Storm in a teacup over free supermarket drinks

Friday 30 January 2015

You can still enjoy a cuppa while you’re doing your weekly shop in three of the Island’s supermarkets.

Anger has been brewing amongst Waitrose customers after the national media reported that the retailer was clamping down on its free hot drinks to stop customers abusing its loyalty scheme.

But the retailer who gives out a million free teas and coffees each week to MyWaitrose cardholders in branches across the UK and here says it’s not making any changes. It just wants shoppers to buy something else if they set down with their free drink in one of their in-store cafés.

Waitrose said: “A complimentary tea or coffee while shopping with us is one of our ways of saying thank you to our customers.



“Most people who have their MyWaitrose free drink in the café understand that they should buy something from the café to have with their tea or coffee, and so we are simply confirming that.


“MyWaitrose members who would like to drink their free tea or coffee in the café will also need to buy something in the café, such as a sandwich, cake or piece of fruit to go with their drink. Customers can still buy a drink in the café too.



“Of course myWaitrose customers can still get their free hot drink from the self-serve machines whilst they are shopping with us.”

Waitrose at Les Quennevais is the only one of its stores in the Island that has a sit down café.