What do cod liver oil and nettle & peppermint teabags have in common? It may sound odd, but they were included in the same 3 for 2 offer at Waitrose.com.
This came as quite a surprise to me when I was filling my basket online, as I wouldn’t have thought the items in the 3 for 2 offer were a natural pairing. Continuing my shop, I found Dorset Cereals granola and Cawston Press apple juice seemed to be included in the same offer too.
Mixed messaging
I was trawling through hundreds of offers online after a Which? member got in touch to tell us that they found it ‘impossible to work out the saving’ on their shopping on waitrose.com.
Described as Mix and Match Add 3 for 2 Cheapest Item Free, Waitrose’s offer essentially means that for every three items you buy, you’ll get the third one free in descending order of price.
So far so good: that’ll give me the best savings when I pay for my shop. With such a wide (and sometimes unexpected) range of products in the deal, I don’t have to change what I want to buy to take advantage of the offer either.
The problem? It’s not clear that this is how the saving works until you get your food shopping delivered.
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Waitrose told us that when the order is put through the till in the store that packs it, the total saving is applied.
I reviewed my order, but my savings didn’t seem to add up. I’d chosen three £1 melons and three £3 packs of pears for my fruit salad and been shown a £2 saving. That’d be two free melons and no free pears. I’d expect to save £4 – and this is what Waitrose assures I will get on receipt of my shopping.
Clearer offers
The Which? member who got in touch was keen to make the most of three for two offers by buying three of each item; they found the saving shown on their order confirmation was less than expected.
When you have your shopping in-hand, this deal gives you the best saving – but you’ll just need to trust in that until you get your final receipt. But shouldn’t it be much clearer than that?
Waitrose says it’s looking at how it can make savings online clearer – we’ll keep you updated.
But in the meantime, have you come across any baffling supermarket offers or unexpected deal combinations? We’d like to hear about them.