Shoppers were left divided over the state of plants being sold in a supermarket at a clearance price of just 1p.
A photo shared in the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group on Facebook showed shelves of plants in a sorry-looking state that had been reduced from £6.50 in B&M. The picture of the dry and withered plants sparked a debate in the comments section, with some slamming supermarkets while others came to their defence and encouraged shoppers to buy the plants.
Denise Mitsides, who spotted the 1p plants in a B&M branch in Cramlington , said that she has seen other supermarkets be guilty of similar offences when it comes to plants and criticised their “wasteful” nature. “As well as being a waste of plants, it’s the disposal of the plant pots going to landfill,” she pointed out.
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“What an absolute waste of resources,” one person agreed. “These plants have cost money, water, electricity and transportation costs to just allow them to wither away and die.”
A second Facebook user agreed: “I’m really fed up with seeing dead plants on trollies and outside shops. What a total waste of money to the companies because the staff don't bother to water them.”
“These shops should know their limits and stop selling plants,” another commenter fumed. But others with experience working in B&M and other stores spoke up to defend themselves against the criticism.
One supermarket worker argued: “I don’t think people realise how hard it is to look after potted plants in a store. We have a very strict process to follow but even our best efforts aren’t often enough.”
Several other shop staff members chimed in to agree. “Some stores have such volumes of stock sent in with so few staff to oversee their upkeep that sometimes this happens. It’s as frustrating for us as it is for the customer to see such waste,” another worker added.
Elsewhere in the comments section, keen gardeners suggested that even plants that looked unsalvageable could be brought back to life. “Trim it back and leave the pots in water. It’s amazing how resilient plants can be,” one person suggested.
“I get so many of my plants that way,” another said. “Take a punt and at worst, I’ve paid 1p for a plant pot.”
A third added: “My garden is full of them, given a good trim and plenty of water they will come back better than before!”
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