r/SainsburysWorkers

Is it legal to be made to stay in store on our break as it is unpaid?

Had a Sainsbury’s local order this morning. Arrived and staff were outside unloading wagon at front of shop. Went in and order was ready at the tills. Collected it and was going to let staff know id picked it up once I saw them outside by the wagon
….
Didn’t get chance one staff member ran inside saying how dare I pick that order up without them being present. I said sorry I didnt realise. I said it’s never been an issue before and infact other Sainsbury’s stores have a designated collection racking for orders to be picked up by drivers. He said well not in this shop. I said well you need to stick blanket ban on it then as it’s never been an issue here before or in any other Sainsbury’s or supermarket before.
He accused me of theft. I said don’t be so pathetic. How can it be theft when it’s paid for you clown. Im picking it up on behalf of a customer who has paid for it. Absolute power trip has gone to this member of staffs head 🤣
…
He demanded I put the order back on the till point collection point until he verified it was my order. It was 7.30am. 1 order in there to collect. He was just being a jobsworth
…
As he was being pathetic I thought I will be petty aswel and I said I can’t accept this order until I’ve verified all the items inside as per my app instructions. I said if you’re doing things ‘by the book’ then do it properly. I unsealed the bag and made him repack as I verified every item on the list.
…
He’s reported me anyways as my scores gone down to 98%. I just said there was no need for this at all. Tried to make the collection easier for all of us because I could see you were busy.
…
Think it’s worth an email to Sainsbury’s to complain about him too? Usually not even bothered but it’s the principle of it 🤣

Hello All.

Was working for Sainsburys here in Manchester for 4 years. Did something stupid which I don't want to go into but I was fired for Gross Misconduct. Totally my fault and will learn from this, we all make mistakes. Big ones.

I now need a reference to cover these past 4 years and am concerned what HR might say. Do they disclose reasons for leaving or is it just a basic reference confirming employment start and end dates?

Anyone know?

Thank you.

Every Sunday in my store we open 30mins early so folk can browse....

And the same ten to fifteen people rush in every Sunday, fill up there trolleys in 10mins because the stores dead/were just finishing tidying up from the overnight delivery

They then rush down to the checkouts/self scan and spend the remaining fifteen to twenty minutes, huffing, puffing, muttering "come on hurry up!"

We cannot put any transactions through before ten o'clock, Sunday trading laws... you know this, we have told you this...

Yet every Sunday you rush in like lemmings expecting something different? Im sure that's a definition of insanity....

Sorry just needed a rant just tired of explaining the same things to the same folks every Sunday

What is going on with sainsburys shareprice. In the position to have a few shares through sharesave, but each day it keeps dropping and getting a bit worried. Yet Tesco seems to be flourishing. Dont know whether to cut my losses and take the money.

I always clock in at 3:57pm if I’m working at 4pm. This is just so I can get my stuff ready for the day (I’m a code checker). There’s been a new rule implemented that we have to stay on the shop floor until 10pm exactly, at which point we can leave to go upstairs and clock out.

But I don’t get it because we’re still in the building aren’t we? But they’re so strict on it and are threatening a disciplinary if we even step foot through the back at 9:59. Is this allowed? Just seems so petty

I am being bullied by my manager and colleagues which has led to the stress. I am receiving a disciplinary because I reacted to them. I am off sick.

I have received an email yesterday from a different manager asking me to go to occupational health despite having signed off by my GP.

Should I agree to this?

I don't see what benefits it is for me rather than to benefit them.

Am in Oxford area if that makes any difference.

This is a bit of a tricky one….
In store we have an USDAW rep, who does nothing and retells all information to management… but that’s another story.
Anyway, a lot of colleagues are looking to change unions to Unite after multiple issues and losing trust in the USDAW union for multiple reasons, but they wanted an in-store Unite rep.
I contacted Unite about this and they have made their calls etc to see about this being a possibility.

The results are in…. We’re a non affiliated store so apparently shouldn’t have USDAW or UNITE reps in store? Yet we’ve had an USDAW rep for years. The same one as they’re never voted in and is very protective of the role.

