Former Primark employee explains ‘store secrets’ and why staff ask for ‘Mr Brown’
Poleighh Soper's video, titled 'Secrets of an ex primark employee', has been viewed, liked and shared thousands of times since appearing on the social media platform.
A TikTok user claiming to be a former Primark employee has shared some of the store’s biggest secrets online.
Poleighh Soper’s video, titled ‘Secrets of an ex primark employee’, has been viewed, liked and shared thousands of times since appearing on the social media platform – with the original poster passing on some of the mos intriguing info she learnt during her time working in the budget store.
This week, she published a ‘Part 2’ – which has also gone viral.
According to Poleighh Soper, hearing a request for ‘Mr Brown’ on the tannoy in a Primark store is in fact a call for security.
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“Say your security company that stands by the door and makes sure nobody is stealing…say their name is like ‘Brown Security Services’, that’s who they’re calling,” explained the TikTok user.
“So, when they say ‘Can Mr Brown please come to the customer service checkout’, they’re actually calling for security – they just don’t want the customers to know that,” she added.
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Theft checks
The TikTok user also shared the cheeky theft checks apparently in place at the Primark tills.
“You know when you go to the till and you’ve got like a makeup bag or something, they’ll always open it up and take out the tissue? That’s to check that you’re not stealing,” Poleighh Soper explained.
“So, we have to take the tissue out to check there’s nothing else in the bag, however, we’re not actually allowed to accuse you of stealing.
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“We could open that bag and find ten pieces of jewellery and three pairs of socks in there – [but] can’t accuse you of stealing it.
“We simply have to say: ‘Would you like that as well?'”
Mark Waugh / Flickr
Call bell rings
Another secret the user shared was that the number of call bell rings actually mean different things.
According to Poleighh Soper, one ring means ‘we need extra staff’, two rings means ‘we want supervisor or a manager’s help’, whereas three rings is apparently the signal for an ’emergency’.
Also, staff can seemingly select whether they want their till voice (which you hear saying “till number one, please”) to be male or female by pressing a button below.
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Staff discount
One frequently asked question has been whether Primark employees get money off purchases in store.
“No, staff do not get staff discount,” Poleighh Soper emphasised during Part 2 of her video.
She did however say that employees enjoy a 10% discount at Christmas.
The TikTok user also added: “Any staff member that actually wants to buy something from Primark has to take it to the customer service desk and hand over their ID number when they buy it.
“That includes any store – not just the one you’re working in.”
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Apparently the user is set to share more secrets in the future, promising a ‘Part 3’ of her series and urging followers to “stay tuned”.
Morrisons introduces new quiet hours to make stores less ‘overwhelming’ for shoppers
Emily Sergeant
Morrisons has decided to extend its popular ‘Quieter Hour’ across the UK to help make its stores less “overwhelming” for shoppers.
Introduced earlier this month to mark World Autism Acceptance Week, and in a bid to turn what can be a daunting task for many people into “a calmer and more enjoyable experience”, the supermarket chain has announced an extension to its already popular initiative by adding new ‘Quieter Hours’ during weekday afternoons.
In case you weren’t aware, Morrisons first introduced its Quieter Hour all the way back in July 2018, and has been welcoming people who may struggle supermarket shopping environments through its doors ever since.
The initiative – which initially took place between 9am and 10am on a Saturday, and for the first hour of trade on a Sunday – originally began as part of the National Autistic Society’s ‘Autism Hour campaign’, after it was found that some neurodiverse people, including those with autism, can find shopping in a supermarket “overwhelming”.
Morrisons has introduced new quiet hours to make stores less ‘overwhelming’ for shoppers / Credit: Morrisons
Supermarkets can lead many people to experience increased sensitivity to light and sound, such as loud music, bright lights, and busy environments, and in turn, this can cause anxiety or, in some of the worst cases, even physical pain.
But now, after the trial has proved to be so successful and well-received, Morrisons has made the decision to extended the initiative to weekdays too, as well as weekends – with ‘Quieter Hours’ now also running every week from Monday to Thursday between 2-3pm.
The company says the extension is all with the aim of “helping even more customers”.
During ‘Quieter Hours’, Morrisons stores operate lower levels of lighting, turn music and radios off, avoid making tannoy announcements, reduce movement of trolleys and baskets, and turn checkout beeps and other electrical noises down.
“The weekly shop can be a daunting task for those who may struggle with noises associated with it,” commented Charlotte Exell, who is the Business Sponsor of Ability at Morrisons.
“At Morrisons, we are always looking for more ways to support customers, and as the Quieter Hour is incredibly popular in our stores across the nation, we have listened to customers and will now help more shoppers in our extended times.”
Featured Image – Morrisons
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Freddos are on sale for 10p at UK supermarkets for the first time in nearly 20 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s happening… it’s finally happening.
We never thought we’d see this again, but for the first time in nearly two whole decades, you can now walk into supermarkets across the UK and pick yourself up a Cadbury Freddo for the price of just 10p.
While it may sound a little too good to be true, due to the fact that the beloved chocolate treat has been creeping up in price for the past 19 years, and has very much gone onto become a classic British reference point for the state of inflation and the rising cost of living crisis, we couldn’t be happier to confirm it is.
But, of course, there is a bit of catch (because isn’t there always).
For anyone looking to get their hands on a slashed-price Freddo – which we imagine will be the vast majority of people reading this – you unfortunately won’t be able to pop into any supermarket, as the 10p offer is exclusive to Sainsbury’s and you’ll need a Nectar card to be eligible for it too.
The caption of the now-viral post reads: “Some things from the mid 2000s should NEVER come back, but this is not one of them.
“Head to any Sainsbury’s superstore to pick up a Freddo for just 10p with your nectar card.”
Sadly, not only is this unmissable Freddo offer exclusive to Sainsbury’s for Nectar card-holders, it’s also only available in Sainsbury’s superstores too, meaning you won’t be able to find the cheap frog-shaped chocolate bars in little Sainsbury’s Local outlets.
The offer is also only for a very limited time too, as it’s available to make the most of from today (17 April) up until next Tuesday 23 April.
Freddos are on sale for 10p at Sainsbury’s for the first time in nearly 20 years / Credit: Sainsbury’s | The Manc Group
Thankfully, Freddos are the only chocolate treats that Sainsbury’s has slashed the price of currently.
As a way of celebrating the iconic confectionary company‘s 200th birthday this year, the supermarket has also put offers on a wide range of other products.
Dairy Milk bars, multipacks of Fudge, Curly Wurlys, and Flakes, Dairy Milk Trays, Chocolate Finger biscuits, and Mini Roll cake bars are the other much-loved Cadbury products currently on sale with up to 30% off their marked price.
Rachel Clark, who is the Director of Grocery for Sainsbury’s, said on the supermarket’s current Cadbury offers: “We’re delighted to be celebrating such an iconic moment for Cadbury, and its milestone of 200 years as a loved chocolate brand. We know that our customers love Cadbury so we’re very excited to be offering market-leading prices across selected Cadbury products, with savings of up to 60% off with Nectar Prices.”
The Manc -
9th November 2020 
