Free Hot Drink in Waitrose Cafe with £1.60 spend for myWaitrose card holders

bambibear

don't forget to pick up your free coffee!

Roger1

Also discussed in https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4115743

Newspapers currently offered are the Guardian, Telegraph and Mail on weekdays and their Sunday equivalents.

Thrifty-Maya

It's not well advertised but you can also pick up a free copy of the Waitrose Kitchen magazine.

Thrifty-Maya

kittycatface wrote: »

poppyoscar i can confirm you definitely dont need to spend anything, it said so on a large poster outside my local waitrose and i have got free takeaway lattes with mini shortbread biccy worth £2.10 on way to pick up OH each week no qs asked

That's right, I never had to buy anything before getting my free coffee at our Waitrose in Northampton. All I had to do is show MyWaitrose card.

cmw1212

This offer has upset some people.
http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/30/waitrose-customers-worried-supermarket-is-being-turned-into-soup-kitchen-by-free-hot-drink-deal-4245137/

surfsister

There is a funny letter in the Times today about waitrose and the coffee debate!

It says: "As a Waitrose devotee too, I, too am concerned by the change in clientele attracted, not by the free coffee but free copies of the Guardian. Where will it all end? lol!

Roger1

Sour grapes!

The Guardian, Telegraph and Independent are free with £5+ purchases.

For the Murdoch and Express rags including The Times, they want your money.

Something to do with circulation deals which I don't really understand. I do remember when Murdoch was unfairly offering The Times and The Sun at half price, something the real newspapers couldn't easily compete with.

roddydogs

No coffee shop in my Waitrose.

marvin

Just don't push your trolley with your belly while drinking your coffee and reading your newspaper!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/waitrose-faces-middle-class-revolt-over-free-coffee-loyalty-card-9030195.html

BargainMad_3

We've had a Waitrose for many years and the offer has changed over time.

Years ago it was a paper loyalty card which was stamped (like the coffee chains) with a free coffee after "X" amounts had been bought.

Then the Waitrose card came in and it changed to a free hot drink with the purchase of a minimum amount of food (the minimum amount was equal to the cost of the cheapest drink).

Then quite recently it changed to a free hot drink with no requirement of any other purchase in the cafe.

And now there are high quality machines where people can get a free drink to take out with them. Again no need to buy anything. This has enraged nearby coffee shops who have certainly seen their takings fall as people skip over to Waitrose instead.

The newspaper offer has always been having to spend £5 to get the price of the paper knocked off. I am sure it began with a choice of The Telegraph or The Mail and only recently they added The Guardian and The Observer. It was only Monday-Friday titles but it also changed to include the weekend editions as well.

Both hot drink and newspaper offers have been made more attractive to pull more customers in. This has clearly annoyed those who feel Waitrose should be some kind of exclusive club (exclusive to "their own") rather than what it actually is - a supermarket using marketing techniques to drive footfall.

It has worked - I have never seen Waitrose as busy as recently and I have been shopping at ours since about 2000. I can certainly see the "Chelsea Tractor" brigade becoming increasingly perturbed by the masses taking advantage....hence the recent articles. Of course they might protest that they will take their custom elsewhere but the reality is they won't because there isn't really anywhere else to take it to. Besides, they are usually partaking in the free drinks/newspapers themselves and would have to relinquish these if they did head for the exit.