This should of taken place from the beginning instead of members just walking into Waitrose purely for a free drink. I think it's only fair you should make a purchase first and if you are one of those cheap skates that only go for a free drink, just buy the 15p gingerbread like suggested. You have the added bonus of giving for gingerbread man a good dunking too! :smile:

The only time I go in there and have my coffee is before spending a good £60-70 on shopping. I can't believe people go there for a coffee then walk out. It's bad manners!

Just where in the email (mine pasted below) does it declare that the "Free Coffee offer" has ceased to be?
My understanding is that you are merely being requested to actually BUY something before taking advantage of their hospitality.

Our myWaitrose free tea and coffee offer is one of the ways we thank our customers for shopping with us - and we want all our customers to be able to enjoy a free hot drink when they shop with us in our branches.

From 3 April, we'll simply be asking myWaitrose members to make a purchase* before collecting their cup at the checkout.

We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding. If you have any questions about this, please either speak with a Partner in your local branch, or alternatively full FAQs can be found through the 'contact us' link below.

Kind regards,
The myWaitrose team

I think minimum spend £5 is a no-brainer. Queuing behind people who've purchased nothing is a kick in the teeth. Considering most supermarkets loyalty programs don't come close I think a minimum spend is only fair.

you could keep the Waitrose cup and sneakily bring it back with you each time!

Do you really believe in these numbers - some staff is filling the machines with 10 2-litre bottles of milk every hour for 10 hours in a day? 20 litres of milk will make around 400 coffees assuming 50ml of milk is used per coffee. Of course, I do not know how much milk these vending machines use compared to a coffee shop who use typically 100-120ml but you cannot compare them. Also majority vending machines use powdered milk which can be easily watered down to what will be drinkable.

I have and the coffee there is good unlike at Waitrose where the actual amount of coffee, i.e. one shot, is so pitiful. Once they've added water to it it's incredibly weak. The size of the coffee is irrelevant really, it's the strength as anyone who knows anything about coffee would know.

My local complains that milk goes wasted and they have to throw it - so could use that milk :smiley: Ask your local to get in touch with my local :smiley:

T&Cs:
16. ‘Excluded Items’, single use carrier bags, tobacco, stamps, mobile top ups, e-Top up vouchers, lottery tickets, gift vouchers, cashback, infant milk formulae, car park charges, fuel and delivery charges.

I've found that the drink itself counts so the minimum spend is only £5-£1.85 = £3.15. Same with the 'free' paper with the £10 spend. On a Saturday for example, your minimum spend is actually only £6.15 if you get a coffee and a Saturday Telegraph. This really is a great perk that Waitrose offer and it would be a real shame to lose it because of a bunch of brazen cheapskates.

I agree. I think the cup is massive in Waitrose!

I guess you have never had a coffee in Italy, you don't get buckets like America.

And what about the maintenance of the coffee machines --- the more they are used, the quicker they wear out or the more often they go wrong... and the cost of each quality paper cup, and the lids, stirrer sticks, packs of sugar, paper napkins.... it all adds up.

I think it's very reasonable to ask customers to buy something before getting a free drink.

My local says they get through around 20 litres of milk every hour for their two machines. If that was sustained 10 hours a day, 6 days a week it would be 1200 litres a week which is maybe £600 just on milk. So I can very easily believe £800 a week in total.

I agree..im almost addicted to it:-)

This isn't new. This has been going on since last year at my local Waitrose. Doesn't seem unreasonable either.

Ah this explains why my local has stopped doing these Buscuits... I was wondering. Hey ho....

Waitrose were very clever with the free coffee offer, it's the only legal drug they can give you for free that will create an addiction and your brain will associate the need of caffeine with a visit to the store, clever subliminal conditioning.

