A Move To Morrisons

Since moving to a new, more rural location last year, my shopping habits have changed somewhat.

At my old home, I did my main grocery shopping at the local Tesco Extra, with smaller top-up shops at Sainsburys’ and the Co-op, but all that has changed since the move.

My current nearest Tesco is rather smaller than the Extra at which I once shopped, with far fewer product lines on the shelves, making it impossible to replicate all my most common buys. Although the store can meet a lot of my needs, it falls short on others.

Similarly, I have neither a Sainsburys’ or Co-op within easy reach, so have needed to look elsewhere. Attempts at buying groceries in Aldi failed dismally, I couldn’t get on with their products at all, and although I like Lidl better, the journey to the nearest branch is too far to justify any savings. And when it comes to grocery shopping, I’m not a fan of doing it online, as I like to scrutinise the meat, carefully select the fruit and veg and take the time to mull over relevant offers.

Therefore, my weekly shop now tends to be divided between the smaller Tesco, and Morrisons’, as there is a large branch of this store near to said Tesco.

On my first few visits to Morrisons I tentatively tried a selection of own brand products, as well as selecting some well-known labels that were on offer. I decided that many of the products were of good quality and therefore represented good value, an opinion further enhanced by the introduction of the Match and More card. This loyalty card price-matches your purchases not only with other leading supermarkets, but also with Aldi and Lidl, converting any extra money that you have paid on your comparable Morrisons’ shop to points, which then accumulate until you have sufficient to be awarded a £5 voucher. Despite targeting many own brand and offer items in my shop, I always seem to earn points, and have received several £5 vouchers, further reducing my shopping bill.

In addition to this, Morrisons have been sending me a variety of additional money-off vouchers through the post – they’re really making an effort to gain custom!

I’ve now also become a fan of certain of their own brand products. Here are a few of my favourites:

Morrisons Laundry Gel (Bio) 540ml (up to 18 washes) for just £1.75 – just as good as the Ariel version in my opinion and much cheaper!

Morrisons Pure Fabric Conditioner £1.50 (up to 42 washes) is a great bargain buy that leaves my laundry really fresh.

Morrisons Bolognese Sauce 725g for 99p, we actually preferred this to many other makes that we have tried.

Morrisons Chilled 100% Fruit Juices, 1-litre bottles, 3 for £3 (£1.29 each), not only are these really tasty, but there is such a great range of flavours. In addition to the normal apple, orange and pineapple, I love the apple and mango, Clementine, apple and pear and red grape and berries.

I’m also a big fan of their deli items, such as vegetable samosas and olive selections, and am pleased to see that their meat tends to be sourced from British farmers.

It would definitely seem that I’ll be doing much more of my weekly shopping in Morrisons in the future.

A Year In Supermarkets

With only weeks left of the present year, I thought it was time that I started looking back at some of my shopping experiences for the year, and in particular, what has been happening with the supermarkets.

Tesco were in the news this year for dodgy accounting, which has resulted in a criminal investigation. Now whilst this is serious stuff, and we should theoretically be concerned, as a shopper, I’m more interested in what is actually happening at ‘ground level’ so to speak. All the while I can go into a Tesco store, find what I want at a reasonable price, get good service from the staff and earn valuable Clubcard points I will continue to shop with the chain. They certainly operate the best loyalty scheme around, with points amounting to four times their value when exchanged for days out and Clubcard send out a regular supply of relevant money-off and extra points vouchers too.

Sainsbury’s, on the other hand, announced that they are set to cut the number of Nectar points that you earn on your weekly shop. (Loyalty cards) With their loyalty scheme already offering a poorer deal than the likes of Tesco I don’t think this is a very clever move. They are, however, pledging to cut more prices, so we’ll have to see how all this works out in practice.

Morrisons launched their new ‘Match & More’ card this year, (I want more) an interesting twist on a loyalty card, whereby you earn points on items that you would have been able to buy cheaper elsewhere – a price comparison that includes the likes of Aldi and Lidl as well as the other major supermarkets. What pleased me about this card was that Morrisons offered three options when it came to registering the card – online, by post or in store – a refreshing change from companies that expect you to do everything online!

