Latest news with #reusableCup
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Waitrose to make huge loyalty scheme change this week that will leave shoppers divided
WAITROSE is making a huge change to its loyalty scheme as it adds a new perk but shoppers will be divided. The supermarket is offering shoppers the chance to borrow a reusable coffee cup so they can redeem their free coffee when shopping as part of a new trial. 1 Shoppers will have seven days to return the cup to a designated collection point or they will be charged a £3 penalty. The trial will reduce plastic waste as part of a 'circular' system. The scheme will be available in nine branches before it can be rolled out more widely. It is understood that its store in Newark is one of the shops taking part in the trial. To 'Borrow a Free Cup' shoppers will need to tap their MyWaitrose card. They can then fill the cup from Waitrose's hot drinks machine as usual. A Waitrose spokesperson said: 'We're currently conducting a reusable cup trial in nine of our branches - it kicked off this week and is available for MyWaitrose members to use when redeeming their free coffee, or for our cafe customers to use if purchasing one.' Shoppers who bring their own cup will still be able to claim their free coffee. The only requirement for the reusable cups is that they fit under the nozzle of the self-service coffee machine. What other changes has Waitrose made in store? The move is the latest update to the supermarket's free hot drink offer after it changed its free coffee terms and conditions in January. Shopper reveals the 'best time' to hit Waitrose for yellow sticker bargains, as she bags strawberries and milk for 69p Previously the posh supermarket only offered the free drink to shoppers who bought something in store first. This is the same rule as was initially brought in when the deal was first launched in 2013. Shoppers still needed to bring a reusable cup in order to bag the freebie. Waitrose brought back the free coffee perk in October 2022 after it was axed in 2017 to cut costs. Supermarket loyalty schemes - which has one? MOST UK supermarkets have loyalty schemes so customers can build up points and save money while they shop. Here we round up what saving programmes you'll find at the big brands. Iceland: Unlike other stores, you don't collect points with the Iceland Bonus Card. Instead, you load it up with money and Iceland will give you £1 for every £20 you save. Lidl Plus: Lidl customers don't collect points when they shop, and are instead rewarded with personalised vouchers that gives them money off at the till. Morrisons: The My Morrisons: Make Good Things Happen replaces the More Card and rewards customers with personalised money off vouchers via the app. Sainsbury's: While Sainsbury's doesn't have a personal scheme, it does own the Nectar card which can also be used in Argos, eBay and other shops. You need 200 Nectar points to save up £1 to spend on your card. You need to spend at least £1 to get one Nectar point. Tesco: Tesco Clubcard has over 17million members in the UK alone. You use it each time you shop and build up points that can be turned into vouchers - 150 points gets you a £1.50 voucher. Here you need to spend £1 in Tesco to get one point. Waitrose: myWaitrose also doesn't allow you to collect points but instead you'll get access to free hot drinks, and discounts off certain brands in store. Supermarket staff handed out cups to customers after they had paid for their shopping and there was no minimum spend. The move left some members fuming while others criticised it and pointed out that you could buy a small item, such as a banana, to get the free drink. Last August Waitrose trialled recyclable disposable coffee cups in ten of its stores. It originally removed disposable cups from its stores in 2018 to reduce waste. The change meant that only shoppers who brought their own cup could claim their free coffee. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@
CNN
29-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Starbucks is changing one of the most
Starbucks is changing one of the most generous parts of its loyalty program, marking the latest effort by CEO Brian Niccol to boost profits. Beginning June 24, the coffee chain is eliminating the 25-star bonus for customers that bring in a personal, reusable cup for drink orders. Moving forward, they will instead earn double stars on their entire order, a Starbucks spokesperson confirmed, which might result in fewer stars. Accumulating the 25-star bonus, which began in 2022, was used by some Starbucks customers as a quick way to score a free coffee, tea or snack at the 100 point redemption level, or as a strategy to earn enough to redeem them on fancier drinks, food and merchandise for more stars, ranging from 200 to 400. Reducing that perk is the latest way that Niccol is dialing back deals in hopes of bolstering Starbucks' profit margins. One of his first orders of business was reducing discounts and promotions offered to loyalty members on its app to reposition Starbucks as a premium brand while also reducing the strain on employees. The latest change means that a customer ordering just a drink will get fewer stars. For example, a beverage in a personal cup that costs $4, like a medium iced coffee, would currently earn more than 30 stars if paid through a Starbucks card on the app. Next month, that will be reduced by about half the number of stars. However, the change benefits people with larger orders — i.e. a drink in a personal cup, a sandwich and a snack — because they would get more bonus stars. Plus, Starbucks confirmed that it's keeping the $0.10 discount when using a personal cup. Niccol has made many changes at the struggling company, which reported weaker-than-expected earnings report last month. He's changed employee uniforms, overhauled the menu by cutting 30% of its offerings and instituted a new policy restricting restrooms to paying customers. He has also brought back a company tradition of baristas doodling on cups, as well as self-serve milk and sugar stations.
