In today’s computerised world you would think that the pricing of products in a supermarket would be easy. Bar codes are on every packet – all that is necessary is for the cashier to scan the item. However, we were continuing to find errors at every visit. Baby Bel cheeses were priced at 30c each. I put six in a bag and was charged 1.99 not 1.80 – a 10% overcharge. This chain had 175 stores. Over a month the store is making 1,000 euros extra for just 10 sales a day. But French people don’t complain.

The following incident probably illustrates why. One day a little recipe book was on offer just inside the entrance. It was marked as ‘FREE’. When I went to pay, I was charged 1.49c for it. Yet another trip to the Customer Service desk ‘A’ where 5 people were in a queue in front of two assistants. Two more assistants were there but were positioned well back as if they were not available. When I got to the head of the queue and asked for my refund, ‘Pas ici, Madame, c’est mon collègue‘. So I moved to the back of the queue B. I got my refund, but it was put onto my loyalty card. I wanted to have cash in hand rather than risk them taking away my points. But this lady could not give back cash so it was again, ‘Pas ici, Madame, c’est mon collègue‘.Back to queue A and 25 minutes in total to achieve a cash refund of something that was free – if you had the supermarket’s own cash card!

Another time, we saw a rabbit pen advertised in the supermarket brochure that arrived weekly in our letterbox.The price was reduced to tempt us to buy it and we had a rabbit! We went down the road, found the product and paid. However, the price was more than marked in the brochure. I pointed out the discrepancy to the assistant. She showed me where it was written SUPERMARKET NORTHERN BRANCH. Now, we lived 600 metres from the SOUTHERN BRANCH and 8 kilometres from the northern branch.It seemed incredible that the northern branch had different prices and that they bothered to put publicity leaflets in letterboxes so close to the southern branch. Unless it was done on purpose to trick people.

That was the final straw and the last red rag to the bull. A letter to the manager was called for listing all the irritations we had suffered. Another one was that people having the stores own credit card went to reserved tills. Other customers were in long queues while the cashiers at the reserved ones sat and did nothing. A type of apartheid. Also if you took a basket and put more than 10 items in it the assistant would tell you off. I thought I was a good customer if I went for 6 items and came back with 12!!

Anyway, the letter was sent and I received a surprising reply. All will be revealed!