Does anyone know whether there is a fair use policy on colleague Shop?
Obviously, since they first introduced colleague shop, things have changed slightly - in that, there used to be a fridge/area in the back of the shop (i.e. staff only) for each shop.
Nowadays, when final reductions are done, they are included within the shop floor meaning all customers can buy "CS" coded items - and if they have a colleague discount card (from any shop/DC/Head office or simply second card holder) and they buy in the final hour before closing, they effectively get that item free of charge.
One difference now being that as everything is scanned through the till then the amount of "colleague shop discount" you are getting can be tracked - previously, you could basically take everything from the back fridge and no-one would know what you'd taken (unless they saw you).
So, my question is a moral one (maybe) -
Firstly, I cannot seem to find anything on Ourtesco relating to any policy of fair use. I did find a "news" item on Ourtesco from Jan 2018 - and someone did pose the same question in the comments section - but seemingly no response.
Secondly, regardless of whether there is any specific policy, what are people's views on it? Are you of the opinion that it's a "perk" and if you play the system, then good on you. Or is there a fairness issue? Fairness to : Other colleagues/Other shoppers even or untimately, one might argue for "charity" - because any "left over CS stuff goes to food banks and the like"?
What would people consider to be a reasonable amount (£) to be "getting in CS discounts"?
Cheers.
I've never come across a policy or anything of the like around limits etc and how much you are entitled to. Never heard of anyone being pulled in for taking however much they wanted.
Barely any colleagues around in the final hour before closing so haven't heard of anyone complaining it's not fair etc and we do charity at 8pm and the RTC CS applies after 9pm.
The other way of keeping the Cs stock in back area staff fridge I found that people would be greedy and leave nothing for others. This way is much better as more staff have the means to get the item does not matter where they work or are a second card holder.
When we done it that way, we found we had more complaints from staff who would take it from warehouse etc before it hit the CS fridge - resulted in us standing over it and limiting the amount you could have when it came to the good stuff - meat etc. Free for all on the lettuce though - take what you want haha. I remember encouraging colleagues to take as much as possible and feed to pets rabbits, hamsters hahaa
Think it's much fairer on shopfloor. Area better covered by cameras and can also track via back office if people are allegedly abusing it.
Would £50 a week of colleague shop be classed as "abuse"?
You have CS items available? !
Since fridge is gone in our store we hardly have anything at all. Some bread or cakes if you lucky or c**p like some greens.
Good Items go mostly to charity or simply being wasted n thrown away as no one reduce it for CS.
Shame. It feels that who does evening reducions can't be bothered. As stock must go through till they know they won't have it so no one will.
As long as the process of reductions is followed then i don't see how it can be abused? All reductions should be in the appropriate shop floor fixture and then free after 9pm to all colleagues or paying customers
Correct, as long as process is followed regarding reductions then no comeback around how much you are entitled to. Currently no policy etc around how much you can have for "free" aslong as reductions are followed and no foul play - then enjoy 😘
In our store if you are lucky you'll get some bread or rotting fruit/veg!
Those who are doing the CS reductions are putting the good items away to the side for themselves and their friends and keeping some back for the managers to keep them sweet. This starts from 6PM and they are quite brazen about it as anyone who questions management are basically told to keep their mouth shut for their own good!
If that's the case, collect evidence pictures etc and take it further to a manager in store or senior/SM you can trust. Provide pics etc.
If you can't, send an email to your people partner.
You'll be doing what's right but your colleagues will take a dislike to you and so will the managers who you've complained about. Depends on what outcome youd want from this and whether you can handle the heat that you'll experience after.
Quote from: helpme on 26-02-21, 02:13PM
In our store if you are lucky you'll get some bread or rotting fruit/veg!
Those who are doing the CS reductions are putting the good items away to the side for themselves and their friends and keeping some back for the managers to keep them sweet. This starts from 6PM and they are quite brazen about it as anyone who questions management are basically told to keep their mouth shut for their own good!
A local store to me had a hub investigation about this. I don’t know full outcome but I do know that some people no longer work for the company.
I would watch your own back. Stand back and keep yourself right and don’t get dragged into it.
Quote from: DHardy on 26-02-21, 03:31PM
If that's the case, collect evidence pictures etc and take it further to a manager in store or senior/SM you can trust. Provide pics etc.
