Sainsbury's fishy deal
A curious press release landed in MSE inboxes on Thursday offering what seemed to be an interesting catch.
Sainsbury’s said it was offering free fish to customers on Friday. But when I went to check if the deal was worth netting this morning, I was left disappointed.
The offer read: "Sainsbury’s is set to give away over seven tonnes of lesser known British fish (including lemon sole, mussels, Cornish sardines, coley fillets and Loch trout fillets)."
It added: "When a customer goes to one of Sainsbury’s fresh fish counters and asks for one of the big five species (cod, haddock, tuna, salmon and prawns), they can try a lesser-known alternative free."
We double-checked with the press office that it was genuinely free fish, getting this response: "When somebody goes in and asks for one of the big five, they’ll be offered an alternative for free.
"It’s then up to the customer whether or not they want to buy the fish they originally asked – they’re under no obligation. It’s in all stores that have a fish counter, while stocks last."
My fishing trip
So first thing this morning I headed off on a fishing expedition to Sainsbury’s. Once the counter was free, I blatantly dived straight in and asked for salmon, and then the free fish.
Sadly, the fishmonger said I needed to buy one of the fish to get one of a range of other fish free.
As I knew differently (or so I thought) I queried this, pointing out the sign on the counter reading: “Ask for a FREE SAMPLE of one of our five alternative species to take home." Another member of staff had also heard and came over to explain again that I needed to buy one to get the other.
No amount of angling did the trick and I didn’t get somefin for nothing today.
So now I’m down £3 on a piece of Scottish salmon, with a bag of mussels thrown in.
Luckily my three-year-old loves “sammy sam sam” and my six-year-old likes mussels, so all’s not lost.
Have you tried this deal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or in forum discussion.