Asda has never been one of my favourite supermarkets, but they’ve certainly put themselves in the doghouse recently. My daughter placed an online grocery order with them, but the goods never actually materialised (Oh dear Asda) and despite phone calls, completion of an online form, a blog post and a Twitter conversation (which reaps results in most cases) the company failed to properly apologise for the inconvenience, or offer any explanation as to what went wrong. Needless to say it’s not an experience she has rushed to repeat. In fact, my prize for “The Worst Customer Service of 2014” is hereby awarded to Asda. Perhaps they’d care to take note!

Whilst I continue to give Aldi a wide berth, having rated previous shopping experiences with them at 2/10, I have become a bit of a fan of Lidl. For me, Lidl have been one of the great emerging retailers of 2014. Most recently I’ve found them a great place to stock up with Christmas spirits – port, cream liqueur and cherry brandy all costing around the £5 mark, and tasting delicious – and I love their Stilton too! I’m sure that I’ll have much more to say about them in 2015.

So wherever you shop, I hope you’ve had good experiences this year – if not, let me know, I’m always keen to hear your shopping stories too!

I Want More!

When it comes to loyalty cards, I’m a serial collector, as many a blog post has demonstrated. It’s little surprise then, that when I heard about the Morrisons’ Match & More card, I just had to grab one and find out, well more.

Strictly speaking, this is not so much of a loyalty card as a price match tool. When shoppers get their card swiped at the checkout, the grocery spend is compared with Tesco, Sainsburys’, Asda, Aldi and Lidl – a selection of supermarkets that just sent the automatic spellchecker on my computer into meltdown!

Always looking to save valuable pounds!

If you would have spent less at these stores, then the difference (with an added zero) is converted to points and put on your card. My first shop with the card could have theoretically been 54p cheaper elsewhere (despite the fact that I targeted offers), and so earned me 540 points. Once I have accumulated 5000 points I will qualify for a £5 voucher.

When I first heard the details about the card, I was unsure whether the benefits would be worthwhile, but considering I’m already a tenth of the way to getting my first £5 following a relatively small grocery shop, it could prove quite handy.

In addition to the ‘match’ points, I’ve spotted a few items in store for which extra points are awarded and you also get 10 points for every litre of fuel that you buy at a Morrisons’ garage.

But what really struck me when I picked up my new temporary card and accompanying leaflet, was that Morrisons actually provide customers with a choice of ways to register – either online, by post (postage paid) or by dropping off the completed form to a box in store. Following previous posts bemoaning companies that only expect customers to communicate with them online, this was a breath of fresh air. After all, there are still people (some of my more elderly relatives included) that either do not have or cannot use the Internet. Well done Morrisons!

Say No To Plastic Carrier Bags

There’s no doubt about it, we’ve become a nation of plastic carrier bag dependent shoppers. Why are so many people so reluctant to make use of more permanent, reusable shopping bags?

When I was a child, everyone seemed to go shopping armed with a collection of bags in which to stow their groceries. For those who preferred not to use this option, supermarkets tended to keep a healthy supply of cardboard boxes close to the checkouts, which were certainly handy to transport heavier, bulkier items.

Over the years, however, it has become more the norm for shoppers to expect plastic carrier bags to not only be supplied, but to be provided free of charge.

In my teens I had a Saturday job at Fine Fare (there’s a blast from the past) who at that time made bags available (some early bags were paper) but at a cost. But as time went on, supermarkets introduced a limitless supply of plastic carrier bags – and all for free!

Some supermarkets do offer incentives to reuse bags, in the form of points for loyalty card holders, but this it would seem is not sufficient encouragement to induce shoppers to break the habit.

Now there are calls to charge for all plastic carrier bags in shops, a move with which I wholeheartedly agree. What’s wrong with reusing bags, which can be bought very cheaply in the first place, thus reducing the impact that all of this surplus plastic is making on the environment.

The proposed charge is 5p per single use plastic carrier bag, thus mirroring a system already employed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Hopefully, this will discourage their use at least to some degree, reducing the estimated 60,000 tonnes of plastic carrier bags used per year. For those who still opt to use the bags despite this move, the hope is that the money raised can at least be diverted to ‘good causes’. Ideally, I would hope, more environmentally friendly incentives.

