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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

65 replies

grubbalo · 06/01/2012 17:07

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.

OP posts:

nancerama · 06/01/2012 19:17

I posted a similar thread recently when Waitrose were doing 3 for 2 on baby stuff. The overwhelming majority thought I was being unreasonable.

OP I am on your side. A growing number of retailers have sophisticated tills in place now that allow you to buy the same item in multiples of 3, and one would expect Waitrose, a retailer that prides itself on fairness would do the same. I do think I would have been less shocked if a different supermarket had used this strategy...

In my case, the stroppy supervisor refused to let me put separate transactions through unless I left the shop between purchases. I think she was VERY unreasonable.

BertieBotts · 06/01/2012 19:28

Yes you get the cheapest item free, cheapest out of the three, but the "threes" should be arranged by the till to be calculated in the order that WhereYouLeftIt states. This was how it worked on the till system when I worked at WHSmith, this is how it works at Boots, this is how it works at most supermarkets. It doesn't matter what order you put the items through in. It's a computer, it can handle calculations like that easily.

DeWe · 06/01/2012 19:34

Most places do it that way. I put them through in two groups.
I think your UR for shopping at Waitrose though.

rushofbloodtothefeet · 06/01/2012 19:36

I've seen WHSmith tills do the grouping thing too. I think it's not an unreasonable request seeing as you could achieve the same outcome with a bit more effort (multiple transactions)

OhTheConfusion · 06/01/2012 19:53

WahWah I had the same thing with M&S in November! 6 items, £35, £35, £29.50, £15, £15 and £10.... it gave me a £15 and £10 free

The girl [whilst smiling] that had I put them up in 'order' I could have had the £29.50 and £10 free instead! I returned them all there and then and re-purchased them in the correct 'order' and saved myself a further £14.50!!!

catsareevil · 06/01/2012 20:26

YANBU

Its completely unreasonable for the shop to penalise you for buying the items in one transaction.

Does anyone know how Tesco work it?

Original poster

grubbalo · 06/01/2012 21:46

Thanks all. I do take the point that it may be commonplace (although I must admit I've never noticed) but still think it's unfair. You put it perfectly cats, it's as though customers are being penalised for shopping in one transaction. Ah well, you live and learn (and I will be looking out to see how other retailers do things. I think Boots may well be the order it's put through, hence the lovely Brenda above, and on thought the lovely lady at Boots near my workplace who I hadn't appreciated insisting she should put my cake through before my crisps on the meal deal).

OP posts:

Cabrinha · 06/01/2012 22:41

I cannot believe the number of people who call this unreasonable, unfair or mad!
Annoying yes - but in the same way I'm annoyed I'm not offered my full trolley for free.
People, these are businesses, not charities!
I am LOL at people saying they're being penalised. It's an offer, the deems are clear - you're getting something free, for business reasons.
YABU.

catsareevil · 06/01/2012 22:49

Yes, they are businesses, and this is a marketing strategy. Unfortunately doing it in the way described in the OP will make me buy less, because I will make sure to only by 3 and no more than that.

Also the terms are not clear, some shops do it one way, and some another. How are we to know which is which ( with the exception of boots who are clear about this).

SubordinateClaws · 06/01/2012 23:50

You quibbled for the sake of 90p? Really? Get a grip and learn how 3-for-2 deals work.

alphablock · 06/01/2012 23:57

I agree with OP. The way you were charged was ludicrous (it encourages observant people to split transactions which takes staff longer to process and annoys other customers). I have had this argument in several shops including Homebase and WHSmiths and ended up requesting refunds and rebuying in several transactions based on carefully selected groups of 3.

Some stores definitely do calculate in a more logical/fair way (I thought M&S did, but based on other posts sounds like I could be wrong).

I always check receipts carefully and am happy to argue my case as a matter of principle, but the most annoying thing is that staff usually think I am nuts - they're adamant that the computer is right and are bemused by my insistence on rebuying the stuff in a different way to save money (I suspect they don't believe my way is cheaper).

The terms are definitely not clear in most shops (they say how they work it out if you buy 3 items, but I've never seen any shop explain how they deal with 6 items, 9 items etc.).

Ineedacleaneriamalazyslattern · 07/01/2012 00:08

I used to work in boots and their tills definitely work out the best deal it is not just the cheapest you get free. If boots had the same offer they would have given it as one of the adult and one of the child toothpastes as you expected.
Used to get people handing over a basket of stuff and digging out their meal deal worried that if the items didn't get out through together the till wouldn't give them the deal as well.

TheDetective · 07/01/2012 00:18

YANBU.

Every shop I have purchased 3 for 2's in (m&S, Boots, Morrisons, Asda etc) have always had a till system to work it out for the customers advantage - so you buy the most expensive two items, and get the third most expensive free, the fourth and fifth paid for, sixth free etc.

Never experienced it any other way - dunno where you lot shop!

wahwahwah · 08/01/2012 22:04

ohtheconfusion, I love you!

BertieBotts · 09/01/2012 20:44

Alpha, I expect that it depends on the individual store, the till software, and therefore also the time people are referring to.

I know when I started at WHSmith it would order it in the best possible way, but during my time there we switched from the old style tills with monochrome LCD text only screens to a full EPOS system, and TBH I don't know if they changed it. It would be odd if they did, though.

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