What influences you to spend more in the supermarket?

Waitrose member offers are designed to get you to buy something you wouldn’t normally buy. There was only 1 item in the choice available that I would buy so no use whatsoever. If they offered you discount on things you did buy, then it might be worth having.

DeeKay, I have reported above an example of a decent offer from M&S – coffee buy 3, cheapest free. as the ground coffee from different countries and instant coffee were included I don’t think a supplier might have funded it. Anyway, from my viewpoint well worth buying as we drink these coffees and it stores easily.
We also bought a box of assorted chocolate marzipans that were approaching their sell buy date – £1.80 for 200 g.
In my view it is up to us to be selective about offers, decide whether we think they are value for money and whether we want them. If not, don’t buy. Someone else might think they are good value for their needs.

Malcolm what was all that really about? There are other posts prior to my own written by folk who also have said or suggest they dont like or dont often avail of offers for whatever reason. I dont think I said much different.
I have stated clearly that I only buy offers if I need the goods anyhow. Is there anything remotely wrong with that?
At no point did I say I never buy offers.
At no point can I see did I direct others to not buy offers.
And I’ll stand my ground if I am allowed about offers causing waste which has been clearly shown in recent times.
Now if I can also be allowed to comment as I may I’d like to go to SAINSBURY’s as I need some things.
We do have an M&S in our local town and I have used it and will do no doubt in the future but I will not be using it this evening not even for various coffee’s that may be on offer as I like Sainsbury’s instant coffee granules.
I also like marzipan so much so I get told off for eating it right off the block. Most marzipan treats involve chocolate and I cant eat the stuff for health reasons but I dont have a choice.
I will not be walking around all evening on my already sore pegs to see if I can gain a bargain as I have better more enjoyable things to do such as sit on my rear and relax as I’m full of pains.
Good Night

DeeKay, this was no criticism of what you said. On the contrary I was really trying to say that some find offers useful, others don’t. Personal choice. Just gave an example of offers that were acceptable to me! 🙂

It is naive to think that supermarkets will do this on “ethical” grounds. They are shrewd marketeers and will simply be looking to how they can increase or maintain market share in the face of competition.

As far as the CMA is concerned there is a distinction to be made between straightforward offers, and those designed to deliberately confuse of mislead.

Will we have a campaign to ban other “special offers” for products in future, like in “sales”. After all, you never know when to buy a product, do you, if it might suddenly become cheaper in someones “special offer”? Why should anyone be allowed to negotiate a discount on anything – like a car for example – when others don’t? Why should some be allowed to buy theme park tickets where one child gets in “free” with one paying adult? Why do supermarkets charge different prices for the same product – whether it is proprietary or generic, like a loaf of bread or a kg of potatoes. Surely they should all charge the same otherwise it is unfair on consumers who can’t get to the cheapest supermarket.

Well, sorry for the tone of my contribution but I do think consumers should have a choice that is genuine, and that commercial businesses should be able to make their offerings available in ways that they choose, providing they are clear and honest. I am, like most people, quite capable of making my own decisions and my freedom to do this should be respected. If the majority feel strongly enough that, say, certain fresh-food multibuys are wasteful then they will stop buying them and retailers will find no point in offering them. If a minority campaign and put pressure on organisations to have their particular views imposed, that is taking away freedom. Not the way I believe society should operate. Don’t use deceitful examples as an argument to attack the honest ones.

I have given two reasons why I and others believe that multi-buy offers should not be used for fresh food. A great deal of resources are used in food production. Use of fertilisers add to environmental damage and land use for agriculture. After sitting through a presentation by the Environment Agency I was made aware of the vast amount of water used in producing some fresh foods. When I mentioned Tesco’s offer of one cucumber for 90p and two for £1 (instead of the usual price of 45 or 49p each) you said to ignore the ridiculous special offer, but what about those who cannot afford to play the silly games? Thankfully Tesco did not play this game last year, maybe having recognised that it’s not a good idea to alienate customers.