Cloth bags are a stronger option, which are not too bulky or heavy, and prove no hardship to take with you on a shopping trip. Yes, you do have to remember to take them in the first place, but it’s just a question of learning a new habit!

Where do you stand on the plastic carrier bag debate?

I Love My Loyalty Cards

Like many shoppers, I was quite incensed to hear that Sainsburys’ are halving the amount of Nectar points that they award to customers as of April next year. They will only be awarding one point per pound spent, as opposed to the current two (two points are only worth 1p ).

It’s true to say that Nectar points always have been slightly inferior to those awarded by Tesco Clubcard, with the exchange rate of the latter being four times their face value when converted to Days Out vouchers, and each point being equal to 1p .

There are some shoppers (misguided in my opinion) that question the value of loyalty cards, but I believe that any reward you are given for shopping is better than no reward at all.

Less effective than a loyalty card

The argument goes, that if stores are operating reward schemes, they subsequently have to set their prices a little higher to offset these incentives. However, I would refute this, as many good value items I buy are purchased in shops that offer reward points.

Many of the products that I purchase in places such as Tesco and Superdrug, are not only cheaper or at least comparable to those offered at other shops, but earn me points. Over the years I have acquired so many points under the Clubcard scheme, that we have been able to pay for several family days out each year, including trips to expensive theme parks, which we would not otherwise have afforded. Even if I have occasionally paid a few pence more for the odd product or two, I have received this amount back umpteen times over. It’s true to say, that if I could have bought some items slightly cheaper elsewhere and put the pennies I’d saved into a savings account, I would not have accumulated anywhere near enough to pay for the equivalent number of fun outings.

I regard all loyalty cards (and I can boast a considerable collection) as mini saving schemes that allow me to enjoy life’s little extras. Unless prices are considerably higher in a shop that offers a good value scheme, I am unlikely to shop for identical products somewhere that does not offer me these extra benefits.

So my message to Sainsburys’, and any other stores planning to reduce or withdraw their points schemes, is that this may result in a customer-cutting exercise as opposed to your intended cost-cutting one!

Free Coffee

There have been loyalty cards available from coffee shops, and indeed anywhere that you can purchase a cup of the brew, for many years.

I’ve spent a good many years myself peeling the little stickers off McDonald’s coffee cups, collecting the required six per card to claim my free cup of latte.

For some time I’d also had my Marks and Spencer loyalty card stamped, although this required ten stamps to qualify for a freebie, until the service at my local branch deteriorated somewhat, and I decided to seek refreshment elsewhere.

Last year I acquired a Tesco Family Café (Fonta Nella) card, which in the spirit of McDonald’s requires six stamps for a free coffee, and is handy for grabbing a latte to get me through the weekly shop.

But most recently, I’ve added a Greggs’ loyalty card to my collection – rather startling considering I’d had a bit of a falling out with them just over a year ago. I still haven’t returned to their cafés, but do sometimes grab a take-away coffee when on a shopping mission. In this case, you have to get the card stamped nine times (strange number) to be rewarded with a coffee, so it’s not as good as Tesco and McDonald’s but preferable to M&S.

Mind you, all of the aforementioned cards appear to offer better deals than a Costa card as far as I can see. I abandoned thoughts of getting this one, when it appeared that I’d have to spend the equivalent cost of a small family home (OK, bit of an exaggeration) to having any hope of having a coffee on the house.

But I have to say, free is always good, so I’ll keep collecting those stamps!

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Loyalty Vouchers

I’m a big fan of loyalty cards as regular readers will know, My purse houses a fine collection, all of which are put to good use. But as with everything in life, there is always room for improvement as I have discovered.

Recently, I’ve started buying the larger part of my food shopping in Sainsburys, following the discovery of several products and prices that I prefer to those at Tesco – my previous store of choice. When my Nectar card is swiped, I’m invariably presented with a selection of vouchers printed at the till point, my favourite being those giving me extra points on or money off my entire shop. However, there is a drawback with these, and that is the expiry date.

Suppose I shop on a Wednesday one week, the vouchers issued (with the exception of those for specific products) expire the following Wednesday. Now that’s fine if I want to shop the same day the following week, or even a day of two before, but not if that week I would like to do my shopping on, say, Thursday.

