Woman stopped from buying turkeys at Wareham Shaw’s Supermarket that were to benefit needy families

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“I have never done this type of thing before on Facebook but I have an interesting story that I feel compelled to share with you.

I went to Shaw’s in Wareham to buy 5 turkeys for the K Kids Club at the Minot Forest School. The K Kids Club is comprised of 3rd and 4th-grade students and its mission is all about community service. The K Kids have been working hard to collect can goods from students at the Minot Forest School. The K Kids then make up food baskets to donate to needy families in Wareham and Damien’s pantry.

During my lunch period, I ran to Shaws and loaded 5 Butterball Turkeys (cause that’s the kind my Mum buys) into the carriage and proceeded to check out. At the check out the cashier let me know that she could only ring up one turkey. I explained these turkeys were for needy families from Minot Forest school and asked her to check with the manager. The floor manager confirmed that I could only purchase one turkey but was willing to call upstairs.

The response from upstairs was ‘No, I couldn’t purchase 5 turkeys at one time, they would need to be bought one a time.’ But, I could ‘go through cooperate’. I pushed the carriage of five turkeys off to the side and proceeded to buy one turkey at a time. I only have 30 minutes of lunchtime. I let my absolute displeasure be known to the floor supervisor telling her these turkeys were for needy families in the community where Shaw’s does its business.

A wonderful veteran was in line behind me and overheard this exchange. Shaking his head, he walked over to my discarded carriage of 4 turkeys and took one of the turkeys out and said he would pay for it. I had to work really hard not to cry like a baby at his kindness. I bought my turkey and waited for his turn. When it came time to purchase his turkey he tipped his vet’s hat and asked the cashier quietly if he couldn’t possibly buy 2 turkeys. She nodded and I ran to get a second turkey from my lonely cart and put it with his stuff on the belt. Then he paid for 1 turkey and I paid for the second. I gave that guy the biggest hug! 3 turkeys down 2 to go! But my 30 minutes is up!

I run back to school, pick my third graders up from the hero aide who saves my bacon by delivering my class halfway down the hall to me (Thanks Mary!), do a quick potty patrol, bring the kiddos to music, and head back to Shaw’s for the remaining 2 turkeys. I’ve got to get them at Shaw’s because it’s the closest store to WMS and I have a 40-minute prep.

Also, Mr. Houdlette, the K Kids adviser, has let me know that he may be making the food drop very soon. So I calculate that I have just enough time to wait in line, buy one turkey, wait in line, buy a turkey. I return to the store in about 10 minutes, run up to where I left my carriage and it’s gone. OOOKaaaay. I head back to the turkey freezer and yep, there are my birdies.

But wait, I promised I would buy 5 turkeys for K Kids so I decide to wait in line and buy my fifth turkey. The veteran’s turkey can now feed a sixth local family. I feel much better, more honest about it this way. I head back to the same cashier because she had been so kind. She looks around and says quietly, “I helped you before but I can’t again.” I quickly reassure her that it’s okay and I head to a different cashier. I know what’s it’s like to need your job to feed your family.

While in line, a kind lady behind me lets me know that I’ve left 2 turkeys behind in my carriage at the end of the check out aisle. I explain to her that I can only buy 1 turkey at a time even though they are for needy families from Minot Forest School and local families. This nice lady says she’d really like to help me out. I tell her I have $20.00 cash in my pocket and ask her if she’d be willing to throw one of my turkeys in her carriage. I hand over the 20 dollars and thank her profusely. She says she wishes she could buy one of the turkeys for me and I quickly reassure her she’s really helping me out a lot by putting my birdie in her cart for me.

Meanwhile, I kid you not, the floor manager comes up behind her and starts to take the 2 remaining turkeys away again. I tell her, “No, I’m coming back for them one at a time.” At this point, she comes up and says, “You were not very kind to me the way you spoke to me.” I pretty much told her, I let my displeasure be known earlier and I’m not sorry because having to buy each turkey 1 at a time for needy families is unkind. I let her know that I Shaw’s should be ashamed of themselves. I told her some of our kids have members in their families who were murdered this week and this month and we’re just trying to donate some turkeys.

The floor manager continued saying that she didn’t make up the rules and Shaw’s donates a lot to the community and I embarrassed her. I told her Shaw’s should be embarrassed and ashamed because I’m not asking for a donation, I’m trying to buy 5 turkeys at one time for needy kids in my community, in her community, in Shaw’s community.

