Woolworths "rewards"

[Pedro]

With the much heralded new rewards system rolled out by Woolworths, I went to my local store to buy a loaf of bread. The result of which prompted me to email them a message outlining my opinion....

QUOTE: "I pick up a loaf of Abbotts country grains bread and the checkout operator says $5.50 thanks. No I say, its $3.50. Oh she says, you get the extra $2 back in Woolworths dollars.
So Woolworths has $2 of my money (multiply that by millions of customers) to use on the overnight money market or whatever, and I get sfa. What lunatic thought up that brainwave?
Goodbye Woolworths - hello Coles. (At least their Flybuys rewards is genuine)" UNQUOTE.

[Sam_Boss260]

huh? so you had to pay an extra $2 for the bread to put on your rewards card?

[nstg8a]

Yeah it's a crock. Qantas points were much better, although I understand it was costing 100 million a year...

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

Yeah it's a crock. Qantas points were much better, although I understand it was costing 100 million a year...

And they are canning it in December?

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Pedro

What lunatic thought up that brainwave?

Probably some 4r53hat with an MBA who thinks he's sooooo clever that we'll never notice....

[wodahs]

The only reason I originally got the rewards card was for the Qantas points so was already thinking an exit

[Ben73]

Was the breads original price $3.50 or $5.50?

I just use flybys. Forget about them for a few years and you earn enough points to get something worth a few hundred for free.

[pottery beige]

its a scam

bro

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by Ben73

Was the breads original price $3.50 or $5.50?

I just use flybys. Forget about them for a few years and you earn enough points to get something worth a few hundred for free.

It was $3.50. I went from that store to Coles and bought it for their standard price that was a couple of cents cheaper.

[Geez Louise]

Originally Posted by Pedro

It was $3.50. I went from that store to Coles and bought it for their standard price that was a couple of cents cheaper.

Well there's an issue right there. Woolworths,Coles etc all have a policy. If it scans at the wrong ticketed price, you get that item for free! It has been that way for ages. Promotion, scam, extra points etc...the policy remains the same.

I would have argued the point and walked away with my free loaf of bread!

Cheers
Col

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Well there's an issue right there. Woolworths,Coles etc all have a policy. If it scans at the wrong ticketed price, you get that item for free! It has been that way for ages. Promotion, scam, extra points etc...the policy remains the same.

I would have argued the point and walked away with my free loaf of bread!

Cheers
Col

No Louise. The original price was $3.50. Its now priced at $5.50 so the scan was correct. Woolworths put it up $2 then allocate that extra $2 to your "rewards" and then give you your own money back later and tell you that you're getting a discount.

[castellan]

Originally Posted by Pedro

No Louise. The original price was $3.50. Its now priced at $5.50 so the scan was correct. Woolworths put it up $2 then allocate that extra $2 to your "rewards" and then give you your own money back later and tell you that you're getting a discount.

I went in to woolworths yesterday and got two 2032 energizer battery's it said $6.50 and I went through the do it your self rubbish and got charged $8.50 for it and it did not give me a recite, so I thought to hell with it, why cause a fuss.
I will be on to them now.

All this new age scaming crap has to go ! it's a disgrace.

[deesun]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Well there's an issue right there. Woolworths,Coles etc all have a policy. If it scans at the wrong ticketed price, you get that item for free! It has been that way for ages. Promotion, scam, extra points etc...the policy remains the same.

I would have argued the point and walked away with my free loaf of bread!

Cheers
Col

It was probably ticketed correctly and no disrespect to the OP but if there are two prices shown on a ticket the customer will always automatically think they get it for the lesser price without reading the ticket.

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by deesun

It was probably ticketed correctly and no disrespect to the OP but if there are two prices shown on a ticket the customer will always automatically think they get it for the lesser price without reading the ticket.

Please read post #39.
Before the new "rewards" system was introduced the item was ticketed at $3.50. Now its ticketed at $5.50. There is NO double price.
How many times do I have to explain this???

[CoupeKing]

Shop right and you'll save more $$ than any rewards/points/loyalty card will give you.

Aldi has blossomed and another chain is heading our way.

[cycle myth]

Absolutely.

Vote with your feet (I mean wallet).

[xr6turboford]

Originally Posted by CoupeKing

Shop right and you'll save more $$ than any rewards/points/loyalty card will give you.

Aldi has blossomed and another chain is heading our way.

