Some Tesco staff have claimed they have missed out on getting a Christmas bonus for the second year in a row, but they didn’t exactly walk away empty handed.
Instead, they were given tubs of Quality Street.
The supermarket retailer is said to have given staff a 10% Christmas bonus in 2020 as an extra thank you for all their hard work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and in previous years has also been known to give out shopping vouchers – but in 2022, they were said to have just had to make do with some leftover festive chocolate.
The Guardian reports that Tesco staff received a plastic tub of Quality Street chocolates that were priced at £5 in store.
One worker complained to the paper that it was the second year in a row he had received only a tub of Quality Street and not a Christmas bonus, despite his particular store taking more than £10 million in December.
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Tesco staff say they were given tubs of Quality Street instead of a Christmas bonus / Credit: Tesco
Tesco has addressed the claims by revealing that its staff discount was doubled to 20% on certain days during the run-up to Christmas, instead of offering vouchers or a cash bonus this past year.
The retailer said in a statement that it “would be wrong to suggest” chocolate replaced bonuses.
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“We have never given a regular cash bonus at Christmas and it is wrong to suggest that we have replaced one with chocolates,” Tesco said.
“To help colleagues with their Christmas shopping this year, we doubled our colleague discount to 20% in the run-up to Christmas – one of many benefits available to our colleagues, on top of the near 8% increase in base pay we invested over last year.”
The tubs of festive sweets retail at £5 / Credit: Quality Street
Tesco also said bonuses were handed to shopfloor workers in April, May, and June 2020 when stores were very busy at the height of the pandemic, as well as in December 2020 to “recognise their exceptional effort during the peak Christmas trading period”.
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The retailer has also pledged to invest £200 million into increasing its rate of pay for shopfloor staff to a minimum of £10.10.
It upped the rate again in October to a minimum of £10.30, taking their total pay rise last year to 8%.
Featured Image – Quality Street
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Channel 4 is looking for Mancs who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wanted to see how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now’s your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: “Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?”
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city – used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare – with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden – which is part of ITV Studios – for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on Mancs and people up and down the country with the ‘courage and ingenuity’ to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let’s prove what Mancs are made of.
Hundreds of katsu curries are being given out for FREE in Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of katsu curries are being dished up and given out for free in Manchester this week, but only for certain people.
And those lucky people will be students.
That’s right… a new semester is upon us, and thousands of freshers and returning students are descending on the city and Manchester‘s many universities for another year. But the life of a student isn’t exactly the cheapest sometimes, especially for those who haven’t had to live on a budget before moving out or into halls.
But to make things a little easier, Tampopo has announced it’ll be serving hundreds of one of its most popular dishes for free this week.
Tampopo is celebrating National Katsu Curry Day in the most delicious way possible, by giving away 700 Katsu Curries with rice for free, exclusively to freshers and students this Sunday (27 September).
Whether you’re brand new to the city, settling back into uni life, or you’re simply in need of a katsu fix, students can head to their nearest participating Tampopo and tuck into a hearty meal without needing to spend a penny.
100 katsu curries will be available each from 12-2pm at both Tampopo restaurants in Manchester city centre – which are on Albert Square, and in the Corn Exchange – or if you head over to the Trafford Centre, both the Tampopo there and the East Street sites are taking part.
“[Our] Katsu Curry has long been one of our most-loved dishes, so National Katsu Curry Day felt like the perfect excuse to give students a proper welcome to the new academic year,” Tampopo said in a statement.
So, are you feeling hungry then? The offer is exclusively available for takeaway only to freshers and students with a valid student ID, which they must present on collection.
100 portions are available at each participating location, and just one free katsu curry with rice will be available per person.
Emily Sergeant -
10th January 2023 
