Tonbridge Bean

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In the last few months, Waitrose & Partners has quietly rolled out a new feature on the myWaitrose app: Little Treats. It’s not a “Tonbridge thing”, it’s very much a national initiative – but our local store in Tonbridge is of course included.

The idea is simple. Scan your myWaitrose card as you shop, hit spending milestones (£50, £100, £250), and receive a “treat” added to your app. This appears in the form of voucher, which you can use to get your free item.

On paper, it sounds delightful. In practice? Well…here goes.

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Month One: Genuinely Impressive

My first month using the Little Treats feature was, frankly, excellent.

• £50 spend: a free packet of ground coffee from the No.1 Waitrose range (delicious)
• £100 spend: £2 off a shop – enough to keep me coming back
• £250 spend: a free sourdough pizza worth over £6

That’s real value. The coffee is something I buy regularly so that’s a total win. Then the pizza alone felt like a proper reward, not a token gesture. I left the Tonbridge store feeling smug (go me for hitting my £250 target) and quite loyal actually.

Then I remembered: those sourdough pizzas are often on offer. Still good. Slightly less magical. But good.

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Month Two: Delicious… and Dangerous

Last month’s £50 treat was a packet of Christmas biscuits. Festive, indulgent, and—crucially—too good.

They were so good, in fact, that a few days later, I bought another packet.

Which is presumably the point.

And then when I hit a later target, I got a free packet of all butter mince pies (the fancy ones with cognac.) Oh the absolute indulgence of it.

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Month Three: The Jam Incident

This month’s £50 Little Treat is a free pot of fancy jam (the Bonne Maman ones.)

Here’s the problem: I don’t eat jam.

But I will absolutely still collect it, because it’s free and because leaving it behind would feel like losing. Instead, I’ve decided I’ll bake a cake “to use the jam up”.

This means:

• Flour
• Eggs
• Butter
• Sugar

All of which I will, of course, buy from Waitrose.

So while the jam itself is free, it has triggered a £15 baking mission I had no intention of embarking on. A false economy? Yes. Will I do it anyway? Also yes.

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The Psychology of the “Little Treat”

That’s where the myWaitrose app is quietly clever. The rewards aren’t always things you’d buy yourself—but they nudge you into buying other things.

You don’t need jam.
But now you need a cake tin liner.
And maybe some icing sugar.
And while you’re there, perhaps a nice loaf.

It’s loyalty. It’s gamified. And I absolutely love it.

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So… Is It Worth It?

Honestly? Yes—mostly.

The Little Treats feel more fun than traditional points, and there’s genuine enjoyment in not knowing what you’ll get next. It makes shopping at Waitrose Tonbridge feel a bit more playful—and occasionally, a lot more delicious.

Just don’t be surprised if your “free” jam somehow turns into a full baking project.

*Other supermarkets (and indeed apps) are very much available in Tonbridge!

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Do you have something you want to tell the Tonbridge Bean about our town? Write to us at tonbridgebean@gmail.com with your thoughts and photos!

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