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Meal deal

Grumpy Old Lemons Like You
UncleEbenezer
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Meal deal

#149351

Postby UncleEbenezer » July 1st, 2018, 11:47 pm

Just back home from singing in a concert. Very challenging in the heat, but lots of fun.

On being let out of rehearsal in the afternoon, I wanted some refreshment short of a full meal. So I went into a mini-Tesco for a £3 meal deal. Tesco offer some much more interesting things within that than others: I got a nice salad and a premium smoothie, which compare very favourably to a sandwich and a downmarket drink that typically feature in meal deals like the one I had from Sainsburys just over a week ago.

But for dessert, they were completely out of those mini-packs of fruits that qualify. Could I get the meal deal price for just the two items? Nope, have to add a "snack". Well what about, say, a loose piece of fruit: for example, a single apple or peach or something? Nope, not included. I have to get something I don't want, and am never likely to eat. It's not really even something I can give away: "can someone relieve me of a cheapo bar of chocolate" isn't really a topic for conversation.

Grrr ...

GoSeigen
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Re: Meal deal

#149367

Postby GoSeigen » July 2nd, 2018, 7:30 am

UncleEbenezer wrote:Just back home from singing in a concert. Very challenging in the heat, but lots of fun.

On being let out of rehearsal in the afternoon, I wanted some refreshment short of a full meal. So I went into a mini-Tesco for a £3 meal deal. Tesco offer some much more interesting things within that than others: I got a nice salad and a premium smoothie, which compare very favourably to a sandwich and a downmarket drink that typically feature in meal deals like the one I had from Sainsburys just over a week ago.

But for dessert, they were completely out of those mini-packs of fruits that qualify. Could I get the meal deal price for just the two items? Nope, have to add a "snack". Well what about, say, a loose piece of fruit: for example, a single apple or peach or something? Nope, not included. I have to get something I don't want, and am never likely to eat. It's not really even something I can give away: "can someone relieve me of a cheapo bar of chocolate" isn't really a topic for conversation.

Grrr ...

Most likely the problem was that the till automatically recognises the meal deal when each of the elements have been scanned. Substitute something else and the computer won't award you the deal.

In future, scan all the items, then just return the unwanted item to the shelf or leave at the tills.


GS

JMN2
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Re: Meal deal

#149708

Postby JMN2 » July 3rd, 2018, 2:28 pm

GoSeigen wrote:...

In future, scan all the items, then just return the unwanted item to the shelf or leave at the tills.


GS


In both cases the product gets destroyed but if one leaves it at the tills then there won't be legal consequences. I think supermarkets take a very dim view on people putting their own food on the shelves, there could be poison or whatever put inside the package.

didds
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Re: Meal deal

#149720

Postby didds » July 3rd, 2018, 2:57 pm

If the supermarket has a donations box for a food bank (not even sure they do typically!) you could always get the meal deal and drop the unwanted item into that.

I appreciate the overall sentiment you are expressing :)

<Meanwhile, for similar stupidity... here's a a blog piece I wrote a few years ago.

(Admins: this is my own blog piece, written and offered at no financial gain or expectation - or possibility! Hope this is OK. If it isn't please feel free to pull this post)

didds

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Re: Meal deal

#149724

Postby GoSeigen » July 3rd, 2018, 3:03 pm

JMN2 wrote:In both cases the product gets destroyed but if one leaves it at the tills then there won't be legal consequences. I think supermarkets take a very dim view on people putting their own food on the shelves, there could be poison or whatever put inside the package.



Komrade, right you are!

Pliz, do not put bek anysing wis added novichok or polonium. Vee do not like zees sings in our kukumber sendviches!


GoSeigensky

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Re: Meal deal

#149729

Postby PinkDalek » July 3rd, 2018, 3:15 pm

didds wrote:

<Meanwhile, for similar stupidity... here's a a blog piece I wrote a few years ago.

(Admins: this is my own blog piece, written and offered at no financial gain or expectation - or possibility! Hope this is OK. If it isn't please feel free to pull this post)

didds


It looks like it's already been pulled or you are pulling ours.

To avoid any difficulties, why not post the entirety here?

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Meal deal

#149731

Postby UncleEbenezer » July 3rd, 2018, 3:19 pm

didds wrote:If the supermarket has a donations box for a food bank (not even sure they do typically!) you could always get the meal deal and drop the unwanted item into that.

Good idea. Not applicable in this instance.
<Meanwhile, for similar stupidity... here's a a blog piece I wrote a few years ago.

Well, I'd be happy to see your link, but am struck by its absence.

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Meal deal

#149732

Postby UncleEbenezer » July 3rd, 2018, 3:23 pm

PinkDalek wrote:To avoid any difficulties, why not post the entirety here?

Doesn't always make any sense. For example, if it contains anything that was topical at the time of posting, it could look very silly reposted now. Or if it contains links and/or formatting that would be excessive effort to reproduce here.

Besides, that's what links are for!

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Re: Meal deal

#149733

Postby PinkDalek » July 3rd, 2018, 3:27 pm

UncleEbenezer wrote:
PinkDalek wrote:To avoid any difficulties, why not post the entirety here?

Doesn't always make any sense. For example, if it contains anything that was topical at the time of posting, it could look very silly reposted now. Or if it contains links and/or formatting that would be excessive effort to reproduce here.

Besides, that's what links are for!


Yes, of course, but you know all too well what often happens when posters link to their blogs, although I recall seeing a recent one of yours which was there when I saw it. ;)

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Re: Meal deal

#149762

Postby didds » July 3rd, 2018, 5:25 pm

Dunno what's happened about the link everybody but here's the text...

cheers!

didds

---

Corporate Stupidity and inflexibility
Yes I know. It's me having a moan again. But really... if a bloke can't have a dashed good moan now and again what IS the world coming to?

