Supermarket Hangs Sign On How To Increase Customer Spending

London-based freelancer Chris Dodd recently saw an all-too-revealing poster in the window of a Sainsbury's supermarket location.

Dodd photographed and tweeted the poster, which describes a staff-directed "fifty pence challenge," which reads:

"Let's encourage every customer to spend an additional 50p (approximately 80 cents USD) during each shopping trip between now and the year end."

The poster ends with a company signature that sounds somewhat sinister in this context: "We are Sainsbury's."

On Twitter, a Sainsbury's employee named Ross admitted that it was "clearly a poster meant for staff areas," while Dodd inquired as to how exactly "staff are supposed to encourage the extra 50p spend.

As a result of the exposure of at least one Sainsbury's store's practices, a social media campaign dedicated to the #50pchallenge attracted the feedback of other companies, some of which have encouraged patrons to donate 50p to good causes,

or else offer ways to save 50p during each purchase. 

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Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy