- 8 hours ago
secrets of supercheap shopping s01e03 skyfire
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:02For decades, the big-name supermarkets have dominated the high street.
00:06A weekly shop for us is like way more than it was last year.
00:10But now the game has changed. Wallets are shrinking.
00:15Do you like a bargain? Like, is that a question that anybody needs to seriously answer?
00:20And prices are soaring.
00:22It's scary when I'm walking up to the tills.
00:26Enter the discount disruptors.
00:28We take on the supermarkets by removing the friction.
00:32It's Christmas!
00:34The cost of living crisis, it's affecting everybody.
00:37And we try and make it a little less painful.
00:40It's all about being cheaper than everyone else.
00:44They're making your shopping seductive.
00:47We'll take it to marketing and they will start to sexify it.
00:50Catching your eyeline by line.
00:52This is what's known as a shopper stopper.
00:54And tantalising your taste buds with the latest trend jacking.
00:57We sold 30,000 last week. Finger on the buzzer.
01:01Shall we be told?
01:03Eh?
01:05I order from here.
01:07From budget brilliance.
01:09See these milkshakes for the kids at a bargain.
01:11To next big things.
01:13This one is an all time cracker.
01:15They're taking us beyond the shelves.
01:18I don't like the supermarkets. We're no fancy shelving. We're no big signs. It's no frills of us.
01:22And behind the scenes.
01:24This is where it all happens.
01:26It's a box of six bars for a panic.
01:29Yeah, I like it.
01:30To reveal the secrets of super cheap shopping.
01:35The bigger the sign, the cheaper the price, the more it's going to sell.
01:39You can beat the supermarkets.
01:47Coming up, a bulk buying warehouse where best before means bargain, not bin it.
01:53I love it. For me it's a thrill in the chase of the next product.
01:55Can I get that product cheaper? Can I get a bargain for our customers?
01:59Can I put a smile on someone's face?
02:01And the discount retailer with plenty to say about his latest giveaway.
02:06Keep filling up your basket, get to the 75 quid and you'll then hit the next freebie.
02:11Just keep on going basically. The more you spend, the more we'll give you.
02:21With living costs at an all time high, everyone's looking to save a buck or two.
02:26It's difficult.
02:28It's an expensive life.
02:29Yeah, people don't get that much money to spend and that.
02:33When I go in with like about £40 and that, I don't come out with nothing.
02:38But it's not just us shoppers who are feeling the squeeze.
02:41I feel like the items are getting smaller and you're paying more money.
02:45So, yeah, I don't think there's much value for money.
02:50With operational outgoings like wages, rent and shipping costs on the increase,
02:55retailers have to work hard to stay ahead.
02:57But one crafty company is breaking the mould.
03:07In Stockport, one retailer is taking on the supermarkets by using a variety of clever
03:13tactics to keep their outgoings low.
03:16Rogers Wholesale have a no-frills approach and flog best-before-delights at a fraction of the cost.
03:23Welcome to Rogers Wholesale right here in Manchester.
03:25If you've never been to the UK's biggest gone past successful warehouse before,
03:29where have you been?
03:30Get down and see us.
03:30By tapping into the power of social media and word of mouth,
03:34they have grown to become the largest wholesaler of their kind in the UK.
03:39And MD Mark King has even more plans afoot to bulk up his brands.
03:45This is our brand-new warehouse.
03:47This adds to our other three warehouses that we've got, obviously, in Poole, Plymouth and Wolverhampton.
03:53And the King's Empire seems to be growing and growing.
03:56We are looking to open another two warehouses, hopefully, within the next six months.
04:00With the cost-of-living crisis going on and it getting harder and harder for people,
04:04more and more people need these places.
04:07I'll bet you any money these are about 80 pence in the shops, all right?
04:10Not with Rogers, don't forget.
04:11Ignore the date, grab a bargain.
04:12That's what it's all about, all right?
04:15Basically, I used to work for somebody who we used to sell cheese,
04:19and we used to go out and buy cheeses from different places.
04:23We would go to them and they would basically look up and say,
04:25well, look, I've got this fantastic cheese and it's 18 months past mature now,
04:29so it's basically a vintage cheddar, have a try.
04:32We would try it and it would be absolutely fantastic.
04:34When we then took it back to our facility and then started cutting it up,
04:38the law states, obviously, that once you then put it down,
04:40we could only put three months' date on it.
04:42So it was really, really frustrating,
04:43because often what it meant was there was a lot of wastage around that.
04:46And a date-driven discounting empire was born.
04:49What it did make me think was, well, hang on,
04:51if this is how this is now on this product, what about all the other products,
04:55especially products that are ambient and things like that,
04:57then this whole thing's a bit silly.
05:00It's all about the APs.
05:02That's ambient products, you know.
05:04They're the cool kids of food.
05:06They can sit in your cupboard and chill till you need them.
05:09Mark's built a business that aims to fight food waste,
05:12champion common sense and help customers snack smarter.
05:17So my philosophy with, obviously, best before is the three E's.
05:22So it's educate.
05:23So we're educating people about the product.
05:25And then it's obviously to eradicate.
05:27So we're obviously trying to stop this from going to landfill.
05:30And then enjoy, because it's such a cheap price.
05:32Why wouldn't you then enjoy it?
05:33It's quite catchy, that, Mark.
05:35But it's not just traditional dry cupboard staples
05:38that are safe beyond their best before date.
05:40So this is a really interesting one with mayonnaise in terms of education,
05:43because people get really worried about this kind of product
05:46because of, obviously, having eggs in it.
