WHSmith 1p items

Former_MSE_Lee

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] What's the deal?[/title]
We’ve had reports from canny forumites that WHSmith is selling certain items for just 1p. Bargains on offer include notepads, a Lego keyring, CSI games and more.

While WHSmith says these items are legit, whether it sells at that price is a lottery. You'll find out when you get to the till.
It's worth noting WHSmith has mainly manned tills so this isn't for those easily embarrassed if the item doesn't scan at 1p and you want to walk away. Self-checkout is only available in a handful of stores.

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] How to find 'em[/title]
These hidden bargains are not marked as 1p on the shelves, but scan at 1p when you get to the tills.

Unfortunately, there's no easy way to check the price (unlike the Tesco 1p items). You need to either ask a cashier to scan the item for you beforehand or find out the price at the till.

Do remember that, while many 1p bargains have been found in multiple shops, they do vary from store to store. This is a bit of fun, NOT a guaranteed deal.

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] Current 1p spots[/title]

Below are examples of forumites' current 1p WHSmith spots in-store over the last week (18 July - 25 July 2011). Huge thanks for all their help.

Please press reply to add yours at the end of the thread.


Stationery
WHS 20 refills small address book (Barcode: 328241)
Brown Patterned A5 address book (Barcode: 33729022)
WHS Linen circles address book (Barcode: 33729275)
WHS sellotape clear 18x33 (Barcode: 5000301090132 or 6087890)
Adopt Tiger print notebook on clip strips (Barcode: 34663943)
Fujifilm Multijet Photo Inkjet Paper A4 20 Sheets 270gsm Satin (Barcode: 5036321051181)
Me to You stationary set

Books
1222 - Anne Holt (Barcode: 9781848876071)
Halfhead - Stuart McBride (Barcode: 9780007298709)
Treachery in Death - J.D. Robb (Barcode: 978749953850)
Mrs Kinble - J. Haigh (Barcode: 9780007150861)
The Principessa - Christie Dickason (Barcode: 9780007230396)
Illustrated Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis (Barcode: 9780007273553)
Still Here - Linda Grant (Barcode: 9781844086207)
Forget Me Not - Isabel Wolff (Barcode: 9780007178292)
Just Rewards - Barbara Taylor Bradford (Barcode: 9780007197590)
Praying for Sleep - Jeffery Deaver (Barcode: 9780340606339)
Fear Is The Key - Alistair MacLean (Barcode: 9780006159919)
The Caller - Alex Barclay (Barcode: 9780007195343)
Exit Strategy - Kelley Armstrong (Barcode: 97800051538120)
Spoils of War - Gordon Kent (Barcode: 9780007178735)
The Istanbul Variations - Olen Steinhauer (Barcode: 9780007232062)
Cloudsailors - Hugh Montgomery (Barcode: 9781844286454)
To Love Again - Danielle Steel (Barcode: 9780751505627)
A Complicated Woman - Sheelagh Kelly (Barcode: 9780006496502)
The Trouble With Angels - Debbie Macomber (Barcode: 9780007740284)
The Fields Of Fortune - Jessica Stirling (Barcode: 9780340834930)

Games
Racenight Dogs DVD game (Barcode: 5015766023205)
CSI Senses game (Barcode: 5018163002873)
WHS multi jigsaw 4 x 1000 pcs Seas (Barcode: 32187946)
Ho Ho Homer Simpsons Jigsaw 500pcs (Barcode: 5032235001724)
WHS snowman jigsaw 1000pcs (Barcode: 33445847)

Miscellaneous

Lego Keyring (Barcode: 4895028506599)
Cafe Latte Home canvas (Barcode: 90672191144)
Mochino Home canvas (Barcode: 90672191151)
Expresso Home canvas (Barcode:90672191168)
Cappucino Home canvas (Barcode: 90672191175)
Fuzzy Heel canvas (Barcode: 90672191182)
Classic Shoe canvas (Barcode: 90672191205)
Adopt Penguin (Barcode: 33430454)
Adopt Rhino (Barcode: 33430539)
Adopt assorted animal keyring (Barcode: 33988153)

[title=http://images2.moneysavingexpert.com/images/dp/wtd_underline.gif] Is this legit?[/title]

WHSmith has said there isn't a policy that states stores can't sell 1p items. However it doesn't actively promote 1p items, but from time-to-time there may be a product still on the shelves that scans for 1p.

Buying a few 1p bits as part of a normal shop will help. Yet march up to the counter with 10 books and 10 notepads, and the cashier may not sell them to you for 20p.

BIG THANKS TO hermione987uk & ALL FORUMITES WHO REPORTED 1p FINDS. (Please thank silverhairgranny below)


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hermione987uk

This thread will be very much like the Tesco one but unlike Tesco WHS do have a set policy for dealing with 1p stock.

Company policy is that 1p it can either be kept in store and used for charitable donations or it has to be sent to a "clearance store" where they will sell the items through at low prices.

Some other things to consider are some things will not be the same price in all stores so could be a penny in some stores and full price in others, penny items can also go back up in price.
You also need to be prepared that if you find any penny items then a member of staff will tell you that cannot sell it to you, or in some cases they will offer it to you at a lower than original value price but this is not company policy so not gauranteed.

The best way getting these items is the good old use of self serve tills (but again remember the staff could still stop the transaction)

Self Serve Tills

WHS are in the process of bringing in self serve tills, they will be the same ones used by asda, sainburys, tesco and boots.


