Friday 5 February 2016

Rewarding me... for a complete lack of loyalty!

 
Last week Sainsburys sent me another pack of 6 X £6 off a £30 shop.
This is probably the fourth pack that I've had from them since October.
I think their huge database of nectar point information can't handle the fact that we get weekly fuel points (because Mark likes to put BP fuel in the car) but we never shop at the stores.  As a result, they are desperate to reward my complete lack of loyalty/"entice me back" (depending on your view point!)
 
I am actually a very loyal Aldi shopper - but there are still a small number of 'branded' items that we use and we tend to pick these up anywhere that we see them discounted.  I checked the cupboards this morning and decided that I was low enough on these items to commit to a £30 shop at our local Sainsburys....

 
I approached the whole exercise in a 'super-strategic' way, with a detailed list of things I needed or that could be added to the store cupboard/freezer.  I walked round the store with my vintage Casio calculator and added up everything as I went along.....
 
Goodness only knows what the CCTV and shop security thought of me as I circled the store several times to get my best bargains!!!!!!  Maybe they thought that I was on some kind of 'frugal reality TV show'????
 
 
Anyway, even the checkout assistant was amazed by my £30.30 shopping basket - reduced to £24.30 with the voucher.  Here's everything spread out on the work top when I got home....
 
 
Mostly I targeted items that were already substantially reduced, then had the additional pleasure of the extra 20% off.  There's a bag of frozen chicken pieces (already reduced to £2.50 before the voucher), damaged tins of soup and a premium peanut butter brand with a cracked lid (49p before the voucher), and lots of other sauces and dry goods that happened to be reduced this week.
 
When I handed over my Week One voucher the till went wild with BONUS voucher slips.  I've now got 'Triple Nectar Points' on my week two shop AND 200 Bonus Nectar points without spending anything at all (plus a couple of regular vouchers linked to a cheese purchase!)  If I use all six vouchers then I'll also be entitled to another large number of bonus points.
 
So - am I going to be enticed into a Sainsbury's shopping frenzy?  I'm not sure...
I know that my regular Aldi shops cost me £22 and £25 for a similar quantity and range of food.  It's nice to pick up some items that Aldi don't stock (like wholemeal pasta) and to enjoy that sense of 'grabbing a bargain' from one of the big supermarket chains. 
 
Beyond that, I feel a bit "miffed" with Sainsburys to be honest. 
My parents go to the same shop at least once per week and I'm pretty convinced that they spend about £250 per month there.  What price my parents' loyalty?  They never get these generous discounts and bonus vouchers...  Grrrrrr!!!!!
Do you feel the same way about the 'big' supermarket chains?
Jx