When it comes to brand loyalty, few stores enjoy the sort of strong relationship with their customers as John Lewis.
It topped a poll by YouGov this year, looking at the high street retailers people would be most likely to recommend, with 81% of respondents saying they would do so.
Its sister supermarket brand Waitrose also enjoys strong backing from the nation’s shoppers, having been rated the best in-store supermarket by consumer champion Which? this year having notched up perfect scores in almost every category.
And shopping in these stores looks set to become a touch more rewarding, with talk of a new, expanded loyalty scheme covering both retailers.
Staying loyal to John Lewis and Waitrose
According to reports in trade bible The Grocer, a new joint loyalty scheme between John Lewis and Waitrose is on the way.
At the moment, the two brands ‒ which are both part of the John Lewis Partnership ‒ operate separate loyalty schemes called My John Lewis and MyWaitrose.
They are pretty popular schemes too, with around seven million MyWaitrose cardholders and 2.6 million My John Lewis cardholders.
However, they are set to be combined as part of a greater integration between the two brands, with Waitrose executive director James Bailey saying that the move will “hopefully come soon”.
It follows a trial a couple of years ago where around 60,000 MyWaitrose and My John Lewis cardholders received combined cards, which they could use to build up benefits across both brands.
And according to The Grocer within a few months half of those given the combined cards had used them.
What do the schemes look like now?
We don’t yet have any details about what the combined scheme will look like, but we do know how the existing schemes work.
Importantly, there aren’t loyalty points, as you may earn with other schemes like Clubcard or Nectar. Instead there are all sorts of freebies and offers that you can take advantage of.
For example, all MyWaitrose members can enjoy a free hot drink when they shop by bringing in a reusable cup and filling up at the self-serve machine.
There’s also a free newspaper when you spend over £10, discounts at the fish counter on Fridays, and exclusive discounts on specific items.
At the moment these include 25% off Kleenex water fresh wipes and Hugg bath salts.
Members of the My John Lewis scheme are sent a “tailored mix” of offers and vouchers each year, and also enjoy members-only shopping events.
Both schemes run a host of exclusive competitions and giveaways that you can only qualify for if you’re a member too.
As with any loyalty scheme, the value you get from it really comes down to how often you shop in that store.
Personally I never go into Waitrose, so even with my love of tea ‒ especially if I don’t have to pay for it ‒ it’s not going to be much use to me. But if it’s your supermarket of choice it makes sense to sign up.
Only time will tell if the new combined loyalty scheme is merely a case of bringing together what's already on offer, or a more fundamental rethink.
It's notable that the stores' upmarket rival Marks & Spencer revamped its Sparks loyalty scheme back in June, with more than a million new app downloads in the eight weeks since.
How can I save more?
Even outside of the loyalty schemes, there are ways to save a few quid when you shop at either Waitrose or John Lewis.
A very simple way to do so is to make use of the John Lewis Partnership credit card, which rewards you with points when you spend.
You will earn five points for every £4 spent in either John Lewis or Waitrose, with one point earned for every £4 spent elsewhere. Every 500 points is worth £5 in vouchers, which will be mailed out to you three times a year.
What’s more, the card offers 0% interest on purchases for the first nine months so it’s a decent option if you’ve got a big spend on the way and need to spread out the repayments.
It’s also always worth checking with a cashback site whether you can get something back when you shop online with a retailer, and John Lewis is no exception.
At the time of writing for example you can pocket 2% on the money you spend at John Lewis with TopCashback.
Previously cashback has been available at Waitrose too though that’s currently paused due to the fallout of Covid-19.
Another option is to check for voucher codes on sites like VoucherCodes.co.uk.
Again there isn’t much on offer for Waitrose at the moment, but there are quite a few codes available for John Lewis, including £10 off baby and nursery orders over £100 and 20% off when you spend upwards of £200 on Lego.