Is it just me hates supermarkets?
In Tesco today - against my will. I hate the big chains - I use Aldi and Lidl because at least they are only interested in selling good quality for realistic prices. No frills and dreaded loyalty cards. Their fruit and veg and fresh meat are second to none.
Super thing about France is the markets.
Back to Tesco - wanted to buy some loose new potatoes - no little bags to put them in and I hadn't taken a carrier of my own. I asked a lone memeber of staff who was arranging oranges where they bags were - to be told "we've run out"!!!
This is a Tesco mega srore that sells everything from pants to pastry, compost to coffee, spoons to spectacles.....but no-one had thought to pop over to the aisle that sells plastic bags and get some to put the loose fruit and veg into.
Probably because most veg comes in packaged in indesructible plastic.
`Rant over
Comments
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Having seen a recent programme on Aldi, I wouldn't buy my veg from them. Each to his own but Tesco suits us fine.
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I don't like tesco for many reasons , bought bananas and tomatoes once from Aldi
never again 0 -
Ridiculous situation, I agree. I went to Tesco for years, then moved to Sainsbury's which I prefer, but each to their own. Our Sainsbury's has a much better selection of British produce, even local: eggs from the village up the road, fruit from Kent, English
tomatoes, to name but a few.0 -
We used Tesco for many years but I thought that they have got a bit expensive so we now use Sainsburys as I think that their products are of a high quality at a reasonable price also their own brand pizzas are first class they are prepared fresh while you
wait very good.0 -
I just go with whoever is handing out the sweeties - (vouchers to anyone else)
Write your comments here...Had to laugh yesterday. We arrived at a till to find the lady in front had gone off whilst being served by the cashier. He explained that she had a £5 voucher but only if she spent £40. Her bill had come to £28.02 so she came back
with £12.02 worth of booze she admitted she didn't need just so she could get her £5 off. Lol.0 -
There is an Asda about 4 miles away on the edge of town. But I hate big shops with shelves or even pallets stacked high. So we go the other way along the road and a 7 mile drive brings to Booths. Small enough to have a personal touch (where the staff remember you and what you buy), but big enough to stock everything we need. Foodwise - no clothes or toys etc.
The food is as local as possible (veg from over the border in Yorkshire and Lancashire, meat from nearer).
Perhaps some things are cheaper in the big 4(?) supermarkets, but they're not for me.
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There is an Asda about 4 miles away on the edge of town. But I hate big shops with shelves or even pallets stacked high. So we go the other way along the road and a 7 mile drive brings to Booths. Small enough to have a personal touch (where the staff remember
you and what you buy), but big enough to stock everything we need. Foodwise - no clothes or toys etc.The food is as local as possible (veg from over the border in Yorkshire and Lancashire, meat from nearer).
Perhaps some things are cheaper in the big 4(?) supermarkets, but they're not for me.
...Goldie has the Booths at Keswick recovered
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Having seen a recent programme on Aldi, I wouldn't buy my veg from them. Each to his own but Tesco suits us fine.
Didn't see the programme, what was it that put you off? only curious we tend to use Lidl, Tesco and Asda. There isnt a Sainsbury here and Morrisons is only small, M&S doesn't do it for me too expensive. I tend to shop around for what I want and will not
buy anything if it doesn't look fresh. Just an aside, why can't pork chops in the UK taste as good as they do from Spain/France? we have stopped buying them here they are totally tasteless, yet when we was in Lanzarote the pork chops were fantastic, big
juicey and tender and the flavour Mmmm.0 -
When I think about it it is almost always Lidl I use - it is very close, their instore bakery is excellent, and it's the only place I can find tomatoes that have any flavour.
JillwithaJay - I didn't see the TV programm either - curious to know what it was about?
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There is an Asda about 4 miles away on the edge of town. But I hate big shops with shelves or even pallets stacked high. So we go the other way along the road and a 7 mile drive brings to Booths. Small enough to have a personal touch (where the staff remember
you and what you buy), but big enough to stock everything we need. Foodwise - no clothes or toys etc.The food is as local as possible (veg from over the border in Yorkshire and Lancashire, meat from nearer).
Perhaps some things are cheaper in the big 4(?) supermarkets, but they're not for me.
...Goldie has the Booths at Keswick recovered
Opens this week!
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I think that often the supermarket just reflects the manager in charge. Our Sainsburys used to be really good, well stocked shelves etc. Then the manager changed (and also the car park layout) since then it really isn't so good, so off to Tesco.
