Superstores send staff to sabotage opposition

Ahh, those crazy, zany supermarket managers. Not content, it seems, with outdoing rivals by offering lower prices, bosses are now ordering staff into other stores to cause mayhem.

Ahh, those crazy, zany supermarket managers. Not content, it seems, with outdoing rivals by offering lower prices, bosses are now ordering staff into other stores to cause mayhem.

Safeway managers have sentstaff into Asda stores withmoney-off coupons. They all go to the same check-out and hope the disruption leads to meltdown - so normal customers leave. A leaked memo from operations director John Douglas told staff: "Cause as much confusion as you possibly can."

Kevin Hawkins, a spokesman for Safeway, said yesterday: "When we relaunched earlier this year, Wal-Mart [which owns Asda] followed by introducing the Ad-match campaign targeted specifically at matching Safeway's lowest prices. It's our experience that the Wal-Mart guarantee is somewhat lacking and when challenged the products are often not in stock."

Mr Hawkins insisted that the latest twist in the store wars was not very serious. "They like giving it out but they can't take it," he said of Asda.

"We think it's all rather amusing," an Asda spokeswoman said unconvincingly. "We've spotted Safeway employees coming into our stores and we've been welcoming them over the Tannoy."