05:47So this, actually, though, is a pasteurised product.
05:50And because it's an ambient product,
05:51it can effectively last weeks, months past its best before date.
05:55So even though it contains eggs,
05:57it can last up to a year after its best before date.
06:00And it's not just food that's packed onto pallets.
06:02What's the use-buy on water?
06:04Well, of course, when water comes out the ground in spring,
06:08I believe, and you might have to fact-check me,
06:10it's about four million years old when it comes out the ground,
06:13but when we put it in a bottle,
06:15it's only got, like, six months best before date.
06:19Does it sound mad? It does to me.
06:24But as mad as it may seem,
06:26it's the way it's packaged rather than the product itself
06:29that dictates the best before date.
06:31Whilst in the early days,
06:33Mark catered mainly for large families looking to buy in bulk,
06:36in recent years, he's noticed a shift in the type of shoppers seeking a snip.
06:41And he calls them jams.
06:44And I don't think he means the kind you spread on toast.
06:47One of the biggest customers that we have is the jams.
06:49So they're just about managing people.
06:50So these are generally people who have a job, two kids,
06:55really, really struggling at the moment,
06:56not really getting help with benefits,
06:58can't use places like food banks and things like that.
07:01But the great thing about Rogers is anybody can come and shop here.
07:04So they can come and shop with us.
07:05They can still be able to pay things like their mortgage,
07:08their electric bill,
07:09their ever-growing council tax bills and things like that.
07:11And that's the feedback that we're getting all the time.
07:2160 quid and you've got, like, one and a half carrier bags
07:24and you're like, what have I got for 60 quid?
07:26I've got nothing.
07:27It's just impossible to live, you know,
07:30for heating and electric and all that.
07:32For many, buying in large quantities is the perfect solution.
07:36Well, we've seen the Kenco coffee.
07:42Oops, careful, Larry.
07:44Here's what we've come for.
07:46Six of these, I think.
07:49Lighting loads of this cappuccino.
07:52You'll be dancing on the ceiling with all that coffee.
07:54Costs you what? That could cost...
07:56Yeah, that could cost me a tenner.
07:58I'm saying at least four quid.
08:00Yeah.
08:00So it's that kind of price, isn't it?
08:02But these bulk-buy bonanzas weren't always a big enough draw.
08:06In the early days, no-one would come anywhere near us.
08:09You know, I was seen as a bit of a maverick and a nutcase.
08:11You know, and now people trust and know the brand.
08:14How you doing there? You all right?
08:16Morning. How you doing? You all right there?
08:17How's it going?
08:18Seems like Mark's charm and discount food
08:21eventually won the naysayers' round.
08:23These customers, they come to me, they know me.
08:26They even stop me in town. They stop me in coffee shops.
08:29That used to happen to me all the time when I was in Corrie.
08:31How you doing, folks? You all right?
08:32Morning. You good? Yeah, not bad, not bad.
08:34I love it. For me, it's a thrill in the chase of the next product.
08:37Can I get that product cheaper?
08:39Can I get a bargain for our customers?
08:40Can I put a smile on someone's face?
08:43I think that, that's a thrill for me.
08:4820 miles up the road,
08:53another discount disruptor has devised their own ways to sidestep soaring costs.
08:59Hello!
09:01Online retailer Discount Dragon deliver delicious deals
09:05to bargain-hungry families across the country.
09:09They keep prices low by buying in surplus and end-of-line products
09:14that might otherwise have ended up in landfill.
09:17Saving waste as well as our wallet.
09:19What's not to love?
09:23Rule number one, it's got to be a major brand.
09:25Do I think that would work as a special offer?
09:27Yes, absolutely.
09:28Every household needs it.
09:30Probably, what, five, six quid in the supermarket.
09:33They come in on the website, they've seen it,
09:35or spend 40 quid and get it for free.
09:42Unlike many discounters, the company have no physical stores,
09:46and all the sales are done through their website.
09:49Yeah, you own a good move.
09:50Yeah, why wouldn't I do this Tuesday?
09:52Every week, it's down to MD Wayne to pick the offers that will hit his online shelves.
09:57And one of his secrets for stealing supermarket customers is spaving.
10:01Hmm, that's a new one for me too.
10:04So one of our regular offers is the spend and gets that we do.
10:07I believe this is often referred to as spaving.
10:10We call it spend and get.
10:11It does what it says on the tin.
10:13You'll spend to get there, absolutely, but then you're going to get your freebie.
10:17These are to encourage a bigger basket, make the average order value bigger.
10:22And I just think it has generally a feel good factor.
10:25You know, who doesn't like something for free?
10:27You've definitely caught my attention.
10:29There's actually three live at any one time.
10:32So the first one will get your free delivery.
10:34The second one we bring in at 40 quid.
10:36Spend 40 quid and get your beauty set worth 13.50.
10:40Then we have a higher tier one, spend 100 quid.
10:42At the moment is this whiskey gift set worth 48.25.
10:47So all in all, if you're spending 100 quid with us right now,
10:50you're hovering around £68, £69 saving.
10:54That's your spaving for today, your spending and your saving.
10:59But even at bargain basement prices,
11:02some customers aren't always happy with what they get.
11:06So Zara has been brought in to oversee returns
11:09and she's heading up her very own department of one.
11:13Hi there, my name's Zara.
11:14I'm giving you a call from Discount Dragon.
11:16You recently made an order with us.
11:18I'm just making sure you get what you want,
11:21you're part of the bargain
11:22and then we make sure we're doing our job.
