Loyalty card software to stop panic buying?

[RichardCoulter]

I just wondered if anyone knew how difficult or easy it would be for the supermarkets to use their loyalty card software to limit panic buying?

If they only accepted customers with loyalty cards, it would allow them to prioritise their loyal customers (though I accept that this would be problematic for anyone who doesn't have any at all).

Could this possibly be used to limit their purchases to their usual type and amount? The current system is problematic because the 2/3 limit takes no account of large families. Also, one woman I know is really worried because she can't get enough cat food for her rescue centre.

These people are not panic buying as they usually buy more than the average amount of goods.

Also, some are buying extra on behalf of disabled/elderly neighbours, yet are still limited. In this case, they could use the card of that individual to buy their goods in a seperate transaction.

Not all supermarkets use loyalty cards. Co-op, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s and Tesco all do, Asda, Lidl and Aldi don’t. In any case I’m not sure the data collected by the cards can flow back in the opposite direction so it is accessible at the checkout in that way.

[RichardCoulter]

Ahh ok. It's a shame as it would have been a modern day version of ration books.

[admars]

when my dad tried to buy 4 packets of paracetamol a while ago, the person at the till suggested he put the divider down to do the other 2 packs as a separate purchase, but not use his nectar card, as that could block it!

It’s illegal for the supermarket to sell more than two paracetamol-containing products in a single transaction, has been for years.

[RichardCoulter]

I was told It's to stop people buying a load to commit suicide.

[admars]

yes, I know that, my point was that from what the sales assistant said, if my dad tried to use his nectar card on second sale, it would block it, as it would have record of the paracetamol purchase seconds before, suggesting the info does go both ways.

However, this is just from what I was told, so may not be the case.

I think the sales assistant made that up.

Originally Posted by admars

yes, I know that, my point was that from what the sales assistant said, if my dad tried to use his nectar card on second sale, it would block it, as it would have record of the paracetamol purchase seconds before, suggesting the info does go both ways.

However, this is just from what I was told, so may not be the case.

Not an accurate reflection of actuality - the sales info goes into a data warehouse, which then is used to analyse sales patterns; it’s not an instant feedback loop.