Can't wait for Aldi to open in SA only a few months to go as Woolworths prices a rip

[white lightning]

Originally Posted by xr6turboford

Can't wait for Aldi to open in SA only a few months to go as Woolworths prices a rip

Having experienced Aldi in another State, I will be surprised if you are happy buying cheap unadulterated shyte !!

[GazzF6]

Yep, everyday rewards... FF points disappear at the end of the year...

Happy New Year I'm out!

[NTF6]

Originally Posted by GazzF6

Yep, everyday rewards... FF points disappear at the end of the year...

Happy New Year I'm out!

If you really want to clock up Qantas FF points fast get one of these:

https://www.citibank.com.au/aus/cred...gnatureqde.htm

I got mine when they had a bonus 70,000 points for signing up, I use my card for everything and pay off the balance at statement time therefore paying zero interest and when I shop at Woolies I use my Citibank card and my Woolies Rewards card and get double points. I manage to clock up over 140,000 points in just over 9 months.

I bailed on my Westpac Rewards card because they were too selective on the flights I could redeem for, now Citibank just transfer over my accrued points straight onto my QFF card every month.

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by tempted

I really don't get this love for Aldi. Sure the prices may be lower, but you are getting unknown generic brands from unknown sources with zero reputation and questionable quality. There have been several cases of late with Aldi products contaminated with maggots, for me this is reason enough to keep away.
Not to mention that the profits get shipped straight back to Germany.
I'll stick with Coles and Woolies. I'm happy to pay a little extra for reputable products and they are both Australian owned.
As for the rewards schemes, I rarely ever fly, so the Qantas points are useless to me. I'd much rather save money on my shopping.

While I understand where you're coming from temped ... your argument is seriously flawed.
Check the labelling on Woolworths own brand products and you will find the majority are sourced outside Australia, so they are from unknown processors. Probably why they dropped the "'helping Australian farmers" mantra from their advertising.

[Adamz Ghia]

Originally Posted by tempted

I don't think my argument is flawed at all. Woolworths and Coles may stock their generic own brand products, but they also stock products from well known brands and manufacturers, giving the consumer a choice. At Aldi you don't get that choice - its their generic crap or nothing.
I generally keep away from home brand products unless its an absolute last resort, so your argument holds no relevance with me.
Shopping at Aldi is just another classic example of Australians shooting themselves in the foot. They are buying cheap crap from a foreign company that sends profits overseas, all in the name of saving a buck. It reminds me exactly of the way people deserted Australian made cars for cheap foreign crap, allowing the local industry to languish.

I come from retail, from both retailer and supplier. I won't say your argument is flawed, but it's stuck in the old world. Most home brand lines in Coles and Woolworths are in fact made by the big labels and packaged in their private labels. I can't speak for Aldi, but given a lot of their brands are Aussie owned and more Aussie made, there are only so many manufacturers in this country so some of their stuff is probably made by the big names as well.

Coles tinned tomatoes are 99 cents but they're made by SPC, who sell theirs for $1.50. Coles cheese is made by Warrnambool Chesse and Butter, who sell their brand cheese for $3 or $4 more than the same cheese wrapped in a Coles wrapper.

10 to 15 years ago yes, home brand products were something to stay away from, but not anymore.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

I come from retail, from both retailer and supplier. I won't say your argument is flawed, but it's stuck in the old world. Most home brand lines in Coles and Woolworths are in fact made by the big labels and packaged in their private labels. I can't speak for Aldi, but given a lot of their brands are Aussie owned and more Aussie made, there are only so many manufacturers in this country so some of their stuff is probably made by the big names as well.

Coles tinned tomatoes are 99 cents but they're made by SPC, who sell theirs for $1.50. Coles cheese is made by Warrnambool Chesse and Butter, who sell their brand cheese for $3 or $4 more than the same cheese wrapped in a Coles wrapper.

10 to 15 years ago yes, home brand products were something to stay away from, but not anymore.

Yep, you will find that most 'no name' stuff is actually made on the same production line as the branded stuff. Sometimes they will modify the recipe every so slightly to change the taste, or use a slightly different mould to their branded one.

A guy I used to work with did night work at a factory (Arnott's??) and told me that they would do several runs over the week all packaged differently.

It's just a way to capture more of the market. Insurance does it, banks do it etc.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

It's just a way to capture more of the market. Insurance does it, banks do it etc.

Yes and no. Suppliers make little/no profit on home brand, it covers their overheads. The branded product is what keeps them in business. When they eventually lose shelf space for the branded item to the home brand, what then?

