Yes, a few of the supermarkets allow us to collect outside for a few hours a couple of times a year. In fact, collection days are usually what they offer as a 'compromise' when we ask for perminant bins.
cc, there seems to be no one defendable excuse for refusing bins but area offices tell us it's down to store manager discretion, and the store managers either totally ignore our pleas or make up some other poxy excuse like "They cause a trip hazzard" or "our shoppers don't like to feel under pressure to support charities". I am sure they are misreading their shoppers!
Many people are grateful of a convenient drop off point so they can donate food for less fortunate pets. Those that aren't animal lovers just don't notice collection bins and walk past them. So why are supermarket managers so grumpy?
As for the woman, well Sharon emailed us some information that sparked some better memories of when I dealt with her last year. I'm 100% sure it's the same woman. She blamed an error in benefits payments - which in my limited experience is code for couldn't be
to attend a progress interview so they stopped her claim. She was middle aged and living in a shared sort of half-way house and when I saw her had just woken up from a nap at 2pm and sounded a bit doped on anti depressants.
Her pud looked quite plump to me and was well cared for or else I would have pressed her harder about rehoming him. She was probably taken aback when Mark told her she had to go collect the food as she was expecting me to deliver to her door again.