M&S irresponsible action?

[fussychica]

Just received some Sparks vouchers for the first time since the system was revamped. They are for food and to be spent in store only. Half of them are dated for use in the lockdown period. As I don't have a local store using them would mean undertaking an unnecessary journey.
Obviously I'm not intending to use them but this strikes me as pretty irresposible as I expect many others would be tempted to take the drive passing multiple alternative supermarkets on the way.

Well they're hardly going to give vouchers for use in any other shop!

@demetedpixie I assume the OP thought they would be able to be used online? This situation was bought up by MSE re Sainsbury's double up points...

Out of interest, were these free product vouchers? I received 3 separate ones on Saturday and wondered if it was a mistake. I'd already received free sweets and free cookies earlier in the week.

We live right by M&S though and shopping on foot for the whole family I end up grabbing milk & bread there 3-4 days a week (feels like the safest place as very quiet and don't need to touch doors etc).

They should make them longer dated or available to use online. I agree with the OP (and her point is perfectly clear).

Not all areas are in the same lockdown. I could go and do non-essential shopping today if I wished and it wouldn't be a problem

I imagine they printed them to send out before the lockdown was known about and it was still tiers

swashbucklecheer the whole country is in lockdown until 2nd December.

Scotland isn't. And M&S exists here too

@Noidea2114 only England is in lockdown.

Wales have come out of firebreaker now, no idea what scotland are doing!

No it's not. NI isn't

Scotland has various levels of lockdown and even the highest level at the moment has not ruled out non essential purchases

England is not the whole of the UK you know!

I wonder how many people will just drive across the border to Scotland then...

We're allowed to go shopping at whichever supermarket we want. We're not obliged to go to the nearest. I'm sure there's many who travel past a Waitrose to get to Aldi, and vice versa.

Also, they're not forcing you to use them, so if you make a journey to do so, the responsibility is on you, not them.

Morrison's have got Chocolate Oranges for £1 at the moment. Is it their fault if someone travels from the next town to buy some, because they're £2.50 at their local supermarket?

@Noidea2114

swashbucklecheer the whole country is in lockdown until 2nd December.

I am not.

It’s not the law that you have to go to your closest supermarket! Assuming these are vouchers you’ve signed up for I can’t imagine M&S is that far away from you.

They should let you use them online too. It's ridiculous not allowing it.

I know there's a similar problem with Tesco. People in need, i.e. using food banks, etc, were given Tesco vouchers.

In-store only - which is useless for many because they don't all live walking distance, and many don't drive.

It's also no good for the disabled and/or clinically vulnerable.

I think, especially during the pandemic, all vouchers should be for online as well as in-store.

M and S is still open for food though?
As far as I'm aware ours still is (England.)
You don't have to spend them if you don't want to.
Nothing wrong with others using them though if that's where they usually go for their food shop.

Chocolate oranges for a £1 you say...

Yes, @AdventureCode, but you'll have to be quick, because I'm going to buy their entire stock. Nationwide.

[quote Yesyoudoknowme]@demetedpixie I assume the OP thought they would be able to be used online? This situation was bought up by MSE re Sainsbury's double up points...[/quote]
But you can't buy M&S food online other than via Ocado can you? So vouchers have to be for store use.

If you're going out to a shop, it hardly makes any difference whether you go to the closest supermarket or your preferred one, which may be further away.

Plus M&S may be quieter than your local packed Tesco/Asda/Aldi so the risk of being in close contact with someone will be lower.

M&S don't sell food online do they? So how could they make them usable online?

Are we really policing which supermarket people are going to and how far they're driving to get there now? I don't remember that being in the lockdown rules

Are we really policing which supermarket people are going to and how far they're driving to get there now? I don't remember that being in the lockdown rules

Lol, I swear MN has its own set of made up rules and it grows bigger every day

Before we had a local M&S I often didn’t use my vouchers, not everyone can use them all of the time and you can drive to any supermarket you want, though if it is a distance away it will cost more in fuel than the vouchers are worth