Tesco Rant

Lizzykins

I went to Tesco Nutgrove today for my weekly shop. There were some half price offers on Ribena and Walkers Crisps and a few other items-pizza etc. All very well you might say until I went to pick up my favourite tipple-Barry's Tea- to find it had gone up from 2.99 to 3.29!!! Likwise with Kellogs Cereal Bars which were 2.94 and are now 3.23. This is a cynical exercise in reducing prices on some items on the one hand, and racking them up on essentials, on the other. So I left the cereal bars and bought the tea in bad humour.
It get's better though! I picked up a slotted spoon for 2.50 in the household section. I thought it was good value. When the checkout operator went to put it through it wouldn't scan and she couldn't give it to me!! Said I could get another brand if I wanted. I didn't bother. Funnily enough the same thing happened to me in Superquinn yesterday with kids juice drinks and I got them for nothing!
I'm fed up with rip off supermarkets.

Guy:Incognito

Lizzykins wrote: »

All very well you might say until I went to pick up my favourite tipple-Barry's Tea- to find it had gone up from 2.99 to 3.29!!! Likwise with Kellogs Cereal Bars which were 2.94 and are now 3.23. This is a cynical exercise in reducing prices on some items on the one hand, and racking them up on essentials, on the other..

In what universe are tea and cereal bars "essentials"? (and specific brands at at that)

EKRIUQ

Lizzykins wrote: »

When the checkout operator went to put it through it wouldn't scan and she couldn't give it to me!!

Yeah they don't give me stuff either I have to pay for it:rolleyes:

Lizzykins

I'll concede cereal bars aren't an essential but don't part me from Barry's Tea! Those two were only examples of price rincreases implemented to offset the reductions in other areas.

ChewChew

Lizzykins wrote: »

I went to Tesco Nutgrove today for my weekly shop. There were some half price offers on Ribena and Walkers Crisps and a few other items-pizza etc. All very well you might say until I went to pick up my favourite tipple-Barry's Tea- to find it had gone up from 2.99 to 3.29!!! Likwise with Kellogs Cereal Bars which were 2.94 and are now 3.23. This is a cynical exercise in reducing prices on some items on the one hand, and racking them up on essentials, on the other. So I left the cereal bars and bought the tea in bad humour.
It get's better though! I picked up a slotted spoon for 2.50 in the household section. I thought it was good value. When the checkout operator went to put it through it wouldn't scan and she couldn't give it to me!! Said I could get another brand if I wanted. I didn't bother. Funnily enough the same thing happened to me in Superquinn yesterday with kids juice drinks and I got them for nothing!
I'm fed up with rip off supermarkets.

Has anyone ever thought that maybe it's NOT tesco that are putting the prices up but kellogs or barrys??? and yes this DOES happen!!

OP on the spoon thingy, you were worse for leaving it. if something is on the shop floor and it does not scan that is not your problem. you should have taken the spoon and gone straight to the store manager and demanded he/she write the price on the label and also initial it! if it is on the shop floor for sale you are entitled to buy it!!

Guy:Incognito

ChewChew wrote: »

if it is on the shop floor for sale you are entitled to buy it!!

You're not "entitled" to buy anything. They can decide they dont want to sell stuff if they like, they own it.

ChewChew

Stekelly wrote: »

You're not "entitled" to buy anything. They can decide they dont want to sell stuff if they like, they own it.

Not if its on the shop floor. Or at least thats how it was a few years ago

TheDriver

Tescos had a price on the shelf and you chose to shop in there and put those items into your basket, don't know what you are complaining about. Go to Lidl if you want cheaper brand goods etc? It would be different if they had wrong prices everywhere or tried overcharging you but they didn't.

Skittles!

