MSE News: Waitrose scraps its free hot drink offer in some stores

TheBanker

I went to Waitrose yesterday and my goodness it's gone downhill.

The coffee is still free (for now) but they've put the cups behind the Customer Services desk so persons wanting coffee have to queue up along with persons wanting to collect/return John Lewis orders, persons wishing to make general enquiries and now persons wishing to drop of or collect laundry.

And they had no skimmed milk.

I wondered why my housekeeper was moaning about it so much.

[Deleted User]

TheBanker wrote: »

I went to Waitrose yesterday and my goodness it's gone downhill.

The coffee is still free (for now) but they've put the cups behind the Customer Services desk so persons wanting coffee have to queue up along with persons wanting to collect/return John Lewis orders, persons wishing to make general enquiries and now persons wishing to drop of or collect laundry.

And they had no skimmed milk.

I wondered why my housekeeper was moaning about it so much.

what's the point of skimmed milk? Just have a little less of full fat milk. It will work out more economical.
I love the free coffee but I always buy something as well out of common decency.

jon81uk

TheBanker wrote: »

I went to Waitrose yesterday and my goodness it's gone downhill.

The coffee is still free (for now) but they've put the cups behind the Customer Services desk so persons wanting coffee have to queue up along with persons wanting to collect/return John Lewis orders, persons wishing to make general enquiries and now persons wishing to drop of or collect laundry.

And they had no skimmed milk.

I wondered why my housekeeper was moaning about it so much.

They also have cups at every till at all the stores I go to, so you can pay for your shopping and collect a cup at the same time.

VfM4meplse

redfox wrote: »

I really can't see any problem with that as it was intended as a reward treat for customers, not people who just stroll in and get a free coffee without buying anything as so very many seem to do. They're not customers IMO.

I regularly see it at my local Waitrose (even police cars frequently rock up, parking in the disabled bays (!) and the two PCs saunter in for their coffee-to-go without buying anything at all) Office workers from the businesses on the retail park also get a coffee daily without spending anything whilst in there - I've heard them bragging about how much they are saving by not going to the nearby Costa whilst waiting at the machine.

As I pronounced earlier this year, Waitrose coffee is rank: it cannot be compared to Costa or Starbucks and its high time that it was pulled, as a service to humankind.

Doc_N

VfM4meplse wrote: »

As I pronounced earlier this year, Waitrose coffee is rank: it cannot be compared to Costa or Starbucks and its high time that it was pulled, as a service to humankind.

Sorry, but to suggest that Waitrose coffee is worse than Starbucks is unforgiveable!

Waitrose may not have the best coffee in town, but it's infinitely better than the bland, tasteless, cheap stuff that tax-avoiders Starbucks dispense from their scruffy premises. :eek:

ALIBOBSY

We don't do a full regular shop in waitrose but do go in about twice a month to stock up on offers.

We both have my waitrose cards and you can pick 10 offers for your card (out of many, many products), on those offers you get 20% extra off on top of any other offer.

This means on a fairly regular basis we can stock up on heinz beans for 40p a tin, chickens for £2 ish each, fab quality sausages cheaply their lovely dry cure bacon for simular to the normal stuff in aldi/lidl etc.

TBH it is a bit fiddly I make my list before we go, check the 20 items we have 20% off-10 on each card, look for offers that reduce the price and work out with the 20% what the price per item makes it and if it is worth it compared to other shops.

There are also a few luxury items we like that they sell, but no one else does. We get regular vouchers through the post and often get till spits for money off.

Went last week and got some meat offers, heinz beans 5 tins, a free paper, nice lunch each, some luxury cheese and my fav coffee shortbreads, cheap tub of roses for crimbo (on offer at £4 plus an extra 10% for my waitrose card holders so £3.60) and used a £6 off £30 till spit we got the previous time. Trolly full for £25, nice . Plus two free coffees to go as well.

Ali x

MysteryMe

flubberyzing wrote: »

Said by someone who takes the free drink without spending a penny, no doubt.

Correct, there is no doubt. If you could be bothered to read the whole thread I had already covered that point. Sorry to take the wind from your sanctimonious sails.

My post previous to the one you quoted was

"Don't have a problem with the changes, I regularly shop at Waitrose so don't feel guilty on the rare occasions when I've obtained a coffee with no spend but the examples of the office workers is just taking things too far."


As I said before, it's not stealing. It is quite easy to find out online what the definition of stealing is..

MysteryMe

I've found the latte not great tasting but the cappuccino is OK. It's just nice to have after doing a shop and loading the car. Would I want to drink it having an afternoon coffee with friends, probably not. I don't like Starbucks at all.

psycho89

I enjoy reading a paper each day so I've been taking advantage of the £5 spend and 'free' paper.
As it will go up to £10 there's no way I can buy that amount of goods each weekday so will stop shopping there.
It's a shame as I thought they would stop the free coffee for those who don't buy anything first...................

Murphybear

We go into 3 different Waitrose branches that have a proper cafe. The tea is delicious (I don't drink coffee). You have had to purchase something in the cafe to get the free drink for a long time, so this not news as such.

I don't know whether our branches have changed the amount to get the free newspaper but we always spend more than £10 anyway.

If they stop the free drinks completely I will still shop there:D