Tesco.

[Rewulf]

7 minutes ago, scobydog said:

Hi Rewulf , 

Waitrose is owned by an employee partnership, so every employee gets a dividend if profits allow it, morrisons is part owned by the Morrison family and rest is shares I believe.

scobydog

Good to know.
But at the end of the day, people have to cut their cloth accordingly.
If you have an average family of say 2 adults and 2 kids, food is probably the second largest expense after rent/mortgage, and a saving is a saving.
And those that may struggle, will not be overly concerned on the nationality of who they make richer.

[Westward]

I can't believe anyone enjoys the experience of supermarket shopping. I know I don't and the quicker we can get out again the better. Many of the staff in Tesco locally have worked there for years and are so bored stiff they wouldn't move fast if a bomb went off, but it's often the side issues that irritate. Sure aisle blocked by cages, poor stock management and no sign ever of a store manager keeping an eye on things like they do in Waitrose are all annoying but in our Tesco the car park is a disgrace. The store opened about 31 years ago and the car park is on a very slight gradient. When the store is busy it's often the case that the only spaces left to park are near the bottom. To the best of my knowledge, whilst they may occasionally sweep the pedestrian pathways, the car park has never been thoroughly cleaned and in consequence all the dust and fallen leaves accumulate at the bottom every time it rains. They also didn't allow for drainage so on a day like today, when it get busy, people will have to park in 2 inches of slurry. The local Sainsbury's isn't much better because on wet days the people who are sensible enough to park well away from the madhouse which is the main parking area, are confronted with a huge puddle which they have to walk through since there's no dry way around it.

Our 2 big local stores need to shape up and copy the approach of Aldi & Lidl which is not simply to sell at better prices, but to properly manage their businesses. Otherwise they will get eaten alive when Aldi comes to town later this year..

[Vince Green]

2 hours ago, Westward said:

I can't believe anyone enjoys the experience of supermarket shopping. I know I don't and the quicker we can get out again the better. Many of the staff in Tesco locally have worked there for years and are so bored stiff they wouldn't move fast if a bomb went off, but it's often the side issues that irritate. Sure aisle blocked by cages, poor stock management and no sign ever of a store manager keeping an eye on things like they do in Waitrose are all annoying but in our Tesco the car park is a disgrace. The store opened about 31 years ago and the car park is on a very slight gradient. When the store is busy it's often the case that the only spaces left to park are near the bottom. To the best of my knowledge, whilst they may occasionally sweep the pedestrian pathways, the car park has never been thoroughly cleaned and in consequence all the dust and fallen leaves accumulate at the bottom every time it rains. They also didn't allow for drainage so on a day like today, when it get busy, people will have to park in 2 inches of slurry. The local Sainsbury's isn't much better because on wet days the people who are sensible enough to park well away from the madhouse which is the main parking area, are confronted with a huge puddle which they have to walk through since there's no dry way around it.

Our 2 big local stores need to shape up and copy the approach of Aldi & Lidl which is not simply to sell at better prices, but to properly manage their businesses. Otherwise they will get eaten alive when Aldi comes to town later this year..

Lidl and Aldi could do with more checkouts, its my only gripe with them

[Westward]

Coincidentally we've just been to Sainsbury's and I was wrong, there are 3 huge unavoidable puddles, the biggest of which is spread right across the front of the trolley park.

With my wife recovery from recent surgery I took the shopping through the checkout. When I got there the assistant was deep in conversation with the previous punter so I started to place my shopping on the conveyor. She finally acknowledged my presence then, to my annoyance, began to rearrange the positioning of my shopping instead of starting to run it through. In fact she waited until I'd emptied my trolley, then pulled out a bottle of water from under the till and started to drink it. With my wife less than 100% I decided not say anything to the assistant, but my wife who goes there regularly could see that I was seething and later she explained that everyone knows what an old cow that particular assistant is and that's why there was no queue at her checkout.

I can't be bothered to complain to the manager who probably won't do anything positive like send the woman for retraining because the new Aldi will be about 300 yards from Sainsbury's and I'll let nature and the laws of commerce do what they do to poorly run businesses.

 

[Good shot?]

16 hours ago, Vince Green said:

The interesting thing is their own brand stuff is often patently obviously made by the primary supplier. A key example is Weetabix, the biscuit is trademarked and patented. Nobody else can make it,  but Aldi/ Lidl Wheat Bix is half the price. Boxes are the same just different print, internal packaging is exactly the same. Why pay more?

Likewise with (what used to be called) Sugar Puffs. I don't get them for me though. Honest.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Good shot?
spelling

[TriBsa]

16 hours ago, Vince Green said:

The interesting thing is their own brand stuff is often patently obviously made by the primary supplier. A key example is Weetabix, the biscuit is trademarked and patented. Nobody else can make it,  but Aldi/ Lidl Wheat Bix is half the price. Boxes are the same just different print, internal packaging is exactly the same. Why pay more?

