Sainsbury’s workers’ day from hell: this week in grocery on TikTok

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In this week’s grocery glimpse on TikTok, thrifty Tesco shoppers debunk pricing loopholes in this cost of living crisis, while Sainsbury’s employees grapple with the chaos of a major IT failure during a spike in retail crime

Iceland’s halal offerings showcase cultural inclusivity, and a dumpster-diving YouTuber at M&S highlights the true reality of food waste

Offer pricing hack

@skintdad Offer pricing hack hiding in plain sight! This works in Tesco. Have you seen similar in other supermarkets? 🛒 #MoneySavingTips #MoneyTips #Money #SkintDad #Tesco #SaveMoney #FoodShopping #FrugalLiving #ShoppingHacks #Hacks ♬ original sound - skintdad

User @skintdad has racked up over 200k views on his viral video, showing Tesco Clubcard holders how to check when special deals will end. The simple trick involves looking at the small print numbers on the shelf label and reversing them to get the offer end date. This top tip helps people save money during the cost of living crisis by planning their shopping around when deals are available.

One commenter also shared that “sell by dates on fruit and veg are easy to read too. C17 means march 17th D2 means April 2nd”. @AwakendAssassin voiced a common thought among shoppers, accusing supermarkets of artificially inflating loyalty pricing, writing “you do know that clubcard price is the normal price in most other stores like Aldi, Lidl, Asda right lol”.

Sainsbury’s IT issue

@x333xo “No contactless today” is cemented deep into my brain x #fyp #sainsburys ♬ Tired - someoneunloveable

Sainsbury’s worker @x333xo shared a perspective overlooked during the great Sainsbury’s outage of March 2024. She writes “please pray for all Sainsbury’s workers today. We’re working the worst shifts of our lives” also captioning the video “’No contactless today’ is cemented deep into my brain”.

It came during a time that retail crime and violence against supermarket staff is on the rise. Incidents of violence and abuse against the retail sector rose by 50% to 1,300 a day in 2023, according to the BRC. They ranged from racial abuse, sexual harassment and physical assault to threats with weapons. The shoplifting scourge also shows no signs of slowing, with the cost of theft almost doubling to £1.8bn – amounting to 45,000 incidents a day.

Fellow Sainsbury’s worker @madeyeson commented on the video “I had to reduce everything by hand. Worst code check of my life” and Argos worker @sabilakhanx wrote “Argos is just as bad, i got told to shutup by a customer because we said we were closed”.

But some small kind gestures occurred, with @happilychelsea replying “Went Sainsbury’s earlier with just my phone and I only needed formula as I ran out this morning and the lady said to just go with it as my contactless kept getting declined. It was a nice gesture.”

Visibly over 25

@pauldaly1993
♬ original sound - Larry Reid Live

It’s a gift and a curse looking over 25 and no longer getting asking for ID at the checkout. @pauldaly1993 uses the current viral TikTok audio to highlight how it feels, writing ”how I interpret when the cashier hits ’visibly over 25’ at the self checkout without asking for my ID”.

Halal Iceland

@lims.a_
The life of muslim girlies that have to travel to bulk buy halal products, but Alhamdulillah🫶🏽 Not my real accent by the way! We were joking around 😂
♬ original sound - عليمة

Iceland Foods caters to diverse dietary needs by offering a range of halal products in its own dedicated halal section online, which hosts 95 items. There are also dedicated sections in some local stores, as TikTok user @lims.a_ found on her recent trip to Iceland in Beckton, east London.

By stocking halal-certified products, Iceland aims to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and inclusivity, building a sense of belonging among Muslim shoppers in the communities it serves. This approach could build real loyalty in a time of superficial loyalty-based pricing.

Commenter @gig_hustle wrote: “I have been waiting for this to happen for years. it makes business sense for Iceland too.” While @useer__007 added “Asda in Greenwich has its own halal butcher inside”.

M&S dumpster diving

@dumpsterdivinguk1 WATCH FULL VIDEOS ON MY YOUTUBE LINKS IN MY BIO. #dumpsterdiving #jackpot #score #dumpsterdiver #dumpsterdive #recycle #waste #free #found #frugal #marksandspencer #marksandspencerfood #criminal #FREEGAN ♬ original sound - DUMPSTER DIVING UK

YouTuber @dumpsterdivinguk1 shared a clip from his new video on TikTok, in which he checked out the bins behind a Marks & Spencer store. Some of his finds included daffodil bunches with the flowers “hardly open”, multiple wheelie bins full of plant-based cream, double cream and yoghurts, with the user assuming a fridge must have broken – rendering the entire stock as waste.

He was unsure whether to take the dairy items to avoid them going to landfill as food waste as he wasn’t sure how long they’d been out of the fridge. “What a shame, what an absolute shame” he remarked. ”Criminal mate.”

User @fibrojourney commented “take to a school or children’s home or care home lots of options so so sad”. @1234chmm added “Every time I see this waste I am disgusted.”

Charles Wright

Charles is The Grocer’s digital and social producer, specialising in trend pieces, profiles and range previews - curating content and shaping The Grocer’s online presence. Charles conducts interviews with industry professionals, providing a glimpse into the personal and professional lives of leaders in food and drink through My Alternative CV profiles, and offering insight into what a career in fmcg could look like for other young people through My Food and Drink Job. They preview upcoming product ranges, especially during seasonal events, highlighting new product launches, trends, and innovations before they hit supermarket shelves. Charles also contributes to analysis pieces covering trends, industry developments and attitudes on social media.View full Profile