But that’s not all. I get back to school and my vice principal comes to my door with a weird look on her face. Someone from Shaw’s has called the Superintendent’s Office. Yep, people, I have a face to face with my boss because I tried to buy 5 turkeys at a time from the Shaw’s in Wareham for a good cause and expressed my displeasure at not being allowed to do so. At no time did I use profanity or threatening language. I did not destroy store merchandise or harass other shoppers.

What is our country coming to when common sense can’t be allowed to override corporate policy. Trust your employees to do the right thing Shaw’s! Also, speaking my truth is not a punishable offense. It is an American right. Thank God Dr. Shaver Hood was willing to hear this crazy tale of 6 Turkeys and commiserate with me over this lunacy. I too need my job to feed my family.

That’s it. My first Facebook rant completed. That’s all I’ve got folks. I’m exhausted.

By the way, my husband came home tonight with a terrific 18 lb turkey from Market Basket for 20 bucks, Butterball!

Just saying…” -Julie Anne Cardoso.

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36 comments

  1. Shaw’s should be a shame of there selfs. And to call the superintendent of Wareham schools and complaining about a teacher that is helping others others in need is even worse. I hope that the people that shop there make your comments to the manager.

  2. Just like to point out that Damian’s food pantry received 2 pallets of Turkeys from this Shaws and the one Turkey policy is to ensure they have enough for everyone. Like it or not, not everyone is honest. You know how many times people eat the chicken while shopping and leave the bones on shelves. I agree that sometimes decisions can be tough but it’s easy to play saint when criticizing an organization. As you pointed out, workers do what they can to accommodate when possible regardless of policy.

    • That would make sense if they hadn’t been willing to let her buy all five turkeys but only if she stood in line 5 times to pay for each separately. Stupid

    • They stilled sold the 5 turkeys so it’s not about supply. This lady had to buy one at a time, it is rediculous because they were able to sell 5 turkeys but had to be turkey Nazis about it.

  3. Shaw’s corporate office number 1-877-723-3929 they should hear about this

  4. Thank you Julie as I have been on the receiving end as a parent who got a much needed thanksgiving basket when I was injured and temporarily out of work with 4 kids to feed. I’m sorry for all the difficulties you faced and it is hard to stay calm when the world makes it so hard to just be Loving! I hope your holiday gets better and the superintendent realizes that the people in line had a heart that Shaw’s clearly forgot!!

  5. Sounds like bullsh*t to me. Hits all the right buttons though. Helpful lady, needy people, kind veterans, mean customer service… Shaws called your boss?! Please. The Market Basket plug is a nice touch. Ditto the first rant claim. Was this account verified before publication? Smells like bullsh*t to me.

  6. So her time is more important than any posted rule or policy? They sure better not run out for any poor income family that may be shopping for themselves while this entitled woman posts her story on Facebook.

  7. I know exactly how Ms Cardoso feels. I have been doing a food drive for Thanksgiving for the past 11 years. It is just me and my son, grandkids, and a few very caring people who put this together. I have also dealt with Shaw’s regarding the turkey issue. They have their limits and don’t want anyone to cross them. I have spoken to store managers, who always would refer me to corporate – who then would refer me to the store managers – so, you see, a total run around. On more than one occasion, I was told that Shaw’s actually loses money with the low turkey prices – that’s why they have limits. I tried to ask what difference it was if I bought 1 turkey, or 5 people came in and each bought one – it’s the same thing. But, they do not want to hear it. My group, called ‘Someone Who Cares’ now provides 73 families with a complete Thanksgiving dinner. This year we are giving gift cards instead of frozen turkeys. There are ways to get around the rules – over the years we have done things like have several people go and buy whatever the limit was – go back in over and over – go to self checkout (and do it fast), etc. We got so we called it ‘hustling turkeys’. Not to break the rules – just to help families who cannot afford a Thanksgiving dinner on their own ! It is awful the way you’re treated by the big market chains. Stop & Shop is no better. I do have to say that the Shaw’s employees have always been very helpful and understanding, regarding produce, etc. We go into the store needing large quantities of things for this – and they will stop what they’re doing, and help any way they can.

