Health and safety?

[Grunty]

I was in Sainsbury's today and a man asked for a cardboard box to carry away some bottles of wine. He was told that they were not allowed to give cardboard boxes 'because of health and safety'. Does anyone know the reasoning behind that, or how Sainsbury's carrier bags are safer than boxes?

[lady_p_gold]

Oh honestly, I suppose they are concerned that if they gave you a box and it all fell through and a bottle of wine fell on your toe and broke it, that they would be liable. No doubt someone has tried this on thus making it a blame culture for all of us. The other thing I would say is, much as I love this country our customer service is rubbish, and I really do notice the difference in our supermarkets compared with America where they would have carried the wine to your car for you without even being asked or expecting anything in return.

[Jules001]

I maybe wrong (it has been known occasionally!) but I thought that rather than not allowing staff to give out the cardboard boxes because of H & S, it was a case that they don't actually keep the boxes anymore, they are all crushed. You may remember that you could always go down to the supermarket and pick up a box or two that would be kept behind the checkouts this practice has stopped and I think that is due to health and safety. Most, if not all, supermarkets now supply free wine carriers anyway.

[neathgirl]

having been a manager for sainsburys competitor .... (who shall remain nameless).... if sainsburys are indeed like this other company then it wouldnt surprise me if it was probably a senior management decision as budgets for consumables such as plastic bags and wine boxes are often a bone of contention. In a previous store i had the pleasure (i dont think) of working in it was at one point policy from other senior managerst to tell staff to only give out specific numbers of plastic bags to customers as the consumable budget for that month was astronomical and therefore customers were effectively not allowed to have too many plastic bags!

Maybe you now know why they are ex employers... and i am now still in therapy trying to get over the ``psychotic`` episode i had when agreeing to work for them!

[les saisies]

It's probably to do with environmental legislation concerning control of commercial waste.

As such an empty cardboard box is waste and must be dealt with in a controlled way ie sent for recycling or to landfill by licenced waste carrier. Therefore giving an empty box to a customer to fill with shopping is probably technically illegal but using new carrier bags is perfectly legal.

Stupid or what?

[paddy_36]

Another thought - maybe if someone were to get a box, overload it with shopping and then hurt their back trying to lift it...

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where people actually take responsibility for their own actions?

[dzug]

Could be that they are regarded as a fire hazard if left lying about the store

[auntiebertie]

When we were selling up a house and we wanted to take loads of stuff down to the charity shop, we naturally went to the local supermarkets to pick up some empty boxes that I remembered you could always find at the checkouts - but they had all gone! I was told also that this was because of H&S - apparently they were now considered a fire hazard......

[Grunty]

Yes auntiebertie, with the number of people who still smoke, I can see the point. Thanks all for your answers.