Waitrose is to bring back free hot drinks for non-shoppers in response to customer feedback.
Loyalty scheme members of the upmarket supermarket have been advised that from January 27 they can receive one complimentary drink per day provided they use a reusable cup.
The popular perk was introduced to branches in 2013. Its terms changed four years later before Waitrose announced it would do away with the scheme entirely in 2020.
Dame Sharon White, the former chair of the John Lewis Partnership – which operates Waitrose – later slowly reintroduced it for loyalty scheme members who made a purchase.
Now Waitrose has scrapped the purchase rule, meaning MyWaitrose customers can claim free coffees regardless of whether they are doing a shop.
A spokesperson for Waitrose said: "Some of our members like to have their free coffee before or during their shop, rather than afterwards, so we are just offering a bit of flexibility in response to customer feedback."
“In practice, lots of customers do this already, so this is just a formality as part of updated T&Cs.”
Meanwhile, an email sent to members of its loyalty scheme read: “You’ll be able to get your free hot drink without buying anything in store first. Don’t forget your reusable cup!”
The Waitrose coffee offer has attracted mixed sentiments over the years, including when it sparked a backlash, with individuals accusing it of not “trusting its customers” after it announced changes to the MyWaitrose card holder rules in 2017.
An email sent to customers at the time said shoppers would be asked to show proof of purchase before picking up their free drink.
The new move also follows Waitrose offering free hot drinks to members of the police in what the company called an “initiative to cut down on shoplifting”.
When it was introduced in August 2023, West Mercia Police Federation secretary Pete Nightingale said: “It makes sense from a business perspective because any police presence is bound to have an impact – either as a reassurance for shoppers or a deterrent for shoplifters.”