Surely the point of a loyalty card or vouchers is that they are to thank you for your loyal custom. Therefore, if I’m buying a trolley full of shopping each week in Sainsburys, I should be rewarded whatever day of the week I shop. The answer would be to ensure that the vouchers in question are issued with the end date of the following week, meaning they are valid for your shopping on any day in that week.

I’m not of my mother’s generation where I have set days for things. I like to vary my shopping day in line with whatever else I may need to do, but don’t expect to lose out on an offer just because one week I shop on a Tuesday and the next a Wednesday. So come on Sainsburys, review this dating policy!

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This January I’ve …

… Been doing lots of baking, not because I’ve got Great-British-Bake-Off-Fever, but because it’s a cheap way to keep the family provided with cakes, buns and other goodies. With Tesco Everyday Value flour costing only 45p for a 1.5kg bag, you can keep the family supplied at a really low cost.

,,, Bought Cross Stitch Card Shop magazine, which comes with a cute card kit and is full of fun cross stitch designs. I got the bug for making cross stitch cards in the lead up to Christmas and am still keen to make more!

… Received my first reward voucher from my Together loyalty card (The Works book shop). If you’re an avid reader this is a great card as you earn 5 points for every pound that you spend, with each point worth 1p. This is better than a Tesco Clubcard where you earn 1 point per pound or a Sainsburys Nectar Card, which awards 2 points per pound, but it takes 2 points to make one penny. But of course, you won’t spend so much in The Works anyway, will you?

Enjoying Carling Zest with a hint of winter berries, the latest edition to their delicious range of flavoured lagers and by far my favourite. Grab a box of 12 bottles for just £7 at Tesco!

… Reading lots of books as usual, including:

‘The Memory of Midnight’ by Pamela Hartshorne, an intriguing tale that combines the modern day life of troubled Tess and the hardships of Elizabethan York as experienced by Nell Appleby. A gripping tale that really gets you hooked!

‘The Flower Reader’ by Elizabeth Loupas. A tale of danger and intrigue set in the court of the young Mary Queen of Scots, which takes a lot of twists and turns before all is revealed. It’s compelling reading.

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Christmas On A Budget

Christmas can be a magical time of year, but it can also be a drain on already struggling finances. More than ever we’re having to watch our shopping bills and budget as much as we can to get by, in view of rising prices and static wages.

But it’s important to remember that whilst we want to celebrate the festive season with our loved ones, it’s not the amount of money that we spend that counts, it’s the time that we actually spend with our family and friends.

Christmas is a very commercial affair, but there are ways to enjoy the celebrations without spending a fortune.

Now is a good time to check your points’ balances on any loyalty cards that you may have, and make use of these if you can. I recently bought a host of Christmas goodies from Sainsburys using my Nectar points to buy items such as crackers, drinks and chocolate, after discovering I had a balance worth almost £30.

If you’re a Tesco Clubcard holder, then you can use their current points boost promotion to double your points’ value. Just exchange your Clubcard vouchers for coupons to spend in specific areas of the store, to get twice their face value. Categories include Finest Wines, toys, clothing and electricals. You can exchange vouchers up until 20^th December and redeem the new vouchers until 31^st December. I’ve made use of the Finest Wines offer to get a few good bottles in for Christmas dinner – prices in the range start from just £5.99.

You may also have points on cards such as Boots Advantage Card and Superdrug Beautycard that can be exchanged for last minute gifts.

If you don’t own a loyalty card (and why not?) then you can still find some bargain offers around. Here are a few recommended buys:

O’Gradys Irish Cream Liqueur – A great (more creamy, I think) alternative to Baileys at just £5.50 a bottle from Sainsburys.

If you like Archers Peach Schnapps, then a great budget alternative is Peaches, costing just £5.50 at Iceland. You can also find lower cost supermarket versions of other drinks such as ‘Malibu’ as ‘Pimms’.

Love liqueur chocolates? I recommend The Co-Operative Loved By Us Brandy Liqueurs costing just £1 per box! Lovely! Most supermarkets also stock boxes of tasty after dinner mints, that I enjoy much more than the famous After Eights, for just £1 a box.

