No Sainsburys nectar points on spirits/liqueurs

[Deleted User]

I was surprised to see at the Sainsburys check- out a sign specifying nectar points ban on spirits. The till girl said it was nothing to do with them but the Government who d ordered that rule. An assistant manager was summoned and he repeated the same excuse. They d been ordered to by the Government . It seemed weird why they just picked on a bottle of Bells whiskey while things like Special Brew, White Lightning etc, did nt get the same treatment. Do Sainsburys disaprove of spirits in some way ?
I m diabetic, my doctor said if I m going to have alcohol then spirits are a better bet than the more sugary wine/beers if used with diet mixers. a bit of research on the subject revealed that the Government stopped promotions by points/coupons on ALL discounted alcohol if sold below the duty/vat rate. eg a bottle of Vodka at £9.35 etc. My whisky was at full price £15 a bottle so what are Sainsburys playing at and why tell the staff to fob us off with plain lies . Does anyone know a good way of getting Sainsburys to explain why they ve singled out Spirits/liqueurs only

deely

Been like this for a few months now and also excludes the total spend coupons you sometimes get.

Funny how Tesco can offer Clubcard points on spirits. I think Sainsburys are reading more into the minimum unit price than T's and what with the other cuts on Nectar points I wouldn't be surprised if it finishes soon as getting less worth it, for me anyway.

[Deleted User]

deely wrote: »

Been like this for a few months now and also excludes the total spend coupons you sometimes get.

Funny how Tesco can offer Clubcard points on spirits. I think Sainsburys are reading more into the minimum unit price than T's and what with the other cuts on Nectar points I wouldn't be surprised if it finishes soon as getting less worth it, for me anyway.

The Home Office have said Sainsburys have gone "above whats required by law "Sainsburys have quoted stuff like "in the interests of simplicity "and " we have introduced measures to ensure we comply with the law ".
Yes , thats fine but why single out only Spirits/Liqueurs and leave out all the real " boozers specials " like strong Cider and the Special Brews. the alcholics best freind. I would nt mind if they d done it on all alcohol ,just that my tipple is being picked on. I ve just stocked up with 6 bottles of Bells whisky at full price and not one nectar point was earned. So its Tescos for me from now on unless Sainsburys come clean with the real reason and stop their waffling. Personally I suspect this is Sainsburys way of a hidden profit picking on the Spirit market, usually used by the more older generations less likely to cause a stink, well this old guy is. Its their very vague excuse which raises suspicions. The fact that Tescos are nt doing it on spirits prove that Sainsburys are lying

[Deleted User]

I ve emailed Sainsburys asking for clarification on why their staff are saying " its nothing to do with us, blame the government " Its obviously a management decision to market spirits a bit dearer and I would like Sainsburys to admit that and not hide behind a law which was nt meant to outlaw all spirits from promotions.

deely

I think it's probably laziness in that they can't be bothered to check that when they have money off spirits, when they add Nectar points AND if a customer has an extra points coupon (min spend etc) THEN It doesn't take the price per litre below the government threshold????

Maybe Tesco argue that points aren't reducing the cost of the spirits because you don't get them off at the time, but later??? But then again, that would mean you couldn't spend clubcard points when you buy spirits could that could then be deemed as getting spirits very cheap or free?????????.


Looking forward to hearing why S's think they can't give points when T's do!

[Deleted User]

Hi Deely, got a reply from Sainsburys, I quote "we`ve had to review and amend the promotions and rewards customers receive when they buy alcohol to ensure we are compliant with the new legislation.Making spirits/liqueurs excluded items means we have gone above and beyond what is required by law.
Its also a clear and consistent way to implement the new legislation in a way that the customer will understand "
Well this customer doe snt understand it and whats consistent about excluding a civilised single malt bottle of Glenfiddich and allowing the "alco`s best freind..Special Brew etc. At least I got the admission that they went over and above what the law required, so its just Sainsburys law ! so its Tescos for me and their clubcard points on my Scotch.
I agree its prob just laziness in some way, but they would have the same prob with beers and wines to a greater degree as they attract much more price reductions than spirits. Its not too common to see heavily discounted spirits

deely

Thanks for sharing the reply.

I think I also will go above and beyond - by doing more shopping with their rivals

maman

deely wrote: »

Thanks for sharing the reply.

I think I also will go above and beyond - by doing more shopping with their rivals

I went to Sainsbury's this week to take advantage of their 25% off wine offer. I think it's quite disingenuous of them to 'go above and beyond' with the spirits but then promote other alcoholic drinks. IMO it's got nothing to do with encouraging responsible drinking more with Sainsbury's falling profits.


I now visit Sainsbury's rarely as I can get almost everything I want in Aldi and generally speaking a local off licence is cheaper for branded wines.

deely

I'm pretty lucky in that Sains shares a building with Aldi so I can get all my basics from Aldi so only need to nip next door for any things I can only get at S's and also have a Lidl, ALDI, T's, Asda and M's much closer to home so don't go that often and even less with the reduction in points.

[Deleted User]

had another email from Sainsburys saying they may review the exclusion and would like more feedback from others. Gave me 1000 nectar points on my card so maybe worth others having a moan at the anomoly. Use Sainsburys "contact us " section from their website. Also apologised that the staff gave me conflicting information.

aprilwintour

I was hugely disappointed to receive money off vouchers from sainsburys to find they excluded alcohol (£9 off spend of £60 or more). We always add a couple of bottles of wine in with the weekly shop so it's a shame these don't add to our points. Will be waiting to hear whether they do actually review the exclusion...