Talking to people who have experience of the Weetabix operation, it would appear that it would be prohibitive cost wise to stop production and start making a different recipe (lower spec) for the non Weetabix branded product. They'd lose one hours useful production at the beginning and end of each change. So the line keeps rolling producing the same for everyone.

[Vince Green]

14 minutes ago, TriBsa said:

Talking to people who have experience of the Weetabix operation, it would appear that it would be prohibitive cost wise to stop production and start making a different recipe (lower spec) for the non Weetabix branded product. They'd lose one hours useful production at the beginning and end of each change. So the line keeps rolling producing the same for everyone.

That's the same for any industrial process. The factories are only profitable if they keep running non stop. 

[Wb123]

I tend to go wherever is close, which as I have tended to move around a fair bit seems to have covered pretty much all options. 

 

Tescos seem to vary by store and local population, sainsbury seems no different but a good bit more expensive than Tesco (likewise Morrisons seems more expensive other than meat which often seemed to be a lossleader).

 

lidl and Aldi are a bit hit and miss but invariably seem to have horrendously long ques (I very much like the way Tesco seem to have quick and easy access to self service checkouts).

 

Waitrose is nice but horrendously expensive. 

 

My my preferred option is local markets but the limited hours mean I tend to end up in whatever my local supermarket is about about half nine at night. 

[Harnser]

On 19/09/2018 at 18:17, Mungler said:

I have a client that supplies to a number of supermarkets. When I asked him about the likes of Aldi and Lidl he said "it's a race to the bottom" i.e. the product he supplies in to all the supermarkets is the same save that the packaging and retail pricing varies enormously, all the while however, the price the supermarkets pay him remains the same i.e. as low as they can absolutely get away with.

Anyone who has shopped at Lidl / Aldi will wonder why they ever went to the likes of Tescos or Asda.

That being said, Lidl really could do with smartening up their stores and pushing the boat out to have more people employed to unload and move pallets from out of isles quicker, oh and to enforce a strict "no trackie bottoms with black patent leather slip ons". Whilst Lidl stores are basic, I do like the fact they haven't jumped on the self service tills - I despise those things with a passion.

 

Mrs harnser won’t use the self service tills .she says the next thing they will want is for customers to go out back and unload the lorries .

harnser

[Mice!]

i do understand the self serve, i work shifts so if its 5am or 9pm not much need for tills to be manned, very annoying when something doesn't scan though and its supposed to be quick.

we shop at most places depending on where we are, buy the same things each time from each shop more or less.

The misses got some bread from Sainsbury's might be taste the difference range? Honey and sunflower, it was fantastic, no doubt a bit dearer but well worth it.

[Mungler]

7 hours ago, Harnser said:

Mrs harnser won’t use the self service tills .she says the next thing they will want is for customers to go out back and unload the lorries .

harnser

Agreed. It’s a ‘convenience’ for the store and not the customer and I too refuse to use them.

[figgy]

I refuse to use the self serve checkouts. Wife thinks i am nuts to stand in a Que and not use them but i want them to process my goods.

[Guest topshot_2k]

On 19/09/2018 at 16:40, Rewulf said:

I wouldnt go that far 😯

I would, when you look at what goes into producing it and getting it to the shelves. Dairy industry is prime example. Meat too, people expect to be able to buy a decent size chicken for £3 without a thought for much time/effort/cost goes into producing good quality food with decent welfare standards.

[Guest topshot_2k]

On 19/09/2018 at 18:20, RockySpears said:

Of course they are, they in no way reflect the cost of production.

Tell you what, tell the UK farmers arable or meat, that they are not getting any subsidies any more, then watch prices reach their ACTUAL cost.  There should be no farming subsidies, end of story, by keeping them, people have become used to cheap food and that has engendered huge waste in the system.  Other than for health and welfare, there should be no Gov. involvement in our food chain.  I know the French and everyone does it, it is still not right.

 

RS

Exactly, Milk is a good example, farmers being driven into the ground just so these cheap supermarkets can undercut each other which in turn has made people expect milk to be cheaper than bottled water. Its across the board too now with veg and meat. But you still see them chucking energy drinks and other rubbish in their trolleys which they seem happy to pay for.

Edited September 21, 2018 by topshot_2k

[Rewulf]

38 minutes ago, topshot_2k said:

I would, when you look at what goes into producing it and getting it to the shelves. Dairy industry is prime example. Meat too, people expect to be able to buy a decent size chicken for £3 without a thought for much time/effort/cost goes into producing good quality food with decent welfare standards.

