Look for better options
Imagine the disappointment of people who have been saving all year for their big Christmas spend, to have it all turn bad when they get to the supermarket till.
Customers of Christmas savings company Hampsta had that happen when they arrived at Countdown supermarkets, the grocery outlet that was originally part of the scheme. It turns out that Hampsta dropped Countdown from its list of partners in late September, saying they had failed to agree on commercial terms. Hampsta failed to inform customers of this, until someone tipped off the media. Even then, it seems, Hampsta kept quiet, and some customers have been caught out.
This should be a pretty simple transaction. The customer presents the card; Hampsta pays the bill. What was there for Hampsta and Countdown to disagree about?
And if terms had not been agreed, why was Countdown ever put on the list?
Instead, Hampsta substituted Supermarket Online, a web-only retailer of dry and tinned goods. It is not a full supermarket, it will take up to four days to deliver the goods, and it charges $29.99 to deliver 25 kilograms of groceries to the South Island.
A quick look at the retailer’s website is also revealing: Watties canned fruit sells there for $2.49 – they were four for $5 at Countdown this week. Just Juice orange juice (three litres) was $6.99 – price at Countdown: $3.99. Nestle reduced cream $3.39 – Countdown price $2.99. And as for the Christmas ham, cherries, salad greens, frozen peas and icecream? You’re out of luck.
Would customers have signed up to Hampsta if they had known this?
Hampsta says few people have complained. But all retailers know that for every complaint, there will be at least a dozen more people fuming silently.
They are not the only save-for-Christmas businesses. Chrisco offers fixed-content hampers paid for through weekly contributions – but again, you can pay considerably more than at a supermarket.
The services of companies like these may be convenient for some. Generally, though, there are better options.
Go to your bank and set up a dedicated savings account fed by an automatic payment. You will get interest on the money you put aside, instead of being charged a fee, and you can choose exactly how and where to spend the money come Christmas time.