THE majority of Marks and Spencer customers normally only splash out at the grocer on special occasions.
That usually means saving up for the Christmas menu or the newest fashion line.
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But you can save on the pounds if you know how.
Plus, one shopper revealed on Tik Tok how M&S was cheaper than Sainsbury’s on a number of products.
Check out our comprehensive list of ways to cut down on your shop next time you’re in Marks.
Freebie finds
Shoppers at Marks and Spencer have revealed in the past how they bagged freebies at the store with hidden reward points.
At Christmas, one shopper shared how she managed to claim a Percy Pig novelty biscuit tin worth £5 for free.
She revealed how an email sent to her M&S reward address contained a “free gift” that she could add to her account.
Under the scheme you pay £10 a month and get a number of benefits in exchange.
They include extra reward points when spending money, next day delivery and a £12 Foodhall voucher on your birthday.
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You used to be able to earn points for every purchase made at the store, but M&S scrapped the system in favour of sending loyal customers money off their shop and the occasional free gift.
So it’s worth checking your account if you are signed up to see what you might be able to claim on your next shop.
Bargain hunters claim that prizes are randomised though, and sometimes it can be determined by how much you spend at the shop.
One said previously: “I had free piggy wrapping paper last time, and today I got free chocolate Colin Caterpillars.”
But another was disappointed, adding: “Not everyone gets the same offers, I’ve not had anything good for ages.”
You can apply for a Rewards card on M&S’ website.
Dine in, done right
One of M&S’ most popular deals is the Dine in for two range.
Typically it’ll be a weekly offer that costs £10 (although the price recently went up to £12), but on big occasions the deal is a little pricier.
For Valentines Day this year the grocer revealed its £20 Dine in for two offer.
The menu included items like melting camembert, sirloin steak and prosecco – and it would have normally cost shoppers up to £16.50 more to buy outside of the limited time deal.
The deal can be a good way to get all the things you need for the perfect meal for a set price – and you can save a bundle if you pick the priciest items.
A £20 deal is still quite steep for most budgets though, so another tip is to leave it until after an offer has run to splash out.
After Valentine’s this year, M&S slashed the price of its romantic Dine in for Two in half.
That made it a £10 bargain for all the same goodies, but it means hanging fire on the celebrations for a few days.
The only thing you’ll have to keep in mind is that there might not be as much to choose from and stock just depends on what’s been left over from the event – this means it can vary from store to store.
M&S also teamed up with Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge to sell recipes to serve families of four for a fiver in July this year.
It includes recipes such as chipotle chicken thighs with herby rice and crispy bacon potato cake with perfect poached egg.
Sale away
The store, while having higher prices than budget rivals most of time, is no stranger to sales of its own.
Earlier this summer it slashed the price of its school uniforms by 20%.
A pack of cotton shirts started from £2 up to £15.20 for a three-pack of school shirts.
The retailer has launched huge 90% off sales previously as well.
Items ranging from leggings and tops to underwear started as cheap as 49p.
Plus, you can sign up to the M&S email which drops details of any sales straight into your inbox.
But remember its only a bargain if you were planning on buying it anyway – you shouldn’t splash out just because something has been reduced.
Stick ’em up
Yellow sticker bargains are like gold dust to shoppers.
Supermarkets, including M&S, will often reduce the price of food nearing its use by date to shift stock and avoid food wastage – and the store will flag these discounts with yellow stickers.
Sometimes shoppers can save up to 75% off products marked up in this way, so it’s worth keeping an eye out in the store.
An ex-M&S worker told The Sun that late afternoon is when you’ll face the best chance of picking up the bargains.
23-year-old Emily Barker, who worked at the Birmingham branch of the posh supermarket in 2021, said: “They do second reductions (so yellow stickers to shoppers) later on in the day.
“So if you go then, the stuff that’s got today’s date, or that day’s date on it, will be cheap.”
Of course it can vary by store, and shoppers will always flock to snap up yellow sticker bargains in a flash, so what’s on offer in your local store might differ to others and availability could be limited.
You can also have a shop around at rival stores if you’re trying to cut down the cost of your grocery shop.
M&S isn’t know as the cheapest in the first place, so any bargains you manage to bag still might be more expensive than ones from competitors.
We’ve got all the tips you need to know about how to bag a bargain at Aldi for example, if you give the budget supermarket a go instead.
And we’ve also rounded up how to find the best deals at Tesco, if you take your shopping list to the cheaper store.
