Lost it in the supermarket !!

[Teresa]

I haven't commented about Xmas gifts in the other thread because my story doesn't relate to a " girly " gift . My mum kindly gave me a gift token from Sainsbury's , as most in the UK know they took over the Argos brand and moved the outlets into their own stores . My electric kettle has gone wrong so I thought great I can use my gift token to buy a new one from Argos , I tried click and collect online but no joy . This morning I popped into Sainsbury's to buy the kettle over the Argos counter , the sales guy took one look and said , " I'm sorry madam but you can't use the Sainsbury's card with Argos items ". My reply was they are now all one company , we've had enough ads telling us that ! At that point I lost it and demanded to see the manager to which he replied I am the manager , so I replied then MANAGE and do something about this ridiculous situation . All he could offer me was to find a kettle in the Sainsbury's part so I could use my token . So I had no choice and as luck would have it found the last remaining kettle in cream on offer ?5.00 less than I was trying to buy it from Argos .

I know I shouldn't have been annoyed but at least I did get a " MADAM " , I wonder what he called me to the rest of the staff at his coffee break " Stroppy blond !! "

[Vikky]

Its no use raising steam about it.
Vikky

[Helen_Highwater]

Now now Teresa, the poor man's only doing his job!

I suppose even though they're owned by Sainsbo's, Argos are still in accounting terms a different business. It does get confusing however when they're under the same roof!

[docrobbysherry]

What's a "kettle in cream", Teresa? We don't have anything called that across the pond.:straightface:

[Teresa]

Sherry,
The kettle colour is cream to match my toaster .

Helen,
The saga is a little longer than that , the previous day I chose a different make and was being told to travel to Nottingham or Spalding online to collect it , so I popped into my local Argos to see why and was told it wasn't in stock there but the SA assured me I could use the Sainsbury's gift card , hence my slight annoyance today . The other problem is I'm trying to cut down my trips out with the Covid -19 situation getting worse and was worried to see I was the only one who stopped to use the hand gel at the entrance .

[Helen_Highwater]

As you were given conflicting information perhaps it's worth an email to customer services asking them to clarify what you can and can't do. You never know, then may apologise by giving you another gift card as compensation.

[looking_good]

...My electric kettle has gone wrong...I popped into Sainsbury's ...I replied then MANAGE and do something...Stroppy blond !! "
While we share the same language (and at least one interest) ONE of us uses the language in such a delightful way. You made may day, madam.

[paulinescotlandcd]

You better explain to our USA friends on here what an electric kettle is..lol It is my understanding that electric kettles are not really a thing in the USA.

[Teresa]

Pauline,
As most of these items are made in China I assumed an electric kettle would be universal .

Looking Good ,
I guess we are lucky to have such a colourful language , I'm sure I don't need to explain " Stroppy blond !"

Helen,
It might be a good point as my mother bought the token assuming I could use it at Sainsbury's or Argos .

[LydiaL]

Just had to look up the definition of stroppy. Had to laugh as the term is perhaps more spot on than any that us norte americanos might chose. Well, except for cantankerous?

Alas, any made in China appliance with a heating element is designed to fail, sooner than later, it seems. No matter how reputable a brand name is slapped on the item.

[candykowal]

Very interesting experience Teresa. As other members mentioned, you descriptions brings a bit of "Jolly ole England" over here to the states.
The tea kettle, your slang, all breaks a smile and a remembrance of my visit to London and Portsmouth.
I can hear your accent! So glad you got your kettle in a matching color...that is "Priceless!"
Time for a spot of tea yet?

[Teresa]

Candice,
Let's put it this way , the manager got the message I wasn't a happy bunny !!

Lydia,
Can't avoid it , my old kettle was a Russell Hobbs ( a reputable UK brand ) made in China , my new one a Breville ( I believe it's a French brand ) made in China .

I did have to smile , I noticed my Colgate toothpaste is made in China !

[chris80]

stroppy BLONDE if being mildly impolite, probably stroppy cow used. That would show you really passed as an annoyed woman.

[JennasPanties]

You look beautiful in that dress doll!

[BobbiKay]

Teresa, are you turning into a Karen? :)

. . .

On the subject of unwritten rules -- We recently had a frustrating time at the supermarket, too. SWMBO and I were at the Kroger's the other night. Along with our $150 grocery order she was getting a gift card for the postman. She tried to pay partially with a gift card she'd received from a friend, writing a check for the balance. The register wouldn't accept the gift card as payment, not even with a management override. Something-something-money-laundering - you can't pay for a gift card with a gift card. Even though the value of the groceries far exceeded the value of the gift card tendered. Ended up that she wrote a check for the full amount, and they refunded the gift card she'd presented, in cash. Worked for us.

I was in drab, my SO got ma'amed.

- - - Updated - - -

We have an electric kettle, and use it a lot. But, as I understand it, yours are 3 KW and ours is limited to 1.5 KW because our mains circuits are different. So yours heat twice as fast.