Yesterday I had the great misfortune to visit - and there's a word one may use advisedly - Tesco's at Cirencester. Now, I do feel it only fair to say that what I am about to relate could well have happened at any Tesco's, not just the one at Cirencester. Or indeed at any of the other supermarkets that may be available at Cirencester or indeed elsewhere. It's just as likely - within certain offers and caveats - to have happened at any supermarket anywhere.

It was the occasion of my beloved's 50th birthday. We had a picnic day arranged at a beautiful location, but I need a couple of last minute things. like food. And something to drink. Nothing major - especially as a Tesco's the size of a small central American nation was only a few miles away. So as the wifelet exercised herself and our two dogs, I set off for what could only be a 30 minute errand ... surely?

I should have known. As the bank holiday weekend loomed over the horizon where as far as I understand it supermarkets would be open as normal except for Sunday hours on Monday (i.e. ONLY 6 hours available!) half of Gloucestershire had descended on this Tesco's. You never know what you might run out of at 16:01 on Monday after all. Better make sure we are stocked up with car freshener, and light bulbs after all.

That notwithstanding, my shopping was done in no more than 10 minutes, and I joined a queue at a checkout. The woman in front did appear to be shopping for an entire nation - one like Brazil, 5th largest country in the world. That's OK and fair enough of course. Except... she had money off vouchers.

Again... nothing wrong with that - in itself. I am certainly one for a bit of value and saving the pennies in life. However, these vouchers were of the "fiver off a £40 shop variety". But it transpires that one cannot join these up... so if you have an £80 shop you cannot get a tenner off. Oh no. that would be FAR too BLOODY OBVIOUS!!!

I am sure, dear reader, that you are already "there". So the shopper - whose fault it is not that this stupid scenario exists - would get the cashier to ring through just over £40 shopping... then cash that through. Having completed one £40 shop (with a fiver off), the next £40 was then rung through... and repeat. Twenty-five minutes later three loads - and three refunds - had eventually been completed. It was like being forcibly stuck watching the chuckle brothers for 25 minutes. Only less amusing - if that is actually at all possible. I enviously watched other queues dispatching shoppers at a rate of dozens per minute (prob'ly) while this glacial experience unfolded before my eyes. Eventually the shopping was done, the cashier apologised for the delay, and life returned to its normal pace.

But why, oh why, does this occur? Is it really beyond the wit of man, and the capabilities of software designers and programmers to understand that 2 x £40 = 2 x vouchers = one ring though and one refund? Really? We can put men on the moon, replace body organs, operate on people via cameras and tools inserted within a pin hole and broadcast vast quantities of drivel across the globe via satellites 22,000 miles above the Earth.

But we cannot work out a way to make a shopping experience as efficient as it could or even should be.

Its enough to drive one to drink. As long as you don't need to queue in a supermarket for it that is.

(c) Ian Diddams 2016

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Meal deal

#149783

Postby UncleEbenezer » July 3rd, 2018, 7:22 pm

didds wrote:Dunno what's happened about the link everybody but here's the text...

A worthy rant. But a shame almost-middle-aged-musings seems to have petered out.

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Re: Meal deal

#149785

Postby swill453 » July 3rd, 2018, 7:26 pm

didds wrote:But why, oh why, does this occur? Is it really beyond the wit of man, and the capabilities of software designers and programmers to understand that 2 x £40 = 2 x vouchers = one ring though and one refund? Really?

But you miss the point of these vouchers. They want you to visit once per voucher, with the attendant opportunities for spending too much, for impulse buys, and being attracted by whatever the offers of the day are.

They won't expend programming effort on making it easy for you to avoid this.

Scott.

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Re: Meal deal

#149812

Postby didds » July 3rd, 2018, 9:09 pm

I know that Scott :-)

But maybe the stores should make it a 1 swing through the till only rule. So yes, do £120 of shopping with 3 x vouichers but go and requeue each time.

Anyway, where's the fun in not having a rant? :-)


didds

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Re: Meal deal

#149815

Postby swill453 » July 3rd, 2018, 9:20 pm

JMN2 wrote:
GoSeigen wrote:In future, scan all the items, then just return the unwanted item to the shelf or leave at the tills.

In both cases the product gets destroyed but if one leaves it at the tills then there won't be legal consequences. I think supermarkets take a very dim view on people putting their own food on the shelves, there could be poison or whatever put inside the package.

I suspect in neither case would it get destroyed. If it's put back on the shelf they'll never know, if it's left at the tills why would they have any qualms about putting it back into stock?

Scott.

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Re: Meal deal

#149821

Postby JMN2 » July 3rd, 2018, 9:44 pm

Food tampering and poisoning is being done every now and then so I am surprised products would get put back on the shelves, with all the health and safety etc. Just needs a nutcase, syringe, needle, and substance of choice.

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Re: Meal deal

#149822

Postby swill453 » July 3rd, 2018, 9:49 pm

JMN2 wrote:Food tampering and poisoning is being done every now and then so I am surprised products would get put back on the shelves, with all the health and safety etc. Just needs a nutcase, syringe, needle, and substance of choice.

Sure, but it'd be easier just to poison an item already on the shelf, no need to draw attention by putting it through the till.

Scott.

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Re: Meal deal

#150370

Postby wheypat » July 6th, 2018, 7:02 am

My favourite money off vouchers have to be Costco ones. Where you don;t even hand over the voucher - if it's got money off they take it off automatically at the till, no need to hand over the voucher at all.


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