The Grocery Game Challenge Jan 13-19, 2014 #3: Supermarket abuse that costs money
YOU OPEN IT YOU BOUGHT IT
Although theft is one of the most costly forms of abuse in any retail store there are other more obvious things we see as consumers that make us shake our heads.
I don’t know how many times I’ve been through a supermarket and wonder why some parents just let their kids run around the store.
It’s nice to see when parents are teaching children about grocery shopping by educating them and having them help with the grocery list but another thing just to let them do what they please.
Supermarket abuse
I’ve literally seen children at the supermarket taking products off of the shelves and putting them in random spots. In one instance I saw a child open a chocolate bar and start eating it. I’m sure the child was in heaven but it doesn’t teach them right from wrong if we allow this behaviour.
Once the mother noticed and stopped him she left the opened chocolate bar on the shelf and went along without saying a thing to the child. The proper thing to do would have been to take that chocolate bar and purchase it now that your child has taken the liberty of opening it and eating it. How you choose to raise your child is up to you but I certainly would have taken the time to explain the lessons in if you don’t have the money to buy it you don’t touch it. That costs money.
Then if it’s not a child it’s an adult who thinks it’s ok to just grab whatever they want and start eating it while pushing their shopping cart around without paying for it. Better yet how about the customer who must try the fruit before they purchase it so they think it’s acceptable to eat the cherries, grapes or take a bite of an apple just to test it out. That costs money.
It’s just another reason the Bulk Barn has to put signs up all over the store to tell customers to please not sample the food. In many circumstances if you find a department head and ask they may graciously offer you to test a product. Worst case scenario if a product is not fresh most stores have a freshness guarantee. Come on, is it worth getting pulled in by store security just to fill your belly? That costs money.
If I were in a room right now in front of you and I asked you to raise your hands if you recall walking through a supermarket aisle only to find a block of cheese or roast sitting on a shelf next to the, I don’t know, peanut butter I bet all of you would raise your hands.
The point is that people who take supermarket items and put it in their shopping basket and then later have a change of heart for one reason or another and then just plop it on a random shelf not giving a care in the world whether it needs to be refrigerated or frozen really need to have someone just wreck random things they own for no reason. Yes, that is one long sentence and I can say that in one breath if you allow me to. That costs money.
Don’t be lazy, bring the item back where it belongs. Not all food in a supermarket is put in by the grocery store as some companies have merchandisers that are brought in such as the chips, bread, pop etc and if their product is placed randomly around the store they lose money if they don’t know what is expired or what has not been purchased. That costs money.
I know back in the UK there was a time when if you broke something you paid for it. Not so much the case here but there have been numerous times where I’ve seen a jar go flying off a shelf and smash on the ground only to have the customer keep on walking. Not only is it a safety hazard the least you could do is inform someone. If you accidentally open a product or rip a bag do the right thing and bring it to a cashier or department clerk to be removed from the shelves. Don’t just let it leak all over the place. Someone will soak up the cost of the product. Guess who? That costs money.
Finally, if you are going to bring your coffee or tea cups into the supermarket or eat your burger or chips while you walk around at least have the decency to find a garbage pail to put the empty packaging or leftover food in. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen empty Tim Horton’s cups on shelves or half eaten containers of outside food that people are too lazy to bring to a garbage can which are readily available in most grocery stores if not right outside the front of the store for customer convenience.
I mean I know the employees are there to work but when we create work for them when they could be doing something else more productive for the organization and us as customers it takes away from their role for nothing. Would you shop at a dump? Probably not, so do us all a favour and find the garbage can and use it for it’s purpose, to dispose of rubbish. That costs money.
I’m sure there are other wild and wacky things you’ve experienced in a supermarket and you might even work in one and have stories you want to share. I want to hear about them and what you did or didn’t do or what you saw. Sometimes common sense isn’t so common for everyone and we need a little reminder about how doing the right thing will help everyone.
In the end it’s the consumer who pays in the form of price increases whether it’s a nickel here or a dime there it all adds up.
What kinds of supermarket abuse have you seen before?
January grocery game challenge posts
If you missed any grocery game posts for the month I will post the line-up for the month each week here in this section for you.
- The grocery game challenge Dec 30-Jan 5, 2014 #1: Join the challenge now
- The grocery game challenge Jan 6-12, 2014 #2: Does a product name entice you to buy?
Grocery saving tips
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I hope you take the time to get back on track and start the saving process in your grocery budget today.
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Ultimate grocery shopping guide
Everything you want to know about grocery shopping in Canada is below with new information added monthly. If you missed a Grocery Game Challenge post some of the most popular posts are listed below. If you know a topic that should be discussed, speak up. I want to know. Happy reading.
- Let Your Coupons Expire And Save Money
- Welfare Food Challenge $26 Per Week In The Grocery Budget
- What A No-Shop Week Really Means
- Should You Buy It Now Or Buy It Later?
- Stock Up On Items When You Can
- The Cost Of Organic Food
- What Foods You Should Not Eat and Organic Gardening
- Knowing Your Prices Is The Key To Saving Money In The Grocery Budget
- Product Price Adjustments Don’t Miss The Savings
- Scanning Code of Practice In Canada (SCOP)
- How To Start Saving Money On Groceries In Canada?
- How Much Should My Grocery Budget Be?
- Top Ten Ways To Cut Your Grocery Budget
- Meal Planning For The Budget
- The Grocery Game Challenge and Our Grocery Budget
- Grocery Budget Saving Tips
- Food Shopping On A Budget
- How To Grocery Shop
- Grocery Store Self-Scanners
- Food and Vegetable Preparation
- Best Time To Grocery Shop
- Organic Food Costs
- Why Shopping Hungry Is Not A Smart Idea
- Are We Eating Too Much Food?
