A Guide to Shopping at Sainsbury’s

The reaction to this post taught me one thing: most people don’t know how to shop at Sainsbury’s.

Essentially, there are two ways to shop: with or without SmartShop. And yet, go into any Sainsbury’s and while there are lots self-checkout tills, there are only a few SmartShop tills. Why that is, and how long it’ll take to change customers’ behaviour is a story for another day.

So how do most people shop? They basically go in, load up their carts, and only at the till they found out how much they owe. If this sounds like you, here’s what you’re missing out on.

Budgeting

If you have a budget, and care to stick to it, you’d want to keep track of the total as you shop.

Compare this to online shopping: they calculate the total and factor in any sales, so you know where you stand with each item you add. Your in-store experience should be the same. Put yourself back in control.

Presumably, you can do it yourself if you really wanted to. But how many people shop and crunch the numbers on their phone’s calculator? I’m pretty sure no one does.

Giftcards

Giftcards have two obvious advantages. First, you can get some cashback (For example, 4.10% with Jamdoughnut). Second, it can help you stay on budget. For example, if you buy a £50 Sainsbury’s giftcard for the week, you’re committing yourself to only spending that money. In a sense, it’s a step-up for using pots (Monzo pots, HyperJar), because you’ve already used the money.

Offers in real-time

Sainsbury’s has some incredibly good offers through Nectar card – ones that don’t show up until you scan the item. In that sense, there are three pricing levels: the original price, the one advertised in store, and a third one when you scan the item.

Why does this matter? Here’s the real saving tip: when you scan an item that you buy regularly and it’s 30% off, wouldn’t you take the opportunity to buy more?

Things like rice, pasta, tea, and coffee virtually don’t have an expiration date. So if your favourite Nespresso capsules are heavily discounted with Nectar, you’d be crazy not to get a few more!

Mark Cuban’s Shopping Advice

While the above seems like plain common sense, It’s Mark Cuban’s go-to savings advice: toothpaste, toilet paper – get 40% on the basics. Buy in bulk. Everyone is chasing high returns in the stock market, but here’s it’s given to you risk-free. And people don’t take it.

Offers Tailored To You

Here’s another gem: As you shop with Nectar, over time it’ll start offering discounts on items you regularly buy. That almost seems to good to be true – I can certainly imagine them trying to nudge you to buy new products, while assuming you’ll keep buying the ones you already do.

My only criticism would be directed at their PR efforts: not enough people know just how good Sainsbury’s really is. This could be intentional, of course. A kind of “underpromise and overdeliver” strategy? Who knows.

Avoid the Queues

Scanning the items yourself as you shop isn’t just cost-effective, it also saves you time. When you get to the till, all you have to do is click your little scanner and pay for the items. That’s it. It feels surreal watching 20 people waiting in line, as I walk past them knowing I’ll be home before they even get to the till.

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