Waitrose stops newspapers on deliveries + Click & Collect pre-3pm - sneaky way to increase profits!

pumpkin89

Doc_N said:

I was referring to the vast majority of home delivery customers who don’t live in the middle of nowhere. We live, for example, several miles away from Waitrose, yet newspapers have always been included, even at 8am.

This is a simple logistical problem, but Waitrose are using it as an excuse to stop the majority of home delivery and click and collect customers from having a free paper.

How far from Waitrose you live isn't the issue - it's how far your branch of Waitrose is from the newspaper depot, and therefore what time they receive the daily newspaper delivery.  Central London branches will get the newspapers overnight (as early as 2am) whereas some branches might not get them until 9am, after the home delivery vans have already left.

There would be an outcry (not least on MSE!) if the availability of the offer became a postcode lottery, so I can understand why they've removed it for everyone.  As a customer it is really annoying, but I don't think it has anything to do with increasing profits - if they'd wanted to do that, they would have removed the offer in the first lockdown.

Doc_N

pumpkin89 said:

Doc_N said:

I was referring to the vast majority of home delivery customers who don’t live in the middle of nowhere. We live, for example, several miles away from Waitrose, yet newspapers have always been included, even at 8am.

This is a simple logistical problem, but Waitrose are using it as an excuse to stop the majority of home delivery and click and collect customers from having a free paper.

How far from Waitrose you live isn't the issue - it's how far your branch of Waitrose is from the newspaper depot, and therefore what time they receive the daily newspaper delivery.  Central London branches will get the newspapers overnight (as early as 2am) whereas some branches might not get them until 9am, after the home delivery vans have already left.

There would be an outcry (not least on MSE!) if the availability of the offer became a postcode lottery, so I can understand why they've removed it for everyone.  As a customer it is really annoying, but I don't think it has anything to do with increasing profits - if they'd wanted to do that, they would have removed the offer in the first lockdown.

Since we live nearly 200 miles from London and have always had the paper with 0800 deliveries, I doubt the issue affects huge numbers of customers.

Far, far more customers will be adversely affected by not being able to order a newspaper than the small number who couldn't.  All sorts of things are postcode lotteries - there are certain things that aren't ever available from my branch, but are you suggesting that they should be withdrawn from all branches in order not to upset people who can't order them?

MrsStepford

I don't understand why anyone would pay for a newspaper when so many can be read online at zero cost. 

Doc_N

MrsStepford said:

I don't understand why anyone would pay for a newspaper when so many can be read online at zero cost. 

That's the point, though - Waitrose were providing these papers (including proper ones, not just comics like the Mail, Express and the other tabloids) free of charge to MyWaitrose customers.

Now, on most home delivery and click and collect orders, they're not - saving themselves the cost.

Bacman

A good example of why to get the newspaper - some have good TV guides which are as good/better than ones you'd buy on subscription; so you get a free TV guide...

maman

More tales of woe from John Lewis. I have an appointment ( beauty treatment) on Friday  in my local John Lewis store made before lockdown. This morning I thought I'd just check that it was still on rather than make an unnecessary trip. 

• called direct extension, number unavailable
• called local number for local store, put through (after huge menu of options) to generic Customer Services desk
• operator calls extension  and tells me number unavailable (although I'd already told her that).
• operator tells me they're under instructions not to put anyone through to local stores.
• 5 minutes wasted (I checked) , no answers, no contact other than with someone who appears to know little or nothing about John Lewis but has to take the flak.

They've had weeks to prepare for reopening. Without Customer Service, what's the point in John Lewis? 

Doc_N

maman said:

More tales of woe from John Lewis. I have an appointment ( beauty treatment) on Friday  in my local John Lewis store made before lockdown. This morning I thought I'd just check that it was still on rather than make an unnecessary trip. 

• called direct extension, number unavailable
• called local number for local store, put through (after huge menu of options) to generic Customer Services desk
• operator calls extension  and tells me number unavailable (although I'd already told her that).
• operator tells me they're under instructions not to put anyone through to local stores.
• 5 minutes wasted (I checked) , no answers, no contact other than with someone who appears to know little or nothing about John Lewis but has to take the flak.

They've had weeks to prepare for reopening. Without Customer Service, what's the point in John Lewis? 

I think that last sentence about sums it up. There’s no point whatever in John Lewis if it won’t provide good customer service. It doesn’t, and as a result we rarely shop there. Lakeland are a great alternative for the electrical equipment they sell. Three year warranty and first rate customer service.

GaleSF63

Doc_N said:

MrsStepford said:

I don't understand why anyone would pay for a newspaper when so many can be read online at zero cost. 

That's the point, though - Waitrose were providing these papers (including proper ones, not just comics like the Mail, Express and the other tabloids) free of charge to MyWaitrose customers.

Now, on most home delivery and click and collect orders, they're not - saving themselves the cost.

It's a very slow way of saving some cost though, because the most anyone is likely to get is one newspaper a week, and probably less than that, but people will still be able to get one every day if they go into the store and I expect even now there are many many more shop in the store than get deliveries. I think Waitrose will be able to think of far more cost efficient savings quite easily. 

Bacman

maman - that post isn't relevant to the thread!

Waitrose are part of John Lewis, yes, however Waitrose have their customer services section and to date, i've only experienced good and quick service

Doc_N

Bacman said:

maman - that post isn't relevant to the thread!

Waitrose are part of John Lewis, yes, however Waitrose have their customer services section and to date, i've only experienced good and quick service

I disagree entirely. This action by Waitrose is a classic example of the bad customer service which John Lewis and Waitrose are now becoming known for because of their cost cutting aimed at stemming the huge losses being made.

I've taken this up with Waitrose, and they're just brazening it out without being prepared to explain just why they're taking this action.  A good company, faced with the logistical problem they claim this to be, solves the logistical problem - which only seems to apply to Waitrose.  A bad company doesn't bother to solve the problem - it does what Waitrose has done and just denies the facility to all its customers, just because a small number can't avail themselves of it.

By that same logic, when an item is in short supply (toilet rolls?) nobody should get it!

This is classic John Lewis bad customer service.