The Unofficial Sainsbury's Thread

[WillPS]

Virgin as in Virgin Money, formerly Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, surely?

Surely?

It's not the same Virgin as five years ago.

Is it not?

As for Electron, they meant Visa Debit.

Do they?

[Zimba]

As for Electron, they meant Visa Debit.

I'm not too sure about that, the cards still exist but are extremely rare. You need online authentication to take a payment though - which obviously was a problem.

Debit cards can be used offline.

[thegeek]

This 2018 document (linked from the Visa Electron Wikipedia page) says that Electron will be entirely phased out by April 13th this year.

[WillPS]

Debit cards can be used offline.

Not universally. Online only debit cards, which may or may not be branded differently from offline-enabled debit cards, are a thing, and have been since Visa retired the Electron brand in the UK (at least).

When they first moved to Visa from Solo/Maestro Natwest and RBS issued different designs to represent the online-only ones (replacing Solo) and the offline enabled ones (replacing Maestro) - but neither had wording to suggest there was or wasn't a limitation and both had embossed numerals (implying an old fashioned impression could be taken). I remember some railway TVMs had staff created signs advising 'blue Natwest Visa cards wont work in this machine' and similar.

By contrast Santander replaced their Abbey Electron cards with Visa Debit cards which were essentially the same as before - flat card with the clear 'electronic use only' wordage as common on Electrons.

Subsequently all the above were replaced with designs which were the same* for both online and offline cards. In fact, I think it's possible for a card's offline ability to be swapped 'on the fly'.

*save for a few oddities - like if you get an RBS account at the "London Child & Co" branch you'll get a fancy Child & Co card, except if RBS opt to give you an online-only card, in which case you'll get the default RBS design.

[Martin Phillp]

My nearest Sainsbury's has finally scrapped the segregation of baskets and trollies from the self checkouts with new signs indicating that the basket only tills are now for lighter shops and the trolley only tills are now for heavy shops.

Staff never implemented the basket/trolley only rules in the first place sending basket shoppers to the trolley self-service area if they were free.

[thegeek]

I just, I don’t know, I can’t get my head round paying someone to go to the shop for me because I can’t be arsed. Yes yes I know, some people aren’t able to etc, but I don’t think that’s who is using this.

Wait until you hear about the prolifieration of corner shops on wheels in London.

I've mostly been rinsing them for their venture capital-backed generous new customer offers, but I see getir's bikes out and about all the time so clearly there's some pent-up demand. I've found them good for the sweet spot between 'can't be bothered cooking but can't justify takeaway so bring me a nice pizza please', and it'll arrive before the oven's even heated up.

I guess the venture capital has run out
https://news.sky.com/story/amp/grocery- ... t-13118655

[Martin Phillp]

Getir's downfall are the existing food delivery apps that don't have any warehouses as their riders can collect from shops including small independents.

I have their app and I did notice recently that the offers to get me to shop were becoming more desperate which is never a great sign of a viable business.

[scottishtv]

Was asked about potential new 'Nectar Price' SEL designs in a survey:

[bilky asko]

I like Number 3 the best out of those.

[Martin Phillp]

The current SELs I can read with my glasses off, but I'd have to take my reading glasses for those new ones, although I can read the prices without.

[gottago]

They're fitting out a new Sainsbury's Local between Shoreditch and Liverpool St, or at least I think it should be a Local as it seems to have no depth, but the signs in the windows so far are suggesting it's just "Sainsbury's". Possible phasing out of the Local brand? It did make me wonder if actually you do still need Local, Express etc in this day and age. We all know a city centre branch is going to be a small one with a tiny range so why flag it in the name? I guess it points out to some that there will probably be a price increase but is that something they want to flag as a company?