Still silly at Sainsburys Warren Heath

I was running low on laser printer paper, so I popped down to Sainsburys Warren Heath to get some. I know they do this at £2 a ... well, whatever you call one of those slabs of wrapped copier paper.

Oh dear. None in stock. A large shelf, completely empty on a Friday night, peak shopping time. I call over a shop assistant who goes off to see if there is any "out the back". Back she comes, and there is none. There's been none since Thursday.

Over to Tesco at Copdock this morning. Loads of £2 chunks of paper there. I bought two. That epitomises the difference between the two places.

As I have remarked before, the management of Sainsburys Warren Heath is atrocious. To allow empty shelves at the start of the weekend ... hey, the idea, guys, is to SELL stuff. If you don't have stock, you go out of business. Even if you don't allow your store to become a cold, smelly shed, as they have chosen to do.

Taking Sainsburys down-market in Warren Heath

I frequently shop at Sainsburys in Warren Heath, and have done for years. But today I needed some stuff, and I deliberately went to Tesco at Copdock instead. Why?

Sainsburys at Warren Heath used to be rather like a Waitrose; good quality surroundings and goods, and quite upmarket. Over the last 10 years it has slipped, and slipped. Today you go into a large, cold, smelly warehouse-like building, with dirty flooring, and look at rows of own-brand goods. It's getting to be like a caricature of Aldi or Lidl. Often there are shortages of basic goods; or items just vanish. The shelves are frequently allowed to become unstocked over the weekend, at least for things I look at.

The other day I wanted some sliced pineapple. I always buy Del Monte; but Sainsburys had removed these! Not sold any more. Instead all I could buy was own-brand, or some unknown brand with a bright blue tin named "DOLE!" Reluctantly I bought the latter, ate it; and got a stomach upset. No more dole for me, thanks. Today I wanted some sliced pineapple again -- so I went to Tescos, and got the Del Monte. It's only 50p a tin. So why on earth would Sainsburys remove it?

I wanted some peas. I want Birdseye, as I can taste the difference between this and own-brand. Sainsbury feel that I shouldn't have the choice. So... off to Tescos for these.

Sainsburys bread has long been rubbish. I have no idea why Tesco can do bread, and Sainsburys cannot, but this is not a new phenomenon. When I want a loaf, again I go to Tesco.

I'm not glad at any of this. Sainsburys Warren Heath is my local grocer. I don't want to drive to Tesco. But increasingly it seems that I must.

Short-changed at Sainsburys Warren Heath - and the result

I went down to Sainsburys Warren Heath in Ipswich this evening, and bought £5.33 of goods. I paid for it with a £10 note. Unfortunately I didn't check the heap of change and just stuck it in my wallet. But when I got home, I had a look; and something was wrong. I only had two £1 coins, and little more. Instead of £4.67, it looks as if I got £2.67.

I can understand a busy shop assistant making a mistake. If I was £1 short, I'd think it was that. But TWO one-pound coins? I hardly think so.

This is the second time it has happened to me in the last couple of months. The recession is clearly making some people steal. And, of course, the great advantage of this crime to the thief is that once the victim leaves the till, it's impossible for them to prove the crime.

I've written to Sainsburys by email, enclosing receipt details.

Watch your change, chaps.

UPDATE: A week passed, and I thought hard thoughts of Sainsburys. But then I got an email from the customer services, telling me they had spoken to the store and I should take the receipt down there and they would refund me the £2. How very generous of them! I was pleased.