11:24No worries, thank you, take care, bye-bye.
11:27Here we go. Positive outcome.
11:29But customer satisfaction isn't Zara's only motivation.
11:33Yeah, please, and then just let me know.
11:35I've got this job because I've got responsibilities now.
11:39I'm in my motherhood era.
11:41I'm a bunny mummy.
11:45This is Brambo.
11:48And then that's Elvis.
11:53She's a female called Elvis because she's got a quiff.
11:57Oh, lovely hair. See what I did there?
12:01On the factory floor,
12:03Wayne's checking out the latest stock
12:04and deciding what might tempt customers
12:06to part with their pennies in this week's spaving promotion.
12:10Ah, right, half walk.
12:11Ah, right.
12:13Right, all right, no worries.
12:14The spend and get at £40 generally does the best for us.
12:18And now what we've also started doing
12:19is layering on another one at £75.
12:21So spend your £40, get the beauty bundle,
12:24whatever it may be on offer that day.
12:26And setting thresholds like this is known as anchoring
12:30because given the option,
12:31we feel anchored to spend £50 to save a tenner.
12:34Be a waste of money not to, eh?
12:37Keep going, keep going, keep filling up your basket,
12:39get to the £75 and you'll then hit the next freebie.
12:43Just keep on going, basically.
12:44The more you spend, the more we'll give you.
12:48We might be sick of seeing Easter eggs in January.
12:51Halloween spooks in June.
12:53And Christmas biscuits in August.
12:55But Wayne's team buy and sell seasonal goods all year round
12:58to save their customers money.
13:01Ironically, we're in the middle of summer.
13:03It's a festive mixed pack.
13:05And you might say, well,
13:06will people buy Christmas beer in the summer?
13:08Let me tell you, yes, they do.
13:10You can see here,
13:11there's really only one heavily featured Christmas item.
13:14But what would happen to this if we weren't buying it?
13:17Well, I think there's a high chance
13:19it's getting poured down a sink.
13:21I believe they are earmarked to go on a spend and get
13:24in the next few days.
13:26And I would expect that once that comes and goes,
13:28these are all gone.
13:29But if shoppers don't go for it,
13:31Wayne could be stuck with a warehouse full of unwanted Christmas cheer.
13:38coming up, the daddy of discount is branching out.
13:43I still get a buzz out of seeing this new store operation.
13:46And in my lifetime, I've probably opened at least 400 stores.
13:51Wayne's wish list of boozy bargains.
13:53We've got vodka one, vodka two.
13:55And then on the bench, we've got the Prosecco.
13:58So only alcohol.
13:59Yep.
14:01And the cup price king shares his secrets of the super cheap.
14:05Keep it simple.
14:06Keep it so that the customer gets it.
14:08Keep it so the customer can understand and they know what they're going to get for their money.
14:11Keep it simple, stupid.
14:20Across the nation, baskets are getting smaller, but shopping bills bigger.
14:25Just astronomical, honest to God.
14:28It's going up every week.
14:30You go in, prices are changing all the time.
14:33It's just getting to a point where you can't afford half the stuff.
14:36The traditional multiple retailers are quite expensive.
14:39So if you shop around, you can save quite a lot of money.
14:47Opening at a rate of roughly 19 stores per year since they launched in 2019,
14:54One Beyond have become the UK's fastest growing retailer of their kind.
14:59And over at their Barnsley warehouse,
15:02preparations are in full swing for the launch of their latest branch in Belle Vale near Liverpool.
15:07All what you see here is going to a shop, one shop,
15:10and it gets put in a row, ready to go.
15:14But no shop is profitable without customers.
15:25So local printer, Neil Ebbage.
15:28Are we filming now?
15:30Yeah, yeah.
15:30Are we?
15:32It's helping create a buzz with some in-store collateral.
15:38That's flyers to you and me.
15:39So this will make an A3 sheet,
15:41and then once it goes up to the folder,
15:43it'll fold it in half into an A4 sheet.
15:45If you saw it, you'd think, oh yeah, it's quite nice, is that?
15:47Instead of like a dull colour, flat colour.
15:49Do you know, cos that's quite a distinctive blue,
15:52and it's got a bright yellow, so it stands out, it punches out out at you.
15:55So, quite glossy, quite bright, and it just draws attention.
15:59And there's a paddling pool up that page, £9.99, 28 degrees, bargain.
16:05Unfortunately, we've got no spike band on,
16:07so I don't know how you're going to film them up.
16:10And whilst he cracks on with spreading the word,
16:13one A3 sheet at a time,
16:16Chairman Chris Edwards is overseeing the new shop fitting plans
16:19at his 250,000-square-foot distribution centre.
16:24Just had leaflets, guys. New store, open it.
16:28Hot off the press, the new marketing materials have arrived.
16:32This is just one of the leaflets that we do for every new shop.
16:36And this is one that's happening in Belleville, near Liverpool.
16:41And what we've got is just a very broad section of what we sell.
16:45A lot of stuff is just for a pound,
16:47and we hand these out in the shopping centre where the store is.
16:51And very rarely do we ever not open a store with a queue.
16:55You know, people are curious because of the kind of store that it is,
16:58which is a mixed bag.
16:59And the hope is that by tempting customers in with discount deals,
17:03their average basket spend will increase,
17:06which helps cover the costs of their cheaper items.
17:09A lot of this on this leaflet, a lot of it is food and sweets,
17:13but we do, obviously, that's only a small proportion.
