Does Metro still accept the old blue (free) membership card to shop at their store?
For some time now they've been pushing their "premium" service (paid) while at the same time the items I actually want are disappearing from the shelves.

My understanding is that it's not 'free' anymore. We had to sign up for the 'premium' service. That was my impression.

Metro used to be a regular bulk buying stop for us until we gradually replaced it with Taobao, Tmall, and jd (pinduoduo et al).

You can buy international cheese, steak, beef, burger patties, tortilla chips, salsa, cereals, etc ad infinitum. For Italian goods (wine, cheese etc) there's a company which advertises and is listed on gokm.

We used Metro's online service a couple of times - but for regular groceries and liquids (from detergents to beverages) - Hema (alibaba's online and brick & mortar grocery store) et al and skip the parking and crowds.

Wet markets for fresh vegetables, meat, fish, poultry...

Also - if you like the ingredients etc at Salvadors, you can ask to buy their cheese, tortilla chips, etc and they can usually facilitate, so I don't really see the value of Metro for our family's paltry needs.

Plus - deliveries are to our door - so no need to stuff everything into the car, taxi, e-bike then haul it up the stairs (old apartment).

Wicker Baskets (they have several locations) also have cheese, tobasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, bread, canned soup, canned tuna/fish, and my favorites - sausages, beef and chicken pot pies, coffee, apple pies, sliced bacon, and sliced ham...in addition to their restaurant at competitive prices and we've always found their service outstanding (better than excellent). If only Wicker Basket had a delivery service and an online store...

I don't think that we have subscribed to any premium service with Metro. Have been using the same "card" as before, albeit in my phone I just show them a photo of the QR. The account is linked to my wife's phone, and last we checked it was not possible for other family members to use the same account in Metro app.

But lately we use Metro's home delivery more, which is also to our door. When we go there in person, it's mostly to entertain the kid.

Also noting that at Metro (north) they seem to have upgraded their tasting station availability in recent month or two. There's regularly wider range of snacks and fruits to sample for free, occasionally wine too!

@JanJal
Thanks for the response.

I just checked my card and there is no QR code on it.

There's just a bar code that they scan at checkout.

you don't really need a card now, in the past a few years along, they loosed the requirement of a card, now you can just go there, and ask the reception people, they will show you a one time card or at the chceck out they will do the same.

If you buy from Metro using 饿了么 they will deliver for you and they don't seem to require a membership card.

Thank you, but since I don't read Chinese I have no idea what 饿了么 means.

饿了么 = è‘le me (www.ele.me/waimai). It is the food delivery app with the blue uniform delivery guys. They are the only one that delivers Metro orders to my house.

For some reason, Meituan (yellow uniform) doesn't deliver from there for me.

I finally got a positive answer to my own question about using the "old" card a Metro for shopping.

I had a friend phone Metro and ask for me (there's the language issue still).

It still took about 5 minutes to get a definitive answer which eventually was "yes", so I made my way over there.
On entering the store I made a point of asking (using Google translate on my phone) with my card.

The immediate response was an attempt to "upsell" me to the new premium service, which would allow me to pay a membership fee to try finding the products that are no longer on the shelves.
Anyway, problem solved, for now.