Encouraged Learning In Trading Excellence

Greetings lovelies!

Sorry I haven't been posting recently, but this comes with warmest regards from sunny Portugal. Just popped over for a few days to recharge the batteries, we've never been away in December before and it feels quite strange, but it's great, beautiful sunshine and so cheap it's embarrassing. (Eg car hire 21 quid for 6 nights, a lovely new 2 bed 4star villa for 28 quid a night). Very MSE and a real tonic.

Hope you're all having lots of bargains and glitches and fun getting ready for Xmas, just save some for me when I get back

Lutz xx

Good evening. The Vaseline bag is showing T £3.66 valid until 24/12/12 on MSM for me as of right now (with a crossed out price of £5.50). I suppose you could buy, with the Adidas Ice Trio and fillers, and return the items if it doesn't work for you. Or make up (no pun intended) to £40 shop if you are using a £5 off. I can't guarantee it will compare on the APG if your 'local' MSM doesn't show it.

Which gets me thinking...
What are the 'rules' that the APG site uses regarding items that are showing only for some people on MSM or items that don't show when logged out (or in, etc.)? In the past I bought Fox's Glacier Mints at A when they were £1 elsewhere - yes Smartprice Clear Mints and Sainsbury's Basics etc. are cheaper but I really like the taste of the Fox's - the Glacier Mints didn't show for me when logged in on MSM, but did show when logged out. They did compare (£1 vs £1) on the APG. I also tried Branston 4 pk Beans - they showed when logged in but not logged out. They failed to appear on the APG comparison at all - and didn't trigger anything. Yet the Vaseline make up bag - shown logged in - compared fully for me even though it isn't there when I'm logged out.

Please can someone who has taken better records of these things let us know any pattern to how the APG is comparing when items are or aren't shown when logged in, out or round about??!!! For example, what if items are showing out-of-stock at competitor when logged in, but showing available at competitor when logged out? Do they compare or do they return N/A? If they are showing out-of-stock elsewhere when logged out do they still compare or do they compare only if your own MSM has them, and in stock, when logged in. Sometimes I even manage to buy items in A that MSM says are out of stock. The Vitality Precision Clean toothbrush was, supposedly, out of stock for A on MSM for me when I bought it. It still compared with T's price. T has the Vitality Precision Clean when I'm logged out on MSM but not when I'm logged in (it's on MSM for neither when I am logged in). When logged in, A just has the Dual Clean but T doesn't, whether logged in or out.

Often however, when MSM logged in says OOS for A, I do indeed find that my attempt to find it instore proves futile. It's usually quite accurate in that regard. A word of warning: I once bought Lynx Shower Gel when on £1 in A (M's offer had ended unfortunately) on a Sains. comparison when Sains. showing as N/A on MSM (I now understand that that should read "showing as N/A for me" as different things I now know different things show for different people on MSM). It compared vs S on the APG at £2.40, even though 'my' MSM showed N/A (and had done so for longer than 7 days).

Certain items do seem to have constant glitches (and don't mean always in our favour) on MSM - A's Cox Apples bag seems to be constantly missing (the MSM companion said it couldn't help on this item when I was on the Cox Apple Bag page on asda.com). Fox's Glacier Mints are another example. The Mr Kipling Fruity Pie Selection often shows, for me, as OOS at A (and available everywhere else) despite being available in my local superstore. Sometimes it is indeed unavailable but sometimes I find it - and, even when marked OOS for A on MSM it appears sometimes it is listed in the APG comparison and sometimes it is absent. Are there any 'rules' to the way things turn up or don't on the APG? Can anyone detect a pattern and, if so, please enlighten us.

MSM:
showing A OOS logged in, but A in stock logged out - does it return on APG?
showing a competitor OOS logged in, but competitor having stock logged out - does that return?
showing A OOS logged out but in stock when logged in???
etc. etc.
Item fails to appear at all logged out but shows prices and compares when logged in. One current product that has been causing me to ponder about whether I should buy it is the Jamie Oliver Crispy Pollock Fishcakes (2 per pack - 180g) on a W comparison. It shows A £1.98 or any 2 for £3, and W £1 when I'm logged in. (Ocado also has pricing - I know the APG doesn't include Ocado - with S and T both N/A.) When I log out, it suddenly becomes A on £1.98/2 for £3, with S £1.99 any 2 for £3, Ocado has pricing, and T and W now N/A!!! Should I buy 1.98 at A vs W £1 (logged in) or does APG come back N/A and leave me with some v. expensive fishcakes? (W N/A when I'm logged out.) Or is everyone best mixing and matching Crispy Pollock with the Salmon and Pollock Jamie Oliver fishcakes and hoping A price glitches 1.98x2 vs Sains 2 for £3 multibuy (the system would have to pick up the mix and match for Sains. but not for A)? Again, any wombles that help gratefully received for my viewing perusal on this thread.