Enjoy your Christmas without too much expense!

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The New Card On The Block

I’m a big fan of loyalty cards and have quite an impressive set, as previously blogged in my loyalty card ratings but now I’ve discovered a new card on the High Street.

As an avid reader I often take a trip to The Works to buy multiple books at reasonable prices, so imagine my joy when I was offered a loyalty card for that very shop! I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer, taking the proffered card home and registering it online.

Within a few days I was sent an email including a selection of vouchers to use instore but I have yet to see how the long-term benefits actually stack up.

The card is called the ‘Together Rewards Card’ and you actually earn 5 points for every £1 spent, with vouchers issued four times a year, providing you have a balance of at least 50 points – you actually receive your first 50 points when you register! Every point then equals 1p, so it depends how frequent a visitor to The Works you actually are, as to whether you gain much during the course of a year.

Still, as a rival company would say, “Every little helps”, which is why I collect all the loyalty cards that I can!

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Old-Fashioned Thrift

Over recent years, due to the recession and a change in personal circumstances for many of us, we probably consider ourselves to be exercising ‘thrift’.

Paying bills by direct debit to ‘spread the cost’, stocking up on cheap supermarket offers, making use of discount vouchers, swapping branded products for shop’s own, limiting treats and so on are all ways that we try to cut our costs.

However, the so-called thrift measures that we employ today aren’t quite on the level that I remember from my childhood (cue violins). Not that we actually suffered then as such, but people’s priorities have changed, and some now consider themselves hard up if they can’t afford the latest gadget or sunshine holiday.

A survey last year revealed that many young women would rather go without food than cut back on trips to the hairdresser/manicurist/tanning salon!

As a child, I remember the excitement when my family acquired our first chest freezer. We visited our local frozen food warehouse (Cartiers in Rochester), which also sold bulk-sized containers of grocery items. Once all the purchases were safely stowed away at home, my mother proceeded to break down the costs of all the food items, calculating how much each sausage/pie/bag of crisps/chicken portion actually cost, noting down the prices. From then on each time that an item was used, the cost of it was placed in a specially allocated jar. If I wanted a bag of crisps, I would either ‘buy’ it with my pocket money, placing the necessary coins in the jar, or my mum would ‘treat’ me and put the money in herself. When the original supplies ran out, there was enough money in the jar to re-stock them.

Early on in my married life I had one of those cash boxes with little compartments marked ‘gas’, ‘electricity’, ‘food’ and so on. Once the required amounts of money had been allocated to each, then I knew that any ‘surplus’ funds (if any) were available to save or splash out on a treat.

I don’t use any of these actual methods today, but I do collect odd coins until they are sufficient to use for a treat, and in a more 21^st century way, accumulate loyalty card points to pay for ‘extras’. Some of you may collect supermarket savings stamps, putting a few odd pounds on your card at each shop, to help buy supplies when things get tight.

Personally, I would never sacrifice food or skimp on other essentials to pay for beauty products or treats, but hope that by employing a bit of good old-fashioned thrift, careful budgeting and a little of the ‘make-do-and-mend’ mentality, I can afford not only the necessities, but the odd little treat too!

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Valentine’s Gifts

With Valentine’s Day approaching now’s the time to show your love and appreciation for that special person in your life – although I do hope you let them know you care all year round!

As Valentine’s Day draws nearer the shops become awash with fluffy teddies sporting sentimental messages, socks with corny slogans, rom com DVDs and 101 things that you didn’t even know you needed (and in all honesty probably don’t) emblazoned with pink and red hearts.

Gestures and treats can speak volumes (one of my favourite Valentine’s treats was a trip to the ballet), but a card and a small gift are always much appreciated.

Marks and Spencer always seem to come up with novel cards for any occasion, offering some unique designs you don’t find anywhere else. If you buy any cards from M&S be sure to pick up a greetings card loyalty card, buy 6 cards, get your card stamped for each one and when your loyalty card is full, get a seventh free.

Sainsburys are offering a range of fun and tasty Valentine’s goodies including Love Hearts Valentine's Tube (£1), Mr & Mrs Gingerbread Valentine's Bears (£1) and a bunch of five chocolate roses (£3). They’re also selling single, long-stemmed chocolate roses at £1 each, ideal for popping into a bouquet of fresh roses for an extra treat.

