Tesco Stops Customers Purchasing £200 Worth Of Food For The Homeless

Tesco has apologised to two customers who say they were stopped from buying food for the needy and homeless. Peter Chamberlain and Michael Taub, a Jewish faith leader, said they were challenged by shop workers in Brent, north west London, as they loaded a trolley with tinned goods. The pair were purchasing large quantities of food for the Saint Laurence’s Larder charity, which provides supplies for those in need.

“They refused to sell or serve us, stating we were buying too much,” Taub wrote on Facebook.


http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tesco-200-hundred-food-homeless_uk_58b06408e4b0a8a9b781abe2?utm_hp_ref=uk





WTF?
I can understand policies on buying bulk, but surely, they could have easily checked, that they were legit at the time they were shopping
I mean you can easily check online for Saint Laurence’s Larder charity.

The firm said in a statement: “We do have to ensure there are products available for everyone, so our colleagues use their discretion when customers are buying in bulk.

So if someone goes to Tesco, there must be enough baked beans or tinned soup for them? If there's none on the shelf because someone else bought it all, Tesco just get more in and the person can buy it next time.

how is a £200 shopping bill excessive.

Story sounds like a load of cack.

eddie wrote:Story sounds like a load of cack.

Interesting, why do you claim that Eddie?

Because I have never ever seen anyone turned away for spending £200 - which isn't even a lot for a weekly shop - and it sounds overexaggerrated and untrue.

I'd like more info on it. The story sounds like it holds a small elelments of truth that's been covered in some cack.

eddie wrote:Because I have never ever seen anyone turned away for spending £200 - which isn't even a lot for a weekly shop - and it sounds overexaggerrated and untrue.

I'd like more info on it. The story sounds like it holds a small elelments of truth that's been covered in some cack.

You are confusing the cost with what they actually stopped them for
Bulk buying of canned goods

Never seen that happen either. I've seen people buying stacks and stacks of stuff for parties and also for Tesco's own charity donation bins.

It just sounds a little off to me.

eddie wrote:Never seen that happen either.  I've seen people buying stacks and stacks of stuff for parties and also for Tesco's own charity donation bins.

It just sounds a little off to me.

Up to you, but there is clearly an omission here from Tesco's Eddie
Why would they apologize?




When asked about the situation on Friday, Tesco said it was hoping to speak to both of its customers to find a solution. 
“We’re looking to reach out to them,” a spokesperson told The Huffington Post UK.
The firm said in a statement: “We do have to ensure there are products available for everyone, so our colleagues use their discretion when customers are buying in bulk.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused for Mr Chamberlain on this occasion.
“We are looking into whether St Laurence’s Larder could benefit from our Community Food Connection programme, which links our stores with local charities and community groups to supply them with good quality surplus food.” 

Whether that incident was accidental or staged --  both that St Laurence Larder charity, and Tesco's own food donation programmes, seem to be getting some free promotion out of that story...

Raggamuffin wrote:

The firm said in a statement: “We do have to ensure there are products available for everyone, so our colleagues use their discretion when customers are buying in bulk.

So if someone goes to Tesco, there must be enough baked beans or tinned soup for them? If there's none on the shelf because someone else bought it all, Tesco just get more in and the person can buy it next time.

I doubt that it is as simple as that, Raggs. The problem is that the supermarket business is fiercely competitive and no chain wants to see customers walking away without their baked beans, or whatever, because of the very real danger that they will simply go across the road and buy them from a competitor.

And next time they go out to do a full shop, they might well choose the competitor.

Nor, I suspect, is it a simple matter to re-stock with baked beans once they have run out. The regional depot isn't immediately going to send out a twenty ton lorry with a couple of packs of baked beans, given the sheer cost and complexity of retail logistics.

Like Eddie, I'm a bit suspicious of this story. I don't doubt for a single moment that the couple were doing a most laudable job, but the conveniently taken photo clearly shows that they were buying multiple packs of a pretty restricted number of brands and there simply must have been be a management policy in force to protect other shoppers against sudden shortages, a policy with which checkout staff will obviously be bound
to comply.

