Talk about own goals. UK supermarket chain Waitrsose is canning its free newspaper (if you spend £10) to myWaitrose custmers, those with a membership card that gets you tiny savings on your pretty well-stuffed bill.
It canned its free coffee to members in 2017: not that much of a surprise as it was clearly a hassle and, half the time, the machines didn’t work.
Waitrose emailed members thus earlier in the week: Nobody shops quite like you – so we’re updating myWaitrose to make it even more personal.
As part of these changes, the myWaitrose newspaper offer will be ending on 22 February 2022. But we’re replacing it with something new – look out for updates in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your continued loyalty.
Best regards
The myWaitrose Team
No idea which genius came up with this notion or which A-grade weasel wrote the email. “We’re improving our service to you by cutting it.”
Waitrose is promising more “personalised offers,’ which it already does and which, as much as anything else is a way of shifting unwanted stock. And promising goodies like cookery classes (very useful amid a cost of living crisis.)
The would-be-upscale supermarket chain says only five per cent of its customers use the newspaper scheme. So it can’t be costing that much and losing five per cent of customers would be a big, possibly fatal blow to Waitrose, which can’t compete on price.
Doesn’t help the struggling quality newspaper trade either.
How Sharon White, who runs Waitrose owner John Lewis Partnership, let this one through heaven knows. Doesn’t she read the papers?