If you can't, send an email to your people partner.
You'll be doing what's right but your colleagues will take a dislike to you and so will the managers who you've complained about. Depends on what outcome youd want from this and whether you can handle the heat that you'll experience after.
I detect a problem with your cunning plan, Baldrick. ;)
If that's the case call the protector line or drop Ken Murphy a email......however expect to be very unpopular instore if action is taken as a result.
If you cant handle that just ensure you play no part in any of the activities so you cant be implicated when the s*** hits the fan as sooner or later this will be uncovered.
How would they know it was him that raised the complaint if protector line prides itself on confidentiality :D
As confidential as my village barmaid!
Think they just use Protector Line to lull 'troublemakers' into a false sense of security before grassing them up.
We have had two cases where complainers have suddenly been found to be 'inadequate workers' and harassed till they react adversely, then Bye-Byes!
The posters disappeared off the wall and we were all warned that the Protector Line has 'consequences' whatever that means.
People-person wise, its perhaps the integrity of the individual in your area.
Ours seems a reasonable sort, but....
Trust/throw/far etc.
As aggravating as seeing this misuse of this system is it it really the hill you want to set your flag on?
All for a mouldy loaf and a black banana?
Don't reveal your name department and yes it is confidential, even with names provided it should be confidential of course, but I wouldn't trust the external company to not reveal even if accidentally.
Beyond that as long as the situation itself isn't something that will identify you, you're in the clear.
Quote from: dirty-donkey on 27-02-21, 01:29PM
As confidential as my village barmaid!
Think they just use Protector Line to lull 'troublemakers' into a false sense of security before grassing them up.
We have had two cases where complainers have suddenly been found to be 'inadequate workers' and harassed till they react adversely, then Bye-Byes!
The posters disappeared off the wall and we were all warned that the Protector Line has 'consequences' whatever that means.
People-person wise, its perhaps the integrity of the individual in your area.
Ours seems a reasonable sort, but....
Trust/throw/far etc.
As aggravating as seeing this misuse of this system is it it really the hill you want to set your flag on?
All for a mouldy loaf and a black banana?
Agreed. If some sad losers want to risk their jobs for cheap and nasty food, leave them to it. Just make sure there is no possible way you can be implicated when, inevitably, Mr Excrement is introduced to Mr Rotational Air Cooling Device. >:D
Quote from: VladPutin on 27-02-21, 06:16AM
Quote from: DHardy on 26-02-21, 03:31PM
If that's the case, collect evidence pictures etc and take it further to a manager in store or senior/SM you can trust. Provide pics etc.
If you can't, send an email to your people partner.
You'll be doing what's right but your colleagues will take a dislike to you and so will the managers who you've complained about. Depends on what outcome youd want from this and whether you can handle the heat that you'll experience after.
I detect a problem with your cunning plan, Baldrick. ;)
;D ;D ;D
Ours is gone before staff get a look. Charities come in and take it all before 9pm.
We have several colleagues especially one in particular that will come in on a sunday at 2pm and buy up all the descent reductions then wait around till 3pm when they will sometimes have £45-50 worth of goods for nothing. We had a bookers lady doing the same and stalking the reduction staff but thankfully she has been told only a few things allowed not a trolley load...
This was exactly my point - a colleague (not from "our shop" - in fact not from any shop - but has a colleague card) comes in around 2pm on a sunday and fills their trolley - and spot on - gets around £50+ of colleague shop each week.
Think that's bad? Well same person apparently (I'm not there but have been told) regularly comes in on several evenings and does the same - but so much more difficult surely given we close at midnight - does this mean they hang around until 11pm?
Years ago when I used to do last reduction there used to be a customer who would come in at about 5, gather up all the reductions he wanted and stand about till 9, and as soon as final reductions started he would run out and hand over his reductions for final reduction, I refused to do it for him but other would, he did this every f****ng day! I f****ng hated that creepy f****ng idiot
see, that you described would be misuse, so them doing it anyone else marking it down would also be able to face disciplinary... we don't know how long it's been off the shelves for etc so it goes to waste and whatnot if they return it is supposed to be the process for fresh stuff.