How can I find out (in black & white) that we are 100% an unaffiliated store?
I’ve looked on My Sainsbury’s and found the stores documented to be either Unite or USDAW with their rep names etc…
But the entire southern region stores are blank? Only the North stores are completed? This is information given for 2025-2027 the document reads…

Just wondered if anyone has a direction they can point me in?

Thank you!

In my time working in this store smallish it’s been mostly chill and quite relaxed, when the right managers are in. But all of a sudden everything has been really strict, by the book and ultimately more arduous and actually harder to do my job properly. An example; I work selfscan and before we had a little cupboard for the key so I could change and fix issues with them pretty quickly, now the key is stored in a key box far with the key to the key box being held by a manager who I have to ask for everytime I need the selfscan key (which happens often). This is just one example and there’s lots more.

The only reason I think it’s got like this is because I believe the store manager is due an audit soon so is making everything “perfect”.
Really annoying.

I’m an online driver and have been since November 2025. Honestly I’m sick of it. For starters I personally hate the job. And second of all, recently I feel I have been receiving unfair treatment about my shifts. Constantly getting the graveyard shifts or making me work 6 days in a row on early starts, or working lates until 10pm and then being back in at 6am the next day. Things like this. And I’m only on a 25 hour contract but I’m working easily 30-35+ hours. I’ve asked for this to be changed in accordance with my contract but nothing has changed.

Thinking of giving my notice in very soon. How long of a notice period can I actually give? 2 weeks? 1 week? Or could I just quit entirely??

Hey guys I was asked from manager to become a responsible colleague for couple of hour a day..

anyone know what that is or how much extra pay you get? i’m curious please

thanks

I’m on my last week of probation and have had an absence prior to this however I have informed my mangers I have celiac disease, which was also the cause for my last absence.

I came to work and was not feeling great so let my manager know and he told me to stay as long as I can because if I have another absence I need to have a meeting (which is fine I understand that). However, after an hour I was sick at work and did not feel well enough to work. My manager told me to sit upstairs for half an hour and told me he knows celiacs that are able to control their flare ups and I should be able to do this. I am on a completely gluten free diet (and have been for 10 years) but occasionally cross contamination happens etc.
He threatened that if I went home I would be fired and said this was unacceptable .

Is this allowed? I understand that there is a strict policy especially during probation but I do have a chronic illness and still came into work because I was worried about getting a disciplinary. Also is this not a health and safety hazard for others since I am working near food? I’m working again tomorrow and am unsure how to go about this situation.

EDIT: My manager was weirdly nice today and I have arranged a Health Review Meeting and no disciplinary meeting was even mentioned. I am a bit confused by the switch up but I’m hoping I’m in the clear now?

So for the past 2 shifts we’ve finished all items half an hour early, which means I clock out 30min earlier so therefore won’t I technically get paid for all my contracted hours even though it wasn’t my fault we finish early?

So that’s 1hr pay what I’ve lost out on

During one of my shifts, I was driving through the road my D2D handset showed, and approached a width restriction. The dimensions of the van was of course bigger than the restriction, but as there was traffic behind me, I was unable to turn around. Instead, I drove through the emergency vehicle gap in a state of panic. I am expecting a meeting soon enough as there was a camera positioned there. Is there any way in which I can defend my case if a meeting was proposed?

I have accepted my offer to be a services assistant & my induction is Friday 11-3. This is just training & I’ve not received any uniform as of yet. I’m going to just wear what I wore for the interview- the question is what do I wear on my bottom half for day-to-day? Is it acceptable to wear leggings or black linen trousers? Sorry if this is a silly Q.

I work in a convenience store, and there is a CTM i hate. They would literally talk to me differently than they would to other colleagues and if they are talking with other colleagues and if i try to join in they just send me away with a work and always change facial expressions with me and they literally behave roude with me.

I always let it slide but lately they have started laughing at me and talking shit at my back with other, like why would you spend your energy on me anyway, and i have found out and i can't stop thinking about it because i can't remember if i did anything bad to them or anything that would make them against me apart from my skin colour and culture background.

But I've had enough of this and i have decided to talk back to them and give them the same energy that they give me, but im also concerned if they could fire me? Like during my probation they tried their best to get ridd of me by talking shit and making shit up about me to the store manager but i have honestly had enough