I have no problem with multi-buys on items other than fresh foods (though it’s difficult to fit two large packs of toilet rolls in the bathroom cupboard) but with essential rather than luxury items it will be a problem for those on a tight budget.

I like the principle of the open market place where each trader sets out their stall and displays [or shouts] their price so the customer can choose what to buy and from whom to get it. Since the start of the domination of the weekly shop by the supermarkets we have never been closer to being able to replicate that thanks to all the information now on line. From time immemorial merchants have used discounting as a way of clearing overstocks, selling out at the end of the trading day, introducing new products to the public, gaining market share, making way for new lines, off-loading dented tins, and shifting stuff close to its expiry date. I don’t want to see the end of offers, even multi-buy offers on fresh produce, so long as they are fair and genuine and not tricks. We occasionally take advantage of multi-buy offers on fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy produce, and sometimes we ignore them and just buy the single unit because that is enough. Most supermarkets don’t seem to have multi-buy offers on fresh and cooked meat preferring to give a straight discount instead [sometimes a substantial reduction]. If people want to buy two or more packs of sausages or sliced ham that are heavily-discounted and almost on top of their use-by date that is their look-out. The retailer should not feel under any responsibility for such indulgence – the buyer might be planning a barbecue or a picnic. We hardly ever throw away food, either before or after it has been put on the plate, and I think that, overall, the offers counter-balance the prevailing prices for food and make up for the ludicrous situation where half a cucumber costs three-quarters of the price of a whole one just because it has a bit of cling-film round it. The trickery has got to stop, however – confusing us with inconsistent measures and pack-sizes, placement and labelling ‘errors’, false value claims and reduction suggestions, and scammy rebate tickets at the till with more T&C’s than they can fit on the docket. How much longer do we have to wait for electronic shelf-labelling to be introduced with better information and clearer guidance – even interactive with an options menu? The digital technology is ready and waiting and has been for some years now. Meanwhile the staff play around with little bits of coloured cardboard and placards swinging from the light-fittings.

The Which? super-complaint is targeting the deliberate efforts to confuse the public and hopefully they will be consigned to the history book. I have no problem with heavy discounting of goods on their expiry date. They could otherwise be wasted and people who are short of cash sometimes wait for price reductions.

Until recently I would not have considered buying food from Aldi or Lidl but if they can combine their no-nonsense approach to pricing with a bit of what many of us like in other stores their popularity might continue to grow. I prefer to buy food from UK companies if I can.

After approaching 25 years shopping mainly at a well-stocked Tesco store, which is the only nearby supermarket, my impending removal will probably result in me shopping around more than I have for many years. The nearest supermarket is Morrisons and I was dismayed to discover that they play music throughout the store. I am uncertain what will encourage me to spend more in the supermarket but I am quite sure about what drives me away.

I make use of multi-buys, I am single, and use them for non-perishable, tins, frozen and sometimes fresh when I organise other single people to come round to dinner with me. They do serve a purpose if you use them wisely, I have loyalty cards with several, they inform me when they have offers, which I then take up or not, even though I find the system weighted against the single person.
It is the labelling that is the biggest problem, usually in small print and I don’t have my glasses, or as someone pointed out comparing an apple with apples, using different measuring standards. Poundland is good provided you remember that their tins of soup are small ones, not the “normal” size. Confectionery that shrinks over time and comes back as a “new” bigger size. Cigarette packs of 20? or 19 or 18 or even 17, another con, which the EU are putting a stop to, although our government has been, since 2014, dragging its feet over it.
I can accept fresh produce being a, very small, problem but anything else should come in standard, and easy to compare, sizes.
Unfortunately I doubt that any of the large Trotters Independent Trading (London, New York, Paris and Peckham) followers would agree.

I like what you say Wave Change. We recently gave up our car and found carrying shopping inconvenient. We now shop on line for our groceries – just buying milk and fruit locally. It is so tricky to compare unit / per 100g prices in store, but on-line it is much much simpler (I’ve bacon) and we only pay £1 for delivery!