We want you to shop with us so you can enjoy your Colleague Discounts and your membership benefits. However, we don’t want anyone getting into an awkward situation as a result of shopping with us. Therefore, we ask our colleagues to follow a purchase procedure which helps to protect them and our co-op. If you have any queries or concerns regarding this procedure, or about any in-house processes, please speak with your line manager.
Can I buy goods while I’m at work?
Of course, but please ensure this is done during your designated break, or before or after work. All items (including carrier bags) must be paid for before they’re consumed, used or taken from the store or branch. This includes newspapers or magazines, which you should pay for before reading them and / or taking them off the shopfloor. Colleagues should not ‘lay away’ items (i.e. putting them aside for later) and full payment must be made at the time of purchase. If you do make a purchase, you should retain your receipt for the remainder of the working day. All purchases should be made from the customer’s side of the till.
If I’ve purchased something whilst at work, what do I need to do with the receipt?
Retaining your receipt is really important as proof of purchase, and also in the event you might need a refund. If you make a purchase whilst at work and you’re not leaving the branch or store straight away, please do the following:
- Ask your line manager or the relevant authorised colleague (e.g. the person who served you) to sign your receipt. This proves that the receipt reflects the item/s purchased.
- Keep the receipt with the item/s purchased until you take them off-site. If the items you’ve purchased need to remain chilled in the refrigerator available to colleagues, please keep the receipt with them so it’s clear they’ve been paid for.
- If the item/s are consumed or used (e.g. during your break), please retain and keep the receipt safe for the remainder of your working day.
Are the rules different when purchasing lottery tickets or scratchcards?
Some elements are. You can purchase a lottery ticket or scratchcard (retaining the necessary receipt until such time they are taken off-site) during a designated break. However, lottery tickets and scratchcards must not be played on our premises during working hours (including during your designated break) due to licencing restrictions.
Am I able to serve myself (including sales, refunds or exchanges)? What about serving family and friends?
You must not serve yourself at our serviced checkouts, or the Lottery or Paypoint terminals (e.g. you shouldn’t dispense a scratchcard from the holder for immediate or later use). Where possible, you should also not serve your family or friends and instead request that a colleague handles the transaction. You are permitted to use the self-service checkouts, but please ask your line manager or the relevant authorised person to sign your receipt in line with the above / normal guidance (if the items purchased are remaining on-site).
How are refunds processed?
Colleague refunds follow the normal process as if a customer was being refunded. The refunded amount will obviously reflect any Colleague Discounts applied to the original transaction, and any refund of an original purchase made with vouchers will be processed in accordance with the relevant procedure in place at the time. Your refund receipt must be signed by your line manager or the relevant authorised colleague (e.g. the person who served you) and retained. If you are in any doubt over a refund (for example, whether this has been processed correctly), the goods should remain on our premises and you should seek further advice or guidance from your line manager.
Can I take home out of date goods?
For safety reasons, we do not allow out of date items to be consumed on-site or to be taken away. We have a wastage procedure in-store which must be adhered to. Your manager will let you know about this.
Whilst at work, am I able to purchase reduced to clear items?
Yes, goods that have been reduced to clear can be purchased by colleagues at the same price that they are offered to our customers. In addition to complying with the in-store reduction procedure (which will be advised by your line manager), colleagues must also adhere to the following. This helps to ensure we’re being fair to all our colleagues, members and customers.
- No further reductions should be applied solely to entice colleagues.
- Purchases should be made in your own time.
- Items should not be laid away to purchase later.
- Colleagues should purchase responsibly (e.g. in reasonable quantities) to allow fair access to others.
If you’re the colleague carrying out the reductions and you intend to purchase any of the reduced items, you should ask a member of the management team to supervise the reductions. If they intend to make any purchases themselves, then the next authorised person on duty should supervise.
Do I need to do anything if I’m bringing any items into work which I’ve purchased at another location?
As with any purchase, it is important that you retain your receipt for a number of reasons. When you enter your place of work, you should show the items you’re bringing in along with the receipt to your line manager (or the most senior person on-site). They’ll then sign the receipt. To avoid any confusion, it’s really important that these items are placed in your locker or the colleague rest area and not behind any counter or kiosk. If, for any reason, you don’t have the receipt for the items you’re bringing into work, you should ensure you show your line manager (or the most senior person on-site) the items as soon as you enter the premises.
What are the rules around promotional offers (e.g. stickers)?
From time to time our co-op runs promotional offers, which involves members and customers being offered promotional stickers. You’ll be advised of the terms and conditions of such offers and you should only issue stickers to members and customers in accordance with these. We recognise that not all members and customers will participate with these schemes, so may refuse the stickers or offer them to you instead. In these circumstances, you must politely decline the offer and not accept the stickers. However, you may of course collect these as part of your own transactions and total spend in the store or branch.
I don’t work in a store or branch, but regularly visit them as part of my job role. What do I need to do about any purchases, refunds, etc.?
You should follow the colleague purchase procedure in the same way. For example, if you buy a drink during your break which you intend to consume on-site (e.g. in an office or the colleague rest area), you should ask for your receipt to be signed and retain this in the same way. If, however, you’re leaving the branch or store but are going on to visit another of our premises, you should keep hold of your receipt.
Will my purchases, receipts, etc. be subject to security checks?
On occasion, checks on your purchases may be carried out by management and other authorised security colleagues. This includes being asked to present a receipt prior to leaving your store or branch with any items. These checks help to ensure that we’re all following the colleague purchase procedure.