At present the tills have been installed in: (let me know if your local has them and I will add to the list)

• Reading
• Manchester Arndale
• Uxbridge
• Stanstead (travel store)
• Victoria station (travel store)

More stores will get self service over the next few months.
current plans are 9 stores for July, 14 for August, 22 for Sept with a total of 95 stores by January.

Official Clearance Stores
Croydon
Exeter
East Ham
Argyle St
Birmingham
Merthyr Tydfil

Another thing to consider is that when a store has its audit, all penny stock will be removed but items are reduced almost weekly so wont be long till there are more to find, it will depend on how organised the staff are as to how many items you will find.

All stores get a report that tells them what items in their store are a penny and how many they have, so if they are on the ball they will have someone regularly checking the shopfloor and removing the stock so this may make it difficult to find anything.

I reccomend that you do not go shopping with the soul intention of finding penny stock, only go if you need to and if you find something (and are able to purchase it) its a bargin, if not then it hasn't been a waste of your time.

Also I know all shops have trouts in them but please dont moan about the staff if they don't let you have a 1p item (unless they are rude then by all means go ahead lol), at the end of the day they are not allowed to sell it so they will be in trouble with their boss if they find out. End of the day it depends how strict the manager is as to how likely the staff are to let you buy the items.

hermione987uk

here are some pics of some things you may currently be interested in, i wont be able to post pics for everything but this is good to start things off.







sorry for fuzzy barcodes


Cafe Latte Home canvas - 90672191144
Mochino Home canvas - 90672191151
Expresso Home canvas - 90672191168
Cappucino Home canvas - 90672191175
Fuzzy Heel canvas - 90672191182
Classic Shoe canvas - 90672191205
WHS 20 refills small address book - 328241
Brown Patterened a5 address book - 33729022
WHS Linen circles address book - 33729275
WHS sello(tape) clear 18x33 - 5000301090132 or 6087890
Adopt Penguin - 33430454
Adopt Rhino - 33430539
Adopt assorted animal keyring - 33988153
Adopt Tiger print notebook - 34663943
Racenight Dogs DVD game - 5015766023205
CSI Senses game - 5018163002873
WHS multi jigsaw 4 x 1000 pcs Seas - 32187946
Ho Ho Homer Simpsons Jigsaw 500pcs - 5032235001724
WHS snowman jigsaw 1000pcs - 33445847
Fujifilm Multijet Photo Inkjet Paper A4 20 Sheets 270gsm Satin - BC 5036321051181 (thanks to Rasta)
Retro pik a stik - 5025228010148
Retro Noahs Ark card game - 5025228010773
Retro marbles - 5025228010247
Retro Dan dare card game - 5025228010834
Retro beetle game - 5025228010902

Cuddly Toys
Dodger little terrier dog - 34669341
Patch little dog - 34669389
Murphy little mouse - 34669471
Parker polar bear - 34669495
Percy Penguin - 34669525

Will add more when I get chance, I got 20 pages of barcodes to go through!!

hermione987uk

Crime

1222 - Anne Holt - 9781848876071
Halfhead - Stuart McBride - 9780007298709
Treachery in Death - J.D. Robb - 978749953850

General Fiction

Mrs Kinble - J. Haigh - 9780007150861
The Principessa - Christi Dickason - 9780007230396
Illustrated Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis - 9780007273553
Still Here - Linda Grant - 9781844086207
Forget Me Not - Isabel Wolff - 9780007178292
Just Rewards - Barbara Taylor Bradford - 9780007197590
Praying for Sleep - Jeffery Deaver - 9780340606339
Fear Is The Key - Alistair MacLean - 9780006159919
The Caller - Alex Barclay - 9780007195343
Exit Strategy - Kelley Armstrong - 97800051538120
Spoils of War - Gordon Kent - 9780007178735
The Istanbul Variations - Olen Steinhauer - 9780007232062

Kids

Cloudsailors - Hugh Montgomery - 9781844286454

Romance and Saga

To Love Again - Danielle Steel - 9780751505627
A Complicated Woman - Sheelagh Kelly - 9780006496502
The Trouble With Angels - Debbie Macomber - 9780007740284
The Fields Of Fortune - Jessica Stirling - 9780340834930

hermione987uk

taken by me

nikkilala_2

Ohhhhh, Excited, got a store near me:T

ska_lover

Am I reading this right? You are going to swerve the store staff and use the self service tills to grab them quick before a charity benefits?

hermione987uk

not all items go to charity, only what a manager wants to give. I know some managers who refuse all requests and there are others who will seek out the stock specificly for them. 99% of stock is sent to a clearence store.

sarahb

hermione987uk wrote: »

not all items go to charity, only what a manager wants to give. I know some managers who refuse all requests and there are others who will seek out the stock specificly for them. 99% of stock is sent to a clearence store.

Is there a list of clearance stores anywhere please ?

ETA : Just had a quick google and as I suspected the West One store at Eccles is a clearance store (the retail park is dying - only about 5 stores left open) - will take DD there for a mooch during the school hols !

hermione987uk

I can try to find out, all stores are split into "areas" and there is 1 store per area, I know Croydon is one and I think East Ham and possibly (not 100% sure) Slough.
I think any penny item sent to these stores will have their barcodes covered so they can be sold throu but Ive never worked in a clearance store so dont know exactly how they deal with it all.

ska_lover

hermione987uk wrote: »

not all items go to charity, only what a manager wants to give. I know some managers who refuse all requests and there are others who will seek out the stock specificly for them. 99% of stock is sent to a clearence store.

How do you know this, do you work for WHSmiths?