  8. As a former employee of this company and worked for the department that handled this particular product, I know this precise sale policy. Like MANY companies, there will be restrictions or item limitations per purchase when a sale such as this one is occurring. It’s unfortunate, yes. But it was just bad timing. No company is going to sell an entire pallet of one item at sale price to one person, unless they’re a wholesale seller, which Shaw’s is not. If they did, that company would be out a lot of money. If they bend the rules for one person, they’d have to for many others which could cause so much loss and cause store closure. Granted, Maybe they were able to ring the one up at sale price and the others at full price? Idk how that part works though. However I do know the manager explained why there were limitations because NO STORE MANAGER will say “we don’t make up the rules” until they’ve really explained everything. Don’t forget to leave out ALL of the details, (including the ones that may prove you wrong) while trying to bash on something. Because now you just look like a jerk and I have no sympathy. I’ll be honest, I originally read this article to get a laugh because I wasn’t a fan of working for this company so I wanted to see what they did wrong but.. she’s in the wrong for this one.

  9. Wow, what a wonderful woman and SHAME on Shaws. I go to Market Basket.

  10. To Shaw’s you should be ashamed. You make how much money in your store for profit. You would not let someone BUY 5 Turkeys for children to help feed the not so lucky families to have a turkey on there table an all the fixing taken from there own homes that there parents bought from your store. How rotten can you be . If I lived in your town . You would loss a lot of business. I would tell a lot of people an tell them to go else wear to shop . An spread the word.

    • Unverified (whom she was buying for). If they let her do it, maybe some cook from a local restaurant will come in and buy 5 (if the price is killer) for his charity AKA boss.

  11. There’s definitely something off about this story, not buying it.

  12. Corporations have no conscience!! The manager should have made the better call on her own, if she got fired for that Shaw’s would look sooo much worse!!!

  13. This story reads like an urban myth – too many irrelevant details and not enough pertinent details. For instance, the “victim” includes no information about the cost per pound or any restrictions on purchases. Shaw’s current ad shows fresh turkeys at 88¢ per pound limited to one per customer with a $25 purchase. Shaw’s also offers frozen turkeys at 39¢ per pound, as well as other options. The style in which the account is given has all the earmarks of fiction.

  14. I’m an old lady, who has put up with corporate foolishness for too many years. I think she went wrong by NOT using profanity.

  15. Ridiculous. While I understand the teacher was doing a good deed, having worked in retail a good portion of my life, this was clearly an advertised special promotion. Shaws should not have called her boss, however she should not have expected special treatment for being a school employee or doing charity work.

    I happen to know first hand that Shaws does ALOT for the Wareham schools by offering gift cards and products for a lot of their events so for this teacher to put them on blast when she was clearly not understanding the promotion was wrong.

    Neither party handled this correctly.

    And really, all those saying to boycott Shaws need to realize that stop and shop, market Basket and many others offer very similar promotions. If the store bends the rules for one they must do so for all. This teacher should have contacted the store first if she was looking for an exception to the policy.

  16. The fact thos became an issue at all is crazy the store has a limit because all of the turkeys r on sale right now.
    Case in point at stop and shop their birds are on sale i got a 20lber for 7$ because of such a huge sale they limit 2 per customer per visit. So a lady brought up 5 birds the other 3 rang up full price. Manager explained the policy. Women simply asked if she cpuld buy them 2 at a time… Which the manager then turned to me because i was next in line. I stated i have no issue waiting as the birds are gping to the needy. Moral of the story is instead of bitching and whining and complaining and telling a story about how you should be entitled to buy 5 of them because you’re doing something instead of following the rules that everybody else has to follow you made a big stink about it got an employee in trouble and almost made it so the needy kids you were trying to help didn’t get the turkeys they needed all because you wanted the b**** about a corporate policy made so people don’t take advantage of Highly profitable sale. This is the problem with society today oh I didn’t get my way in the store today let me complain about it throw a fit get myself in trouble and then try to report a bunch of people that are only doing their job. Instead of throwing a tantrum by the way did you not think to go to the self-checkout scanned one turkey pay for it get your receipt scan another turkey pay for it get your receipt and so on until you were done? no, you didn’t your thought was I’m going to go on Facebook and bitching whine and complain and get someone in trouble oh my God I can’t even Karen hahaha…. I dub the turkey Tabitha

  17. I’m a stickler for the rules too but in this case it makes no sense unless I’m not getting the whole story…was there a limit to only 1 turkey because of the sale price? Or was there just a limit on buying 5 at a time?