[Teresa]

BobbiKay,
What happened to , " The customer is always right !" as long as you've read the small print !!! That was the reply I received when I called up customer service .

[BobbiKay]

Teresa, the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.

Happy holidays!

[Teresa]

BobbiKay,
Very true , I must remember that one .

I have to smile sometimes when you hear an ad on the radio followed by the gabble of " Terms & conditions " did you get them ? Not a chance !!

[Ressie]

I would have loved to be there to hear you give the manager a piece of your mind in your girlish, midlands, English accent! I don't think electric kettles are common in the states because I've never heard of it. We mostly use coffee makers over here. Yet, lately I've been making decaf tea to drink at night so maybe an electric kettle would be useful.?

[Teresa]

Ressie,
I'm a Lincolnshire Lass evenso he did get the message .

I must admit I don't have a coffee maker , I lost the taste for coffee after a severe cold sometime ago so I hardly drink it now . I would think most homes in the UK have an electric kettle , some would never part with their whistling version . Earl Grey tea with lemon and no milk is very refreshing , it goes well with cup cakes .

[Bobbi46]

Better losing you composure than losing your knickers round your ankles!!!

[ShelbyDawn]

While we share the same language...

I believe it was Churchill who commented that the U.S. and Britain were two great world powers separated by a common language...

[abby054]

I ran into a similar problem in London when I was a tourist there a few years ago. In a souvenir shop, there was a line painted across the floor, separating two halves of what seemed to one shop. I picked up a few items and went to the nearest clerk to pay for them. When I crossed that line, a store security agent immediately stopped me and demanded that I return and pay on the original side of the line. Other than the security guy and the odd line, there was no indication the crossing the line was considered shoplifting. I returned the items, double checked to be sure I had not forgotten anything, and exited the building forthwith, hoping not to be tossed in a British hoosegow. I saw this odd compartmentalization in several more places as a tourist there, but I recognized it early and avoided such places. It is not comforting to read that the locals encounter the same foolishness.

Earl Grey tea with lemon and no milk...a beverage that provided Nobel Physicist Richard Feynman the title of one of his superb books.

[Teresa]

Abby,
I'm a little puzzled by your experience , did the security guy just think you were queue jumping ? It looks like you needed a " Stroppy Blond " on the case !

I wasn't thinking about Richard Feynman , I was just recalling my first cruise when I sat on the sundeck enjoying Earl Grey for the first time with some nice slices of rich fruit cake . No wonder our stomachs like cruising !!

[Vickie_CDTV]

We have "electric kettles" in the USA, though they are less common here. Most here boil water on a stove top, or heat water in a coffee maker to make their coffee.

[abby054]

I found that two proprietors, actually corporations, shared the same large shop space. They chose to have one of them solely on one half, disjoint from the other?s territory. The painted line and the hovering security reminded me of a dysfunctional relationship or marriage, but with customers dragged into the mix. This was my first visit to the UK, so I wanted no trouble. They had their rules. I have traveled enough to observe how many local cultures can be about rules. The security guard was a particularly dour fellow. A reply worthy of a stroppy blond would not likely have ended well.

The incident happened during of one of those overpriced guided tours of the country. Such tours are usually well organized, their predictability providing nervous tourists like my wife with a security blanket of sorts. Not this one. It was one disaster after another. I admit the hoosegow did cross my mind. It would have fit the pattern of bad luck.

[Teresa]

Abby,
I'm sorry you experienced that but then in a foreign country many of us are a little more wary of the locals but I've never experienced it in the UK .

[Deborah G]

I experienced the split shop space here in the US. It was a shop in a "touristy" town in Texas. I went in to buy some shoes I saw in the window, but then began browsing thru the store. I picked up items on both sides and went to the nearest cashier and was told "You pay for the shoes here, and the sweater over there. Don't you see the line on the floor?" Sure enough, there was a black line that separated the store down the middle. They were nice about it, as I'm sure it happens often. But never experienced that previously. Live and Learn!

[BobbiKay]

The only places I have noticed this phenomenon have been truck stops that have a fast-food franchise in the same building. "No, you pay for your McNuggets over here, and your coffee over there" kind of thing.

I see that $MajorGroceryChain has jewelry boutiques in some of their larger stores, so maybe you have to pay for the bling in the boutique rather than take it to the self-scan registers. But I'm not much for bling, so I haven't the experience.

[Teresa]

My local out of town store is actually two stores in one , as you enter the building it's furnishings , floor coverings and white goods , passing through an arch is the other store selling clothing shoes handbags , with a coffee shop . Upstairs returns to the original store selling clothing , bedding , drapery and household / kitchenware with it's own cafeteria . There must be security staff but I've never witnessed any altercations with shoppers getting confused with taking items to the wrong checkouts . The only thing that confuses some people is when they try and use their discount cards in the wrong store , I made that mistake thinking I was going to get up to 70% off my lounge furniture !!