Shufersal cancels Hever Club discount, members express concern

Shufersal cancels the credit card benefit of the Hever club (enlisted pensioners club). As part of the club's updates to its members, a member announced that "as of 1/11/24, Shufersal and BE chains will stop giving discounts when charging the member credit card."

Hever details the circumstances of the termination of the agreement and points the finger of blame at Shufersal's new management: "The new Shufersal management recently demanded a change in the outline of the long-standing cooperation with the Hever club and an extreme reduction in the discounts given to the members of the club. We found that the proposed outline will harm you, our colleagues, significantly and should not be accepted." . 

So far, club members have received a discount of 6%-9% in the various Shufersal chains. Hever also offers benefits at the Carrefour and Beitan Wines chains, at a rate of 6%-8%, as well as a 3.5% discount for half free. This is one of the largest customer clubs in the economy, and its members are permanent personnel, retirees and pensioners of the IDF, disabled IDF members, family members and more. "So what if there is a war and everyone is just looking for a way to help the permanent employees?", asked a source in the market, adding that "it is about a billion NIS in revenue per year from the club's customers, they are shooting themselves in the foot."

At the end of February, the ownership of Shufersal passed 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. The new management is behind a series of cuts in customer benefits. For example, at the end of April, Shufersel stopped accumulating the coins for the two million members of its customer club, and did not launch an alternative accumulation program.

At the beginning of this month, Shoppersal canceled the delivery benefit, with all food deliveries from the chain now being charged 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. Customers were outraged by the change. "I made an order today from 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 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." Shufersal said in response: "As you know and as previously published Shufersal examines all commercial arrangements and decisions will be made with a thorough examination and adaptation to the needs of the customers and the network."