I hate Tesco. They don't give a f**k about their customers. I worked in the Tesco in Ballyfermot while I was in college (mainly out of convenience because it was right next door to the college). After what I learned there, I've never ever shopped in any Tesco branch again. There sooo dirty and disgusting. The area were the customers go was kept sort of clean-ish but the rest of the store (the areas that customers don't go like the canteen and back stores) was really disgusting. In the storage area, a window in the roof was broken and birds had come in, made nests and were pecking at the food kept there and pooping everywhere. The birds were there the whole two years I worked there and none of the managers weren't bothered to do anything about it. I hated going into the backstores. I'd always beg one of the fella's to go in there for me. Thank God I worked on the checkouts mostly. It still turns my stomach even thinking about it now.

krudler

Lizzykins wrote: »

I went to Tesco Nutgrove today for my weekly shop. There were some half price offers on Ribena and Walkers Crisps and a few other items-pizza etc. All very well you might say until I went to pick up my favourite tipple-Barry's Tea- to find it had gone up from 2.99 to 3.29!!! Likwise with Kellogs Cereal Bars which were 2.94 and are now 3.23. This is a cynical exercise in reducing prices on some items on the one hand, and racking them up on essentials, on the other. So I left the cereal bars and bought the tea in bad humour.
It get's better though! I picked up a slotted spoon for 2.50 in the household section. I thought it was good value. When the checkout operator went to put it through it wouldn't scan and she couldn't give it to me!! Said I could get another brand if I wanted. I didn't bother. Funnily enough the same thing happened to me in Superquinn yesterday with kids juice drinks and I got them for nothing!
I'm fed up with rip off supermarkets.

hang on, so a box of "essential" tea went up by 30 whole cents but you got crisps, pizza and ribena for half price? and you think you're being ripped off? so basically Tesco should give you everything for nothing all the time, got it

Corruptedmorals

Lizzykins wrote: »

When the checkout operator went to put it through it wouldn't scan and she couldn't give it to me!!

Well yes it's all EPOS systems, she can't just type in the price. It's either scan or type the barcode. You might have been able to get a similar good in the range of household stuff for the same price, though technically this contributes to stock loss, stores hate doing it.

dudara

Have you noticed the world around us at the moment? Lots of costs are increasing.

Tesco regularly have 2-4-1 and 1/2 price promotions, this really has no bearing on what they charge for non-promotion stuff.

As for the spoon - they don't have to sell it to you, but it's obviously good customer service if they do. Superquinn do give you an item for free if it doesn't scan, but I don't think Tesco do. A store manager will be able to tell you what their policy is in regard to this.

Lizzykins

I thought I made a valid point re price hikes. Seems no one else agrees. Sure some stuff is half price but you can't live on Ribena and crisps and pizza. I do go to Aldi on a regular basis. My point is though Tesco reduced their prices on some things they didn't take a hit on profits.
Now I'm going to throw out the toys from the pram and leave you all to it.

parsi

Stekelly wrote: »

In what universe are tea and cereal bars "essentials"? (and specific brands at at that)

Whatever about cereal bars tea is an essential in this country. Ring yer mammy if you don't believe me...:D

Chinafoot

Lizzykins wrote: »

I thought I made a valid point re price hikes. Seems no one else agrees. Sure some stuff is half price but you can't live on Ribena and crisps and pizza. I do go to Aldi on a regular basis. My point is though Tesco reduced their prices on some things they didn't take a hit on profits.
Now I'm going to throw out the toys from the pram and leave you all to it.

You are aware that Tesco is a business yes? Why on earth would they "take a hit on profits"?

bigpinkelephant

Stekelly wrote:

You're not "entitled" to buy anything. They can decide they dont want to sell stuff if they like, they own it.

ChewChew wrote: »

Not if its on the shop floor. Or at least thats how it was a few years ago

The store own all of their stock, (yes even the thousands of products on the shop floor)... you are not entitled to buy it... They reserve the right to refuse admission or refuse a sale.

krudler

Lizzykins wrote: »

I thought I made a valid point re price hikes. Seems no one else agrees. Sure some stuff is half price but you can't live on Ribena and crisps and pizza. I do go to Aldi on a regular basis. My point is though Tesco reduced their prices on some things they didn't take a hit on profits.
Now I'm going to throw out the toys from the pram and leave you all to it.

