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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
James Andrews

Primark insider secrets - from when to shop to the book of banned customers in stores

Primark staff have spilled the beans on the secrets shoppers should know when visiting the store.

From when you should visit, how to get discounts and even the massive book each shop keeps of banned customers.

Two insiders have gone on the record to explain all - and first up was the best time to shop.

According to employee Ella Mai, if you're after a must-have item, you should head to Primark first thing in the morning or an hour before closing to beat empty shelves.

“These will be the times when our recovery on the floor is at its best,” she told Cosmopolitan.

And to get money off, look for any imperfections.

George Allen told the Derby Telegraph you can expect 10%  knocked off the price “without debate” by pointing problems out at the till.

Shopping early or late is your best bet to bag must-have items (Getty Images)

Oh, and don’t bother asking staff if they have something in a different size. George explained stock is kept in a “massive room filled with cardboard boxes and it’s basically a lucky dip.

“In the six months I worked there, I found one item successfully, which was actually quite a proud day.”

Perhaps most interestingly, every Primark has a thick folder in store known as the “book of faces”  -these are shots of customers who are banned, George explained.

What did they do? They're customers who've been caught on CCTV  who have “nicked, conned or otherwise behaved badly in the store”.

And badly behaved might not be putting it strongly enough.

If you hear in-store announcements saying “cleaner to menswear, code two”, that means staff have found a bodily fluid.

George explained “urine and faeces on the shop floor is pretty common” – but always cleared up fast.

The reward for all their hard work? On top of wages Primark staff are given discounts once a year - 10% off over the Christmas period.

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