Thoughts on a meal deal

At lunchtimes, given that Greggs bakery normally has such a long queue which moves incredibly slowly, an alternative option if in a hurry is Sainsburys supermarket for a meal deal. Not only is it a bargain at present at £3.50 for a sandwich, drink, and snack, but you end up feeling like you have actually ripped Sainsburys off by selecting an Innocent smoothie in the meal deal.

The choice between a bag of crisps or some fruit for the snack is a tough one, but for me the bag of crisps normally wins the day as I work on the false assumption that the healthy content of the smoothie will balance out the detrimental effects of the crisps. Also, the crisps are a treat to prepare me for the trauma of returning to work for the afternoon. That and the extra chocolate bar I sometimes buy to go along with the meal deal as I’m going to need the extra energy at work - I convince myself again that this is a sensible option for my body.

At the self-checkout on going to pay for the meal deal it asks if you I have a Nectar card. Of course I do, I don’t want to miss out on those valuable points. And I have been collecting them for years without cashing them in. But then I asked myself, is scanning my Nectar card an effective use of my time?

Finding the card in my wallet, taking it out, scanning it and replacing it takes on average maybe 10 seconds, possibly longer if it doesn’t scan properly the first time, waving it around in the air for the scanner to try and read it. Three points are earned for the meal deal (1 per £1 spent). Each point is worth 0.5p. Therefore 1.5p has been earned for 10 seconds work. That is 9p per minute and £5.40 per hour, almost half the national living wage of £9.50 per hour. The moral I realised was: Don’t bother scanning your Nectar card for a meal deal. You are wasting precious time in your life. Instead just spend a moment longer savouring the delights of the Innocent smoothie which Sainsburys are literally paying you to drink!