OT "Saver" bashed tins

[Tim Downie]

Whenever I go to the supermarket I see that the "Saver" range of tinned goods have a very high proportion of dented tins.

In my innocent youth I used to believe that tins that were dented on the production line were labelled after the event to enable them to be sold off despite looking less appealing.

Of course this is nonsense as a a quick glance shows that the labels are applied *before* the tins have been dented which begs the question, just how do they dent the tins?

Do they just stack 'em higher in the warehouse? Do they employ special "tin denters" to make the tins less appealing than full priced tins on the shelves?

Given that the whole delivery chain from cannery to supermarket shelf must be well nigh honed to perfection to get tins to the shelves without getting dented, it seems odd that supermarkets would go to the trouble of disturbing the routine to ensure that Saver tins get dented.

Anyone with any "inside knowledge" of what's going on?

Tim

[Scion]

Tim Downie put finger to keyboard:

Maybe thinner metal used for the tins? Unacceptable for premium brands but OK for saver ranges?

[Mr Pounder]

Damaged in transit. If you squeeze the tin and meet resistance it is not blown and will be okay.

>

[F]

I was always led to believe that if the tin was dented then the internal coating may have been damaged and the food tainted. I won't buy dented tins.

[Broadback]

I suspect that clumsy customers dropping them may be one cause.

[Huge]

[17 lines snipped]

Fell off the fork lift?

[F]

Morrisons seem to suffer from a lot of dented tins which are right in the middle of the shelf and nowhere near the picking area. It looks very much like rough handling in the warehouse or when the shelves are being stacked.

I would suspect the latter as they don't seem to train their staff in careful handling: throwing bags of potatoes into the bin within the store is quite normal and explains why their potatoes are so poor.

[Tim+]

Or were they pushed? ;-)

Tim

[Tim+]

Have you checked the Saver tins? Sometimes at least 50% are bashed. Seems way too high to be accounted for by clumsy customers.

Tim

[Tim+]

I usually rummage around for he indented ones but I don't lose any sleep if they are bashed. If they posed a significant threat they wouldn't be allowed to sell them.

Tim

[Tim+]

What, just the Saver tins? Why only them?

Tim

[Tim+]

Hmm, they don't *feel* any thinner (or easier to crush). Plausible explanation though. Will have to check.

Tim

[Mr Pounder]

I once saw a full pallet load of vodka fall off a fork lift. I admit to licking the floor.

[Mr Pounder]

[Dave Liquorice]

"Saver" are the supermarkets own brand thus damages are their problem and leave damaged goods on the shelf in the hope of shifting it and thus not affecting the bottom line.

Perhaps the brand owners have a "damaged in transit" returns procedure so damaged branded goods are removed and sent back for a refund.

[charles]

years ago, Woolworths used to sell "broken biscuits". They always had lots.

[djc]

Perhaps the sort of customers who look at the Saver Tins are more careless in handling them

[Mr Pounder]

Do you remember "miss shaped" chocolates? Dead cheap and tasted great.

[Mr Pounder]

If you drop a tin it will not dent. Try it.

[docholliday93]

Oh yes, I remember them. Used to buy them when I was a student. One of my fellow students, who could be pedantic at times, suggested we should complain about one pack because quite a few of them weren't broken...