Waitrose

[StoneofDestiny]

Just tried the 'new offers' on Waitrose. You have download the offers at home but then scan to scan a QR code at the til point and click into a coupon for every offer. Surely they could put the offers directly into your Waitrose Card like M&S Sparks Card does?
Given John Lewis is on a downward track - surely making shopping difficult at Waitrose won't help keep customers. Anybody else found this as unnecessarily complicated?

@smogsville So it's better to select the high value vouchers and just pick a similar product. 😉

I've given up with Waitrose. Used to get a delivery every other week when it was free but now at £3 and most things more expensive I just don't bother anymore. Their loyalty card isn't going to make me go back either. Currently switched to Tesco as had lots of vouchers coming to an end so bought a 6 month delivery pass instead!

@vjg13 yes, esp if you get an alcohol voucher as it seems to be transferable across the whole category, even when the product it is for is definitely in stock and available to buy.

I agree with pp - week 1 the money off was crap, about a pound in total. Last week it was excellent - included £2.50 off a massive box of teabags that I always buy anyway. Plus my cheeky wine ruse and the fact that newspaper is totally free, no spend necessary let alone a tenner.

I'm going to stick with this scheme, forgive them for rubbish launch and implementation and reap the benefits.

I’m really glad they ditched the free coffee. That annoying line of cheapskates threading out of the door getting multiple coffees….

My best cheapskate was the guy who bought strawberries but wouldn’t part with 10p (when they were 10p) for a carrier bag, so he carried his strawberries in the Waitrose free newspaper. And then I saw them scattered and squashed all over the car park

I agree that Waitrose must have had a quick rethink as I had £5 off in vouchers this week as opposed to 50p last week.

Maybe he didn't want to use plastic.

That was to @DottyHarmer

@smogsville I will be ready with my "convenient" screen shots of the most high value vouchers on my next visit in a few weeks. Probably by then the glitch will be fixed and I'll be arrested at check out!

@LaingsAcidTab - well, one would like to hope this was the case, but I was behind him at the till and he objected to paying, so definitely a cheapskate as opposed to someone with concern for the environment (and then presumably he’d have brought his own bag).

I assumed it was added to your card so the first time bought the eggs and milk, scanned my card and realised I hadn't got the money off! Got it sorted out though.
Next time I had £4 off Blink cat food, we occasionally buy and £1 off Pukka tea bags. I bought them but notice they've put the in store prices up significantly on both items. The cat food £7.50 to £8.00. We don't do our main shop at Waitrose but have one close so do use it. They seem to have put prices up more than the other shops I use, perhaps to cover this?

I finally received this week's vouchers a day late and the savings were much better£1.50 -£2 but no £4.50 ones here! I took a screenshot and scanned in store. Didn't work but assistant typed in the codes and bingo but was a faff for her and good job I wasn't in a rush. I also don't have the newspaper option which many of you had even though I used the old system every Saturday and a couple of other times a week..
Judging by the feedback on all Waitrose related sites I think they thought they better increase the value of the offers before we all jumped ship!

New system works well for me, and I just use the website. There is no need to download the app.
For my weekly delivery, I pick my vouchers and apply at checkout (£10.80 saved this week including a paper)
I went into a large Waitrose during the week, having screen shotted my free paper voucher while I was at work. Very easy to scan at the till and no Wi-Fi issues

My parents are early 80s and both have an Iphone (as do most of their friends) and manage just fine with stuff like this. (However they refuse to have shopping delivered or use Scan as You Shop which I don't understand at all. Shopping would be quicker and easier for them)

@vjg13 see you in jail

[quote DottyHarmer]@LaingsAcidTab - well, one would like to hope this was the case, but I was behind him at the till and he objected to paying, so definitely a cheapskate as opposed to someone with concern for the environment (and then presumably he’d have brought his own bag).[/quote]
Ah well then! 😌

I agree - am going to sainsburys as the nectar points are racking up with all the extra offers and special prices on the smart shop app. Used to be quite loyal to Waitrose but quite pissed off about this.

It’s a complete waste of time & I just don’t bother scanning - lady at the till agreed her frustrating it was and she had numerous complaints . Scrapping too the free papers and coffees means we hardly ever shop there , we must be one of many who have given up shopping there !

Forgot to add the savings are virtually nothing , it’s an insult to be honest !

My vouchers have been good both weeks. Almost £5 off. And all things I buy regularly but I shop there weekly. Either online or in the store. Online use of the vouchers was even easier. Selected them clicked on use online and they were there at checkout.
I just downloaded the app and it looks easy to use so will try that this week.
Will be interested to look at the wording on the vouchers as I assumed it was for the product shown but maybe it is say any orange juice instead of only the innocent orange juice.

"We do understand change is difficult" oh, dear Waitrose social media person, I'm sure that sounded lovely in your head.

Customers don't want to execute several steps in order to access the offers. To be honest, I thought the M&S app was pretty awful (having to tick which offers you want to 'add' to the card) but the Waitrose one manages to even outdo that, so, well done there.

I've had a flurry of announcements in the post from Waitrose about their new offers, but I've decided to hold off a while and let them sort this out. I can't imagine a shop that prides itself on customer service is going to keep this system for long, and M&S is closer to me, anyway

Today I got £2.50 off Yorkshire Gold teabags, and £5 off a bottle of wine, plus 20% off fish, plus a free Sunday Telegraph, plus Waitrose Food magazine. Quite a tidy haul in the end.

The shop assistant did roll her eyes at the offers and the faffy app, though. 'Everyone's grumbling,' she confided, rather gleefully, I thought.

Poor shop assistant. I bet everyone has a massive grumble to her followed by 'I know it's not your fault'

I saw something from Waitrose today saying that in light of so many complaints, they were bringing back postal vouchers and the option to print at home as well.
Seems like they do listen !

@ISmellBurnings

My local Waitrose closed down, so I get annoyed when they post me the offers as I can’t bloody shop there (only went there for the free coffee anyway…).

This is why they stopped the coffee!

yeah it's ridiculous. However, I didn't need to spend a tenner today to get a free Observer. I just scanned the code in the app for a free newspaper and that's all I went in for. Hard faced?

It’s a complete waste of time & I just don’t bother scanning - lady at the till agreed her frustrating it was and she had numerous complaints . Scrapping too the free papers and coffees means we hardly ever shop there , we must be one of many who have given up shopping there !

I agree. We also never got our cafe back since they closed it due to Covid and now use it as a click and collect orders space. I sent an email to complain when the new vouchers system was introduced. After years of staying loyal, this will make me shop elsewhere. I have no interest and time to be downloading bloody vouchers!!