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September 22nd, 2006

Clubcard points

I am deeply against loyalty card schemes as they enable the big multinational supermarkets to spy on you and use your data for their evil purposes. It is quite clearly the sort of thing that is warned about in the book of Revelation.

Having said that we collect Tesco clubcard points as it enables one to get magazine subscriptions for next to nothing. I hope to get UNCUT for a few pounds a year for instance on this very basis. It isn’t as if there is a choice of supermarkets or in fact anywhere else to buy food around here anyway so my severe hypocrisy is easy to justify to myself.

Some of the other clubcard schemes aren’t very good. The Nectar scheme, for instance, where a lifetime spent gathering points will get you a biro and perhaps a mug. I’m sure, now I’ve said that, that someone will write in saying that filling up with petrol once a month enables them to go on a cruise around the Bahamas every year, but I for one don’t believe a word of it.

Anyway, here’s the real point of what I wanted to say. Tesco are now supposedly giving clubcard points for those who re-use plastic bags. Green points, or somesuch. However, I for one have never been awarded any green points and I usually just put the shopping into my rucksack and cycle home with it. Usually it isn’t much – today it was carrots and cheesecake. But I should still be getting my 1p without having to ask.

This is the end of today’s post proper. Please stop reading if the weighty analysis aspect was the only reason you tuned in.

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This is a single post on the Cartoon Blog by Dave posted on Friday, September 22nd, 2006 at 6:05 pm. Click here to read all of the latest posts. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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10 Responses to “Clubcard points”


  1. Tiffer says:

    Yes, I was unsure of the Tesco green points. For a start the adverts came on TV before any staff in our Tescos (the biggest in the world) had heard anything about it – but then I thought, well as an alternative to no bags at all it’s probably good (because sometimes you just didn’t realise you would need a bag + I use a lot of bags in my life).

    But then I realised that it is only bags you “re-use” rather than recycle. This is to stop what was already happening in our Tescos before the campaign even started where people were just taking bags, so that they could get money back later. Now in order to swindle the system you just have to put a yoghurt pot in an individual bag or some such silliness, in order to use as many bags as possible, and perhaps “earn” an extra 5p. But it does mean that if you try not to use plastic bags at all you don’t get anything, sorry Dave. So it is a bit of a token gesture, and yes you do often have to ask for the points. About you not realising the scheme was happening – well either you are a better man than I, or you have been living in a hole for two months.

    I am personally a fan of people buying (maybe borrowing?) bags for a penny, but that apparently is really bad for business (I think some supermarkets tried that in the 90s)

    September 23rd, 2006 at 1:36 am
  2. Mary says:

    I’m another who has never received any extra points for bags! Perhaps we should have a protest!

    On the plus side, I’ve just bought 4 legoland annual passes for a quarter of their original price, using Tesco points.

    My Vicar says Tesco stands for “The Extremely Self-Centred Organisation”. Just thought I’d share that…

    September 23rd, 2006 at 3:13 am
  3. Jen says:

    I’ve not received any extra points either, and I never used their bags – I used my rucksack and/or ‘Bags for Life’ which get constantly re-used. Surely I should be getting green points for that???

    September 23rd, 2006 at 10:07 am
  4. Bimble says:

    I know Sainsbury’s used to give you a penny back on your bill for every plastic bag that you reused, though they stopped doing that a few years ago now.

    September 23rd, 2006 at 11:24 am
  5. Serena says:

    We never use plastic bags, and we’ve been getting points galore for it …but yes, you generally have to ask!

    September 23rd, 2006 at 3:26 pm
  6. ruth says:

    I’m sorry you’ve not had a good week. I always enjoy your cartoons – I don’t always comment to say how much they’ve made me giggle (because you’d soon get fed up with me doing that), but that daddy-long-legs one was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a very long time. It really did have me laughing out loud.

    The downside to blogging cartoons that our laughter is ‘silent’ to you – if you were a stand-up comedian you’d be rewarded there and then by our responses.

    September 23rd, 2006 at 3:36 pm
  7. Jo says:

    Glad to know I’m not the only one who’s noticed this. And I try to avoid Tesco as much as I can as they are the evil empire!

    Anyway, after a green points incident, I wrote to them (nothing like being a proactive super-consumer!):

    “I was wondering if you could please clarify your policy on green clubcard points. For example, today I bought 2 items at my local Tesco and was offered a bag, but I didn’t need one, having my own bag. However, I did not receive a green clubcard point. I would also like to know how the principle of double clubcard points works on items less than £1, as technically double of zero is still zero: are they for the whole shop or just the item?”

    They replied!

    “I was sorry to learn that you have had cause to complain about our green points scheme regarding not receiving your point.
    I need to carry out a full investigation into this matter and would be obliged if you would tell me which particular store is involved.
    Our scheme for clubcard is for every £1.00 spent you received a point therefore to use your double points voucher a minimun spend would be £1.00 and you would receive 2 points.”

    A miracle in itself!

    September 23rd, 2006 at 11:44 pm
  8. Katie D says:

    Another place where I know your book is on the shelves (as I work there and keep picking one up as I’m passing!) is Christian Book Centre, Preston. This is an excellent independent and like all others needs support, use us or lose us!
    How much nicer to buy from a friendly face rather than the internet!
    thanks for all the entertainment, I nearly always laugh out loud at your cartoons!

    September 24th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
  9. Simo says:

    I agree that the idea of club card and any other such points system is just the stores way of spying on you, but I disagree with the idea that nectar points are hard to acquire, we generally save them up over the year and spend them around Christmas, we often have gained around £80 – £100 worth, of course in other stores these are worth even more.

    On another note, I finally got the book on Thursday, and I wish to register a complaint Dave! After picking up my copy at around 4pm on Thursday I somehow found myself reading it and laughing a lot, this of course meant I got very little more work done on Thursday, I think you should warn people of the dangers of reading your book during the working day, it’s just do funny!

    Well done, I will comment over on my blog later!

    September 25th, 2006 at 10:51 am
  10. ferijen says:

    I always ask for the points and bring as many spare carriers to pack my shopping in as possible. Because points mean air miles (which, I suppose, also mean nasty pollutant gases in the air). We do most of our supermarket and petrol shopping at Tesco, and have use Tesco personal finance, and have enough points (after six months or so) to get us both away somewhere significant in Europe and back…

    Besides, the clubcard is in Mr ferijen’s name. Tesco has no idea what goes on in my evil plotting shopping brain…

    September 26th, 2006 at 8:50 pm