Compassionate retailers have come up with ways to help stop vulnerable customers going hungry at a time when many are finding it hard to make ends meet.
Premier Morley in Leeds has just announced a Cost of Living Bags initiative.
“How it came about was a lady rang up asking if we could provide her with some stuff because she was struggling,” owner Ajay Singh tells Convenience Store. “We felt really bad, we wanted to help out so we just dropped her some stuff off and we didn’t charge her,” he says.
Realising people needed help, Ajay got to work. “We came up with an idea for a £5 bag with £15 worth of goods, so the customer is getting a lot more value for their money,” he says. “The customer can either come into the store and pick it up, order it on our delivery platform, or through the Too Good To Go app.”
Bags contain a mix of Euroshopper and Jack’s promotional goods, such as Persil and toilet roll, as well as treats. Ajay has also turned to his symbol group for support. “I’ve said to Booker ‘I need a bit of help with this’, not just can I have free stock, but I need better prices,” he says. “I don’t want to be making losses, but I want to make it affordable. I want customers to feel like we’re still here for them and it can’t just have a few items, it’s got to have a nice balance of stuff.”
Meanwhile, over in Batley, Notay’s Convenience Store also decided to take action after being prompted by a customer in need..
“I got a message from a customer. They said: ‘I absolutely hate to ask, but I’m desperate. Is there any chance I can get something for the kids’ tea and packed lunches?’ says Serge. The customer was promising to pay him back when they got paid.
“She’s a customer of mine, I’ve known her all my life, and that just really got to me,” he says. “I’ve got kids myself and I just put myself in their place really and I thought I would want someone to help out.”
He contacted other retailers to share ideas and also teamed up with local mental health and suicide peer support group Take Ten.
He then decided to launch a Pay It Forward scheme whereby customers were invited to pay for extra products when buying their shopping. The additional items purchased are then written on post it notes and stuck to a dedicated noticeboard, so that customers in need can take a sticky note and use it as payment for products they need. Customers who don’t feel comfortable buying food in this way can also approach Stevie from Take Ten (pictured) who can help them access food in a more discreet manner, as well as offering mental health support.
Serge wants other retailers to help their communities. “As retailers we’re pillars of the community, we should do something,” he says. “I’m sharing the initiative so that people see me and copy me - do it! If people want to ring me up and ask me how I’m doing it, I’ll tell them. I’m not making any profit, I just don’t want people to go hungry on my watch.”
Serge was inspired by Sandeep Bains of Welcome Co-op Faversham in Kent, who ran a similar scheme during the first lockdown. “We’re setting it up in store again now for January,” says Sandeep. “When theft starts to increase you understand that people are getting desperate. I want to avoid that in store and if people need things I’d sooner the community came together and we were able to do it in a way where they don’t have to resort to theft or feel as though they can’t afford to feed their families. I’m going to put the first £250 in myself and then if people want to add to that, they’re more than welcome.”
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