So farmers dont make a profit on chicken , milk ?
Is it all based on subsidies because the supermarkets are screwing the farmers ?
Doesnt make sense to me.
Food is too cheap because farmers dont get paid enough by the supermarkets ?

[oowee]

Milk production in UK exceeds consumption and prices are artificially held high for farmers.

Fingers crossed food will get cheaper when we cut a trade deal with the States, Argentina, Aus and NZ. Wonder what our farmers will make of that. 

[Rewulf]

28 minutes ago, oowee said:

Milk production in UK exceeds consumption and prices are artificially held high for farmers.

Fingers crossed food will get cheaper when we cut a trade deal with the States, Argentina, Aus and NZ. Wonder what our farmers will make of that. 

Id rather buy British, but if they can transport it half way round the world and still sell it cheaper than up the road, something is wrong somewhere ?

[oowee]

6 minutes ago, Rewulf said:

Id rather buy British, but if they can transport it half way round the world and still sell it cheaper than up the road, something is wrong somewhere ?

I buy British now but I am sure we could compete certainly on beef and chicken we just need a few drugs and lower food standards. What I can't get my head around is why UK bacon is so much more expensive than that from Denmark.

Looks like we will have more venison though 🙂 . My dealer says he is looking at UK sales as German dealers, that buy most of the Roe shot from here, won't want it going forward. 

[Guest topshot_2k]

2 hours ago, Rewulf said:

So farmers dont make a profit on chicken , milk ?
Is it all based on subsidies because the supermarkets are screwing the farmers ?
Doesnt make sense to me.
Food is too cheap because farmers dont get paid enough by the supermarkets ?

Its too cheap because supermarkets are using their market power to force the prices down in order to sell it cheap on their shelves, at one point it was barely above cost price. Many countries we import from also have much lower welfare standards and so lower costs to produce. The government shouldn't be paying any subsidies and instead be increasing tariffs on imported food that we can produce here.

Its like the wonky veg that supermarkets refused to buy, who do you think lost out there? the producers again. It wasn't until it hit the news that supermarkets changed their tune and started stocking it at slightly cheaper prices rather than refusing it full stop like they have been for years.

 

Edited September 21, 2018 by topshot_2k

[Rewulf]

6 minutes ago, topshot_2k said:

Its too cheap because supermarkets are using their market power to force the prices down in order to sell it cheap on their shelves, at one point it was barely above cost price. Many countries we import from also have much lower welfare standards and so lower costs to produce. The government shouldn't be paying any subsidies and instead be increasing tariffs on imported food that we can produce here.

Its like the wonky veg that supermarkets refused to buy, who do you think lost out there? the producers again. It wasn't until it hit the news that supermarkets changed their tune and started stocking it at slightly cheaper prices rather than refusing it full stop like they have been for years.

 

Understood, roll on Brexit and lobby the government to make changes.

The farmers should be playing a key part in the future, band together and make some noise.

[Saltings]

all offers Tesco do two for one etc chicken /etc  other     the supplier being screw down on cost has to bear the cost of offers or any  imperfections etc or  they may order up 10/200 tons of produce and sell 3 tons so pay supplier for 3 tons  the supplier takes all losses not good for  uk farmers who will not supply supermarkets because of non payment now we have tomato's from Spain no taste or flavour spring onions from Mexico etc    WHATS WRONG  with home grown season foods from the local green grocer /baker / butcher  / etc first class local food  restraints advertise this when out for a meal and charge more to celebrate      we can do this at home like our grandparents did  a real tasty meal locally grown / locally harvested  meat /game or farmed    foraging etc        sadly a lot of people are too sanitised regarding where their food comes from  tesco

Edited September 21, 2018 by Saltings

[12gauge82]

3 hours ago, Rewulf said:

Understood, roll on Brexit and lobby the government to make changes.

The farmers should be playing a key part in the future, band together and make some noise.

Spot on, if done right, Brexit could bring real opportunities, for decent, hardworking people, rather than the greedy multinational companies and their CEOs.

[Saltings]

6 minutes ago, 12gauge82 said:

Spot on, if done right, Brexit could bring real opportunities, for decent, hardworking people, rather than the greedy multinational companies and their CEOs.

+1

[Hamster]

6 hours ago, 12gauge82 said:

Spot on, if done right, Brexit could bring real opportunities, for decent, hardworking people, rather than the greedy multinational companies and their CEOs.

+2

[Blackpowder]

On 20/09/2018 at 22:52, Harnser said:

Mrs harnser won’t use the self service tills .she says the next thing they will want is for customers to go out back and unload the lorries .

harnser

Nor me if the supermarkets want my money they must have someone to take it in person rather than a machine.

 

Blackpowder