Quote from: barafear on 08-03-21, 05:54PM
This was exactly my point - a colleague (not from "our shop" - in fact not from any shop - but has a colleague card) comes in around 2pm on a sunday and fills their trolley - and spot on - gets around £50+ of colleague shop each week.
Think that's bad? Well same person apparently (I'm not there but have been told) regularly comes in on several evenings and does the same - but so much more difficult surely given we close at midnight - does this mean they hang around until 11pm?
same as us, but its our colleague that comes in most evenings....
Maybe it's the only way they can feed themselves and their families
not my customer he ran a bnb in one of the best parts of town
Quote from: Welshie on 09-03-21, 11:55PM
Maybe it's the only way they can feed themselves and their families
Of course none of us want to think less of people that do this - and of course there will be a % of people who come in to get reductions because they simply struggle to feed their families.
But often there are reasons to believe that there are also a % of people who do not fall into this category but still "play the game"
I do think there is a difference between a colleague (with a discount card - with a job - that probably pays better than us colleagues in-store) getting stuff for free as opposed to customers who actually do pay 25% of the full price
I don't have a problem with the concept of colleague shop - I just feel that "overuse" is excessive and morally wrong - especially when they are playing the game and effectively grabbing everything when they get reduced - which is often around 2-3 hours before closing time and then wandering around store to wait for that cut off point.
It's only a personal opinion.
Personally, I'd say that if their lives are so sad they wander about Tesco for 2-3hrs in the evenings for the sake of free short dated food , they are more to be pitied than irritated by . Its seriously sad
Not when they stand for 2-3 hours watching you 5 feet away, and managment refused to anything about it. I used to work in bread and cakes and i would do all of fresh final reductions at night and from 5-6pm i would have 4 or 5 customers stand at the end of bread and cakes and just stair at me till i started at 8 and then they would just rush me. No sympathy from me at all. And those same 4-5 customers didnt need it u would see them drive off in their flash very expensive cars, and they would always edge out the people you could tell needed it more than them.
Quote from: Welshie on 10-03-21, 03:28PM
Personally, I'd say that if their lives are so sad they wander about Tesco for 2-3hrs in the evenings for the sake of free short dated food , they are more to be pitied than irritated by . Its seriously sad
More an indictment on our capitalistic society than the people themselves, they probably don't want to be in that position. Nothing is fair in life, doubly so for the world of work, you have people being exploited for a minimum wage on one end, often working harder than everybody else and subject to illegal work practices, and mateyboy managers who are for some arbitrary reason considered "superior" than the exploited doing about 30 minutes worth of work for 4 times the pay.
None of us are in any position to judge others, there are no rules to this game.
Nightandday , I'm not judging them if you read above , you'll see I said it might be the only way for them to feed their families . I was replying to someone who said these people were playing the game . I find it hard to believe that you'd hang around for hours waiting unless it was necessity.
Quote from: dotnochance on 10-03-21, 03:43PM
Not when they stand for 2-3 hours watching you 5 feet away, and managment refused to anything about it. I used to work in bread and cakes and i would do all of fresh final reductions at night and from 5-6pm i would have 4 or 5 customers stand at the end of bread and cakes and just stair at me till i started at 8 and then they would just rush me. No sympathy from me at all. And those same 4-5 customers didnt need it u would see them drive off in their flash very expensive cars, and they would always edge out the people you could tell needed it more than them.
we used to vary the times we'd bring reductions out for that reason. Some were in the store waiting for literally FIVE hours.
I really don't understand why there is this bother re reductions / CS products so what does it matter who gets them it is better this than in the bin surely.
Can anyone clarify how / when the reduced items become free.
I know it has to be after a certain time. But does it need a final reduction label with "CS" on it.
So for example if a product has a reduced label( without Cs) and is rung through the till but still after the time it becomes free. Would this be a free item or does it need to be further reduced (final Cs label)?
The final reductions on Sunday sometimes don't happen until just about 3pm when they become free.
So in brief do the items automatically become free or do they need a further / final reduction sticker added?
If an item does not have CS on the sticker it will not go through as free even after the cut off time.
had it a few times when staff have a load of stuff and for whatever reason one or two items, have not been finally reduced by the department. Surprising how many staff kick up a fuss over 16p or whatever.