MAREWA WOOLWORTHS LOYALTY POINTS EXPIRE OVERNIGHT — LOCALS FORM QUEUE OF GRIEVANCE BY 7AM
Denise had been saving for a ham since March. The ham is now theoretical.
A cohort of Marewa shoppers descended on the Kennedy Road Woolworths before opening on Wednesday after discovering their Everyday Rewards points had expired at midnight, taking with them what one woman described as "about half a Christmas".
The expiry, which the supermarket says was communicated "via the app", caught out shoppers who had been dutifully accumulating points since the previous Christmas with a view to the next one. By 7.15am the queue stretched past the trolley bay and into the sun, which in Napier is not a small commitment.
Denise Corbett, 62, said she'd been putting aside points for a ham and had been within "two shops" of clearing it. "I don't use the app. I'm not on the app. Gerald downloaded the app in 2021 and then he died, so the app went with him. I've been doing this on trust."
A younger shopper, Manaia Reihana, said he'd lost about $40 worth and was mostly annoyed on his nan's behalf. "She had it earmarked for the mince pies. She's from Hastings originally so she takes her mince pies seriously. This is going to ruin Boxing Day and possibly January."
A Woolworths spokesperson said the terms and conditions were "clearly available in the app and on the website" and that affected customers could "speak to the team in-store". The team in-store, a 19-year-old named Ashleigh, said she had been crying since 7.30 and would prefer not to be quoted, which we have respected in spirit.
The queue was still there at lunchtime. Denise had gone home for a cardigan and come back.
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Reader Letters
Trev_Hornby
Bloody rip-off! Loyal customers shafted.
wayne1987
Mate, it's not that hard to check the app, though I do feel for Denise. Maybe Woolies should offer some leniency for non-tech savvy folks?
BigKev1965
These apps are spying on us! They expire your points on purpose to keep you spending. The council's probably in on it too!
Garry (Halswell)
Mate, honestly things have gone downhill since they stopped using physical stamps. Tried and true methods went out the window!
couchgremlin
Seriously, who even queues for a theoretical ham?
MumOf3_Riccarton
Ashleigh's a trooper for putting up with the morning crowd. Shoppers can be right demanding.
Garry (Halswell)
I'd have a word with the manager. They should be able to do something once they see the queue.
chaos_chaser
Linda, is this you?
tired_marewa_mum
Lol
ride_or_die_57
Woolies could’ve sent an email reminder. Not everyone has the app open every day.