  18. Rules are rules. If you NEED to break them you NEED to call in advance & ASK if it’s possible. Pitching a fit because EMPLOYEES follow RULES set by CORPORATIONS is just unfair to the staff–they are the ones who GET FIRED when they break the rules to make YOU happy. No one should be put in that position. It doesn’t matter WHY you need the rules broken, you need to NOT take it out on the people who REALLY DON’T HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THEM!!
    Why does the “general public” feel that it is alright to shame on & compain about the people most likely to lose their jobs for following corporate mandates?
    If tge service was quick, pleasant, and followed the published policies, any complaints you have are with CORPORATE, yet 99% of complaining sets up the front line employees to be disciplined or terminated if they “”make you happy” by breaking the rules, OR if they get customer complaints for NOT having “100% satisfactory service”

  19. Some of y’all clearly didn’t read the whole article. Shaw’s never said that she COULDN’T buy all 5 turkeys, but said they needed to be rung out in separate transactions. If she had done some research instead of waiting until the very last minute to make her purchase, she wouldn’t have had any issues. Stupid entitled garbage. Good deed or not, policy is policy. Shut up and get back in line. Stop bashing the company because you wanted special treatment and they said no.

  20. Although the story is true.

    The frustration is with the wrong people.

    Shaw’s is ? in the right here. The limit is put in place sometimes by the company selling the product and other times by the company that supplies the product. The rules are in place so that everyone can have a turkey. Just because she was helping needy families, doesn’t mean that others are all of the sudden not needy. Especially in Wareham. I’ve lived here my whole life, with the exception of a few years here and there, and I was in a needy family growing up.

    Just because you are doing something good, doesn’t mean you are in the right because of it. Repeatedly saying that you’re buying them for needy families is like someone telling a cop they didn’t do anything wrong, what you say has no bearing on the situation.

    When there is a limit on canned food at a certain discount, are you out there throwing a fit because someone can’t buy enough for needy families then? Doubtful.
    It was your inconvenience that was the issue, not that needy families were being denied.

  21. http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2019/06/21/247192-End-Minot-Forest-Elementary-School This is either an old story or bullshit. The minot Forrest school is no longer open. It was torn down over the summer.

  22. Market basket from what I learned at my 5 years working there doesn’t have a limit. As long as your payment clears, happy Thanksgiving and on your way you go !! Shaws is overpriced anyway lol

  23. Sigh. Shaws did this because there are a limited number of turkeys, and they dont want to run out and disappoint OTHER PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HAVE TURKEY ON THANKSGIVING. For you to waltz in there without calling ahead pretty much says it all. You decided for everyone else that your charity was more important than their dinners. I know you feel like you’re being a good person and stuff, but you really aren’t. At all.

  24. I’m assuming this turkey drive was planned well in advance. Why did you not plan ahead and buy 1 turkey a day for a week. Or bring 5 people with you to make the purchase? I believe the stores post limit 1 per customer. I don’t feel the manager should have called the school however to complain.

  25. I had an ordeal just checking out from Shaw’s with only one Turkey! This is the 3rd time I’ve had this issue after installing the new app. Mngr. asked for my license so she could call corporate for my check, who took their time answering. I had an appt and had to leave my stuff (they did put it in cooler) with the check. They wanted to hold my license! I said I needed it to get to the appt. They snapped a picture of it to get what they needed.
    An hour later, my husband and I went to get the groceries. Thank goodness I found the cashier who had taken the picture and deleted it after “corporate” gave approval. I was not only inconvenienced, but made to feel like a criminal under investigation! It wasn’t so much the help…there is a “new system”, but this is the 3rd time in a row that I’ve had an issue at checkout. Seems like “corporate” wants me to join you at MARKET BASKET!

  26. I would like to point out that you would not get the sale if you purchased all the turkeys at once. It clearly says on ever sign and flyer that the limit is one per transaction. The system will not allow you to do them at the same time unless you want to pay full price for four of them.

  27. I looked at the school listings and the prevous school was closed.A new school waa opened after with the same name. You can look it up on the Wareham public schools page.

  28. This just went to the top of the list of 10,000 reasons why I will never shop at a Shaw’s.

  29. First problem was not going to Market Basket.

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