So dont buy ribena, crisps and pizza and spend the difference you save on tea:D

Prices in supermarkets go up and down on items every other day, the cost of tea can be affected by global stock prices, not just because Tesco decided it,to be honest I dont even really pay attention to tiny price hikes, i have better things to worry about than a 30c hike on a box of teabags:rolleyes:

eddiehobbs

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

Well yes it's all EPOS systems, she can't just type in the price. It's either scan or type the barcode. You might have been able to get a similar good in the range of household stuff for the same price, though technically this contributes to stock loss, stores hate doing it.

Its a 2 min job to activate the barcode on the back store computer.

kraggy

OP, I'm with you on this one.

It is indeed sneaky the way they do it but that's the way large supermarkets operate and that's the reason you can buy Tesco Value this that and the other for less than cost price. They're loss leaders. They make a loss on certain items in order to get you in to buy the other things.

The OP is getting a hard time here and I think it's unwarranted. Tesco and others continuosly chop and change their prices on goods without notice. They'll advertise the cheap products and reduction in prices but will not advertise changes upwards in price for good that many unsuspecting customers have bought at the same price over a prolonged period of time.

The fact that he got some (relatively unwanted) items at half price does not justify the fact that they have put other goods up by more than 10% in one of the cases highlighted by the OP. The goods which have been hiked in price ARE deemed by some as essentials. Afterall, tea is listed in the Consumer Price Index, which is the gauge used to measure the official rate of inflation. And even if some on here might not regard them as essentials personally, they certainly are more essential and more commonly bought than Monster Munch and the like.

krudler

What supermarket have you ever seen to advertise raises in prices?

the_syco

Lizzykins wrote: »

I thought I made a valid point re price hikes. Seems no one else agrees.

Tea comes from far away. To get here, it's transported. Anything that transports it, uses fuel. Fuel has gone up a good bit. So, the delivery cost (to Tescos) will have gone up. Someone must then pay for this increase, and there's no reason why Tescos would. Thus, the consumer will.

This is not a dig at you. I'm just pointing out that the tea will be the first to get hit, as it's seen as a "luxury" item. Bread, milk, butter, are essentials. No doubt other items will go up in price. Oh, and the other way to keep prices down is to have less staff do less hours. I know a few from Dunnes that are getting less hours, so that Dunnes can remain competitive, yet still make a profit.

talkingclock

Skittles! wrote: »

The area were the customers go was kept sort of clean-ish but the rest of the store (the areas that customers don't go like the canteen and back stores) was really disgusting.

I suppose it's the staff who leaves the canteen dirty...

Skittles! wrote: »

In the storage area, a window in the roof was broken and birds had come in, made nests and were pecking at the food kept there and pooping everywhere. The birds were there the whole two years I worked there and none of the managers weren't bothered to do anything about it. I hated going into the backstores. I'd always beg one of the fella's to go in there for me. Thank God I worked on the checkouts mostly. It still turns my stomach even thinking about it now.

Now that's disgusting indeed!

marti101

Also if they sell something thats comes up not on file tis classed as stockloss or theft because they have no printout for what they sold.The cashier cant just type the price in we werre able to do it at one stage but we cant anymore.Plus the cashier is doing her job its not down to her that theres no price.People think we have the authority to sell stuff reduce stuff give it away for free.Well the job title says it all Cashier

ejmaztec

Skittles! wrote: »

I hate Tesco. They don't give a f**k about their customers. I worked in the Tesco in Ballyfermot while I was in college (mainly out of convenience because it was right next door to the college). After what I learned there, I've never ever shopped in any Tesco branch again. There sooo dirty and disgusting. The area were the customers go was kept sort of clean-ish but the rest of the store (the areas that customers don't go like the canteen and back stores) was really disgusting. In the storage area, a window in the roof was broken and birds had come in, made nests and were pecking at the food kept there and pooping everywhere. The birds were there the whole two years I worked there and none of the managers weren't bothered to do anything about it. I hated going into the backstores. I'd always beg one of the fella's to go in there for me. Thank God I worked on the checkouts mostly. It still turns my stomach even thinking about it now.

