Attractive Mobile device offers by discount supermarket chains – A worthwhile investment?

Supermarket chains offer discounts and deals on food but now it seems that is being extended to mobile devices. They often offer smartphones and tablets at prices much lower than they might be found elsewhere. The question is what the positives of buying from them are and what are the negatives?

Why to Buy at the Supermarket

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is an advanced smartphone which features a 16 mega pixel built in camera and a 5.1 inch HD AMOLED screen. It can be bought from Samsung for £579. The same phone with all the same features can be bought from Tesco for £499. It begs the question why someone would pay £80 extra for the exact same product. Many supermarket chains have loyalty schemes where you get “points” for shopping there which can be used as credit for future purchases. If someone shops there regularly then these points may go towards the cost of a new mobile device, making it more affordable.

Why Not to buy at the Supermarket

Of course there are downsides to buying a mobile device on offer from a discount supermarket chain. There is arguably less choice and exactly what you want may not be available. For example it seems that a brand new iPhone 6 is difficult to find anywhere apart from Apple stores and other specific phone stores. Often buying a smartphone from a supermarket means a lack of choice of providers. Many phones bought from Tesco are only available on Tesco Mobile, tying you to a network you may not want. There is also the fact that buying direct can mean added extras; warranties, free technical support or music and app vouchers.

The Final Verdict

This is really an individual choice, if the customer can find the exact mobile device they want on the network they prefer at a much cheaper price in a supermarket chain then why not purchase the product there? Other customers may not be able to find exactly what they want or may prefer to buy direct and get the added extras which may be included.