Shufersal cancels a significant benefit and customers are angry

Shufersal cancels the delivery benefit: starting yesterday, all food deliveries from the chain will be charged NIS 29.90, regardless of the size of the delivery and the amount of the order. This is the cancellation of a long-standing benefit under which those who ordered a delivery in the amount of more than NIS 750 paid a reduced price of NIS 10 for delivery, and now the aforementioned benefit has been cancelled. The update was published on the Shufersal website: "For your attention," it says, "as of 1/7/24 the shipping fees for ordering supermarket and pharmacy items are a fixed amount of NIS 29.90 per order amount." 

Customers were outraged by the change. "I made an order today from the cheeky Shufersal," reads a post published in one of the consumer groups. They canceled the discount on large orders, so even though I ordered for NIS 1,400, they still charged NIS 30 for shipping!!! Add to that that there are almost no discounts at all! I buy deals first and then what's missing. And this time I found myself ordering everything at full price. That's it. Because my fridge is empty, I already started an order, I was pressed for time and I know the site well, I finished and paid nervously. But I'm done with them. Cancel their credit card and they will look for me." "Completely annoying and has become unprofitable", "I'm shocked", "Really disappointing, doesn't give anything", added others. Surfers were also outraged by other changes for the worse: "The 'especially for you' coupons that used to be for products that I really buy regularly have become just coupons for random products. It sucks." Surfers agreed: "It's not worth it anymore. The coupons and benefits that were in the past have been significantly reduced."

On April 30, Shufersal stopped accumulating coins for the two million members of its customer club. Those among them who read the message sent to them in August of last year, when the company was still under the previous ownership, were not surprised. 

In that message it is written: "Shufersal announces the update of the activities in the SUPREME customer club. The company is working on a new and worthwhile series of benefits for the benefit of the club's customers and its details will be updated later. Until that time, you can continue to accumulate coins, convert the coins that have been accumulated as mentioned, and exercise the rights to them, in accordance with the terms of the regulations". As time passed the members of Shufersal's club started to lose patience.

"We would get a percentage discount on the next purchase," says one of them. "It is true that they announced the cancellation of the previous plan, as often happens in customer clubs, but usually when one plan is canceled, customers are offered a new, replacement plan, in order to keep them and give them some kind of discount on the purchase. Since the change of ownership, no one seems to have a good name The new owners probably want to make a profit quickly."

At the end of February, the ownership of Shufersal was transferred to brothers Shlomi and Yossi Amir, after they purchased 24.9% of the company's shares for NIS 1.5 billion. Their entry into Israel's largest retailer was accompanied by the departure of a number of senior executives, including Shufersal Chairman Itzik Abarkhan and CEO Uri Waterman, and new appointments, a wave of layoffs and the reduction of the private brand, a move that was considered by the previous management, but did not come to fruition. It would be good if Shufersal's new owners would devote time and attention to their regular customers, at the same time as the in-depth care they conduct in the network in order to increase its profitability, because without them it has no existence. 

Shufersal stated: "Following the increase in the price of a variety of factors such as personnel wages, car insurance, fuel prices that went up today and more, Shufersal has updated the value of the service fees for online deliveries to a uniform price of NIS 29.90."