Well it's the pressure that I believe is put on me as a parent to change my shopping habits, but equally the pressure that's put on my children to take into school vouchers, that they are not only in competition with their school friends for, but in competition with each other. Sprowston has over fourteen hundred pupils, but insufficient funds to provide all the computers they need. They've already acquired extra equipment through a voucher scheme run by Tesco's. Now Head Teacher, Geoff Best, is hoping to do the same with Sainsbury's. We've got the Sainsbury's catalogue for the purchases through their voucher scheme, and like the Tesco's one, there's quite a lot of IT equipment in.
Many parents feel duty bound to help.
We are well aware that by saying that we are collecting these vouchers, that is putting some degree of pressure on youngsters and their parents to shop in particular stores. And by indicating the sort of equipment we hope to get from collecting the vouchers, we are adding to that pressure. I feel uneasy. Sainsbury's schools offensive coincides with falling profit margins and cut throat competition. Some believe schemes like this are all about poaching customers from rivals.