Meanwhile at Tesco you can pick up an 'engraved' chocolate heart for £2 or a Thorntons hollow chocolate devil for £3, amongst their selection of Valentine's treats.

If it's cake you're after, go for a pack of two decadent cupcakes (£2) from M&S to share with your loved one, or for a really sweet tooth plump for a chocolate brownie heart for £3.

More on Valentine's next week.

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My Latest Beauty Buys

A trip to Superdrug this week saw me bagging a bargain or two from the cosmetic counters. Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation is currently just £4.99 (30ml), offering even coverage but with a light, dewy texture – great for all skin types.

New on the MUA (Make-Up Academy) display at Superdrug is their Pro-Base Conceal & Brighten Kit, which will be priced at £3.50, but is currently on sale at an introductory price of £2.50. The compact contains three natural shades, two to blend to conceal blemishes and shadows, and the other a highlighting cream to boost your complexion, although I think these could be labelled better. A great addition to your make-up bag.

Meanwhile, in Boots, spend £5 or more in store to receive two No7 vouchers, one for £5 off skincare, and the other for £3 off cosmetics. I’ve already spent my skincare voucher on No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up remover (normally £8.50 without voucher), a hypoallergenic formula that removes all traces of make-up quickly and easily.

Don’t forget to use your Boots Advantage Card and Superdrug Beautycard to accumulate points for future treats. If you don’t have these loyalty cards, sign up for them today.

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2012 Review

What a memorable year it has been!

In June communities came together to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – street parties, concerts and copious amounts of bunting swept the nation.

In August, we wowed the world with the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Our athletes shone, as did the army of volunteers who cheerfully threw themselves into the proceedings.

Then in September … Shoppers’ Joy was launched! OK, it may not have been on a par with some of the other events of the year, but it has steadily grown in readership and I simply loving writing my blog posts and website features.

I have always had an eye for a bargain, an attraction to offers and a love of shopping, often regaling my long-suffering husband with tales of what I’ve found and how much I’ve saved. It was on his suggestion that I started my blog, as one of my other great loves is writing (or maybe he just hoped that his ears would get a rest). Hubby kindly set up my blog and website (he does that kind of thing for a living) and Shoppers’ Joy was born.

Since then I have posted blogs featuring best buys, product and service reviews, recommendations of places to visit, consumer issues and some fun 'Random Thoughts'.

Some of my most popular blogs have included ‘Loyalty Cards – My Ratings’ (September), ‘Static Caravans Can Move (September), ‘How To Get The Most Out Of The NHS (October), the Winter Outings Series (November/December) and my Christmas related posts (December). I have also explored saying ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ as well as ‘making a complaint’ and reviewed some responses to bad service complaints that I had made.

As a sufferer of Hypermobility Syndrome, I ran an introduction to the condition on my blog, but have written an article, which you can read at www.shoppersjoy.co.uk/features

So please take the time to read some of the posts that you may have missed. You can also read my ‘Cheers and Sneers’ (updated regularly), tips and features at www.shoppersjoy.co.uk

There are plenty more blog posts to come in 2013 – so keep reading!

Thank you and a Happy New Year!

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December Blog Review

By the time that you read this, Christmas will be over apart from the excess turkey, coconut éclairs in the Quality Street and a mountain of wrapping paper for the recycling. I hope that you all had a great Christmas and that my series of gift guides proved useful and presents were well received.

In between my gift suggestions, I also looked at a variety of winter outings this month, reviewing attractions that stay open during this season, sometimes at special reduced rates. Wildlife Parks, many English Heritage properties, castles and museums all make great family outings at this time of year. Perhaps you’ll manage to visit a few during the holiday season.

I continued to review many food products, including new Cadbury’s Crispello (disappointing in my opinion), limited edition Marmite Gold (pretty pointless, I say) and limited edition Carling Zest with spiced orange – this got the thumbs up at least. Other favourites included Asda Chosen By You 100% Pure Pressed Juices (£1.20), Tesco Apple Crumble (frozen, £1) and Asda Extra Special Mince Pies, which have a definite kick from the added port and brandy (£2 for 6).

