It’ll take more than a free coffee to get me shopping at Waitrose again

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

With reference to your article about the return of free coffee for Waitrose customers, I fear the supermarket will need to do much more to get shoppers back from their competitors (“Could the return of free coffee win Waitrose the battle of the posh supermarkets?”, Saturday 25 January).

I had been a regular Waitrose shopper for 20 years – until their scanning app became so unreliable, I was forced to go elsewhere.

First, it failed to record my payments, so I was treated by my local store as a shoplifter. Then it locked up completely. The company’s telephone helpline went unanswered, its customer service team didn’t answer my emails, and the senior management who I also messaged didn’t seem to care.

To stay competitive in the premium supermarket sector, Waitrose really needs to up its game. In the meantime, I can’t be the only loyal customer it has lost.

Nigel Coopey

Thatcham, Berkshire

The 51st state

It seems that the UK property market is experiencing a surge in demand from US buyers, driven by Donald Trump’s return to the White House (“The Americans moving to the UK because of Donald Trump”, Thursday 23 January).

Prime areas like Mayfair and Belgravia are transforming into “Manhattan-on-Thames”, attracting wealthy Americans capitalising on favourable exchange rates and the capital’s prestige.

What’s more, North American retail brands are expanding along Oxford Street, underscoring the transatlantic appetite for UK investments.

All this in mind, it’s clear to see why Rachel Reeves has softened her stance on non-dom tax reforms. It is an attempt to attract and retain affluent residents.

Daniel Austin

London W1

Is Labour skidding off the runway?

Will someone please take Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer aside and gently suggest to them that they might be making a hash of carrying us ordinary folk with them? (“Pressure ramps up on Reeves as damning report suggests businesses set to cut jobs”, Monday 27 January).

Labour’s election win offered hope of better things to come. After years of unremitting boosterism and downright foolishness from the previous lot, the mood was that at last, some stability would return. Oh dear, no...

Errors, ill-judged announcements – and now some of the most desperate planning legislation imaginable. As for reviving the third runway at Heathrow, words fail me.

If Labour carries on like this, I can’t see them surviving for long. We will end up with an even worse right-wing administration that will devastate what is left of our precious sanity.

Steve Edmondson

Haslingfield, Cambridgeshire

Party time for the super-rich

To prevent a change in their non-dom status and the amount of tax they pay, the super-rich seem to be lobbying the chancellor (“Rachel Reeves won’t reverse – but she might try a tricky three-point turn”, Monday 27 January).

Essentially, it’s business as usual: more austerity for the poor, sick and disabled, while the very rich get ever richer – at the expense of the rest of us. Different parties. Same policies.

Why would that be? Because both of our parties serve the same interests, regardless of how they market themselves.

Julie Partridge

London SE15

More hurdles to a lasting peace

The situation in Gaza is indeed delicate (“Trump’s proposal to clean out Gaza is a ‘frightening trick’, locals warn”, Monday 27 January).

The recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has allowed for some much-needed relief, including the flow of food and supplies into Gaza, as well as the exchange of prisoners.

However, there are still significant challenges, such as Israel blocking tens of thousands of Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza. Let’s hope that the ceasefire holds – and that peace and stability can be achieved for the people of Gaza, who have suffered the most.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph

Westerville, Ohio, United States

Where have all the managers gone?

I read with interest your article “Generation Anxious”, and about how workloads and technology are making workers feel overwhelmed (“Why ordinary ups and downs are turning the young into ‘can’t cope’ workers”, Friday 24 January).

One of the root causes is surely the decline of leadership and management as a skill. Perhaps fuelled by the rhetoric emerging from table-thumping CEOs (think the tech bros or bankers), leadership now seems to be acting as though any sign of weakness is “woke” and to be stamped out.

I am always astounded by CEOs who fail to build cohesive teams, preferring either dog-eat-dog competition; or who are too risk-averse to deal with their dysfunctional senior managers. Both can have a cumulative negative impact on both the workforce and its productivity.

Instead of blaming workers for being burnt out, start understanding how to lead effectively so that you make it easy for people to succeed.

Laura Dawson

Harpenden, Hertfordshire

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