I dumped my trolley and left

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lyingnun, Mar 10, 9:57pm
I left my full trolley at the checkout once about 20 years ago as I got fed up with waiting for the checkout operator to stop socialising with the person ahead of me. They were just talking and did not care about the queue building up. They chatted for at least 10minutes after she had finished processing the customer's groceries.
I don't mind waiting in a queue and accept that can happen.

griffo4, Mar 10, 10:21pm
standing in a queue for nearly an hour is not acceptable when you are busy and Countdown is full of shoppers and only a handful of staff on the checkouts and none of them in a rush to push people through still had time for chit chat to mates going through

Had to queue at PNS a couple of times but you don't mind so much when you see all check outs working flat out

Pity we have to travel to PNS or our local Countdown wouldn't see any of my money

valentino, Mar 10, 10:38pm
Simple answer instead of leaving trolley and walking off is to go to the main Reception type counter and state "if not served with say 5 minutes then my Trolley will be left with you to re-sort, and will repeat this if such service continued".
Try it next time, result can be quite startling.
Hopefully you left the trolley at this point and not in the normal aisle-counter.

Also, fill in those suggestion forms or whatever and slip them into those boxes, some stores have these. I quite often used them to let them know that not keeping a regular supply on some items is not acceptable and point out to them that other stores and note their names has them and note why should I travel that extra distance if this store has what others have. Blah blah and so on, but if sufficient amount then it is worthwhile.

They soon get the message but will continue it as well and they receive more notes but with added comments, " Ah still the same", Yep, be up front.

Re shopping online, I like to smell my fresh items before I buy them, it is enough hassles re above to have these added hassles.

Oh, ordered Dominos one night with that delivery special including drinks and change drinks to Mountain Dew thinking the normal drink but no, they delivered the red Mountain Dew - did not know this came out, no mentioned of it and if I returned all then pizzas will be cold, students more hungrier etc. Oh they got the message later.

Cheers, my grunts for now.

yjeva, Mar 10, 10:59pm
Then couldn't you find someone to chit chat with while you waited?

sampa, Mar 10, 11:34pm
Apparently there's quite a bit of squeezing and sniffing going on in the produce aisles of our nations supermarkets. Hmmm.

mjhdeal, Mar 11, 12:02am
I sent a complaint (different issue to OP) to the Countdown website, using their "countdown listens" website and an invitation card. I ticked the "I'd like to be contacted" box, and supplied phone-number and email address - purely because I was doubtful that my complaint would be acknowledged, and this would provide proof.

Well, that was back in October last year. No call, no email. Either they have a 5-month backlog of complaints to wade through, or they don't give a %$&@.

valentino, Mar 11, 12:47am
Wonder Why?

Supermarkets should now know by now that consumers these days are more up with the play.

They need to get their act together over everything if they want continued business, including fresh foods to be fresh foods, quality is excellent if price is as such, cheap prices does not mean prices of items bordering on rubbish material but merely a true special price is a true price reduced to a truly good quality.
And the time to get served at some places, means these cheap items are getting squashed and closer to Rubbish bins, hmmmm enough noted.

There are plenty of stores now if in major city areas, a bit harder for the rural folks though. Hmmmm.

hd07, Mar 11, 1:19am
I have never once in my life had to wait 30+mins in a checkout line, and have been to some very busy stores. I shop at PnS though, and sounds like it's a regular problem at Countdown. I would be very miffed waiting that long as well (especially when my kids were little), but don't think I would just dump a trolley still - I would at least take my trolley to the help desk or an attendant and tell them I have to leave, so they can restock the items.

There has only been one time in my life I have dumped a trolley. I was 9mths pregnant (well, a week away), with a just under 2yr old. It was the height of a very hot, humid Auckland summer. A young boy of about 11ish came up right beside me and grabbed 4-5 large bottles of blue pepsi (actually pushing in front of me). He obviously couldn't hold all of them properly and before I knew it, one dropped on the ground, right at my feet, bursting open and completely drenching me in blue pepsi (it went off like a blue fizzy fountain!). I looked like a blue whale. I'm afraid to say all decorum (or what little I was trying to maintain in my condition) went out the window and I left (even though we were in the very last aisle and I had a very full trolley). I was left standing there, HUGE belly, sore, hot, uncomfortable and dripping with blue, sticky pepsi. The boy didn't even say sorry, he scampered lol (probably saw the look on my face, so don't blame him). I still feel bad about that (over 12yrs ago!), that I didn't tell someone I was dumping and running.

twelve12, Mar 11, 1:27am
Half an hour?!

Gawd. when I was working at a supermarket we would have been crucified if we were that slow. You HAD to scan at a minimum speed.

Though I have been in line for over 15 mins with only 2 people ahead of be before. The checkout woman was a snail.

