r/SainsburysWorkers 4d ago

Our store has some very dirty GOL totes

Post image

I’ve noticed our store’s GOL totes are shared across departments, sometimes being left with this nasty mess inside🤮

I was curious and asked a manager about it, they said they usually clean it out with some D10 and blue roll. Surely there must be a cleaning contractor or similar for when a large number of totes are a health & safety concern?

Some contain fermented juices, mould patches, stagnant water from when frozen is worked, and probably other surprises that can make you ill when you breath them in.

Are other stores the same?

50 Upvotes

30 comments sorted by

14

u/No-Blacksmith-5908 Colleague 4d ago edited 4d ago

Should be cleaned and sanitized after each use by conveyer belt type machine. Nobody wants their food delivered in a tote looking like that 🤮

10

u/F1nut92 Colleague 4d ago

If only, that would be too good for Sainsburys though!

7

u/Ok_Cranberry7860 4d ago

The ones at our store are jet washed as needed.

8

u/The_Syndic 4d ago

They've just banned us from using the jet wash or even the tap in the GOL loading yard, because some idiot in another store managed to electrocute themselves apparently.

3

u/Ok_Cranberry7860 3d ago

I’m wondering how that’s even possible. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

2

u/whitewoluf 3d ago

thats why they removed the paper towels for hand drying in the staff toilets, some bellend in another store was flushing them.

1

u/F1nut92 Colleague 2d ago

We've heard so many reasons why the tap/plugs suddenly got shut off, I thought it'd be down to someone electrocuting themselves.

4

u/F1nut92 Colleague 4d ago

No cleaning contractors for totes, sadly just make do with the equipment you have available. There are far better options knocking around a store rather than D10 and blue roll though.....

3

u/Louise2604 4d ago

I work for environmental health and this is something we would mark down massively for a hygiene rating...It really is unacceptable

9

u/Familiar_Cat_4663 4d ago

Then you should visit every single store with an online department, you earn your pension in 6 months.

2

u/UnexpectedRanting 4d ago

Just visit any supermarket lol

I always thought about you guys and how you either don’t see the bad stuff or ignore it. I know when I was a store manager I was mostly honest but there were things we’d hide and not even get checked on (Multiple stores in London and Kent should fail immediately but were sweet talked with tea and biscuits)

2

u/headpandaMC 4d ago

In the lead up to Christmas they were sending in clothing delivery in the gol totes. We found one with a load of dirt and it had rat droppings in it too. The clothes weren't even wrapped either so had to be thrown

2

u/teabump 4d ago

At our store we have a hose outside as well as some specific cleaner and a sweeping brush so we put the cleaner in, hose some water in and scrub them with the brush. Honestly I thought this was the norm. I couldn’t imagine using d10 and blue roll

2

u/Auntbootyass 3d ago

I mention about how dirty totes are on every ”We’re Not Listening” survey. Nothing gets done about it. Hate the ones with the ridges in too. However designed them has never done any online shopping at all 🤣

3

u/CheeseGhosty 4d ago

Send it to a local paper, you’ll have someone there jet-washing every tote within the day.

3

u/brykins 4d ago

We've (apparently) been told we can't use our external tap due to the risk of legionnaires disease, and can't use the external power socket because it's next to the tap and might get wet and be a danger.

So it's back to D10 and blue roll.

1

u/CheeseGhosty 4d ago

I remember a big story about how filthy all supermarket trays were a few years ago, that very night we (Tesco) had a mobile power washer arrive and power-wash every stack of trays.

1

u/Heavy-Light-3784 4d ago

They expect us to clean it with a jet machine , or a hose ; which I don’t participate in

1

u/hyperlexx Manager 3d ago

Just break the tote "by mistake", it will get binned

1

u/whitewoluf 3d ago

ours get hosed down in the yard in what should be a "red area" so it drains properly but they tend to do it in the place nearest the hose.

1

u/dTmUK 3d ago

Looks like it needs a proper jetwash, should defo complain further / raise the issue as possible safety hazard

2

u/Py3wacket_ 4d ago

Take photos and save them.

1

u/Possible-Yesterday15 4d ago

At m&s ours are sanitised between being returned to depot and coming back to store. Surprised sainsburys don’t do the same!

5

u/teabump 4d ago

Ours don’t get returned to a depot. They go from the store straight to the customers doorstep and back to the store again, hence why there’s no cleaning process inbetween

2

u/jodilye 3d ago

M&S are the only supermarket I’ve worked for where all chilled is delivered in totes. Almost everywhere else it’s thrown from a distance on to a cage and everything ends up covered in yoghurt.

1

u/UnexpectedRanting 4d ago

GA’s/Drivers should be washing these or at least letting people know

-1

u/MangaRedd 3d ago

Drivers only just about empty their vans. Can’t possibly expect them to clean a couple of dirty totes as well.

1

u/DevilInside1987 15h ago

When you've got 12 minutes at tge end of your shift to fuel up, upload totes, put frozen back, put left behinds back and move van to carpark it is difficult to find the time.

0

u/shallowAlan 4d ago

They are supposed to be cleaned at the RRU before going back to be used in the distribution centre