Nothing is free in this life my friend. You might think its free but it isn't. You pay at some point, its just sometimes you don't realise it for a while....
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tesco clubcard vs nectar
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Nothing is free in this life my friend. You might think its free but it isn't. You pay at some point, its just sometimes you don't realise it for a while....
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R
RailUK Forums
Love is...
We spend between £50-75 a month in Iceland. I may have to look into their scheme.
bb21
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You are not investing enough in it. That includes emotionally and monetarily.
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Please teach me how.
I am so glad it's not just me. I felt so strongly I complained to Sainsbury's (okay, only via Twitter) and they said they'd make a note of it.
But I actually get angry when I get their insulting vouchers to the point that I now actively avoid shopping there, despite my local store actually being pretty convenient to get to/park/shop.
Sure, I have run a business and know how things work, so of course the vouchers are to entice me to go back and shop - not just reward me for the sake of it, but - seriously - you go in and do a £150 shop, and get a coupon saying double/triple points on your next shop, when you spend £90 - and it expires in 7 days.
Then I get another voucher for a free Sainsbury's Mobile SIM card (aren't they free anyway) that lasts for months.
It's an insult because after spending a shed load, you'd rather prefer something that gives you more points or even money off that lasts until the next time you might shop - or at least a reasonable time.
More recently I've had ones that say you'll get 8 x points or something amazing when spending at least £70, again in a short time, and with loads of exclusions. As I use the hand scanners, which the IT people confirmed can't always show the savings on the display, you can get to the checkout with your £70 of goods - then it rings up with the discounts and it's under, so you now have to faff around trying to find something else to buy. The checkout staff dislike it because, funnily enough, I'm not the only one moaning.
With the reduced points for re-using bags, I do wonder if Sainbury's realises that its scheme is now putting me off using their store! It's like the fact that now I stopped buying anything from SSP outlets after the Bite card kindly slashed its discount to make things more simple. Now it's very simple - I shop elsewhere or go without!
[/RANT]
The problem I'm finding at Aldi is that many products are now being revised, which is a nice way of saying are being made inferior. Not everything is worse than it was, I should point out, but I've been rather disappointed with some things and it's frustrating as there's a store near by son's nursery and we have been trying to shop there more. It's definitely cheap, but I've actually had to throw things out in the last couple of months because it, to us at least, tasted disgusting.
I guess the problem Aldi has is that it competes purely on cost, and no doubt many costs are rising - so it has to find ways to keep products cheap. Eventually I think it will actually have to increase prices on some of its products.
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Kite159
Veteran Member
Sainsburys used to give me some random vouchers, i.e. money off/extra points for certain products, but the last couple months the only vouchers I seem to get is the odd "£5 off when you spend £50" voucher or the Free SIM voucher.
Average spend is around the £5 mark, I tend to do my main shopping in either Asda (if in Andover after gym) or Tesco (when driving home), only time I use Sainsburys is for meal-deals & small top-up items.
(Although I did get given a random extra £5 worth of points the only day from the store opposite Waterloo)
At least the Tidworth Lidl has reopened, it's only been closed for 15 months to be rebuilt, and I think the Andover Lidl is reopening next week (was meant to be closed in January for 6 weeks for a small extension to be built)
Average spend is around the £5 mark, I tend to do my main shopping in either Asda (if in Andover after gym) or Tesco (when driving home), only time I use Sainsburys is for meal-deals & small top-up items.
(Although I did get given a random extra £5 worth of points the only day from the store opposite Waterloo)
At least the Tidworth Lidl has reopened, it's only been closed for 15 months to be rebuilt, and I think the Andover Lidl is reopening next week (was meant to be closed in January for 6 weeks for a small extension to be built)
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Sainsbury's also gives you very little time to re-use these. Tesco seems to give you almost a month.
But, you're right, I'd sooner get the money given back at the till. I'd imagine people would be far happier too, being told 'there's an additional £1.50 off today' and feel compelled to re-shop there anyway, not because they got a bit of paper they might lose or forget about that is trying to force them to come back.