I go through the self-service ones most of the time.

kay141, Mar 11, 1:34am
I can quite understand the dump and run in your case. I've never timed how long I've waited but doubt it has ever been more than 10 minutes. Recently, I have started going to a Pak N Save about 11am -noon on a Saturday, the place is usually packed but we still don't have to wait long.

pickles7, Mar 11, 5:09am
You are out of touch.
Managers don't care, so long as folk are prepared to wait and buy, why should they. 6 staff who were put off is a $3500.00 saving, maybe $500.00 on overtime for others to pick up, $100.00 in the bin from perished goods. Do the math. I choose not to buy into there business plan and will continue to dump my trolley if need be.

pickles7, Mar 11, 5:38am
I couldn't bother now. buzzy110. easier to just leave the trolley, lol. Only once this year so far. The worst part is it wasn't the usual supermarket renowned for poor service.
I sent 2 e-mail with regards to a Bin Inn not giving a docket with goods, but after 2 years they still do not offer a docket. I was near robbed of $16.00 with a $16.00 sum not totaled off. I asked for my docket and for it to be itemised, a biggy ah. I had paid already. I never even flinched at the price as I was buying nut flour etc all costly ingredients. I now ask for a docket, just dare they again charge me another 'not totaled off ' sum. An old trick, but a goodie for them. That $16.00 not totaled. money in the back pocket ? I wonder how many times it works for them.

biggles45, Mar 11, 5:41am
Agree. Same with veg (we grow most of our own, but still buy a few bits). also prefer to choose my own meat/fish etc if I need to buy those.

esther-anne, Mar 11, 6:22am
I couldn't bear someone else to be choosing my fruit and veges as samanya says. In fact I don't want anyone filling my list of groceries. I'm a pretty astute shopper - as probably most of us are - I can't imagine some unknown person thinking 'oh, esther is a bit picky so best be careful' - then chucking any old thing into my order. *shudders delicately*. And I buy fruit and veg at a very good local greengrocer anyway.

However - age is creeping up and I might need one day to have a more trusting nature. Poor devil filling my list - 'canned tomatoes please, 6 cans - oh no not the Watties at $1.20 per tin, go to the bottom shelves and get me the Homebrand at 90c per tin. Just as good, thick juice and lovely whole tomatoes'. Countdown would probably refuse me as a customer.

Just to add - my local Countdown is as bad as most others mentioned here - three checkouts open and queues from here to eternity. Over thirty minutes wait the other day - only to be not greeted by some po-faced unhappy looking checkout person who probably hates the management - and the job! Dumping sounds attractive - except there is probably something in my trolley I badly need for dinner tonight lol!

sampa, Mar 11, 8:04am
Esther if you want home brand or whatever else they supply you with that, no issues. If they don't have stock and you're online shopping they'll supply the more expensive brand but only charge you for what you've actually ordered. I'm not trying to convince you to change but simply saying that we've mostly won in situations like that.

vomo2, Mar 11, 8:13am
I went to a supermarket in Picton last week where the young man serving me greeted me with"hello hows your day going" and before I could answer he then turned to his co worker to continue gossiping about someone. So I promptly told him that when he is serving me, he must give my sale full attention as mistakes are made otherwise. With that he went into a massive pout! Bad mannered sod!

awoftam, Mar 11, 8:22am
. rotfl I wish I had seen that bwahahaaaaaaaaa

waswoods, Mar 11, 8:36am
Well, my Countdown must be the best in the country then! I never have to wait more than five minutes in the queue. And as for online shopping - you stipulate what you want and very often if they can't provide that, they will ring you to ask if they can substitute and usually at the lower price.

I can't believe that people really have to wait 30 minutes - an hour in a queue!

3_cent_coin, Mar 11, 9:04am
gutless people make it clear time is a factor or say something if it is a real problem to get threw the checkout

esther-anne, Mar 11, 9:47am
Believe it - I'm not fabricatring and I doubt anyone else is!

esther-anne, Mar 11, 9:57am
sampa wrote:
Esther if you want home brand or whatever else they supply you with that, no issues. If they don't have stock and you're online shopping they'll supply the more expensive brand but only charge you for what you've actually ordered. I'm not trying to convince you to change but simply saying that we've mostly won in situations like that.[/quoet

That's really very helpful sampa and heartening to know that there is some effort to provide you with something else if what you require isn't there. And someone else said the staff making up the order will actually ring if there is a query with anything which means good communication.

My Countdown is just so lackadaisical and understaffed it has kind of put me off trying their delivery service. but it may become a necessity in the near future and you have reassured me that the service is good (in fact it could be better than dealing with the apparently really depressed people who work in my branch. Poor staff are probably overworked and underpaid. I always tend to wonder about management skills when the staff seem so cheerless).

phalanx2, Mar 11, 10:30am
Sounds like you are shopping at the same time everyone else is, change your shopping day to Monday - it's the quiet day for supermarkets.

kiwiscrapper1, Mar 11, 10:30am
I don't mind waiting, thats the time I get to read the magazines each week it saves me money because then I don't have to buy them :-)

buzzy110, Mar 11, 7:27pm
Rather disgusting somewhat but some people are proud of doing that.

valentino, Jan 3, 1:01am
I now know who you are, but you are miles away from where I shop, LOL.