- Discount Days and Rewards Programs
- Getting Back On Track With Food Budgeting
- Why You Should Ignore Your Grocery Flyers
- The Low-GI Diet and Your Budget
- How To Track Grocery Expenses
- Comparing Prices With a Price Comparison List
- Why Too Much Salt Is Not Good For Us
- Shopping More Than Once Per Week
- Food Samples When Shopping
- Food Waste In Canada
- Go on vacation and save on groceries
- Grocery Store Activities For Kids
- Buying When There Is A Limit
- How do you like your bread?
- Holiday Baking On A Budget
- International Grocery Store Shopping
- Back To Basics More For Less
- How often do you shop for groceries?
- How not to miss in-store or unadvertised sales
- Who does the grocery shopping in your house?
Food food and more food
Metro
- 2 x selection cherry pie filling $2.99 ea
- Chicken Breast Sale $11.42, $11.84 (stockpile budget $4.20 leaves $19.06)
- 3 x salad dressing Sale $2.24 ea
- Fuji apples Sale $0.99lb $ 9.77
Total out of pocket $41.53 plus $4.20 for stockpile budget
No Frills
- Armstrong Marble Cheddar PM WM $4.97- $1.00 coupon
- Armstrong Mozzarella PM WM $4.97-$1.00 coupon
- 1 x celery Sale $1.57
- 1 x Fennel Sale $1.77
Total out of pocket $11.28
Food Basics
- Romain lettuce $1.77
- Grapefruit reduced $0.69
- Tortellini- $1.99
- SOS pads $0.99
- 2 x Nescafe Instant coffee Sale $3.47
- Broccoli Sale $0.88
- Seedless cucumber $1.67
- Whole wheat pita $1.00
- Sweet Potatoes $3. 40
- Feta Cheese 700g $10.00
- Carrots $1.47
- 2 x white mushrooms Sale $0.88
- Gourmet mushrooms $2.50-$0.50 coupon
- Sweet potatoes bag 2 $2.52
Total out of pocket $ 38.65
Shoppers Drug Mart
- Milk 4 Litres – $3.97
Total out of pocket $3.97
Yearly grocery budget for two: $2820
(The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $240 per year or $20 per month.)
- Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $235.00 or $78.33 week with potentially one no-shop week per month or $58.75 for 4 weeks per month. (During the months with 5 weeks we just make it work)
- Total Budget for January $235.00
- Total Coupons Used this Week : $0
- Total Coupons Used to date: $15.31
- Total Discounts this Week: $0.50
- Total Discounts Used to date: $0.50
- Total Gift Cards Used to date: $33.18
- Total Rewards Points Used: $0
- Total Rewards Points Used to date: $0
- Stockpile Budget ($20.00): $15.80 (ham) ($4.20 Chicken Breast)
- Stockpile Budget Used to Date: $20.00
- Total Spent This Week: $95.43
- Total Spent So Far January: $83.97+95.43=$179.40
- Total Over/Under spend this shop: $17.10 over this shop
- Total Over/Under spend for the month: $0
- Total Left to Spend for the Month: $55.60
- Total to Carry Over Next Month: $0
- Total Spent To Date This Year: Jan $ (does not include stockpile budget)
- Weekly Overview: We stocked up on chicken breast this week and purchased some cherry pie filling for the cheesecake I made the other day. We did have a blip in price for the mushrooms not knowing they were gourmet mushrooms. We thought they were the sale price of $0.88-$0.50 coupon however after reviewing the receipt which we did not do in store due to rushing (bad) we paid the price.
Canadian Coupons Found
Frequently Asked Questions
Read the rules first and if you have any questions email me or comment on this post with your question and someone will answer you as soon as possible.
- Do I have to be Canadian to post my Grocery Shop?
No, you don’t have to be Canadian to post your shops only to win a monthly prize. We have fans who post their grocery shop who live all over the world.
- When does the Grocery Game close each month?
The Grocery Game Challenge closes at midnight of the last Sunday of the last post for the month. You can post your shops all month-long.
- Does your Grocery Budget include health and beauty and laundry products?
Yes our Grocery Budget includes such items as shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dish soap etc. We don’t mind stockpiling items that won’t be affected by expiry dates or have long expiry dates but not so much food any more. It’s just one way to help cut your budget to save money.
Here are your latest Coupon Match-ups of the week and your weekly Checkout 51 offers from 25 Newspaper Inserts around Canada compliments of Save Big Live Better that you can use to help you save money in the Grocery Game Challenge.
- What is an FPC?
An FPC is a free product coupon which means you can get a free product as described on the coupon.
You can find all your store coupon policies here. If you are not sure it’s always best to call the store and ask.
I can tell you about grocery shopping and what we do in terms of shopping to save money and how it works for us. There are no wrong or right answers, just smart choices. Over time you will gradually learn where you should and shouldn’t go in the grocery store or at least how to say no, I’m on a budget I need to buy this or that.
You may also substitute items in order to stick to your budget to make it work. Nobody is perfect, heck we struggle with this t of our budget like many people do and this is why the grocery game challenge was created.
If you have just joined The Grocery Game Challenge 2014 get ready to dive deep into your grocery budget and learn just where you are spending, how much you are spending and what you are saving.
You’ve made a wise decision.
Welcome to The Grocery Game Challenge Canada 2014!
-Mr.CBB
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