Waitrose "Pick Your Own" scheme closing - confused / IT illiterate customers

[jpaul]

Shame - this scheme compelled me to use Waitrose regularly for shopping, and was innovative versus (worthless?) loyalty cards at other supermarkets.
you needed to use Waitrose web-site to pre select your favourite products, for a 20% reduction;
I can only assume, that some vocal Waitrose customers were not sufficiently IT literate to use it.

It surprises me that the other Supermarket techniques 3for2, or multibuy still persist, many of the folks in the shops seem to shop with a smart phone, which would quickly reveal what are the genuine offers, or, lacking that, are they unable to remember prices. (eg. mysupermarket/hotuk)

Waitrose is to close part of its loyalty scheme at the end of February after customers complained they found it too confusing, the Guardian has learned.

Pick your own offers gave shoppers 20% off on 10 chosen products from a range of hundreds, which could be anything from expensive buys such as smoked salmon to frequently bought items such as loo roll. It was available to millions of holders of the myWaitrose card.

Launched by the grocer as an eye-catching salvo in the UK supermarket price war in June 2015, pick your own offers was described by the then managing director, Mark Price, as “groundbreaking” but potentially very expensive. It was estimated that the price cuts could cost up to £260m a year or more, with Waitrose splitting that cost with suppliers it signed up.....

Members of HotUKDeals, the UK’s biggest deal-sharing community, spotted that the scheme was due to close on 28 February. According to a staff briefing document, the reason given was that customers had told Waitrose they found the “process for choosing and remembering their picks quite confusing”.

 

[bsoltan]

I'm IT literate enough to understand how to use it, the problem for me was that it doesn't stick with the items that you can get a discount on.
So every time I go for a shop I have to check the app, presumably before I go to see what is on offer and what I might want to buy to get a discount. Rather than just turning up at the shop to buy things.
I found it was way too much effort to bother with, and the signs in store that say 'discount' weren't just for the card holders but you also had to go through the effort of selecting the items you want discount on.

I imagine the benefit to Waitrose was they could appear to offer decent discount on regular items but a fraction of the customers would actually get it if they bothered to jump through all their hoops.

 

[explicit4u]

Jump through all the hoops?

You select 10 products online, save a screenshot or jot them down on your phone, then enjoy 20% off those items until they're no longer available for the added discount. They'll email you asking you to replace items which are no longer in the offer.

Personally I thought it was a really good and different way of doing things, and I'll be sad to see it go. No more waitrose parmesan for me

 

[Hotwired]

Jump through all the hoops?

You select 10 products online, save a screenshot or jot them down on your phone, then enjoy 20% off those items until they're no longer available for the added discount. They'll email you asking you to replace items which are no longer in the offer.

Personally I thought it was a really good and different way of doing things, and I'll be sad to see it go. No more waitrose parmesan for me

You've just said it yourself.

It demanded online interaction and would reset demanding more interaction.

Half hearted discounts rely on steps which are not part of buying the item on the basis that many people will not go through with it.

Waitrose can't compete on price so this was a elaborate loss leader but apparently not worth the difference to their customers for Waitrose to continue it.

 

[jpaul]

Agree with the parmesan comment (+cheaper mince/braising steak)

Did subsequently think, maybe Waitrose is lying and the scheme costs too much so they are using a few customer comments as a pretext,
it was worth a lot more than a few cups of free coffee (never did plain espresso so never had one)

Not into online yet, I need to explore shopping apps, for ones that will give you reminder in the supermarket navigating you to deals on favourite products
- not sure if phones are good enough yet for aisle navigation.

 

[krooton]

Did subsequently think, maybe Waitrose is lying and the scheme costs too much so they are using a few customer comments as a pretext,

My initial thought on hearing this too.

 

[d_brennen]

M&S do similar with the sparks card. Can't say I utilise mine properly, I'm more of an impulse spender anyway

 

[MooMoo444]

It says in the article itself that the scheme was costing Waitrose millions. I guess too many people using it to get discounts of items already sold at/near cost. Wouldn't surprise me if they've done it to stop this damage.

 

[jpaul]

lol just go the email - what remains -

On 28 February, we'll be closing Pick Your Own Offers, and providing personalised rewards selected just for you.

You can also continue to enjoy all of your other myWaitrose benefits:

• Free tea or coffee when you shop with us
• Buy a selected newspaper and we'll take the cost off the rest of your shopping
• Free Waitrose Food Magazine each month
• Save money at the Waitrose Cookery School
• Discount on Johnsons Dry Cleaning available at the Welcome Desk
• Tailored vouchers and offers - online, in store or through the post
• Exclusive member only competitions and experiences

Continue to swipe your card each time you visit to ensure we can offer you tailored myWaitrose offers.

Cookery school advice

 

[jpaul]

WAITROSE redeemed themselves lol - that will stop those idiots stumbling around the shop

We’re taking action on takeaway coffee cups

By autumn this year, we will have removed takeaway coffee cups from all our stores.

It’s not a decision we have taken lightly. Our packaging team has spent a year trying to source cups that can be easily recycled. But we believe, after looking at all the alternatives and listening to the views of customers, that we need to act now.

We are still delighted to offer you a free hot drink whenever you shop with us. We just need your help. Once takeaway cups are removed from your store, we’d like you to bring in your own reusable cup.

 

[HazardO]

Waitrose sent me a 10% off everything voucher before Easter, still valid until 15th April

 

[caff]

WAITROSE redeemed themselves lol - that will stop those idiots stumbling around the shop

Yup. You can still get a free coffee by taking in your own cup, but who is going to do that? None of the freeloaders I've seen clogging up the exits will. They should never have introduced it in the first place.