It's incredibly weak. Maybe you have milk in yours so you can't tell but anyone who drinks their coffee black will think it's lousy. I have a double with half the normal amount of water in it and it's just about drinkable, occasionally it's quite nice, but it's a very small cup of coffee indeed. Can't complain for 30p but I'd never pay full price for it. If they stop their free coffees they're unlikely to sell many. All IMHO of course.

Waitrose - free coffee .... 1st world problems eh ....

I've been doing this for ages in Waitrose Banstead, they've always had the buy something rule.Which i completely agree with by the way.So cold because it's not that hard to work out if you want it. :man:

The coffee is pretty iffy so not really worth paying for.

However, when I go to the cafe I pay for an upgrade to a large coffee which counts as a purchase. That costs 30p and gets you a double shot. If you tell them not to top it up with too much water it's almost drinkable. Almost.

Haha they've got the sushi bar in mine and never seen anyone buy anything from there

But it was great publicity for Waitrose - the caring sharing supermarket taken over from the caring sharing Co-Op. Better never to have free coffee than take it away as very bad publicity. Agree it will help people like me who do shop there as shorter queues.

[quote=Cb2b2No. This, this right here is what is wrong with people.
Waitrose offered free coffee. Its not a scam, it's not a loophole, it's not fraud. The almost uniquely British quality of always trying to find a new way to elevate yourself to a higher class level than the filthy proles (actually demonstrated quite nicely by the existence of Waitrose itself (I know, I know, "but the ready meals are so much nicer")) is disgusting and I'm sick of it.
What next, flog the scumbags who take advantage of the half price deals in Tesco? How classless, I only pay full price for my groceries...[/quote]
I don't see why people are getting so emotional about any of this. It seems perfectly reasonable that:

- Waitrose made an offer

- people took up the offer in a way Waitrose didn't expect causing queues which delayed paying customers, and attracting a higher percentage of no-purchase visitors than they probably expected

- Waitrose changed the rules slightly

- Customers can continue to shop there under the new conditions, or go elsewhere.

Yup. There are always some pretty unpleasant people who think they're a cut above. Like this one:


In my local Waitrose the scruffier folk are the ones with most money. They just don't feel the need to flaunt their wealth.

I only go in the place because it's a short walk from home. I actually prefer getting in the car and going to Asda or Sainsburys.

They're just putting a Sushi bar in mine. Can't see it being terribly successful. People really shouldn't eat as much raw fish. They'll end up with mercury poisoning. Quite a price to pay for thinking you're posh.

I always buy something, but the machine never works and there is no cafe at my local so have never really benefitted. The couple times I did get coffee it was all milk and no coffee.

Good on them if you ask me. Yes Waitrose is not the cheapest but you get a better shopping experience. Considering you get to pick your own offers and you get something for free I think it is only fair you actually interact with Waitrose to get it. This, this right here is what is wrong with people. Someone offers something for free and people abuse it to the point where it is unsustainable. :disappointed:

I do like to sip while I shop so a 'buy now get it refunded off your shopping' thing would be nice.

These Gingerbread men are buy 2 get one free, so 30p for 3 biscuits and a cup of coffee ... if you want to splash out!

I've always purchased somthing to get my coffee. Just seems a bit scally, walking up and asking for a cup without buying anything. I do think they should insist on you buying a reusable cup though (£3), all those unrecyclable waitrose cups just seems wastefull.

Never liked the idea of going in for a freebie. Feels a bit undignified.

If I was Mr Waitrose I'd have scrapped it also.

Whenever I walk past my local, it has some very undesirable looking chaps sipping away....

seen people walk in there with their own coffee flasks and fill them up, bold as brass.

also people bring back old cups and have another go.

its coffee-carnage out there i tell ya.

you should check out the Canary wharf store. all these highly paid, smartly dressed workers queuing up for the free drink. crazy long queues. if anyone can afford to pay for a drink, these people can.

