SWINDON’S Waitrose supermarket will be changing its complimentary coffee scheme from February 9.

Since 2011, any customer with a My Waitrose card has been entitled to a free beverage when they visited one of the chain’s store cafes or from a self-service machine.

The change at the Mill Lane branch means customers wishing to claim a free coffee at the store’s cafe will also need to make another purchase, such as a snack.

Manager Mark Ross said: “The change in the cafe is to reduce queues and allow people to be served quicker, although our customers will still be able to claim a free coffee from any of our other three machines in store.”

In some Waitrose stores across the country a stricter policy is being introduced, with coffee cups being stored behind checkouts and only given to customers with the loyalty card who present a shopping receipt to prove they’ve purchased something in the shop.

The complimentary hot drinks scheme was introduced as a loyalty bonus for those who shop at the chain’s stores.

A Waitrose spokesperson said: “A lot of the branches have done it, it’s been something that’s been an option for a long time. I think Bloomsbury (where Waitrose trialled the scheme) saw that it worked quite well.”