So, when you were luring fellas into the back-store, couldn't you and the lucky lad do something about the roof while you were in there? They do have big steps in store-rooms - and your action would have shown initiative.

Ste.phen

eddiehobbs wrote: »

Its a 2 min job to activate the barcode on the back store computer.

Nope, actually.
Head office pushes down the product updates nightly, and as far as I know there's an internal embargo on when that can be done so as not to send down dodgy updates to teh stores. Even when they're on tyhe ball it can take 2 days to get a product activated.

Xterminator

Skittles! wrote: »

I hate Tesco. They don't give a f**k about their customers. I worked in the Tesco in Ballyfermot while I was in college (mainly out of convenience because it was right next door to the college). After what I learned there, I've never ever shopped in any Tesco branch again. There sooo dirty and disgusting. The area were the customers go was kept sort of clean-ish but the rest of the store (the areas that customers don't go like the canteen and back stores) was really disgusting. In the storage area, a window in the roof was broken and birds had come in, made nests and were pecking at the food kept there and pooping everywhere. The birds were there the whole two years I worked there and none of the managers weren't bothered to do anything about it. I hated going into the backstores. I'd always beg one of the fella's to go in there for me. Thank God I worked on the checkouts mostly. It still turns my stomach even thinking about it now.

A store is only as good as its employee's.

Check out the difference between Dunnes in stephens green and Dunnes in finglas . One is sptoless and one is in complete need of an overhaul.

Tesco clearwater is one of the cleanest, best supermarkets around, but tesco ballymun is a kip.

Ans Superquinn finglas is disgraceful, and should be served with a closure order, in my opinion.

Im sure you could have reported any problems in that store, but chose not to. It people that are lasy/poorly trained etc not the store name.

taram

Ste.phen wrote: »

Nope, actually.
Head office pushes down the product updates nightly, and as far as I know there's an internal embargo on when that can be done so as not to send down dodgy updates to teh stores. Even when they're on tyhe ball it can take 2 days to get a product activated.

Same deal with my work, we ring EPOS, they put it through in a day or two, we can't do anything about it even if we have 200 of them right in front of us to be sold.

who007

At the hieght of the Sterling vs. Euro rip off in Ireland recently I bought a pair of combats ni Tesco for 20 odd quid. It scanned for 2 quid less on the self service till and when I checked my recipt it showed that yes, they had given me a % sterling reduction off the price. I was well impressed and almost always find them to have good deals.

ShaneU

Every magazine went up in price in the store I work in a few weeks ago. They'll go all out to tell you about 3c off a loaf of bread, but everything else is being hiked like crazy.

Bluetonic

ShaneU wrote: »

Every magazine went up in price in the store I work in a few weeks ago. They'll go all out to tell you about 3c off a loaf of bread, but everything else is being hiked like crazy.

What a silly sweeping statement.

Ste.phen

Bluetonic wrote: »

What a silly sweeping statement.

It's sweeping but it may well be true

I did an online shop with Tesco a few weeks back and dozens of products were flagged in their 'every day low price' promotion (ie the product is displayed, and below it in little blue text it said 'Every Day Price 1.23', etc)

For the fast majority of those products, the actual price was a few cents (usually 10) higher than the promoted price. I checked back a day or two later and they were all in sync, was probably a lag between updating the base price and the 'promotion' tagging.

But it does look like they're increasing prices on a lot of products. Maybe so they can advertise again when they reduce them?