deals on loads of DVD’s, CD’s, Games and Books
Asda is offering free UK delivery on its “Big Night In” on hundreds of titles for under £5. That’s a bargain basement price so be sure to hurry and check out all the titles that are on offer
Click Here To Buy DVD’s Online From Asda Entertainment
What’s more? Enjoy extra savings with these money saving voucher codes:
- Enter SPEND20 At Checkout and save £2 off when you spend £20 or more on anything on the Asda Entertainment site
- Enter NINTEN At Checkout and save 10% off Selected Nintendo Games
- Both valid until midnight Monday 15th Feb
Click Here To Buy Nintendo Games Online From Asda
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Tesco Cards Shopper For Trying To Buy Quiche
A Coventry shopper was left shocked when she found that a Tesco checkout assistant asked to her to provide some form of identification after trying to buy a slice of quiche.
The assistant, who is based at the Tesco store in Cannon Park, then refused to allow the stunned shopper to purchase a slice of cheese and onion tart, until identification was produced that proved she was over 21.
24 year old Christine Cuddihy then spent several minutes arguing with the checkout assistant and ultimately produced her driving licence, just so that she could buy the item, which cost 51 pence.
Miss Cuddihy said: “The girl told me, ‘You don’t look over 21. I need to see some proof of age.”
”I told her I was certain the proof of age laws do not apply to quiche but she just said ‘We have to be really strict now and this applies to quiche bought over the counter’.”
”At first I thought she was joking but her face was deadly serious. I didn’t quite know what to say. It was very embarrassing, what on earth is dangerous about a slice of quiche ?”
“I was so insulted they thought I could not be trusted with a harmless snack. I was really embarrassed and just wanted to get out of the shop.”
Miss Cuddihy, from nearby Leamington Spa, added: “It was rush hour and there was a queue forming behind so I just showed her my driving licence and rushed out. I was so hungry that I didn’t even bother kicking up a fuss or complaining to the manager. I just wanted to eat my quiche .
“The irony is I’ve bought alcohol from the same store dozens of times without being asked for ID. The whole thing is ridiculous.”
A spokesperson for the UK’s largest retailer offered an apology and added that shoppers were not required to provide proof of age when attempting to buy quiche.
The spokesman said: “We’re at a loss to say what happened here. We couldn’t find the staff member who asked for the ID.”
“Age-related prompts at till are set centrally and there obviously isn’t one on quiche .”
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Tesco Store Bans Shoppers Wearing Pyjamas
A Tesco store in Cardiff, has banned its customers from entering the supermarket and doing their shopping either in pyjamas or barefoot.
The Tesco Extra store in St Mellons has implemented a dress code, and put up notices at the entrance, as it seeks to prevent customers from doing their shopping wearing nightwear, which the retailers says makes other customers feel a tad bit uncomfortable.
The sign reads: “To avoid causing offence or embarrassment to others we ask that our customers are appropriately dressed when visiting our store (footwear must be worn at all times and no nightwear is permitted).”
The store says it felt it was compelled to take action, after experiencing an increasing number of shoppers, and in particular younger ladies, showing up to the store to do their shopping whilst wearing dressing gowns and slippers.
A Tesco spokesman said: “We’re not a nightclub with a strict dress code, and jeans and trainers are of course more than welcome.”
“We do, however, request that customers do not shop in their PJs or nightgowns. This is to avoid causing offence or embarrassment to others.”
A number of the store’s customers welcomed the decision, with one customer quoted as saying shoppers who failed to bother wearing adequate clothing “could all do with a kick up the backside”.
adding: “I’m fed up with them. When I spoke to one girl about the fact she was barefoot in a shop with food in it, she swore at me.”
Another customer however became the first victim of the ban, and was escorted out of the store for wearing pyjamas and said “If you’re allowed to wear jogging bottoms, why aren’t you allowed to wear pyjamas in there, that’s what I don’t understand. It is ridiculous and stupid. I go in other shops in my pyjamas and they don’t say anything.”
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UK Supermarkets Say Freezing Weather Causing Panic Buying Amongst Shoppers
UK Supermarket chains are reporting that shoppers across the country have begun panic buying and are hoarding items amid concerns that frigid wintry conditions will prevent them from doing their regular shopping.
The UK’s second largest retailer Asda says there has been a large increase in sales of Wellington boots, anti -freeze products, thermal underwear and fire logs, as well as take away foods and puddings since the week began.
An Asda spokesperson said there has been a 32 per cent increase in the number of purchase of 25Kg bags of grit. Purchases of cat litter, which can be used as an alternative to salt for clearing ice and snow had risen by an astonishing 55 per cent which was dwarfed by the massive 1000 per cent increase in sales of George thermal underwear.
Asda says that vacuum flask sales had risen 129 per cent whilst fire log sales had increased by 71 per cent.
Sainsbury’s says its customers have been hoarding tinned foods and winter essentials. The retailer sais that sales of travel mugs and flasks had risen by over 160 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.
David Bailey, Sainsbury’s weather analyst, said: “We know shoppers’ buying habits change according to the weather – a temperature change of three degrees from the seasonal average can result in sales of some products going up by as much as 50 per cent.”
Tesco says its had seen large increases in the number of shoppers buying soup and other tinned items.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “The last snowfall caught many people out and made shopping trips quite hazardous, especially in more open areas, so it appears that this time round shoppers are being more canny and are stocking up just in case.”
Click Here To Buy Thermal Underwear Online From Asda
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Tesco Apologises For Poking Fun At Ginger Haired Kids In Christmas Card
The UK’s leading retailer Tesco has been forced to withdraw a Christmas card from two of its stores in York following complaints the card pokes fun a ginger haired children.
The card depicts a kid with ginger hair sitting on Santa’s lap with the caption “Santa loves all kids. Even ginger ones.”
The BBC quoted a customer Ms. Davinia Phillips with three ginger haired daughters as saying she found the greeting card offensive.
Tesco said it was sorry if the card had “caused any upset”.
The shopper told the BBC that she saw the card when shopping at her local Tesco store
Ms Phillips said:”I picked it up and I couldn’t believe it. I just thought ‘What is so funny about that?’ I didn’t really get the joke. I thought I would buy it, because I wanted proof that I had seen it.”
Ms Phillips, who herself is naturally ginger, added: “The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got and I told the lady who worked in the store I was not happy.”
The card had been removed from sale by the time Ms Phillips returned to the store that same evening. The card has also been withdrawn from Tesco’s Clifton Moor branch in York, after Ms Phillips sister-in law complained.
A Tesco spokesman said: “We sell a large range of Christmas cards, including some which are intended to be humorous. It is never our intention to offend any customer and we are sorry if this card caused any upset.”
The spokesman added that the retailer was still considering whether to cease making the card available from other Tesco outlets
Card manufacturer, Essex-based Quitting Hollywood, said it had no comment to make.
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