17:15And while they're in there buying this sort of stock,
17:18they're in there buying a charger or batteries
17:21or all the other stuff we sell.
17:23So it's all just part of what we do.
17:26I still get a buzz out of seeing this new store operation
17:29and what we've done.
17:30And in my lifetime, I've probably opened at least 400 stores,
17:35maybe nearly 500 stores.
17:37But it's still seen when you see the new leaflet,
17:39you see the date on it, and you're here again,
17:41you're still doing it.
17:42It stops you getting bored.
17:45Supply chain coordinator, Philippa,
17:47has been charged with sorting the FFE.
17:50That's fixtures, fittings and equipment.
17:52Hiya.
17:53You all right?
17:53Just looking for stock.
17:56Is it any stock being picked for Bell Bale here, yeah?
17:58This is all your POS bits.
18:00Right.
18:01So your till rolls and stuff like that.
18:03Edders.
18:03Just everything you need for the shop that's not the sellable bits.
18:08So some of this is your shopping baskets, your shelving.
18:12Then the delivery of the stock starts.
18:14And they probably will need about five or six deliveries to fill a shop up.
18:19I think this is going out on Tuesday.
18:20So later this week, this will all get moved on to dispatch,
18:23ready to go onto a wagon straight down to Bell Vale.
18:26In the main, we can take the keys of a shop, get it shop fit,
18:29get it filled up with stock in opening within somewhere between two and three weeks.
18:34And with hundreds of shops under his belt, the process of opening shops is easy peasy.
18:40It's just an event, we just get on with it and it happens.
18:44And I'm good to say, I'm on the outside looking in and say,
18:47oh, it just happens.
18:49People like this work their heart out to make it happen.
18:54And Philippa's not the only one working her heart out.
18:59Back in Wigan, Wayne's crunching the numbers
19:02and working out which products they can afford to feature in this week's spaving promotion.
19:10Obviously, when you're giving an item away for free,
19:12you know, there's a cost involved to that to the business.
19:15We don't get these items for free.
19:17We buy them in the same way that we buy any item on the website.
19:20We'll have a planning meeting which I'm going to help shortly.
19:22And let's get the next seven days plan together.
19:26And whilst he's preparing for his meeting,
19:29rookie Sara is still finding a way round the cavernous 40,000 foot warehouse
19:34and it's stacked to the rafters with bargain bounty.
19:40This is all the stock, all the pickers, the packers.
19:43I've done like stock taking and stuff, but I've never worked on this scale.
19:49Yeah, it seems absolutely massive to me.
19:52There's just pallets and pallets of items and products and everything.
19:58Known as mass procurement, the huge variety of stock sometimes tempts the staff as well as the customers.
20:05I mean, I do want to try that new mayonnaise, what I've just seen, monster munch.
20:10I'd like to try that.
20:12There might be a huge warehouse to choose from, but for Wayne and Tom,
20:16deciding which items to promote in their spaving deal takes careful consideration.
20:22Right, I just wanted to see the plan for the spending gets this week.
20:26Obviously we need one at 40 quid and then 75 to 100 because the whiskey did really well at 100,
20:33didn't it?
20:33Yeah.
20:34Higher-end spaving products create the free effect and feel like a bargain that's too good to miss.
20:41But if the freebie doesn't land with the punters, all the planning and marketing is wasted manpower.
20:47We discussed on the call this morning the marmalade vodka.
20:50Yeah, worth a go.
20:51Yeah, we've got the marmalade vodka.
20:54I don't know what else we've got.
20:55It's the high end, it's so hard to fill.
20:57You've got that vodka there.
20:59Yeah, that's a good one.
21:00My only concern is that when it's two vodkas, if it fails, do you want to put another vodka in
21:06there?
21:07Knowing that the first one failed.
21:10We've still got the Prosecco in.
21:11They're on the subs bench.
21:13Are they warming up?
21:15Are they warming up?
21:15The Prosecco's been warming up for a couple of weeks now.
21:18Warm fizz?
21:19Oh, that'll never catch on, Wayne.
21:21Just can't get a game, can I?
21:23I know, yeah, he's trying his hardest.
21:25I'd go with the marmalade vodka.
21:27If that flops, I'd bring that off the bench before the other vodka.
21:30That's a £75 threshold, yeah.
21:32Yeah.
21:32Just to wrap it all up and sum it up, we've got vodka one, vodka two.
21:36Then on the bench, we've got the Prosecco, so only alcohol for now.
21:41I think with that plan, with the stock levels as well, that should cover us for the rest of the
21:44week.
21:45You might want to add some paracetamol to that list.
21:51Meanwhile, in Stockport, Rogers have a totally different approach to discount Dragon.
21:57Instead of marketing and sexifying goods online, their warehouse is open to buyers who can come and grab what they
22:04want.
22:04But this is not your usual supermarket shopping experience.
22:09We're no fancy shelving, we're no big signs, there's no frills of us, it's literally left on the pallet.
22:14Products are actually made to sit in warehouses for quite a long, long time.
22:18That's why we can manage to keep it cheap, keep it simple, and also still pay the overheads.
22:24We have no music playing because we don't want to pay for an expensive PRS licence.
22:28Keeping costs low is music to my ears.
22:31Well, not in this case.
22:33We don't have any heating, so in the winter you need to wear your coat, but the good thing is,
22:36the drinks are chilled for free.
22:38And obviously in the summer it can be quite warm in here, we don't have air conditioning.
22:42Here, presentation is more gritty than glossic.
