Pay The Price

For the first time in fifteen years, we’ve had to pay the full price in M&S because Mrs C’s Colleague Discount has finally expired.
When she worked there, we got 20% off everything and, at the time she joined, this would have continued indefinitely after she retired. Unfortunately - and just three months short of completing the minimum ten years service necessary - the rules were changed and she would now only receive a discount for five years after leaving. She could have increased this period, but only by continuing to work well into her seventies - not an option!
Still, we’ve made the most of it over the last five years, and had a final splurge on clothing, and food for the freezer just before it expired. Will we miss it? Well, yes, but not as much as you might think. Over the past twelve months we’ve found that M&S food with 20% off can still be more expensive than the likes of Aldi so we’ve been doing part of the weekly shop elsewhere, though we have found that the trade off for lower prices is that the quality may not always be as good.
So, it’s going to be a period of discovery over the next few months as we work out where are the best place(s) to go for our regular shopping, without spending a fortune. That’s not to say we won’t still get things from M&S - you don’t pass up on those yellow sticker bargains!