Kite159
Veteran Member
I believe if you are overcharged in Asda, you get given the refund back as how you paid for it (cash/card) and get given a £2 gift-card which lasts for the standard 12 months.
crispy1978
Member
Lidl all the way for me. One of the cheapest two (with Aldi), but much more variety and they vary their stock which Aldi I don't find do. Their Monday/Thursday offers are generally good and they reduce meaningful items (ie tomatoes, sweet and sour sauce, meatballs, etc) rather than random items (gnocchi I saw reduced in Sainsburys last week - I mean why?!?)
The loyalty cards and vouchers still don't bring the Morrisons/Sainsburys/Tesco shop anywhere near in line I'm afraid.
The only thing I don't buy there is fruit and veg - it's a personal choice I think the local greengrocer is reasonably priced, it's better quality and I feel like I'm doing my bit for the community spirit that way. I'll support local businesses if they are competitive, but won't pay over the odds like the butchers two doors down who is very expensive.
The loyalty cards and vouchers still don't bring the Morrisons/Sainsburys/Tesco shop anywhere near in line I'm afraid.
The only thing I don't buy there is fruit and veg - it's a personal choice I think the local greengrocer is reasonably priced, it's better quality and I feel like I'm doing my bit for the community spirit that way. I'll support local businesses if they are competitive, but won't pay over the odds like the butchers two doors down who is very expensive.
Isn't that more if you're merely overcharged? Not that it's cheaper elsewhere?
I've never had that at Asda, but have a few times been charged incorrectly at Tesco. Most recently I didn't get any apology when I pointed out that a 3 for 2 deal didn't come through. Usually Tesco are very polite and apologetic, but I got treated as if I was trying it on before it was checked and the difference taken off as a manual discount. All the time I'm sure the staff were thinking 'FFS, can't he just pay and f--- off?'.
To top it off, the bakery had a load of price labels showing the prices - and then red stickers showing what you'd assume to be offer prices. Except the prices were the same! I Tweeted Tesco to ask if that was right, and told that the bakery is operated by another company, and that they couldn't control how they showed their prices.
I then pointed out that Euphorium is in fact 100% owned by Tesco, and they came back saying the pricing method was normal and it wasn't meant to signify a special offer.
So there you have it. See a french stick for 75p and a red sticker saying '75p' and that's not meant to be misleading or imply there's a special deal. No, it's just repeating the price right next to it.
I do wonder about Tesco sometimes and how it ever plans to get customer confidence back, especially if the social media team are saying such dumb things.
David
Established Member
That's normal for all the supermarkets (including Lidl and Aldi). As some of you may be aware, I work in a poultry processing factory that supplies all the supermarkets, and when they decide to have a promotion on a particular product, not only is the price printed on the pack, we have to apply a flash label to highlight the price as well.
Aldi (for example), had a recent promotion on their Extra Tasty cook in the bag chickens. The promo price was £3.49 (complete with a flash label highlighting the price) compared to the normal price of £3.79. Since the promo finished (2 weeks ago IIRC), while volumes have fallen, we're still packing and shipping more compared to the pre-promo period.
Anyway, getting back to the original debate. I have a Nectar card, as it's not just Sainsburys you can use it at to collect points. Out and about on the road? Pull into a BP garage and collect points. Need a holiday? Expedia .... (I'll not mention the hundreds of e-shops you can use through the Nectar website.)
A Nectar card and a cashback card/website can generate some significant savings and bonuses building up pretty quickly.
I do use Nectar elsewhere and probably get the most points with BP. But now I'm trying to stop using Nectar, and the fact that BP is a rip off most of the time, I now buy my fuel elsewhere.
I'm sure there's evidence somewhere to show that a poorly run loyalty scheme actually does more harm than good in many cases. You'd perhaps be more likely to shop without a scheme that you feel isn't benefitting you.