22:45So there's efficiencies in everything we do, because if you had to put this out on the shelf, you're going
22:50to be taking this out, you're going to be paying a member of staff to shelf stack this.
22:53We don't bother with any of that, we literally push the product into place.
22:56And this SRP, that shelf-ready packaging to you and me, offers a cheap and cheerful way to present their
23:03wares.
23:03We take out a couple so the customer can see what they're having, and it's as quick as setting the
23:08product out, showing you what you've got, and then we move on.
23:10By keeping outgoings low, his back-to-basics approach helps keep prices low.
23:16See these milkshakes for the kids there, a bag in them?
23:18Yeah, we've got cupboards full of it.
23:20Kids come round, we don't give them a milkshake, we give them a bag of it, take it home and
23:23do it yourself.
23:25Keep it simple, keep it so that the customer gets it, keep it so the customer can understand and they
23:30know what they're going to get for their money.
23:32Keep it simple, stupid. Simple as that.
23:35And whilst customers appreciate the simple approach, his competitors have got different ideas.
23:42I don't think we're necessarily liked in the wholesale industry, because we're not like other wholesalers, in respect that we
23:47don't need to know anything about our customer.
23:49We're not asking them to be a member, we're not asking them to shop at certain times.
23:52And you know, with us, the price you see is the price you pay.
23:55All I want to know is, you come in and you've got a means of payment, and that's all I
23:58require.
23:59By tearing up the rule books, Mark is able to compete with the supermarkets, whilst others have failed.
24:05Have I broken the mould? Well, if I have, I don't know whether that makes me a genius, I don't
24:09know, I don't get it.
24:10But personally, it works for us, it works for our customers, and that's what it's about.
24:15We're open, of course, seven days a week. We will see you soon at Rogers Hotel, so come down and
24:19see us. Thank you guys for watching.
24:23Coming up, we get the gleaners in.
24:27It's a way to use surface product. It would go to waste otherwise.
24:31Niall hits a snag, trialling the latest tech.
24:34I just noticed, it says Marmal, Marmalade, Oromet.
24:40Got to keep an eye on the wording really. AI can mess it up a little bit.
24:44And Chris reflects over his decades of discount dealing.
24:49I came across this picture, that's the original market stall where it all started.
25:02Getting your five-a-day from the big-name supermarkets doesn't come cheap,
25:07with the average Brit spending over £400 a year on fruit and veg.
25:11All the prices are going up. A tin of sweetcorn, it's £2.
25:15And, like, you could use to be able to get that for £60.
25:18The price of supermarket vegetables is too high.
25:22You're trying to encourage people to be healthy, but you're making it a little bit inaccessible.
25:26The price of them is slowly increasing, and these are stuff that, you know,
25:30we need to eat to be healthy and to have balanced diets, but we can't.
25:39One solution growing in popularity is gleaning.
25:46And clubs are springing up across the country, which help connect people like me and you,
25:52with farmers like Chris Molyneux.
25:54It must be at least ten years we've been gleaning now. It just helps everybody.
25:59He'll let you have his surplus crops for free, as long as you're happy to get down and dirty and
26:04pick it yourself.
26:06It's a way to use surplus product. It would go to waste otherwise.
26:13Jay Godden is the coordinator of a gleaning club in Lancaster.
26:17So we've seen demand kind of been steadily increasing since 2021, really.
26:22We're not a food bank. We run a membership model, so people pay a weekly fee to access what we
26:28do.
26:28But it's cheaper than the supermarket.
26:32The idea is that a lot of the kale that we've got here is not going to be harvested.
26:38There's too much of it.
26:39So we bring some volunteers in, we pick as much as we can,
26:42and then we redistribute that into the community.
26:46He organises teams of volunteers to collect kale both for themselves and their fellow members.
26:54We'll be going for this curly kale.
26:57We can be pretty picky about what we're getting.
27:00Obviously, we've got like a whole acre here, and we're not going to be picking all of that.
27:04So something that sort of size is probably fine at the small end.
27:08Maybe that kind of at the larger end.
27:10OK, fab, let's do it.
27:15It's estimated that over a million tonnes of fruit and veg is wasted each year on UK farms.
27:22I think there's about an acre and a half here we've had to leave,
27:24which isn't so bad to really consider it.
27:26Yeah.
27:26We've had some decent weather now.
27:29And we've got loads of crops, and so it's the...
27:32So you have to plan, assuming that the weather's going to be bad,
27:35because you still need to be making a living even if it's a bad year, don't you?
27:38So then if the weather's good.
27:40You just don't know.
27:41You just don't know.
27:41You can get 50 cent more or 50 per cent less, or just nothing.
27:46Yeah.
27:46I mean, last year we didn't have a crop, so you make sure you've got enough to cover yourself.
27:49And of course, it's guaranteed nature's going to go,
27:51do you know what?
27:51We're going to have loads this year, which is where you guys come in.
27:54Yeah?
27:54Well, we appreciate it.
27:55Yeah.
27:58For volunteers like Kath, going field to fork isn't just about filling her plate.
28:04I love coming for the gleans because it's fun to be outside and doing something useful.
28:08And there are a lot of people who don't have access to good quality food for various reasons.
28:14Despite today's kale force wind, the volunteers have been outstanding in their fields.
28:21It's been a really good day today.
28:22We've already got about 30 or so crates like this, 30, 40.
28:26But the sun's out, so we're going to have our sandwiches and then back to it, finish filling up the
28:30van.
28:35While Chris's kale was fresh from the field, back at Butts Mill, it's freebies of a different kind on offer.
