MSE News: Should you buy Ocado's Total Saving Pass discount finder? 29 November 2011 at 5:05PM in Food Shopping & Groceries 8 replies 2.3K views

Former_MSE_Helen

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"Online supermarket Ocado offers a £9 'Total Saving Pass', giving customers up to 15% off certain items ..."

Read the full story:

Should you buy Ocado's Total Saving Pass discount finder?

rinabean

"Total Saving Pass" is a stupid name for it. Shouldn't it be "Really Specific Saving Pass"?

It's so transparently not a good deal. If they wanted their customers to save money, they would just average out that £120 per customer on price drops and freezes across their whole range - and they wouldn't make a big song and dance out of it.

GaryC_3

This a marketing ploy designed to exploit fear of loss of a sunk cost.

Ocado is generally expensive. The discounts are real but on a limited range of goods, not all of which I want to buy.

If I bought this membership I would feel obliged to buy expensive non discounted goods in order to make the order worthwhile.

If I bought into this scheme I would feel obliged to shop around less for fear of not getting full value from the membership. Shopping around would likely save me more than the membership and the discounts.

The scheme would suit me if I was a dedicated Ocado customer which given their generally higher pricing, would imply that I wasn't particularly cost conscious.

I am cost conscious, I am not a Ocado customer.

The scheme is not for me.

waqasahmed

The reason why I continue to use Asda is
a) it's the closest supermarket to me
b) They have a price guarantee - maybe not against Ocado but Ocado are generally more expensive any way

richardw

I'm just not into branded goods, no good at all for me, and yes you can wean yourself off them.

gillg57

I use Ocado frequently and they are no longer expensive when comparing like with like. By that I mean if you buy cheap own brand goods from somewhere like Asda it will cost you more. If not, it won't or at least not by much.

I wouldn't bother with their pass though as I suspect once enough people take it up it will stop the discount promotins it currently does e.g. 15% off your shop that week whicj is much more useful.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

I can't see this being a runner except for shoppers who usually buy branded products. The only one left that I buy is Fairy liquid - and that's only because I clean windows with it. However, I even have enough of that for several years as I stuffed a load in a trolley at Sainsbury's quite a while ago when they were doing "buy 2, get 1 free" (or similar). And I get tax relief because it's a work item .

jenniewb

£9 for 15%?? They really tried hard with that one didn't they? AND THEN they say only on certain products? Wow, thats really going some! I can see several different types of people going for this...

1. The "look what I've got in my wallet" person who collects labels and cards to feel part of something/acceptance.

2. The "I've got sooo much money I can shop in Ocado" person who wants others to know where they shop.

3. The person who takes up every offer without thinking because they imagine it will save money...but haven't thought it through! They could be grouped with those that see Christmas eve food shopping as the last food shopping day on Earth for 5 years and decide they need to buy everything in the shop. (and I mean everything: two trolleys may be required) Christmas is one day people! Not 2000...

Of course, there are those that will be willing to take the risk: that Ocado will see fit to allow £120+ of products you would normally buy into the offer...thats if you get to them before they've sold out. But you gotta ask yourself, if your shopping in Ocado, do you really need this 15%? If 15% is that much of a value, why not shop elsewhere and get the same for less?

hermante

I expect most people who use ocado don't care too much about the price anyway. If they did, they would be better off spending time looking at other supermarkets for deals, since they also deliver. I can easily get to several of the big supermarkets. As they tell you when offers run out, I can choose which one is the best to go to on a certain date. From memory:

Walkers variety pack of crisps £3.72, instead of £4.38.

£3 in Tesco + clubcard
Also - Ocado itself is currently offering 2 for £6.50!

Tropicana orange juice with bits £2.95, instead of £3.48;

2L carton. ASDA 1.5L buy 2 for £4, Tesco/Sainsbury's occasionally have a b2gof offer + clubcard/nectar

Kellogg's Frosties £2.87, instead of £3.19;

1kg box. ASDA occasionally (though increasingly rare) 500g for £1. Sainsbury's 750g for £2 + nectar.