And this is how Tesco (sorry, not Tesco but a totally independent bakery it allows to be in its store and is merely owned by Tesco) marks things; (Just to clarify, as it's not on the product itself)
https://twitter.com/jmcomms/status/603286788178862080
I'm sure there's evidence somewhere to show that a poorly run loyalty scheme actually does more harm than good in many cases. You'd perhaps be more likely to shop without a scheme that you feel isn't benefitting you.
And this is how Tesco (sorry, not Tesco but a totally independent bakery it allows to be in its store and is merely owned by Tesco) marks things; (Just to clarify, as it's not on the product itself)
https://twitter.com/jmcomms/status/603286788178862080
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RJ
Established Member
It does seem to be marketed as such. The dedicated section in Earl's Court Tesco is less like a supermarket and more like a bakery experience you'd expect in the genteel climes of Dulwich Village or Clitheroe. Only more crowded.
Yeah, like their coffee shop. And indeed since they bought Giraffe, which to be fair does nice food, it's become a rather odd thing to include within a supermarket given the pricing.
I do think Tesco thought/thinks it can go after the premium end of the market, and also sell some value products, and even cheaper stuff from the yellow boxes, to appeal to the lower ends, and somehow get it all to work. I'm not convinced.
They might have to actually accept they can't appeal to everyone - at least in the same building.
GatwickDepress
Established Member
I remember Tesco cafes being very much the "greasy spoon" sort of places when I were young. Tesco are steadily diversifying into video game and electronics too, more than any other supermarket.
Easy. I only eat once every couple of days! The perks of having a physically calm life combined with a strange metabolism.
Sheesh, that's impressive. I impulse buy way too much to ever get close to that
Easy. I only eat once every couple of days! The perks of having a physically calm life combined with a strange metabolism.
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Searle
Established Member
Didn't know that Tesco bought Giraffe, makes sense that there's a new one in the huge out of town Tesco in York then!
This guy retired at 31 by living off $7000 a year. His "typical" meal is described here:
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-i-live-on-7000-per-year.html
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I'll be honest - his lifestyle doesn't sound an awful lot of fun, and the figures he gives aren't ones that would work in the South East of England anyway, and probably not in much of the North either these days. $250 (about £180) for half of monthly rent and bills? Not even if you live in a shoebox with no heating.
That said, if you want to eat cheaply but like a student, a big bag of pasta and some tins of tomatoes, and other random bits to chuck in with them, isn't a bad start. And value beans on value toast.
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There's one of those near our office (Harris & Hoole). I'm not a fan - I think their coffee tastes weird - but when colleagues go I take great pleasure in complimenting them on their choice of Tesco Value Latte.
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Easy. I only eat once every couple of days! The perks of having a physically calm life combined with a strange metabolism.
Couldn't[1] do that.
[1] Well, I've got a fair bit of lard round my waist, so physically I could for a while at least. But there would be no pleasure in it.
IanD
Established Member
I'm regularly overcharged at the Asda in Wolverton but have to spot it myself and have had nothing as compensation EVER, barely even an apology most of the time. If it happens on the self service thing and you don't notice in time, they make you queue behind all the people wanting cigarettes and scratchcards before they will give a refund - more of a punishment than a reward.
Usually happens when an offer ends and staff haven't changed the shelf label. Unlike Tesco, AFAIK Asda don't state on the label when the offer ends. As they seem to change their offers every other day on some products it's not surprising staff cannot keep up - but that's not my fault so they should be more gracious when I complain!
I completely agree with you about Sainsbury's and their vouchers, and its one of the reasons why I don't bother shopping there any more - put simply, its the way they treat their customers - all too often, for fools. The other is that my local stores car park has speed ramps which make access an obstacle course and, however slowly you cross them, has the potential to bugger up my tyres and suspension. Tesco have tried to screw their customers and suppliers for years and I think they might well be the worst of a bad bunch. Its why they're now paying a price, having lost thousands of customers. When a company comes up with a strapline which says, Helping you to spend less, you just know you're going to have your pockets dipped. But they get one point for not having speed bumps in the car park nearest to me.