28:44AI novice Niall has been charged with designing the online promo.
28:49So I'm just doing a vodka marmalade promotion.
28:52So this is going on the free on us when you spend 85.
28:56They might have 200,000 website visitors a month, but it's all about the purchase, not the ponder.
29:03So it's down to the marketing team to make those click rate conversions.
29:08Create an image.
29:10Similar to this, please.
29:12Similar to this, please.
29:14Always use your manners with AI, because you don't know when it's going to come back and get you.
29:18It looks like out of Madam Two Shards.
29:21Have it on a white background.
29:25See what I like?
29:26Look, the detail, the water.
29:28Oh, yeah, yeah, see.
29:29The workplace is actually on an angle yours isn't.
29:31Yeah.
29:32And the hand looks pretty good there.
29:33Might have got me, though.
29:34Might have got me.
29:35I've just noticed it says, I'm not even going to try and say this, marmalade oromet.
29:42And AI blunders like this, known as a model drift, can quickly turn designs into disasters.
29:49So, got to keep an eye on the wording, really.
29:52AI can mess it up a little bit.
29:54Who's is better?
29:55Rachel, come on.
29:56Get involved.
29:58What are we thinking?
29:59Left, me, right, AI.
30:03I actually think the first one.
30:04This one?
30:05The left one?
30:05That hand does not look real.
30:06No.
30:07No, that's the problem with AI.
30:08It's lacking in the real hand.
30:12Happy?
30:13I'm happy, yeah.
30:14I'm going to go with mine.
30:15Looks like brains have beat bites in this round of man versus machine.
30:24Whilst Niall is relying on AI to get product out the door, over in Liverpool, one beyond accounting
30:31on customers coming through theirs.
30:33They've been popping up on our high streets and retail parks since 2019.
30:38I'm doing well.
30:39We only came in here for one thing, and we end up with half a shop.
30:44And whilst most retailers are closing their physical stores, Chairman Chris Edwards is
30:50expanding, opening about two new shops a month.
30:55We've got 100 and odd shops now, and we're just making the decision, should we go forward
31:00with more shops, or should we stay where we are, or should we pack it in?
31:05And my boat was, we'll carry an opening shop.
31:08That's the only thing I know.
31:09I haven't had no plan to retire.
31:11I couldn't think of anything worse.
31:13You've got to keep the brain cells working, otherwise you'd get all too quick.
31:18He's been brought up around his family's market stall since he was eight.
31:23It's safe to say discount dealing is in his blood.
31:26That's the original market stall where it all started.
31:30Chris's discount.
31:31I'm very proud of that name.
31:32He looks a bit ragged.
31:33I mean, a lot of stuff on there which you can't really make out is still in our shops
31:38to this day.
31:39The sellotape, 13 amp plugs, buckets, bowls, umbrellas, double adapters, kettles.
31:45And bear in mind that was probably the early 70s.
31:48We're still selling the same bloody stock.
31:50That's how much imagination we haven't got.
31:52Whilst Chris reminisces about the past, 60 miles down the road in Liverpool,
31:59it's all about the future as Chris's latest store is just hours away from opening.
32:05You want to just concentrate on tidying all this stationery up for me,
32:08all the way down for us if you would.
32:09Just make sure it's all as it was, all the way down, yeah?
32:14They've only had two weeks to make sure the store's customer ready.
32:18Chris has come in.
32:19So, yeah, it's a bit of a pressure, but it's one unwelcoming.
32:24With everything to consider, from merchandising to staff badges,
32:29retail rollout is a massive job.
32:32Right, unfortunately, this is our office.
32:35It's not the best, but hey-ho.
32:37At the back of the house, Assistant Manager Jackie has been charged with training the 15 new starters.
32:44Has everyone got one? Got an induction pass?
32:47Before we get started, I want to say welcome to One Beyond.
32:52Absolute brilliant company to work for.
32:54Somebody's after a pay rise.
32:56Do more tool training now?
32:58Is that what you're waiting for? Yeah.
32:59OK.
33:01It's all hands on deck, known as snagging in retail.
33:04There's no room for hiccups.
33:06The smoother the prep, the slicker the launch.
33:09We've got more tool training going on, and then we've got more inductions being done downstairs.
33:13So, by 10 o'clock, we'll be absolutely ready.
33:18And with Chris arriving any second, and scarcely any customers outside, Kev's feeling the heat.
33:24It's only early, though, isn't it? School hold it.
33:27Where's everybody else?
33:29Call the girls.
33:31Just run downstairs, if you're nearly in the canteen, all the toilets.
33:34Are the till coats working yet?
33:36I don't know, to be honest.
33:37I look just what I need.
33:40That's a few people hearing that.
33:4312 o'clock will be round.
33:44Yeah, it will.
33:45With the kids being on holiday, you know, there's a lot of families in the area, isn't there?
33:49So, everyone's going to sort of be up later, and then they'll come out shopping in the afternoon.
33:52So, it will be a slow burner, but it'll be busy in the afternoon.
33:54Yeah, it will be. Definitely.
33:55You don't sound too confident about that, Kev.
34:01Coming up, the troops arrive with a special delivery.
34:05Hail for everyone.
34:08The chief.
34:10Niall puts AI to the ultimate test.
34:13Bit of a tan.
34:15Bit of a tan.
34:15Just.
34:15Make.
34:16Him.
34:17Overall.
34:18Better.
34:21And nerves are running high at the Liverpool launch day.
34:25Yeah, we're all ready to go, the looks of it.
