It’s a sad day for Waitrose shoppers, as the fanciest of supermarkets has delivered a blow to customers: their long-standing free newspaper perk is coming to an end.
An email sent to customers said that there would be no more discount vouchers as of October 29, a scheme that’s been running since 2013.
Back then, shoppers had to spend £5 during the week (or £10 at the weekend) to get their freebie paper. The weekday limit was then raised to £10 in 2016.
But in 2022, the offer changed once again, so that only customers who regularly bought a newspaper using their myWaitrose card at checkout could bag the offer in the form of a voucher, after 3pm.
Now, it’s being completely scrapped for everyone.
It’s been dubbed a ‘middle-class disaster’ by disgruntled shoppers, who took to X to share their frustrations.
X user and Waitrose shopper Jon Cartwright called it a ‘poor decision’ and a ‘major mistake’, while Fred Ellis branded the move ‘very sad’.
And some customers say it will stop them from shopping in Waitrose altogether.
Tony Carter wrote: ‘Sorry Waitrose but now you are dropping the free newspapers from the My Waitrose benefits, you just removed my reason to shop with you. It saved me £4.50 every Sunday.’
And Tracey Patterson said: ‘My parents only go into Waitrose on the weekends for the free paper but always ended up buying other things walking through the store. Guess they’ll be no need for them to go in there now.’
Finally Tim Ball added: ‘I’ll certainly be going there far less often and they currently make a small fortune out of me from impulse buying on my visits.’
Meanwhile, a Waitrose spokesman has explained why the perk is no more: ‘Our newspaper offer was retired in February 2022, as it was only being used by 5% of customers.
‘A small number retained the offer as a temporary goodwill gesture, but we’re phasing these out to invest in rewards that benefit all members.
‘These customers will get additional rewards over the coming weeks to thank them for their loyalty, as well as our wider benefits, like free hot drinks and personalised offers, which remain hugely popular.’
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.