As for Morrisons, a colleague reported that she was in the local store last week, using their godforsaken self-service tills, when a member of staff came up to her, gave her a card asking for feedback and then tried to flog her a packet of Jaffa Cakes for 50p. Times must be really hard at Morrisons if they're that desperate.
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Searle
Established Member
As impressive as it sounds, I really can't see anything attractive at all about living on lentils and rice for the rest of my life, funnily enough
He's obviously writing for a US audience so readers elsewhere have to scale up to their local circumstances. But the main savings are through housing and transport. Housing is more expensive in the UK, but he spent a number of years in a RV (mobile home), which may not be that different here. Living without a car, on the other hand, is easier in the UK than the US.Neil Williams said:
The overall message is that most of what people spend in developed countries is entirely discretionary. If you don't want to spend your entire adult life working then it is possible to retire very early. You can call it "living like a student", but for many, student life is one of the happiest times of their lives.
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
True, and if I was really stuck the car, expensive as they are, would be one of the first things to get rid of.
As it was for me. But living like a student isn't as basic as he describes. The food might be, but in practice for most students the money saved from eating beans and pasta are spent on more fun things.
And to be fair to beans on toast, sometimes when I've been weekly commuting and staying in hotels I've found myself wishing for a kitchen to be able to have that!
I used to work part-time on the checkouts at the green chain and the deals are very hard to keep up with. If you are particuarly concerned about something do try to head for a manned till as they have roving support staff who can check and rectify deals as soon as possible. The self-scan is a hectic place at times in the big stores and does not have the support the other tills have.
Well, you can buy fresh stuff from the supermarkets here and there are number of superstore chains that resemble a Tesco Extra. However, it is the norm for most including busy families to hop around including the butcher and the baker. The local small supermarket has rented out space to a local butcher chain inside. The big difference, which I love, is that there is so much choice. Even the massive mid-market chain (Edeka), is actually mostly a franchised operator where smaller regional firms own the stores. It makes prices pretty competitive and they all do those funky weekly specials, even if the service is not consistenly good. However, I do miss popping to Tesco for a BLT!
I found supermarkets got pretty "tribal" among certain demographics in the UK before the recession, e.g. Aldi is for poor people, M&S for rich etc etc and stupid assumptions based on that. I think the latest trend of shopping around once again is good for all consumers.
Lidl is still known for the spying scandal, where the company is supposed to have monitored the employees on breaks and even how much time they spent on the loo! I am slightly addicted to sparkling water (weird, I know) and their Saskia brand that they sell over Europe is very cheap and is great. The bakery is also top notch for the money here!
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It depends on where you live. I'd say that in urban areas, the US is quite far ahead of provincial cities in the UK.
Techniquest
Veteran Member
Until I lost mine, Clubcard all the way! I must have chucked away quite a few points
My Mum uses Nectar, but she almost exclusively uses it for fuel. You can imagine we loved the 10x points offer a while ago! I chip in points onto her card from buying my train tickets, certainly is mounting up nicely now. All comes in handy for Frothmas!
Asda and their rollbacks and linksaves changing so often, an enormous irritance to everyone, agreed. I echo the earlier advice, use a manned till if you're concerned about something as it is easier to fix things or at least check it beforehand there. I would advise asking a colleague first otherwise!
My Mum uses Nectar, but she almost exclusively uses it for fuel. You can imagine we loved the 10x points offer a while ago! I chip in points onto her card from buying my train tickets, certainly is mounting up nicely now. All comes in handy for Frothmas!
Asda and their rollbacks and linksaves changing so often, an enormous irritance to everyone, agreed. I echo the earlier advice, use a manned till if you're concerned about something as it is easier to fix things or at least check it beforehand there. I would advise asking a colleague first otherwise!
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Your closest UK equivalent there is probably Budgens, which is similarly franchised, but has few larger stores.
The Germans drink it by the bucketload. Mostly Apollinaris and Fuerst-Bismarck-Quelle, by my observation, though it was years ago now.
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Erm, log onto the website and order a new one? It will be linked to the same account.
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