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

Coles tinned tomatoes are 99 cents but they're made by SPC, who sell theirs for $1.50. Coles cheese is made by Warrnambool Chesse and Butter, who sell their brand cheese for $3 or $4 more than the same cheese wrapped in a Coles wrapper.

10 to 15 years ago yes, home brand products were something to stay away from, but not anymore.

For how long? SPC's business may be sustainable at $1.50, but not at $0.99. At some point, enough people shift from the $1.50 product to the $0.99 one, and the $1.50 product gets the boot by the supermarket. What then for SPC? They cant operate offering the $0.99 product, so the supermarket source from China/Thailand/etc.

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by b0son

For how long? SPC's business may be sustainable at $1.50, but not at $0.99. At some point, enough people shift from the $1.50 product to the $0.99 one, and the $1.50 product gets the boot by the supermarket. What then for SPC? They cant operate offering the $0.99 product, so the supermarket source from China/Thailand/etc.

I never buy home brand or you'll love coles crap, nor do I shop at Aldi, for that very reason. I'm not that much of a tight wad, I don't buy cup after cup of coffee at work so I'm happy to pay an extra $5 or $10 at the checkout to buy reputable brands that I have known all my life. Australian made wherever possible, mainly because I value my health and don't trust the regulatory authorities in the squalid, undeveloped hell holes that a lot of imported stuff comes from.

[Adamz Ghia]

Originally Posted by b0son

For how long? SPC's business may be sustainable at $1.50, but not at $0.99. At some point, enough people shift from the $1.50 product to the $0.99 one, and the $1.50 product gets the boot by the supermarket. What then for SPC? They cant operate offering the $0.99 product, so the supermarket source from China/Thailand/etc.

You'll find there isn't much of a cost difference between the two in terms of what Coles pays SPC, especially once you factor in what SPC pays for promo and shelf location. Coles and Woolies will never solely source from overseas, the home market for Australian produce is too big and too profitable for them to ignore.

[nuthin' fancy]

Originally Posted by tempted

I don't think my argument is flawed at all. Woolworths and Coles may stock their generic own brand products, but they also stock products from well known brands and manufacturers, giving the consumer a choice. At Aldi you don't get that choice - its their generic crap or nothing.
I generally keep away from home brand products unless its an absolute last resort, so your argument holds no relevance with me.
Shopping at Aldi is just another classic example of Australians shooting themselves in the foot. They are buying cheap crap from a foreign company that sends profits overseas, all in the name of saving a buck. It reminds me exactly of the way people deserted Australian made cars for cheap foreign crap, allowing the local industry to languish.

Sorry Tempted, you are still off the mark.

Profits may go overseas but they are still employing Australians contributing to the Australian tax system. They have limited 'name' brands. I see see Heinz soups and Streets Blue Ribbon ice-cream. There are a number of their lines that I find too salty (e.g. pre-packaged burrito kits) and buy these elsewhere.

Their bakehouse bread cannot be distinguished from Abbbots or Helgas.

And it is not as though Coles and Safeway are good corporate citizens anyway. Look how they have stuffed the fuel cycle and destroy any opposition in liquor sales. They treat their staff poorly too.

Now they want to sell home loans and credit cards. At least Aldi sticks (mainly) to retail sales.

As for the Australian car industry, we never should have had one with complete manufacture. We have always subsidised the industry and ended up paying too much for what we were getting. Component manufacture is where we should have (and should be) headed.

I know the last comment doesn't sit well with my passion for Aussie Fords, but who isn't inconistent from time-to-time?

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by nuthin' fancy

Sorry Tempted, you are still off the mark.

Profits may go overseas but they are still employing Australians contributing to the Australian tax system.

Aldi is good for competition but I would never shop there because they spend 2% back on there work force, there workers are paid well they can do this because there staffing levels are very low.

Our big 2 spend coles and Woolies spend 8 to 9%, employ a lot more people in store and have staff who will answer a phone.
These stats are a couple of years old now and may have changed, if its about jobs stick with the big 2.

[STEALTHY]

Originally Posted by tempted

I generally keep away from home brand products unless its an absolute last resort, so your argument holds no relevance with me.

I hate to break it to you, but you're wasting money!

Alot of 'home brand' products are infact identicle.

I used to work at a milk factory, which made the milk for Woolies, Coles, IGA etc. All the milk is identicle. All that changes, is the line stops for a minute, and new labels are stickered onto the bottles.

Pura Milk is the exact same as Woolies, coles, IGA, Foodland, and Drake, and also Home brand (which is sold alongside woolies/coles, and pura)). Likewise their Pura Skim was the same as the 'light' versions of all these brands.