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
We avoid the big supermarkets as much as possible, I dislike going around them, we can never find what we are looking for, we always have a list and if it's not on special we don't often get more than one pack. We fill up at BP and save all the points for the week before Christmas, it helps with the last minute stuff we always need.
ReplyDeleteWe use a combination of Asda and Aldi, I do like Asda's reward of 'if it's 10% cheaper anywhere else" refund plus and we always make sure we check our receipts xx
ReplyDeleteWe're Aldi shoppers and then shop around occasionally for certain branded items, usually at Morrisons where we get petrol. I dislike the loyalty system of the big stores, although one of our daughters seems to get good deals by shopping in the same one. It's convenient to where she lives so the loyalty factor is only part of the reason for her choice.
ReplyDeleteAre the vouchers transferable-could your s be given to your parents to use, and beat them at the game. What is it with bonuses for new customers or to lure customers back, but little for the tried and true? I've noticed that on a lot of things-cable and satellite TV, phones, restaurants. You did well though, but if Aldi's works for you without having to be a secret agent shopper to get the same value, why invest time in Sainsbury.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you get rewarded for loyalty anywhere these days. I've never shopped at Aldi but we popped in last weekend just to have a look as I've heard so many people say they get good deals there but to be honest, I didn't think the prices were all that competitive, well, not on the things I looked at anyway. I think we need to shop in a range of shops these days to get the best bargains and beat the supermarkets at their own game.
ReplyDeleteI spoke about this last week. My daughter shops at Tesco but when she wasn't getting vouchers like me who rarely shops there she started shopping at Aldi. Like you I plan the best way to spend my discount when I get a coupon from the big 4. They dictate to their suppliers, I don't feel the less bit guilty 'USING' them!
ReplyDeleteWe don't get the same kind of loyalty vouchers here in France - they're nowhere near as good. And as for "yellow label" reduced to clear items, well, forget about it! The best I see is buy one get one half price. Which isn't really that tempting!
ReplyDeleteCould you go shopping with your parents a couple of times so they can take advantage of your vouchers (and you would collect lots of Nectar points too), that way you would be able to use all the vouchers and qualify for the offer at the end ... or do they live too far away for this to be possible?
ReplyDeleteAnyway I love your strategy with this shop AND the impressive array of food for the cash you actually spent :-)
I shop at Lidl at the moment but we hope Aber will have its own Aldi in the near future. I used to love Aldi and have learned to live with Lidl since we moved here at the beginning of September. I buy a few bits from Morrisons and we have a B and M Bargains which is good for a small number of things, too.
ReplyDeleteHi Jan I hope all is well with you. You will gave been retired from teaching for almost a year soon. I hope it's everything you dreamed of.
ReplyDelete