To think Waitrose loyalty card is losing all its benefit?

[Precipice]

The free coffee disappeared at the beginning of the pandemic (it's "suspended"), in two weeks the newspaper offer is going. There were to my mind the only tangible benefits of having this loyalty card.

They claim there will be "personalised offers". Of course this is vague, but all it sounds like is that the Waitrose card will become like the loyalty cards of many shops where they get the benefit of tracking your purchases and in return for the loss of your privacy, you get nothing or almost nothing in practice, like the current occasional vouchers of "get x off if you spend ". (You can tell perhaps that I am not a loyalty card "fanatic", but I am willing to use some in some circumstances.)

By the way, I wouldn’t stop scanning My Waitrose card. Its main use is for scan as you go shopping. And I already buying at Waitrose only particular things which can’t be replaced elsewhere.

I remember the Berliner! They used to be half price at the Waitrose near me at the end of the day. I ate so many. I’m glad the temptation is not there anymore as I could resist the jam doughnuts but not the Berliners.

@Chipstick10

Thousands of John Lewis partners got laid off. Waitrose and John Lewis stores are closing. And you are whinging about a free newspaper.

Well, if the free newspaper got customers in then even more might have to be laid off when people stop coming for a free newspaper and end up spending £15 or 20. I know we do it every single weekend, at least.

It's a false economy.

Surprised so many people are saying they will still use waitrose solely because they offer scan as you shop-was it the first to introduce this or something? Because most big superstores do it now.

No, I think the PPs were saying they will only keep their MyWaitrose cards because it allows them to use the self scanners. Not that they will only keep shopping at Waitrose because they have self scanners.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon that’s also a false economy for you too! Spending £15-20 when you go in for a free paper

I know, but I need to go shopping anyway. It's my weekend shop. It's either M&S or Waitrose, and until now Waitrose it was because of the free paper, not from now on it all be M&S because it's more convenient.

The JL card is just as bad

We love almost next door so I was in the habit of getting a free daily coffee from them - loved it.
I now enjoy getting a Saturday or Sunday paper but that will stop now as well.
We mix it up between Aldi, Tesco and Waitrose and will continue to do so.

Printed vouchers are so much easier because you just put them in your purse next to your payment card and they're there to see when you pay.

Only for you. I have a small card wallet and don’t have space for paper vouchers, plus I hate the waste of posting them out & paper.

Surely loyalty cards have run their course?
People would likely stick to their favourite/most convenient shop week in week out, OR shop around because they want to/need to.
The only one worth doing is tesco more so cos now you have to have a club card to get basic offers.
None of the others are worth it.

@Ablababla

They have added a charge for delivery for online shopping now. Free delivery and newspaper was how how I justified the higher prices. Thinking about switching to Sainsbros

Exactly the same here!

I get vouchers for money off all the time? That's the main benefit?

Also the free magazines.

My Waitrose account says that there's something replacing the free newspaper that's 'better'

The only reason I scan mine is to get the monthly magazine free.

I used to get vouchers for money off as well but like a pp they were either for products that I never use or the £8 off an £80 spend type ones and I never spend that amount on shopping in one go.

How do you get these vouchers? I don't get any - are they posted? Emailed? We occasionally get something at the till but never for anything we actually want...

I miss the coffees - so much has gone west with covid. Haven't got a paper in ages though I will try this weekend so I've got a stock of free Telegraph for my cake baking!

@TangledUp789

Surprised so many people are saying they will still use waitrose solely because they offer scan as you shop-was it the first to introduce this or something? Because most big superstores do it now.

No, I think the PPs were saying they will only keep their MyWaitrose cards because it allows them to use the self scanners. Not that they will only keep shopping at Waitrose because they have self scanners.

Ah thank you! That makes sense!

The newspaper was the main thing that got me through the door at Waitrose when I'd be equally happy to go to Sainsburys - apart from the decent fish counter that's the only real difference for me. Ten years ago our local Waitrose was noticeably more spacious, bigger aisles, quieter sensory atmosphere, general feeling of calm (my DPs loved it) but now they've crammed in three aisle of John Lewis Home stuff and it feels like any other supermarket.

I wonder how this will impact on the circulation figures for the Times/Telegraph/Mail? Apparently only 5% of cardholders were using the paper offer, which seems low to me, but then I always got one.

How do you get these vouchers? I don't get any - are they posted? Emailed? We occasionally get something at the till but never for anything we actually want...

They always posted ours. But since I haven't scanned my Waitrose card for months and months we've stopped getting them because they clearly know it's a pointless waste of paper!

I had a free coffee and cake in John Lewis yesterday so I probably shouldn't complain but it's a crap loyalty card. The offers are really annoying.

The Sparks card is awful too. I just about get enough use out of it but it's a pain to use.

Clubcard and Boots are the best by far.

@Arabellla

Clubcard is the best, by far.

But it means going to Tesco!

So the vouchers (which I haven't had for years) are only if you physically shop, not online?

I never use mine. I’ve struggled to see what I get from it since the free coffee was “suspended”.

I got a John Lewis free cake offer over Christmas but don't live near a John Lewis cafe, so missed out on that, and also the free teeny panettone that you had to collect in store. Most of the JL offers I've had are limited to in-store collection in a handful of (central London) locations. I've never had any Waitrose vouchers emailed to me, despite having a MyWaitrose card for years, and on the rare occasions when I get one at the till it goes into the bag with the shopping, and is invariably forgotten about it's too late.

The coffee and the paper were there. But I guess Waitrose's argument is that they're responding to the squeezed middle,who now want discounts, rather than free newspapers.

@TooMuchToblerone

Yep. Eroded the benefits. Used to be able to get the coffee in the in-store cafe then they removed that. Can't see the free coffee ever returning.

When they did a free coffee when buying something else we would often have a danish, sandwich, soup (not all together!) and spend about £8, since they stopped the free coffee we stopped doing that and it was noticeable that the cafe was less crowded. I think it was poor economics, the cost of that coffee was very low in reality. I'll miss The Times, I was getting good at the main crossword and it always has a good puzzle section.

I've also done about five customer surveys on the Waitrose Kitchen Table consumer panel, about the loyalty scheme and whether it's perceived as good value now. I always say not really, no. They always say, But don't forget the 5% discount on dry cleaning and the chance to go on Waitrose Cookery School weekends!