Elite 11+ shopping and chat thread

Savvybuyer wrote: »

:hello: I think yesterday in M was the biggest amount of change I've ever seen ........... I think there are two things that I should mention, and therefore I now do so: M has been having a clear out of its M Signature range - or at least on some of them, moving to new M Signature products, sometimes of identical description, on different BCs (and of course full price for the new version). Some of the products have already appeared on the list, either as themselves or as A's Extra Special version for Avs M, but it's now clear there is a wider clear out and several of the clearance products in M have now gone down to even cheaper prices than last week.

For example, the M Signature extract products (38ml), already on the list, have now gone down (where stores still have them available), from 50p to 25p. So I'm sorry I had you paying double the price for them last week if you followed my list and bought them then:(. They looked good, but it now turns out they were a massive overpayment. I notice that online (msm) is now showing higher prices - it's showing them as having gone to £1! I think what's happening, judging by other items on which I've found two different versions - the old clearance BC stock and the new:( version - is that the new product now has its price online so that's why it has gone up on there. I think you need to find the old stock still around and then the cheaper price will apply. Or maybe, if you have a SEL of just the RTC price, you may be able to get a new version, if that is there, that will inevitably scan at much higher price and then via CS etc. to get what the SEL suggests it should be.

I see a significant problem now however with potential APG, for example if the Assam Tea is comparable from A (I can't remember, it might not be), I think the price collectors are likely to pick up £2 as the price on the new version, as that price now showing on the SELs in more of my Ms than had the now old price up, rather than the 50p RTC price. I think the reduced clearance version (old BC) is 50p, judging by SELs not from any scanning, but will now be much rare, -whilst M have now brought in a new version:(:(:( of M Signature Assam Tea at full price. The English Breakfast Tea also has a full price new version, however the new version is 100 cups whereas the old was 50. So, on that, there should not be (unless it exists at some store I didn't visit) a full price SEL on the same description as the old product that then potentially overrules the price on that by being found more common. Indeed, the old version (50 cups) has gone down further, now to 38p. However, I now see that it is rare to come across in M - I was already OOS in two stores last week when it was at 50p but now I have it in one fewer M, so I think it's less likely to work on the APG now:(.

Where "new" versions exist that are the same pack size as the old one, the APG will probably greatly risk picking up the higher prices now, the full prices that apply to the new stock, as that new stock will be found more common:(. There's two different versions of M Signature Meringue Nests - the old (clearance) stock - I'll have the BC much later, when I go through the sheets of information - has now gone to 38p, down from 50p last week - however in my store I've now found the clearance version in a separate place to the main normal aisles (and I believe APG collectors check only the normal aisles) and I have the new version, on much higher price of £1.16 or whatever it is, in several stores in the main aisles. Basically, I see real problems with APG, whichever way, as either they've likely to have a new version of the same description at full price in more stores or they are now unlikely, or much less likely than last week, to have the products at any of their stores at all now as they have already cleared from more stores, now gone even cheaper and are now in fewer stores than what they were:(.

Nonetheless these are what you should be looking for in M (you may have some of these):

Well, anything of M Signature range that I don't have:rotfl:. There's also, in one of my stores, btw, promotional material that says there are 200 More points on all M Signature items at the moment - in other words 20p - not sure if this 20p applies to the clearance products on their RTCs - it ought to if they are saying that the points apply to all products - if the points do apply then it could, in effect, make the products even cheaper (if you ever use the points) - I think multiple purchases of the same item might not count however, which may be why, on points promotions elsewhere, I sometimes have either the mbuy pricing and no points details showing or a straight individual price and the points.

M Signature products:
Extracts 38ml, already on the list, have now gone to 25p (it seems they are the 'old' versions judging by msm)
Meringue Nests 8 pack 38p
Mini Meringue Shells 16 pack 39p
Balsamic Vinegar of Modena now gone to 50p
Sweet Pastry Cases 175g now gone to 41p, but APG likely to pick £2 as that's the price on the new version (full price SEL appears to be more commonplace judging from my six stores yesterday):(
I think the Tartlets are in the same situation - old now 41p (or whatever price I'll later probably come across in my pages) but new version £2:(.
Chutney products - Hot Chilli Jam, Spiced Apple & Pear, Fruit Balsamic etc. are 35p for the old BCs but most people, I suspect, will have full price versions at £1.46 (that M now seem to me to be trying to encourage purchase of by the 200 More points - avoid, as the RTC products were 70p/50p before, therefore getting you to pay £1.26 - or in fact full £1.46 and then 20p points which they keep and remain with them as long as you don't build up £5 and then spend it (with them, so that they keep the money again!) - it's obviously paying over the odds to pay £1.46 instead of the 35p RTC versions.

