Discount supermarket, Aldi, has announced its plan to get customers in and out as quickly as possible in the run up to Christmas. From Thursday stores will employ sheepdogs to herd people around the stores and to the tills.
“We often see an increase in customers this time of year, and many are here for first time,” joint chief executive, Matthew Barnes said.
“We make no money from people standing around in the aisles or taking time to read the ingredients, so we have partially trained Bull Terriers to herd them round as quickly as possible.
“These dogs are taught to nip the ankles of anyone who stops in an aisle for more than three seconds, and bite the kneecaps of customers that get past the first four items on an ingredients list. After water and salt nothing else in a product is important”
Customers have responded with mixed reactions. One customer at the Dunstable store told us: “I’m not sure whether the use if Bull Terriers is a good things or not, but I did manage to complete my shop in record time.
“On the plus side, the mincemeat is 18% cheaper than Tesco but I will need to get what’s left of my right foot sewn back on.”
The RSPCA has described the practice as “nothing short if animal cruelty” and claim the dogs aren’t being looked after properly. This has been denied by Paul Grills, store manager and Aldi’s 2013 ‘One Manager and his Dog’ winner.
“Our dogs are allowed to have any food that falls on the floor as well as any limbs that become fully detached from slow customers.
“And this is also a great opportunity for us to show our green credentials. When the dogs reach the end of their natural working life, they are, well, recycled. You’d be surprised at how much easier they are to disguise than horse.”
