AIBU to be annoyed at Waitrose's 3 for 2 system?

[grubbalo]

My first topic on AIBU - obviously don't think I'm BU but am interested to hear what people think!

Went into Waitrose today as needed toothpaste and a few other bits. Saw they had 3 for 2 on all dental and thought I'd get 3 adult toothpaste (at £2.14 each) and 3 kids (at £1.24). When I got home it had taken off £2.48 (i.e. 2 lots of the kids toothpaste rather than the £3.38 I was expecting).

OK, I know it's only 90p but to me it's the principle of the thing. I rang up the helpline and although the woman agreed that had I gone through the checkouts twice I would have had saved £3.38 in total, she insists the promotion has been applied correctly as it did correctly take off the two lowest items. I disagree as (I think!) in everywhere else I shop, the tills are "clever" enough to realise that I have bought multiple offers and would have taken off the correct amount.

Actually I think it was her insistence that it was correct that really pissed me off - if she'd said that yes, it was annoying and a bit of a glitch and that yes I should bear that in mind when buying things across offers I wouldn't have been as annoyed - it's the fact she kept saying to me "But Ma'am, the offer has been applied correctly" that really irked. Worth emphasising here that she totally agreed I'd have saved more going through the checkouts twice.

Would love to know how trading standards see this? Anyway is only 80p here, but we spend far too much a lot in Waitrose and do multiple offers a lot (particularly on fruit) and it bugs me that presumably I'm missing out a lot too!

Maybe I'm just tired and need a lot a small glass of wine.

Exactly the same happened to me last week. YANU ... I can't remember which other shops I have tried this in (Sainsbury's) but other shops' systems always group accordingly. I complained to a manager who happened to be standing around the tills at the time. I was very nice & polite, but pointed out it was wrong, and I would have done it in two transactions if I had known they didn't sensibly group the 3 for 2s as the highest value 3 first etc. The manager was very nice and just gave me 2 pounds back in coins, which in my case is what the difference would have been.

Just to confirm, this was our local Waitrose it happened in. I am sure Sainsbursy & M+S don't do it like this.

I agree it is annoying, and some places do it 'right', but this is the norm. Most promotional signs do say "cheapest item free".

Thing is - I do most shopping online. So if that's the way it works, I feel like doing at least 2 separate online shops, to make sure I get the "best" deal, whilst still getting the free delivery if I spend £50 thing, if only to make a point (or at least while I'm on maternity leave, and have time to do stupidly inane things just to make me feel like I'm giving Waitrose a virtual v-sign)

Afraid I agree it was done the way most shops do.

The only place I have seen it done the way you said was in Pumpkin Patch where the shop assistant sorted out clothes in to a particular price order for me to be scanned so I would get the maximum discount.

Wahwah- the diagram was just to explain how the till would work it out. It's programmed into the till to line the items in value order and take each 3rd item off. You don't need to physically line them up!

If they are all part of the same promotion (which they were, all toothpaste) then if you buy 3 the cheapest 1 will be free, if you buy 6 the cheapest 2 will be free, if you buy 9 the cheapest 3 will be free.

They are doing it "right" if right means getting the most money for the shop.

No it was! Honest! It said the third one was free, then went on the say how it wasn't just the cheapest one, literally the third item. Really it was! It was it was it was! Only some things though.

Boots are one of the few places where they always offer to juggle it around to get the best deal. For example I bought 2 pairs of sunglasses last year, and the till-lady put it through as two transactions so that I could use the voucher that she gave me for buying the first one. It saved me about £15

BTW, I meant to say Meryl - GO BRENDA

I think I am going to start a one woman crusade and be a right pain in the arse at Waitrose, and ask check out people to do about 5 different transactions - that'll learn 'em (or possibly not)

IME most supermarkets do 3 for 2 with cheapest item free - not just Waitrose.

The only ones who do it the other way are Boots and M&S at xmas.

I'm a manager there wahwah...it was just a poster to explain how the till works it out so you don't have to. Honest!

No. Not backing down here. Absolutely not. Maybeeeee. In my defence, it was when I was very very sleep deprived and living on coffee and chocolate. Lady on till probably Thought I was quite mad.

That's what the man in Boots did for me last week, I was most surprised! No 7 were 3 for 2. He put through my other stuff, I paid and got a voucher, so I got 3 for 2 AND a fiver off. How good was that? 'Fraid I think Waitrose were right though, sorry!

My head hurts at the M&S thing! Definitely not the conveyor belt line up!

I think I remember the M&S one, wahwahwah, it caught my eye because everywhere else does 'cheapest item free'

Wahwah- no honestly it's fine. Lots of customer like to 'help' the till by grouping and organising their stuff. Most like to hand over their dine in for 10pounds together just in case the till doesn't notice each item too

And sorry to high jack, but can anyone tell me how you start a new thread using the iPhone app? Can't get to the pc as I'm bf..!

Knew it! Only going half mad then!

YANBU.
Pretty sure that places like M&S and Boots go to the trouble of explaining that in descending price order, the first two are paid, third is free, fourth and fifth are paid, sixth is free and so on.

I usually order my purchase in perfect order -tind and bottles, heavy veg, cold stuff, heavy fruit, salad stuff, lighter fruit, very squishy stuff. DH thinks I am mad. I also pack in order. He just throws everything in together.

That is correct chippy! The till gives you the best value.

It clearly states online that it is "Mix and Match: buy 2 get the third free. cheapest item free"

My local supermarket (not UK) has 3 for 2 deals but the money saved gets put on your fidelity card then you get a cheque every so often. However if you try to do 2 transactions in a row it doesn't credit your card the second time! we found out to our cost Manager explained to us that you have to have 24hours between transactions

So when a good offer is on (for example meat or nappies) I we end up going in every day to get the best money deal! Madness

It didn't say mix n match in the store and I clearly didn't engage brain. Had I not bought 3 bottle of bleach I would have saved nearly £10.