By Isle of Wight Observer
A customer at the Newport branch of B&M was left bemused after her shopping receipt contained an unexpected promotion for rival discount retailer Poundland, located just across the road.
The receipt, issued by B&M on September 30, asked the shopper if they had “Perked in Poundland today?” – a reference to the now‑defunct Poundland Perks loyalty scheme which ended on September 16.
The confused shopper even looked on-line to check whether the two competing chains had merged. The answer from an AI assistant was clear: “No, Poundland and B&M are not the same company… B&M should not be advertising or mentioning a Poundland loyalty scheme.”
The customer, who asked to remain anonymous “in case she gets banned from the store,” said: “I know they are a discount shop that buys a mix of bargain stock, but I didn’t think that would include rolls of receipt paper that used to belong to their rival company.”
The most likely explanation seems to be not a merger but an administrative blunder. B&M may have acquired surplus receipt rolls from a supplier, saving a few pennies in the process, but failed to notice what they were advertising.
B&M were approached for a comment.