Upmarket Waitrose (part of the John Lewis Partnership) has a Price Match campaign with the UK's biggest supermarket Tesco. Shelf edge labels show they are the same price as Tesco on thousands of everyday branded products.
But Waitrose shoppers who rarely venture into downmarket Tesco may not be getting the full picture. This weekend I visited both supermarkets. Waitrose is Price Matching Tesco on 2 leading brands of cheese.
Catherdral City Mature 200g is £2.15 in both stores. But in Tesco you get 2 packs for £2. Barmy I know, but that is better than buy one get one free. The Waitrose shelf edge sticker makes no mention that you could not only save 15p but get another pack free if you bought the cheese at Tesco.
The other cheese offer is Saint Agur. Waitrose Price Match Tesco at £1.99. But Tesco currently offers buy one get one free, so for £1.99 you get not 1, but 2 packs - the equivalent of 99p a pack.
So, yes Waitrose is technically Price Matching Tesco, but they're only giving customers half the picture.
http://www.waitrose.com/offers/brandpricematch_terms.aspx
Waitrose do actually tell their customers this - if they bother to read the terms and conditions of the offer.
http://www.waitrose.com/offers/brandpricematch_terms.aspx
The terms state: "If Tesco has an item on a multi-buy promotion (for example 'buy one get one free') we will still match the single unit selling price of the item but not offer the free product".
Wow. That's a great offer Waitrose, half the value on Tesco's special offers. Of course Waitrose customers will never know - because they don't often venture inside Tesco. Well done Waitrose - a marketing triumph!
