Supermarkets encouraging waste/obesity?

[Globules]

I wanted a coffee and a pastry this morning.

I went in Co-op to get them.

It was cheaper to get a coffee, pastry and sandwich than it was to just get a coffee and pastry, due to the meal deal offer.

£4.35 for 2 items
£3.50 for 3 items.

I know this isn't just a Co-op issue.
I love a good deal.
But it's frustrating that supermarkets encourage wasteful consumerism in this way.

You have free will. You aren't an automaton.

Go to an independent cafe up the road and buy whatever you want there. The produce will be better quality and you'll be benefitting a local business.

Anyway, you bought a meal deal with a “snack” of pastry and a “drink” of coffee, rather than getting a free sandwich with your coffee and pastry

It’s an offer not a demand, you had the choice to not get the sandwich, or to get a salad, wrap, sushi or pasta instead if you didn’t want a sandwich

I shop at Tesco every week and have never seen pre cut fruit on multi buy offer. I just logged in to check and no multi buy offers on fresh fruit on there either.

It stupidly expensive to buy it that way so it's hardly going to solve an obesity crisis to have only precut fruit on offer

But if you look at this specific offer, it’s a meal deal and the OP wanted coffee and a pastry and then added a sandwich. Within this same deal she could have chosen Water, a portion of fruit or a snack pot of carrot sticks with hummous, or boiled eggs, and instead of a sandwich she could have chosen a chicken salad, or a pasta dish or sushi. So she could for the deal price have gotten a very well balanced, nutrient dense, healthy meal, but she wanted a pastry and coffee.

it isn’t on the supermarkets to force us to make healthy choices, we have free will and the ability to use common sense at some point the blame for ‘bad’ choices needs to sit with the individual not the corporation.

With regard the waste, OP says she was heading to catch a train so didn’t want to carry a sandwich around with her. I’d be willing to place a bet on there being several homeless people near the train station who could have benefitted from a spare sandwich rather than it being thrown away and wasted.

Don’t be ridiculous , as others have said just keep the sandwich for later or give it away

I wasn't blaming others in my example. Evidenced by the fact I said I didn't take up the offer of two free cookies today, but we're all human and sometimes we get tempted into making choices we otherwise wouldn't. That's exactly why supermarkets/retailers/etc make such offers, they know the science behind it and what is most likely to work psychologically on their consumers.

Nah, I keep the sandwich for the next day. Its great

So poor people should suffer because you dont like fat people 😭

Let people enjoy things. People's weight (whether severely over or under weight) won't be affected by your local coop removing a bargain

You're absolutely right - these are very tempting offers, and designed to get more sales. It obviously works.

Well you could've easily put the sandwich in the fridge for tomorrow. If you are struggling with your weight then having a pastry in the first place is your bigger issue. You could've just had just a coffee. I'm a bit overweight and it is entirely my own fault for snacking on biscuits and crisps between meals. It's not the supermarkets fault for selling multipacks of crisps. I buy them and put them in my mouth.

With regard the waste, OP says she was heading to catch a train so didn’t want to carry a sandwich around with her. I’d be willing to place a bet on there being several homeless people near the train station who could have benefitted from a spare sandwich rather than it being thrown away and wasted.

None @InfoSecInTheCity

It's a small town, so no homeless people in the 2 minute walk between the train station and the Co-op.

How much does the bet pay out? The price of another pastry maybe? 🤣

This ⬆️

And I'm not struggling with my weight thanks@WonderingWanda 😁

This @MrsEmmelineLucas

#readthewholethread

Aside from the meal deal offer, Tesco currently have the melon medley, the watermelon, strawberry and grape and the fruit and cheese snack pack pots on Clubcard prices.

I think you have the wrong poster.
I have no idea what your hashtag is about?

Nope. I've got the right poster.

So have you shared your hashtag with @WonderingWanda as well?

Yes, funny how some people only think it's about pastries and sandwiches. It's always worthwhile checking the offers.

It does seem quite silly but I’m not sure if it encourages obesity or waste. I would still only buy what I want to buy.

But you went in looking for a coffee and a pastry - not fruit or anything nutritious...

Agreed.

I don't know where the fruit/nutritional value of my breakfast came in 😁

Yes, I think that's logical!

Even if buying more meant paying less?