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While on the subject of supermarkets, is it just me that hates the self serve checkouts? I just think that the least I can expect is not to have to do everything myself! It's just a way for supermarkets to save money on staff wages and I would rather keep
someone in a job. I avoid self serve like the plague.0 -
ALL your food comes from the same places, the only difference is the packaging and what your mind THINKS! For instance people who like a certain supermarket will believe their food is better. It's all mind tricks just like the buy one get one free cobblers. Why not just half the price because that's what price they should be! Grr!
Yep, I hate supermarkets too, but as we have two family members who work in the trucking industry and I used to take workers to packing warehouses, we know that no matter what supermarket you go to, the food comes from the same fields, delivered to the same warehouses, taken to the same packaging plants and then delivered to different supermarkets.
On another theme, why do I not get a discount for using the self checkout tills? Surely as I have saved them wages they should pay me to scan my own items?
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When I think about it it is almost always Lidl I use - it is very close, their instore bakery is excellent, and it's the only place I can find tomatoes that have any flavour.
JillwithaJay - I didn't see the TV programm either - curious to know what it was about?
It was as much about how they treat their staff, pressurising them to start work in the morning about an hour before opening times and without being paid extra, in order to fill shelves.
The issue led to 'sell by dates' being ignored and rotten food being left on the shelves, often behind newer produce. Their produce was literally thrown on to the shelves in order to get the job done quicker.
Another issue I have with them is that I can't use my credit card there and I have a good budgeting system in place and very rarely use cash/debit cards for shopping.
Just my choice.
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Our 'local' ALDI seems to have some very happy staff. They're chatty, smiley, and very efficient - and always seem to enjoy what they're going. The produce seems OK too, fresh stuff seems fresh, and all items are well within their sell-by dates - nearing
sell-by goes in the 'discounted' cabinet. I must admit we buy a lot of things there, these days - supplemented by the 'discounted' section at Waitrose and our local Booths (which is rather like shopping in a huge delicatessen!!!).They are given incentives to work quickly, according to the check-out girl, who has to pass a certain number of items per minute through the scanner, but the quicker she is the more she earns, apparently. The scanners are also different to other supermarkets,
and apparently things are bar-coded on more than one side, preventing the 'turning it round and round in front of the scanner'. Other supermarkets could learn from this.0 -
I quite enjoy my weekly visits to Waitrose. A free coffee and free Guardian before you get started on the serious stuff. Lovely staff, Quick Check so I don't have to queue to pay. Often have a chat to the regulars we see most weeks. Just have to be careful
we don't overstay the 2 hours in the carpark!!!David
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I hear mention of Booths, I like Booths too, we have Williams in Somerton which is a good locally owned small supermarket (too far for me just to pop in.)
Apart from that after being grateful for getting the family shop done fairly quickly when working (and later on line) I don't use them very often.
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I understand that many Aldi stores will now take credit cards, so I guess this is something they are 'rolling out'?
We do tend to use Aldi and have found their stuff reasonably good quality. Carol sometimes uses Asda, but I'll stay in the car with the dog - it always seems manic! Occasionally I'll go in after 10pm - usually just before Christmas.
Personally I like shopping at the Co-OP. Small enough to get around without going out for the day!!
David
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We don't have Booths in Scotland - sounds good though.
I always find the customer service in Lidl to be very friendly and the checkouts are quick - no self service tills thankfully.
I used to shop only in Waitrose, M&S or Sainsbury but to be honest I think they are just overpriced and very often the quality isn't as good. M&S 28 day matured steak is around £10-12 each - about £40 per kilo, Lidl is a quarter of that and in my view the
meat is much better.As a few people have said, to each their own - I only wish that we could have the option of small independant butchers, bakers, greengrocers and fishmongers, but those days have largely gone. I can access all
of those things in the West End of Glasgow (trendy arty bit of town) but the prices are beyond a joke. I really don't mind paying over the odds for good quality and local produce, but it seems the independents are all "artisan" - that's from the Latin
artitus meaning instruct in the arts - the art of overcharging methinks0 -
Since we both retired we find ourselfs going to the smaller stores especially butchers and veg shops we can buy as little as we need there and of course we have more time
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Most own brand products, and a good many of the branded versions, are produced/prepared in the same place, with different labels applied for different retailers, who of course price at what they think their loyal customers will pay! Aldi and Lidl are possibly
an exception. Being German, they will import from German producers who operate a similar system for German produce.0