During December I also explored saying ‘sorry’, bemoaned the current, boring TV ads, whilst looking back at old favourites, and updated my loyalty card review, with some pleasing results.

There’s plenty more to come next month, and indeed next year, so keep reading!

On 31^st December you can read my 2012 review.

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Loyalty Cards – End Of Year Update

Back in September I gave you the lowdown on loyalty cards along with my ratings, and I am now pleased to report that some stores have upped their game slightly.

Tesco Clubcard actually came top in my original ratings and have continued to deliver a wealth of vouchers, including several for free items – shandy, tissues, chocolate cake, Quality Street and a magazine of my choice. I’ve also continued to receive vouchers giving money off products that I actually buy on a regular basis. Add to the mix the continuing excellent exchange rate of points (four times their value if redeemed for days out) then Tesco Clubcard remains, for me, the clear winner.

Sainsburys have faired a little better than before with their Nectar Points, by issuing some much more useful vouchers of late. Previously I had found many of the vouchers totally useless in my case, but have recently been given some lovely extra points and money-off vouchers. I can only hope this was not just a Christmas promotion and will continue well into the New Year.

Iceland Bonus Card had given me very little in a long time, but there again the frequency and usefulness of their vouchers has increased, at last making me feel it is worth having their card.

Both Superdrug Beauty Card and Boots Advantage Card have been giving lots of extra points opportunities this side of Christmas, but as with all the cards, I do wonder whether the increased benefits will disappear along with the Christmas decorations.

Finally, I have been issued with a new Matalan Black Rewards Card (replacing my Matalan ‘where’s the snappy name?’ Card that I’d had all of two minutes). As a member I was invited to a special ‘members’ evening” (couldn’t attend) and given an extra pre-Christmas discount. Time will tell how many new ongoing benefits I’ll receive.

Whichever cards you use, however, the point is something is always better than nothing. To quote the store with my top-rated card, “Every little helps”.

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Greggs and Iceland Partnership

Regular readers of my blog will know that I have been a bit put out with Greggs and Iceland of late, but I would like to give each a little positive comment, which I hope heralds more improvement to come from both.

Not fattening if you only look

The Iceland Bonus Card recently faired quite badly (Loyalty Cards – My Ratings 15^th September) in my loyalty card comparison, but in the last week Iceland has started to give me more worthwhile vouchers when I shop. The latest was a free Gregg’s take-away hot drink with any purchase (I chose cappuccino costing £1.89, with apple danish, paying only 74p for the two). OK, not a big money offer, but a welcome coffee break.

For those of you wondering, no I did not go to the branch where I was treated badly by the manager, but a different, friendlier local branch, where a lovely lady with a big smile served me, so I do not want to tar all branches of Greggs with the same brush.

Regarding my previous not so pleasant experience of Greggs, I am pleased to report that I should be receiving a call from the Area Manager this week and hope to report a favourable response.

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September Blog Review

Earlier this month I started my blog and since then have dealt with issues from supermarket café service to moving static caravans, supermarket bargains to beauty buys and shared some random thoughts, loyalty card ratings and shopping sayings. Here’s a quick update and reminder of some of the highs and lows.

Highs –

Found some great bargains: £1 shower curtain from Poundland, it’s looking great, a big improvement on my old (more expensive) one; Tesco Everyday Value lunch bag £1.50 (great for my son’s packed lunch); Ella Valentine Free Range Baking Eggs, £1.29 from Sainsburys and Colgate pump pack toothpaste 95p at Wilkinson to name but a few.

Praised: £7 Dolphin SIM from Orange (15^th September), Tesco Café soup and roll lunch (Soup and Roll Saga Continues 17^th September), and Prima Magazine Subscription (Magazine Prices and Deals 15^th September)

Launched my website www.shoppersjoy.co.uk with plans to add more pages in October.

Lows –

A surly manager and poor lunch at a branch of Greggs saw me sending a letter of complaint (Managers – Good and Bad 14^th September). To date I still have had no response.

I bemoaned the changing price of the Doctor Who Adventures magazine (15^th September). This week the price reached an all time high of £3.99. Yes, there were more gifts, but it’s the magazine my son wants, no gifts, better price.

