Asda to Addis Ababa as shoppers haggle for bargains amid chaos

The Asda store in Paisley bore greater resemblance to a foreign street market than a high street superstore, after the electrical fault forced workers to resort to old-fashioned methods.

It is estimated to have cost the retail giant thousands of pounds in undersold items.

One customer at the Renfrewshire shop, said he walked away with 135 of goods for just 30.

The 39-year-old, who was shopping with his wife, said: "It was like a real-life version of the TV show Supermarket Sweep.

"The tills went down and staff made an announcement over the PA system. It was a case of sticking some extra items in the trolley and heading off to the checkouts for a spot of bartering.

"I got a 30 MP3 player for just under a tenner. That was a great bit of business. Everyone was trying their luck, not just me, but I'm sure Asda can afford to take the hit."

Shoppers couldn't believe their luck as they indulged in a bit of old-fashioned bargaining.

One worker from a nearby Pets at Home store said: "I had to haggle with the checkout operator to find some common ground, but we reached a conclusion fairly quickly.

"Let's just say I wasn't complaining about the prices I was asked to pay!"

It is believed to be the third time in 16 years that an electronic glitch has hit the store. However, not all the customers left happy.

One 79-year-old man, from Elderslie in Renfrewshire, thought he had arrived just in time for a belated Christmas bonus, but missed it by a matter of minutes.

He said: "I was with my wife when it came over the tannoy that the tills had stopped functioning properly. We soon heard that people were getting great bargains.

"Word spread like wildfire. People were filling up their trolleys with whatever was closest to them - booze was a big favourite.

"Then just as we got to the checkout, it was announced that everything was back to normal."

A spokeswoman for Asda confirmed the tills at the store were out of action for an hour at lunchtime on Monday.

She said: "This was a rare occurrence, but there is a clear procedure in place for whenever this situation arises.

"A member of staff comes up with an estimated price for each item, which has to be agreed by the customer before a sale can take place.

"We do this in a bid to keep the store open for people to continue their shopping."

The supermarket giant is not yet able to cost how much its profits were hit by the crash, but the spokeswoman added: "I suppose it's a case of good luck to those people who were in the right place at the right time."