Tesco and Sainsbury’s using ‘potentially dodgy tactics’ with loyalty card prices, Which? claims
Customer loyalty schemes at Sainsbury’s and Tesco are “not all they’re cracked up to be” with regular prices being inflated so promotions look better than they really are, according to a consumer champion.
Which? says the supermarket giants are using “potentially dodgy tactics” and has shared the findings of its investigation with the Competition and Markets Authority.
But the retailers have disputed the claims – arguing it had failed to take inflation into account, and Trading Standards rules had been followed.
Which? said it had tracked more than 140 Clubcard and Nectar card prices at Tesco and Sainsbury’s over six months.
About 29% of member-only promotions were at their so-called regular price for less than half of that period.
Which? identified three main problems around the regular price quoted for products on offer to customers with loyalty cards – that they were far more expensive than at other supermarkets, that they had been changed right before the promotion, or were only available for a short amount of time.
The research is part of the watchdog’s inquiry into the increasingly widespread use of loyalty card schemes across supermarkets, which only gives customers who are signed up access to the lower tier of pricing.
Among the deals of concern to Which? was a jar of Nescafé Gold Blend Instant Coffee (200g) advertised at Sainsbury’s for £6 with a Nectar card – a saving of £2.10 on the “regular” price of £8.10.
But the regular price had also been £6 at Sainsbury’s until it went up to £8.10 just two days before the Nectar price launched.
Which? also found the regular Sainsbury’s price was significantly higher than at other supermarkets, such as Asda, where the same jar cost £7, or at Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose where it was available for £6.
It was even cheaper at Tesco (£5.99) and at Lidl (£5.49).
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In another example, Which? found Heinz Salad Cream (605g) at Tesco with a Clubcard price of £3.50 and a regular price of £3.90 – even though its regular price had been £2.99 for several weeks before it was increased to £3.90, 22 days before the Clubcard promotion.
Which? found the condiment has been its regular price for just 25 days out of 183, or 14% of the previous six months.
Overall, Which? found a third of the products at Sainsbury’s (34% of 71 products) were the “regular” price less than half the time over the previous six months.
At Tesco, the same was true for 24% of the 70 items analysed.
Which? said: “Tesco and Sainsbury’s are using potentially dodgy tactics on some of their loyalty offers which can give the impression that savings are more substantial than they really are.”
‘Flawed methodology’
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “Which? fails to recognise that base prices have been increasing throughout the year due to inflation. Our promotional rules around Nectar Prices are informed by the guidance from Trading Standards.
“The Nescafe Gold example demonstrates Which?’s flawed methodology as the claim that the ‘regular’ price was £6 is untrue.
“The base price of this item has been £8.10 since December 2022 and £6 was a promotional price throughout this year, including on Nectar Prices when it launched in April.”
A Tesco spokesman said: “All our Clubcard Price promotions follow strict rules, including considering how they compare against prices in the market, to ensure they represent genuine value and savings for our Clubcard members.
“These rules have been endorsed by our Trading Standards Primary Authority.”
Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: “It’s not surprising that shoppers are questioning whether supermarket loyalty card prices are really a good deal, as our investigation shows that up to a third of loyalty offers at Tesco and Sainsbury’s are not all they’re cracked up to be.
“Which? is calling on supermarkets to make sure that their loyalty card prices don’t mislead and for the regulator to look more closely at this growing trend towards dual pricing. There is also the important issue of whether it is right for certain groups to be excluded from member-only schemes.”
Rubbish will continue rotting in the streets of Birmingham for months, union chiefs have warned, after more workers voted to join industrial action.
Agency workers employed by Job&Talent are now joining the dispute for the first time, with the Unite union blaming “an epidemic of bullying, harassment and intimidation”.
And with workers voting to extend the already months-long strike, the union says bins could go uncollected beyond next year’s local elections in May.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre left) on the picket line in Tyseley, Birmingham, to support striking bin workers. Pic: PA
It comes after footage obtained by Sky News captured a manager from Job&Talent warning agency staff that those who join the strike would be blacklisted by the council.
In the clip, he says: “Those people that do decide to join the picket line, then the council have confirmed to us that they are not going to get a permanent job.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham added: “This is a real escalation in the dispute with agency workers now joining picket lines due to the terrible way they have been treated by Job&Talent and Birmingham council.
“The council is spending a fortune it doesn’t have on a dispute that could easily be resolved by agreeing a fair deal for workers.
“Unite does what it says on the trade union tin; we are totally committed to fighting for the jobs, pay and conditions of all members.
“Agency and directly-employed workers alike in Birmingham council’s refuse service have the union’s complete and utter support.”
Striking refuse workers outside Perry Barr depot in Birmingham. Pic: PA
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: “While we are disappointed the dispute has not been resolved as Unite has rejected all our offers, we are continuing to make regular waste collections and our contingency plan is working.
“We have been collecting an average of approximately 1,330 tonnes of kerbside waste every day, more than we did prior to industrial action, and over the last six months we have collected over 100,000 tonnes of kerbside waste.
“There has been a 22 per cent increase in tonnage of waste collected per employee and a 52 per cent improvement regarding missed collections.
“A small number of agency staff are in a separate dispute with Job&Talent. The city council has contingency plans and will continue to look to maintain residents with a minimum of one collection a week.
“Meanwhile we continue to move forward with the service improvements that are long overdue and that our residents need.”