Love Tesco or hate 'em, I know from shopping at my own store that they actually do quite a lot for charities including, in my area, the local food banks and a large pet re-homing centre.

Fred Moletrousers wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

So if someone goes to Tesco, there must be enough baked beans or tinned soup for them? If there's none on the shelf because someone else bought it all, Tesco just get more in and the person can buy it next time.

I doubt that it is as simple as that, Raggs. The problem is that the supermarket business is fiercely competitive and no chain wants to see customers walking away without their baked beans, or whatever, because of the very real danger that they will simply go across the road and buy them from a competitor.

And next time they go out to do a full shop, they might well choose the competitor.

Nor, I suspect, is it a simple matter to re-stock with baked beans once they have run out. The regional depot isn't immediately going to send out a twenty ton lorry with a couple of packs of baked beans, given the sheer cost and complexity of retail logistics.

Like Eddie, I'm a bit suspicious of this story. I don't doubt for a single moment that the couple were doing a most laudable job, but the conveniently taken photo clearly shows that they were buying multiple packs of a pretty restricted number of brands and there simply must have been be a management policy in force to protect other shoppers against sudden shortages, a policy with which checkout staff will obviously be bound
to comply.

Love Tesco or hate 'em, I know from shopping at my own store that they actually do quite a lot for charities including, in my area, the local food banks and a large pet re-homing centre.

I agree that supermarkets don't want people going to competitors, but they can't really put a limit on how much of one thing someone buys can they? I often find things are out of stock, so yes, I might go somewhere else to get it, or I might just get a different type for now.

Supermarkets have deliveries all the time, so they would probably restock the next day - obviously, they don't restock just one item.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Fred Moletrousers wrote:

I doubt that it is as simple as that, Raggs. The problem is that the supermarket business is fiercely competitive and no chain wants to see customers walking away without their baked beans, or whatever, because of the very real danger that they will simply go across the road and buy them from a competitor.

And next time they go out to do a full shop, they might well choose the competitor.

Nor, I suspect, is it a simple matter to re-stock with baked beans once they have run out. The regional depot isn't immediately going to send out a twenty ton lorry with a couple of packs of baked beans, given the sheer cost and complexity of retail logistics.

Like Eddie, I'm a bit suspicious of this story. I don't doubt for a single moment that the couple were doing a most laudable job, but the conveniently taken photo clearly shows that they were buying multiple packs of a pretty restricted number of brands and there simply must have been be a management policy in force to protect other shoppers against sudden shortages, a policy with which checkout staff will obviously be bound
to comply.

Love Tesco or hate 'em, I know from shopping at my own store that they actually do quite a lot for charities including, in my area, the local food banks and a large pet re-homing centre.

I agree that supermarkets don't want people going to competitors, but they can't really put a limit on how much of one thing someone buys can they? I often find things are out of stock, so yes, I might go somewhere else to get it, or I might just get a different type for now.

Supermarkets have deliveries all the time, so they would probably restock the next day - obviously, they don't restock just one item.

Yes, supermarkets can limit purchases to cope with shortages: it happened quite widely only a couple of weeks or so ago when salad crops were in very short supply due to the bad weather in Spain.

Big city stores probably warrant daily deliveries from the depot, but my nearest town, which has three supermarkets, is just a modestly sized place and probably rates a couple of deliveries a week at best.

Fred Moletrousers wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

I agree that supermarkets don't want people going to competitors, but they can't really put a limit on how much of one thing someone buys can they? I often find things are out of stock, so yes, I might go somewhere else to get it, or I might just get a different type for now.

Supermarkets have deliveries all the time, so they would probably restock the next day - obviously, they don't restock just one item.

Yes, supermarkets can limit purchases to cope with shortages: it happened quite widely only a couple of weeks or so ago when salad crops were in very short supply due to the bad weather in Spain.

Big city stores probably warrant daily deliveries from the depot, but my nearest town, which has three supermarkets, is just a modestly sized place and probably rates a couple of deliveries a week at best.

Yes, but there isn't actually a shortage of baked beans or tinned soup, and they could easily replenish the stock pretty quickly - on the next delivery. I'm surprised they didn't have more in the storage area, but perhaps they were waiting for a new delivery.