The above items are all already on the list, but there are now some further products that I've seen:

Ethiopian Roast & Ground Coffee 227g, 75p
Guatemalan Roast & Ground Coffee 227g, 75p
Salt & Black Pepper Hand Cooked Crisps 150g, 38p
A number of 100g chocolate bars at 34p
Ready to Use Beef Stock 500g 37p
Probably a Chicken version that I haven't come across again yet
There are some frozen prawns at 98p and £1 that now make the Whitby frozen prawns seem extremely expensive.
Gruyere & Poppy Seed Twists 125g 38p
Crackers for Cheese 250g 38p
Also some Italian Cantuccini Biscuits 150g 20p (may already be on the list, may not be, can't remember if last week's higher RTC price was too expensive for me or not)
Cheese Crispies 100g 38p

I suspect the 200g Cookies may also have gone down further than their 80p RTC price of last week if they are still around somewhere (and products always are, in my experience).

The products could be in normal aisles of the stores or could be somewhere else in the store.

M Pavlova Base is 38p RTC but I don't think that's an M Signature item.

Completely separately, and this irrelevant, there's also a new version of (not an M Signature product) M Dishwasher Freshener. I last saw the old version at £1, or whatever price is on my list - it went OOS online and disappeared from msm, however although it had gone from several Ms for me, I still found in a store whilst going on my trips around stores. I now have a new:(:( version: (I think it's now Lemon & Lime instead of Lemon, but whatever, different design and logo completely) in one store and it is £1.80:(. Oops, I'm now mentioning three separate general matters rather than two:rotfl:.

The final matter (second or third!) is about the bottles of alcohol that have been on (and still are, somewhere!) RTC. These include Gordon's Cucumber 70cl, Greenalls Wild Berry Gin 70cl, Jim Beam Apple 70cl, Parrot Bay Strawberry, Parrot Bay whatever the other one is, Bacardi Negra 70cl, Bacardi Fuego 70cl, Bacardi Spiced Oakheart 70cl, this all from memory so could be wrong:rotfl: - you can see how many times I've had to go through several stores to continue to find them and carried them over and over to such an extent that I now remember them - I suspect that they have now largely gone from M and therefore this is the point at which I am saying no-go on the APG as I think it's very likely that they will no longer be in the collection stores or that it's most likely that they have lost many of them and we don't know which - also the 500ml bottles - M Signature Stout, Golden Ale etc. - I had all except the product that should be comparable from A last time - though it should still have been around somewhere - just happened to pick six stores that didn't have it - but this time I have now lost all of them - they are going to be around, random one probably in some M, but they have now largely gone for me. The branded bottles (Badger's etc) are still around more generally and I'm not yet at the same stage with those.

As to the spirits, I think last time I had just Gordon's Cucumber (which I didn't have at all the previous collection but had all the other ones - I am using a different set of stores every time), the Parrot Bays, one of the Bacardis (Fuego or Negra, I forget which) and Bailey's Orange Truflle SEL but no stock. This time I don't have the Gordon's Cucumber or the Bacardis:rotfl: but I have the Greenall's Wild Berry Gin that I didn't have last time, that I therefore suggested that you might be lucky if you can find it, though obviously I did have that previously as well.

So, I have Greenall's Wild Berry Gin physically in evidence and can therefore confirm that that was definitely still available in an M yesterday - and, at that point, before I reached other stores, I was originally going to say that therefore I suspect that every one of the other bottles will still be available at some M or another and therefore I am leaving the entire lot on my list (but probably moving them all to 'buy in M' now as all of them are largely gone, in that they are now more difficult to find, if you choose random stores, and the ones I am finding are appearing haphazardly) and therefore - I was going to say - I suspect someone has the £10 Bailey's somewhere - am I right?:D

However, I now know for a fact that, indeed, some M did have the £10 Bailey's Orange Truffle still available (or now available, if it was not before) in stock yesterday. So, I have found that still around - last week I had no stock and not much trace anymore of the product and suspected that the weekend before would have cleared it out of many store - however, as half-expected, it has still not gone completely. So you may still be able to get it if you are lucky - I found it yesterday in Northampton at Morrisons Kettering Road - :doh:it'll probably disappear from there completely now I've mentioned this!:rotfl: I think they must still have had some stock in the store that they've now brought out and I think it's likely that that won't be the only store that will have it, although it is now, seemingly, more rare. Or, maybe it's not - maybe I was just 'unlucky' in my stores on it last week (and for all I know, the store with the SEL, which I thought was just a SEL that had been randomly left up, could still have had more stock although it wasn't out on the shelf)?