I think you will find the 5p bags do not qualify, but the 10p ones do

BUY A 5P CARRIER BAG . DONE

Buy a single sprout or carrot, cheaper still

sorry should be small waitrose not mall!!

yes in my mall waitrose the entire staff of a bank opposite are always in just getting coffee!! as if the bank can't afford to have tea n coffee!!

May
reduce queues hopefully!

It was never intended to be a loyalty bonus, although it is promoted as such. The coffee costs come out of the marketing budget and was designed to increase footfall into the stores with the hope that some non regular ls will shop there. Like all supermarkets, there are loss leaders to get you in store.
A Brussel sprout is 3p.
Probably not so good for dipping as a mini man.

A small button mushroom is apparently only 3p. Read this in a newspaper article 3 or 4 days ago

to start with I went in just for the coffee but now I actually do small shops there so I guess their marketing worked

however I mostly buy reduced stuff or specific items that I know are about the same price at other supermarkets

if you just want the coffee then another option is the 25p aspirin (yes I know its hard to believe certain items are actually cheap at waitrose) - a checkout lady cheekily once asked me if the coffee was to wash it down with

well i think the workaround if you go into the cafe is just to order a large and pay the difference - not free but more coffee

that is a very conservative figure as well btw

The only time I go in there and have my coffee is before spending a good £60-70 on shopping. I can't believe people go there for a coffee then walk out. It's bad manners!

Great. Will got where every morning on the way to work for a quick cup.. works ouy cheaper than making at home..

Kind regards

Actually, if you're a real cheapskate, you need only spend 10p - on a bag for life. I don't advocate that, but it will inevitably happen, and that will inevitably mean a further tightening of the rules at some point so that there's a minimum spend of, say, £5.

I will dispute the £800/week costs of running the tea/coffee at a Waitrose branch. If that is being calculated using the average price of a coffee at Waitrose Cafe then it is a meaningless number as scrapping this benefit will not result in suddenly people paying at Waitrose Cafe.
One should look at the actual variable costs like Tea/Coffee/Milk/Sugar and that is unlikely to be that large.
I would however support the intiative asking customers to make a purchase before being offered free Coffee/Tea as you only a customer if you buy something :smiley:

I live in Essex where they trailed this new rule over the last few months.

Seems to have stopped the free for all at the 2 places in my town.

I also find that the help desk and floor staff are also happy about the change that came in.

Also all the moaning on here. True Waitrose customers would not stoop so low. They are the ones with the money.

Yeah my local ends up with all the mothers who drag their **** there just for free coffee after the school run.

I think minimum spend £5 is a no-brainer. Queuing behind people who've purchased nothing is a kick in the teeth. Considering most supermarkets loyalty programs don't come close I think a minimum spend is only fair.

Cheaper still just weigh a small single carrot or even a mushroom and pay.
Personally I've never taken advantage of this offer. I can't thou see the problem with making a purchase first, seems reasonable enough to me especially as they are not specifying a amount you have to spend . in order to get a free drink.

It will keep the bloody mooching students as well as the office workers out of my local Waitrose too. Cheeky gets!

This should of taken place from the beginning instead of members just walking into Waitrose purely for a free drink. I think it's only fair you should make a purchase first and if you are one of those cheap skates that only go for a free drink, just buy the 15p gingerbread like suggested. You have the added bonus of giving for gingerbread man a good dunking too! :smile:

Just where in the email (mine pasted below) does it declare that the "Free Coffee offer" has ceased to be?
My understanding is that you are merely being requested to actually BUY something before taking advantage of their hospitality.

Our myWaitrose free tea and coffee offer is one of the ways we thank our customers for shopping with us - and we want all our customers to be able to enjoy a free hot drink when they shop with us in our branches.

From 3 April, we'll simply be asking myWaitrose members to make a purchase* before collecting their cup at the checkout.

We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding. If you have any questions about this, please either speak with a Partner in your local branch, or alternatively full FAQs can be found through the 'contact us' link below.

Kind regards,
The myWaitrose team