Are any parties proposing to look into this two tier pricing that supermarkets do?

[GordonBlue]

I know that it wouldn't be as much of a concern but for the wider issue of the tories bankrupting the country, but it still sucks ass.

Businesses owe you nothing. Nothing.

They're not there to fill a social need. They're businesses.

In fact the most ethical socially conscious supermarket is Iceland. No loyalty cards. Good offers. And MN hate them lol!

Shop where you choose. But don't expect a Govt to regulate.

Anti-competitive practices are absolutely something that government should and does concern itself with.

The supermarket grocery sector has been merrily price fixing for a long time - I bet you've seen it yourself if you think about it; you'll have noticed the "discounted" prices rotate across shops - it's most noticeable on high price items like eg mega boxes of Surf etc. Bad enough, but in the current context of huge price fluctuations (which are in no small part down to continuing economic uncertainty engendered by poor government fiscal decisions) this additional layer of price volatility is legitimately deserving of government attention.

I just wondered if any of the parties were proposing to have a look. They keep going on about the "cost of living crisis", after all.

That isn't true though.

I've just used the Trolley app to look up several of the products on Clubcard prices at random, and for all the items the original Tesco price was identical to several other supermarkets, cheaper in one or 2 and more expensive in others. The Clubcard price is cheaper than all supermarkets, except for a couple of exceptions where Aldi had the product cheaper, like Jaffa Cakes.

So Tesco haven't bumped up the price of those products in order to falsely offer a cheaper Clubcard price, unless you think the other supermarkets are helping Tesco out by upping their prices to match so Tesco can still look good.

So much angst about just getting a card.. when our data is collected so much anyway I really cba with a bit more

Anyone who pays with their phone has no reason not to just add another card to their wallet.. the rest just add it to your key ring

They're not "helping Tesco out" but they do fix according to what competitors are planning on doing.

Actually the difference is they are doing both. Although my coupons are electronic now and avaible to use against my online shop.

The only really useful ones are the £5 off a shop though. I believe you can still use them instore with the app.

I would often flit between tesco and Sainburys as if you hadn't shopped in one or the other for a while they would give you another voucher off your shopping.

But the loyalty card pricing is slightly different then the discount codes as when they introduce it prices of items not on club card price actually went up. The club card price was the original price not an actual discount. How they managed that now with swapping discounts around I haven't worked out.

I shop around, and get the best bargain/ offer that suits me. I don't get misled by loss leaders. I do take full advantage of discounts, on products that I would buy anyway... how am I 'compliant'?

Example- today I have got 60 Nectar points on toilet rolls that I would have bought anyway, cost £6, and 40 Nectar points on cheese, cost £3.25. That's 50 pence in money in my pot. For nothing Nada. No coercion. Just points back that I save for Christmas.

I just think it’s the obvious next step. Currently most loyalty cards are free (though not all) but I can’t see that lasting.

And if we have no Aldi or Lidl within a reasonable distance, what then? Not everywhere has all supermarkets.

You are a marketers dream.

Isn't there already a third tier of Tesco pricing that you have to pay to access? That to me seems really shady - customers will be mindful of sunk costs.

The old-fashioned way. Saved up for it with Co-op stamps.

So elderly people who have had a club card since their 50s won't understand?

Vulnerable people who have carers/ families/ advocates can't learn?

Seriously?

That's because they'll never need health care here.

I think it's actually leading into a social credit system, like in China. Rewards for 'good behaviour', punishment for non-compliance or bad decisions.

You need a heart transplant? Let's check what you've been eating. Bacon, hard cheese, and beer? And McDonald's twice a week? Uh sorry, back of the bus for you!

@DontSetYourselfOnFireToKeepOthersWarm stop sneering and explain yourself.

My mum’s 84. She doesn’t understand. She has a Waitrose card and that’s it. It’s her nearest supermarket .
if I take her to Tesco , which is every three months or so, for a change , she doesn’t have a card.
yes I should get her one , but why? She shouldn’t need one. She would get her shopping at a normal price.
Youre being ageist.

If most people are satisfied then they won’t care about anyone else. Some might even enjoy the little thrill of being exempt. Customers like feeling special, don’t they?

And no parties will do anything because most people are keen to sell their data for discounts.

Plot twist : co-op now has not only done away with stamps, they also don't give points. The only thing the card does is give you access to different pricing. (And a lifelong spot on Cambridge Analytica).

Yes there is a club card plus you pay a monthly subscription for and can get something like 10% off one weekly shop over a certain amount when shopping in store only. That annoyed me.to when they brought it in, it's only really worth it for families as you need to save more then it costs and if.you can't shop in store you can't use it either.

I'm actually quite surprised other suppermarkets haven't brought them in yet.

Actually, the discounted prices are discounted from the normal prices in Sainsbury's (when I take advantage of the offers on the things I usually buy).

Also, we're not all daft re price per kg etc. I only buy the - e.g. cheese - offers if they're better value than the item I usually buy. I appreciate not everybody is as switched on, however.

There are lots of resources on the internet that would be much better at explaining the psychology and profitablity of supermarket loyalty schemes than I would be. Up to you if you want to go and find them.

Big data is big business these days. I take all sorts of retail bribes for my data. If someone needs to know that I buy baby plum tomatoes instead of salad tomatoes then good for them. I use spam email addresses that I don't ever open and an old mobile number, I'm just a customer number in a huge amount of data.

Ome top quality debating there, have you thought of standing for parliament yourself?

How much do government inquiries cost tax payers OP ?

Yeah I will, just as soon as I get an inheritance parcel and a lobotomy.