Anyway, I think it's the M Signature products that I have mentioned and maybe others that may be useful. The frozen prawns, if you can find them, will be very cheap - as will many of the other items. The Crisps 150g and the Crackers for Cheese (Cheese Cracker Selection) may come in useful, if you can find those - I was helped on the Crackers by a £1.50 RTC SEL on the stock in the main aisle - I found the lower price SEL elsewhere in the store but with no stock alongside it:rotfl:. So, if you don't find the product next to the SEL you see, maybe it is in the regular aisle after all and you can find it there?:rotfl: Or maybe elsewhere in the store, on one of the ends, if you were already looking in the aisle.

And remember to check the RTC shelf too - there's other items on those and store-specific that I wasn't really that much interested in - fwiw, I did manage to pick up some cheap washing powder - you won't find it necessarily in your M and it was the only one left in my chosen store so there's no point me telling you where it was - and found some long-life juice drink - Cranberry 1L, there were lots - long date - at 39p - there was also Cranberry & Blueberry and Cranberry & Raspberry - at Northampton Town Centre. They also had some of the Heather plant pots at store-specific 5p there. They do knock down various plants, at various prices, in different places, so just depends what you can get. Also I have Bisto Rich Gravy Paste (seems to be 112.5ml sachet) at 23p in this store. And M Signature Belgian Thins - forgot to mention those - 60p national RTC no good:rotfl: - store specific stock at 39p in Northampton Town Centre. So, another point to bear in mind again: these national RTC prices are on items that you can often find cheaper on RTC shelf stock on a store-specific basis (they knock them down even further on RTC but only on store specific stickered basis).

I don't think I'll even start the list updating tonight. There is just so much that has changed and I'll see what I can add to it tomorrow (and that information itself, unfortunately, will then take me at least another day before I can mention it). So, just to be aware that the list is out of date and I think it now needs a complete revision.

I can't do much tonight, I've now got other stuff to sort, so I will see you later:rotfl::wave:.:)

ilovetoshop wrote: »

Morning

Might be old news here but Tesco now sale m&s gift cards ,Amazon and John Lewis and with an extra 75 points per £25 spend, so worth getting in preparation for Christmas also if anyone uses the zeek app they have 3% off the Tesco gift cards ( small amount to some but if you are buying anyway it's still a saving). So buy Tesco gift card to use in Tesco to buy other gift cards

vanilla_twist wrote: »

A day in our holiday to Antigua.
N's lovely friend offered to take us out on his boat on our last full day as waters had calmed after storm Matthew.

Well most elite know there is a little furry companion I like to share my adventures with and so of course he came to.

We were waiting on the jetty when Mark arrived and he noticed Mr Ted on the top of my beach bag. I got teased something terrible and he managed to keep such a straight face. Took the boat out and got some wonderful views of different islands, lots of tales about what N and her brother got up to as children.
Mr Ted had a few photo opportunities by the wheel. Then we moored up at Bird Island. Beautiful place and was only us there for a long time. More ribbing about the Bear and could he swim. Explained to Mark he had to join in with poses for bear.
Well he went down into the cabin and came up with something quite strange. It made the perfect teeny tiny teddy size hammock.
Was actually one of those boat storage things. Mr Ted took up his position and stayed there swinging away until we were ready to drive back to the mooring. There were a few comments about using it as a bear catapult but I managed to dodge getting a wet bear.

It really was the most amazing day. After 4pm when tourists had left we went to see prickly pear island. Boat could ' get near due to the draft so N and I swam ashore. The most beautiful place and the beach probably just big enough to park 4 cars on. Only one family there. Chatting to the girls, they were visiting their auntie from the UK and the girls live withing 10 miles of us in the UK! What a very small world indeed.

Just going to add photo to post via I phone as only way I can.


V x