34:27So, fingers crossed.
34:28Look, we're going to be busy today, I hope.
34:42It's been a 40-mile trip for the kale that's been foraged by the lean, mean gleaning machines on the
34:48Molyneux farm.
34:49Now, it's finally arrived at the Lancaster Larder Food Club.
34:55We're currently setting up tables so that our members can all sit together.
34:59We like to make it an informal place and we provide cheap, accessible, healthy food for members of our local
35:08community.
35:09Managed by mighty matriarch Catherine, it's one of several food clubs across North Lancashire.
35:15I have muscles packed by the end of tonight.
35:18With up to 70 people expected through the door, she relies on her army of volunteers.
35:24Maureen, Boz, it's not usually me just doing all of this.
35:28Theresa, Boz, can I have a couple of empty green trays please?
35:30So, what's on the menu today?
35:35Kale for everyone.
35:37This week we have kale which has been gleaned.
35:41We also have mushrooms and peppers, potatoes.
35:44Lots of things that will make good, healthy food.
35:47The kale that we have is much better valued than supermarkets
35:49because here people take exactly what they need.
35:52It's often wonky, but it's always fabulous and fresh.
35:56Thanks to Jay and his glean team, the food club never quite know what fresh produce will arrive next.
36:03Every week it changes, so when the food comes in, everybody has no idea what they're going against.
36:08It's always a really big surprise.
36:10We have fresh tomatoes, we have celery.
36:14The club collects surplus food from local food businesses such as supermarkets, food manufacturers and wholesalers.
36:21Just all sorts of things, it's different every week.
36:24And a pick and mix of ingredients results in some inventive outcomes.
36:29We share recipes between each other.
36:31Lots of people come up with lots of ideas, including chocolate avocado cake, which went down quite well.
36:38Not a good use of avocados.
36:40Yes.
36:41You'll pay for this week.
36:43The centre operates on a membership basis and all for a bargain price of a fiver a week.
36:50It's much expensive for me in the supermarket.
36:54But here everything is very cheap.
36:57The value we get for our money is absolutely ridiculous, to be honest.
37:01I mean, it's enough for me to live on for the week, which is just amazing.
37:05And if you fancy getting involved, organisations like Family Action coordinate food clubs across the country.
37:12But it's not just a bargain members come for.
37:15You can socialise with everybody.
37:18You can get a cup of tea and a piece of cake and sit and talk.
37:24Hey!
37:25We'll start calling people up so they can come and choose from what we have got this evening.
37:31Would you like some cake? Yes, please.
37:33I am getting so much food for £5.
37:37That would get me two or three items in a supermarket.
37:40I have this shopping trolley and I go home with it full.
37:44And whilst Jay's fresh kale is delighting some...
37:47Ah, perfect. Thank you very much.
37:49..others might need more convincing.
37:52I've never had kale. Ever.
37:54But, yeah, I've been done to try it.
38:01And whilst Jay and co are a not-for-profit enterprise,
38:0540 miles up the road in Wigan,
38:07booming business Discount Dragon are analysing theirs.
38:10Yeah, yeah.
38:11MD Wayne is nervously eyeing up the figures
38:14and working out whether his gamble on using marmalade vodka as the giveaway has paid off.
38:19I don't think it was our worst performing one, considering it was so niche.
38:22It just kind of performed right down the middle.
38:25And maybe the wrong time of year for that.
38:27You know, that could be more festive, the orange thing.
38:33So we brought the marmalade vodka in at the £85 threshold.
38:37So we took whisky off and we brought marmalade vodka in.
38:40And we saw on the 8th of July when we brought it in
38:43that our average orders over £100 were 4.5%.
38:48Compared to our average orders over £100 with the whisky, which was 8%.
38:52So we quickly took the marmalade vodka off and put the whisky back on
38:55because we found it was much more effective.
38:57Not a wasted exercise.
38:58If we were continuing with the spending gets, I don't think that would feature again.
39:02You know, we're putting our necks on the line, giving away a high-cost item.
39:06We're respecting the item, but I don't think the item showed us any respect back.
39:09You know, it didn't say, I'm going to go out there and get you these orders.
39:12Looks like buyers weren't feeling fruity this week.
39:19Next door, this mischief in the air.
39:23If I really wanted to, I could sexify Wayne.
39:26That's how good this software is.
39:28Not that it would take much work, obviously.
39:31I'd obviously have him looking his best on a vacation,
39:34a nice tropical beach somewhere.
39:37Oh, speak of the devil.
39:39Talking about sexifying you, Wayne.
39:41Sarah thinks you'd look good on a beach.
39:44Looks like Niall is running with this.
39:47The chief.
39:49Right.
39:50Back in five.
39:53It better be good.
39:54I'm trying to sexify Wayne.
39:56Like, what exactly do you want it to do?
39:58Give him a good hairline.
40:03I love our moustache, yeah?
40:05Without showing Peck's bit of a tan.
40:10Just make him overall better than what he is today.
40:17Please.
40:23The suspense is killing me.
40:25You and me both.
40:29Must be internet.
40:31Must be an hard job for it.
40:34Yeah.
40:40Brilliant.
40:43What's up?
40:44Have you checked your what's up?
40:45No.
40:46Please be on the law.
40:51Are you happy with that, yeah?
40:52Are you happy with it?
40:54So it's actually me?
40:55Magic.
40:56I might have brought a tash.
40:58I know.
40:58That's it, handlebar.
40:59She eats it.
41:00It works, doesn't it?
