Changes to awards

Anger at Woolworths

Shoppers have been left fuming after a suite of changes to Woolworths’ popular Everyday Rewards Extra program were announced that significantly reduced its value.

The retailer announced three major changes to the program, which only launched last year, which included increasing the annual subscription fee from $59 to $70.

Members would also no longer be able to access a 10 per cent discount at Woolworths and Big W online, with the discount now to be only be available in store.

Points have also been reduced from 3x to 2x for both Woolworths and Big W for online and in store shoppers.

Consumers will be paying more and receiving less for their money, but the company has argued it had to make changes to ensure the program “continues to provide great value to our members and a core part of our offering”.

“Everyday Extra has been in pilot phase for the past year. As we look to roll out the Everyday Extra program more broadly, we’ve had to make some changes to the program to ensure it continues to provide great value to our members and a core part of our offering,” a spokesperson said.

“We know the vast majority of Everyday Extra subscribers are redeeming their 10 per cent discount in store and in order to streamline the offering, we have made the decision to make the 10 per cent discount only available in store.”

By reducing the points bonus, the retailer said it would be better able to “offer the service to more members” and enable it to “invest in additional member benefits in the future”.

Consumers were notably peeved by the changes, with many threatening to cancel their subscription.

In an online poll that surveyed almost 2000 members, 67 per cent indicated that not having access to the 10 per cent discount for online shopping was a “deal-breaker”.