K&Co have still not managed to react appropriately to my emails (More Haste, Less Sense K&Co 15^th September), firstly reading all the right words in my email but apparently not in the right order, then responding correctly in words to my second, but failing to put those words into action. Still no Autumn/Winter Catalogue!

I wonder what October will bring? If you have any shopping or consumer highs and lows that you would like me to mention email me at comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

Loyalty Cards – My Ratings

Oh how I love a good loyalty card! My purse is lined with a very colourful collection and some of them work really well for me. Others, however, could do better.

Strangely enough, it’s often the shops that are already offering the best prices who are giving the best rewards, so I don’t believe the rubbish spouted, sorry the statements issued by some stores claiming they prefer to offer low prices in lieu of loyalty cards.

Besides, it’s thanks to us shoppers that these businesses do so well, so why shouldn’t we be given a little thank you!

Here’s my rundown of store loyalty cards I use and how they work for me.

Tesco Clubcard – love it! A point given for every pound spent, but I’m forever getting extra points coupons that raise the total faster. Tesco often send me money off vouchers too, for items that I actually buy. When it comes to using my points, I get four times their value by exchanging them for family days out. We’ve not paid for a family outing in years!

Rating: 9/10, well nothing deserves a perfect score!

Sainsbury’s Nectar Card – confusing points system. Two points earned for every £1 spent, but it takes 2 points to make 1p, so it’s basically a penny per pound like Tesco. Technically this card not just usable in Sainsburys, but personally the only other place I occasionally use it is BP. The deals on point exchange aren’t great, so I tend to use the points in store to buy Tu clothing (especially when it’s a 25% off day). Rewards have to be used in blocks of £2.50, so even if you have a balance of £9.99 you can only use £7.50, as you’re a penny short of the next target. I sometimes get given coupons at the till, but they often relate to things I don’t buy or amounts I don’t spend.

Rating: 6/10, could do better!

The Co-operative Membership – share in profits scheme. This works a bit differently in that you get a so-called “share of the profits” based on the amount you have spent in store over a year. Each year vouchers are sent to the value of profit you have earned, which are then used to take money off your shopping. The rate is quite good, as I shop relatively little in the Co-op, but do manage to get several pounds return. You also get to vote for committee members etc.

Rating: 5/10, certainly different!

Iceland Bonus Card – bit strange this one. This has recently been revamped to include a savings facility where you put money on the card for future use. Not a feature I will use. Am feeling a bit bemused as to what good this one is doing for me. I could use it to have a home delivery (shopping not childbirth), but choose not to. I do get entered into the monthly prize draw when I use it, but I prefer to have a bite of the carrot, not just have it dangled in front of me. Finally, I am supposed to receive money-off vouchers every so often, which in my case seems to translate as once in a blue moon.

Rating: 3/10, oh dear!

Boots Advantage Card – good rate of points. Four points for every pound spent, and I get sent regular extra points and money off vouchers too. There aren’t very many extra point opportunities in store these days though. My one gripe is that when I want to exchange points for goods, I have to have the full value on my card, as they won’t accept a shortfall paid in cash. Annoying if you are only 50p short for an item, and end up having to pay in full for it. Come on Boots, think again!

Rating: 7/10, bit of tweaking needed!

Superdrug BeautyCard – a mirrored card! Awards the average one point for every pound, but with the opportunity for extra points deals in store. Gets the slight edge on Boots Advantage Card though, as points can be used in part-payment for goods (in full pounds) and the difference paid in cash, which I think is much more user-friendly. Superdrug offers good prices too!

Rating: 8/10, feel free to up the points.

Matalan (where’s the snappy name?) Card – not enough benefits. When I first signed up for this card I was sent a great money-off voucher, but it’s gone very quiet since. I apparently get entered in a prize draw when my card is scanned (dangling carrot syndrome again). I was told that if I put my email address on the application form, I would receive a gift on my birthday. Well, Matalan, it was my birthday last month (I share a birthday with Stephen Fry actually) so where’s my pressie? I do receive online newsletters of average interest (that’s me being polite) and did seem to get an increase in spam mail after filling in that form – co-incidence, obviously!

Rating: 2/10, starting to wonder “what’s the point”?