Many thanks.

Good evening everybody, I hope you had a good day. I hope you are well. Here is my shop from earlier. APG of £10.77, I hope this looks ok. I did buy LOB as well.
0.06 x ASDA Carrots by Weight (100g) £0.05 £0.05
0.22 x ASDA Onions by Weight (100g) £0.19 N/A
0.17 x ASDA Red Onions by Weight (100g) £0.15 N/A
1 x ASDA Paracetamol 500mg Tablets (16) £0.15 N/A
2 x Cadbury Fabulous Fingers (3x110g) £14.00 £8.00
2 x Carte Noire Decaffeinated Coffee (100g) £7.56 £4.00
1 x ASDA Chosen by You Dolly Mixture (100g) £0.38 £0. 44
1 x ASDA Chosen by You Mini Jelly Babies (100g) £0.38 N/A
1 x ASDA Smartprice Ready to Serve Custard (385g) £0.17 £0.17
1 x ASDA Chosen by You Giant White Mice Bar (15g) £0.10 N/A
1 x ASDA Chosen by You Giant Rainbow Buttons Bar (15g) 0.10

Miss_Laid wrote: »

Took me ages sorting out the whoopsied meat this is what £11.xx of mainly T's finest range, the nice S/A took 2 coupons as she said I had bought "loads" of finest stuff Freezer tetris took a while

well done

Tesco coupon shop FYI for fillers maybe

£3.18 £7.96 £4.89
Tesco was cheaper Tesco was cheaper Tesco was cheaper
1 x CANDEREL GRANULAR SWEETENER 75G 1.00 2.00 0.90 N/A
2 x TESCO 4 BATTEREDCHUNKY PRIME CODFILLETS 500G 5.00 * 6.00 N/A N/A
2 x CUSHELLE WHITE T/TISSUE 4 ROLL 720 SHEET 3.50 4.36 4.36 4.36
1 x PHILADELPHIA CAD CHOCOLATE LIGHT 160G 0.81 1.00 1.64 N/A
1 x TAMPAX TAMPONS APPLICATOR SUPERPLUS 20 P/M 1.85 1.98 1.85 1.88
1 x ARIEL EXCEL GEL COLOUR 24 WASH 888 ML 4.00 4.00 4.00 8.00
1 x FAIRY PLATIMUM DISHWASH LEMON 20'S 4.00 4.00 7.49 N/A
2 x TESCO L/C EVAP SEMI-SKIMMED MILK 410G 1.00 1.00 1.14 N/A
1 x TESCO FINEST COCONUT PRAWNS &MANGO SALSA 260G 2.00 N/A N/A N/A
2 x LENOR FAB COND SPRING AWAKENING1.4LITRE 4.00 N/A 6.74 N/A
1 x COUNTRY STORE GARDEN PEAS 1KG 1.20 N/A N/A N/A
1 x TESCO PRAWN LAYERED SALAD BOWL 380G 0.95 N/A N/A N/A
2 x TESCO IBUPROFEN 200MG 16 TABLETS 0.60 N/A N/A N/A
1 x TESCO FINEST SOMONTANO RED 75CL 6.99 N/A N/A N/A
1 x TESCO EVERYDAY VALUE 4 VEG GRILLS 227G 1.00 N/A N/A N/A
1 x T. FIN* 2 MULLEDCRUMBLE DESSERTS 220G 3.00 N/A N/A N/A
1 x T. FINEST CREAMYHORSERADISH MASH500G X 2.50 N/A N/A N/A
1 x TESCO FINEST CKN WITH CHORIZO& SHERRY 400G X 5.50 N/A N/A N/A
1 x T. FIN* BELGIAN CHOC CARAMEL & HAZELNUT 500ML 2.00 N/A N/A N/A