Uncollected refuse bags in the Aston area of Birmingham. Pic: PA
The council also said it would not tolerate blacklisting, and had investigated the matter, but concluded no blacklisting had taken place.
In a statement last week, Job&Talent responded to the leaked footage.
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The statement read: “Job&Talent is aware of a short video clip circulating online which shows a Job&Talent manager speaking to agency workers at one of the city’s refuse depots.
“The comments made in the recording were part of a longer discussion and do not reflect the position of Job&Talent.
“We do not engage in or condone any form of blacklisting, and no worker is or would be denied employment opportunities on the basis of lawful participation in industrial action.”
Unite said Job&Talent workers would be able to join the picket line from 1 December.
Bin workers have been locked in a standoff with the council over proposed pay cuts for most of the year.
Union bosses say council plans will leave 171 workers £8,000 worse off a year.
Collections have been disrupted since January, but the row descended into an all-out strike in March.
Uncollected refuse bags in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham. Pic: PA
The council soon declared a major incident and rubbish has continued to pile up across the city as the dispute continues.
Unite claims there have been no formal negotiations over ending the dispute since May.
The union’s lead officer, Onay Kasab, said: “Residents of Birmingham will be rightly concerned to see that the misery of bin strikes can continue through Christmas, New Year and beyond May’s local elections but the council is solely responsible for the ongoing dispute.
“Unite remains fully committed to return to meaningful negotiations to secure a fair deal for affected workers while also ensuring the endemic bullying culture and threats of blacklisting are stamped out.”
In a statement, Job&Talent said: “We acknowledge the ballot outcome and will continue working closely with our workers to address any concerns.
“The result reflects only a small portion of our overall workforce.
“As addressed previously, Job&Talent remains firmly committed to operating with transparency, integrity, and full compliance with employment laws.”
The government has announced plans to make it almost impossible for new housing developments near train stations to be opposed.
Changes to planning rules being announced by the government today will make it easier to build on sites within 15 minutes’ walk of “well-connected” stations, including on green belt land.
It will amount to developments near stations getting a “default yes”.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed – who will appear on Sky News’ Mornings With Ridge And Frost at 7.15am – will also get “stronger powers” to deal with councils that “drag their feet” on approving new homes.
“I promised we’d get Britain building and that’s exactly what we are doing,” he said ahead of the announcements.
“But it has to be the right homes in the right places and nearby transport links are a vital part of that.”
Housing Secretary Steve Reed, who took the job over from Angela Rayner. Pic: PA
Under Mr Reed’s proposals, councils that intend to refuse planning permission to developments with more than 150 homes will have to inform the government, giving ministers the final say.
Some organisations that are legally required to be consulted on planning applications could also be removed from the list, including Sport England and The Gardens Trust.
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The changes involve amending the National Planning Policy Framework.
The Conservatives accused the government of trying to “railroad through unpopular developments”, as it tries to hit its ambitious target of building 1.5 million homes by the next election.
According to the most recent figures, only 231,000 were built between last year’s election and September 2025.
Watch and follow Mr Reed’s interview on Mornings With Ridge And Frost across Sky News and in the Politics Hub.
The government is reportedly set to ban the resale of tickets for live events above their face value.
Music and sport fans have long complained about live event tickets being quickly bought up only to be immediately relisted at grossly inflated prices.
The process is often carried out using bots – automated apps that repeatedly mimic customers to sweep up large numbers of tickets as soon as they’re released.
The people operating them can be based anywhere in the world.
A government consultation had sought views on a proposed cap of 30% above cost, but The Guardian and Financial Times say ministers are expected to set the resale limit at face value.
Service fees charged will also reportedly be capped.
The government refused to comment when approached by Sky News, but it’s believed an announcement could come on Wednesday.
Labour pledged in their manifesto to put an end to rip-off tickets and repeated the promise when they came to power.
But there has been little word on the policy since, with seven months having gone by since a consultation ended.
Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Sam Fender, Iron Maiden, and Radiohead were among acts who last week urged the government to follow through and “restore faith in the ticketing system”.
Dua Lipa is also sipporting the campaign to reform ticket resales. Pic: AP
The Football Supporters’ Association, some ticketing firms, and groups representing the theatre and music industries also signed the statement.
Ticketmaster parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, said it “fully supports” banning resale above face value and added that it already had such a policy.
Some UK secondary ticketing sites already have a face value cap or limit the mark-up. Others allow prices far in excess of face value.
For example, Viagogo and Stubhub are listing tickets for Radiohead’s Saturday show in London from around £400 for seating and from over £700 for standing.
The official price was £85 for standing and between £75 to £195 for seating (plus fees).
Those prices are almost pocket change compared with some of the amounts quoted earlier this year for the Oasis reunion shows – consumer group Which? found tickets as high as £4,442.
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StubHub International warned a price cap would “condemn fans to take risks to see their favourite live events”.
“With a price cap on regulated marketplaces, ticket transactions will move to black markets,” said a spokesperson.
“When a regulated market becomes a black market, only bad things happen for consumers. Fraud, fear, and zero recourse.”
Viagogo made similar claims and said regulated price caps has “repeatedly failed fans”.
“In countries like Ireland and Australia fraud rates are nearly four times higher than in the UK as price caps push consumers towards unregulated sites,” said a spokesperson.
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