41:01Yeah, yeah.
41:02Get a wig?
41:04Bang on, innit?
41:06Oh, Wayne.
41:07Lovely handlebars.
41:11Back in Liverpool, it's a big day for Chris and one beyond,
41:15as they prepare for the grand opening in less than an hour.
41:19Danielle's going outside to the front entrance now.
41:21Yeah, Danielle's doing leaflets.
41:25Everything's finally in place after a hectic two-week turnaround, but they're bracing themselves
41:30for the arrival of their meticulous chairman, Chris Edwards.
41:34Very, very detail-centric, so I think as he's going around, he really has got that keen eye for detail.
41:39He wouldn't be where he is without that skill, so I'm really looking forward to hearing his feedback as well,
41:45looking for anything that we can obviously improve on, but I'm relatively confident we've nailed this one today.
41:52And having opened over 400 shops in his time, he knows exactly what it takes to get it right.
41:59When you're in a business like this, you've got to be on the ball with everything.
42:01That's just running a business and there's nothing new.
42:04Yeah, we're all ready to go on the looks of it, so fingers crossed.
42:09I hope you're going to be busy today, I hope.
42:12You're not alone in that, Chris.
42:14Thanks.
42:14Go on, let's see what we've got.
42:20Stocking everything from water guns to washing powder,
42:23if it ain't broke, don't fix it, is the approach to all new stores.
42:28So I really like this from the, obviously the latest promotion,
42:32we've kind of pushed all these £1 products to the front of the store.
42:35We're absolutely lovely and full-tidy, fully priced, lovely and clean.
42:39I think it's the range on, like, everyday essential products.
42:43And using economies of scale, Chris sources products at the lowest possible prices.
42:50How are they going now?
42:51Oh, they're absolutely sensational.
42:52Other competitors are more expensive.
42:54It's lovely chocolate as well.
42:56Has anybody actually counted how many items at this?
42:59I know we've got seasonal items that come in due course and all that stuff,
43:03but today, when you look at a shop like this, how many items would we have?
43:07Talk about putting them on the spot.
43:11Has anybody thought how many thousand?
43:12Yeah, 7,000 and maybe 8,000.
43:147,000.
43:15Nailed it.
43:18Yeah, that's nice.
43:19So far, yes, it's looking good, yeah.
43:21We're very proud.
43:25You can never tell whether it's going to be a good shop or a bad shop until you actually get
43:28open,
43:29get over the first two or three weeks when the newness wears off,
43:31and see what you're taking to see whether we've made a good choice or not.
43:35You know, it's a bit nervy because if we were in a different shopping centre,
43:38it would be buzzing outside by now but it's half past nine and it's a bit quiet, you know,
43:44so it'll all come together, hopefully.
43:47It amazes me how we can reach the standard in such a short time and we're just ready to go
43:54and it looks good to me.
43:56It's instinct but you need good people like we're talking here with these two fellas.
44:00You know, you need good people behind you.
44:04You can't do it all yourself.
44:05This is what we will aim to look like every day now.
44:07When I come back in two weeks, will it still look the same?
44:10Well, that's the challenge, isn't it, I think, obviously.
44:12That's the manager's challenge.
44:13Yes, that is, always.
44:15Looks like smiles all round.
44:18They're filling me with a lot of confidence.
44:20As far as management's concerned, they haven't got one problem.
44:22I'm sure they'll pull it off.
44:24If the people's out there, put us to pull it off.
44:27We need people.
44:28We are now 15 minutes till open, so the tension's building now.
44:32We're all getting excited.
44:34Just enough time to squeeze in a rousing pep talk.
44:38Good morning, everyone.
44:39They've done an absolutely incredible job.
44:41We look the part, the shop's the part.
44:44Chris has given us the nod of approval.
44:46Just remember that real hard work starts now
44:48the second we open those doors.
44:49The most important people in the business for us
44:52will walk through the doors and that's our customers.
44:57Like any new store, their success is determined
45:00by the ring of the tills.
45:02And a healthy crowd has finally formed,
45:05awaiting the grand reveal.
45:07So we don't have to try.
45:08That'd be great.
45:09Okay, we're now open.
45:14A surge of savvy shopping scoutsers
45:16hoping to bag a bargain or two.
45:22Great, yeah, it looks nice, yeah.
45:23Yeah.
45:25We need to fight for every penny, really.
45:27You know, there's a lot of competition around.
45:29We just need to keep it going and, you know,
45:32make people feel welcome every time they come in.
45:34This is another example of an old customer coming back.
45:37Not old, old.
45:38I mean, ex-customer.
45:40I know what you meant.
45:43Need a spade, Kev?
45:45Every penny counts now.
45:47Every penny counts.
45:48I mean, everything's, you know, so expensive.
45:52But when you've got a store like this, it's worth coming into.
45:56Finally, Kev can breathe a sigh of relief.
45:59Really good response of people.
46:01They're happy with the range of lines we've got in store.
46:05And they've been making quite a lot of purchases.
46:07It's been nice and steady all morning.
46:09Like, Chris is even doing a bit of merchandising there, yeah?
46:15Since we've reopened after Pound World,
46:17the high street is definitely different.
46:19It's a lot more low-key.
46:21It's not the same.
46:22But it's customers out there,
46:24if you're giving them value for money.
46:25And cheaper prices mean happy customers.
46:28For the moment, I've only picked a dog bone up.
46:32And happy pets.
47:05I can't breathe in!
47:06I can't breathe!
47:06I can't breathe!
47:06You
Comments