Tesco alternative

[Robin Evans]

I've used tescos for years and hillards before them. They've always been OK. Middle of the road.... but these last few months they've gone down the pan.

I don't know if its due to restructuring, reduced staffing, less frequent deliveries etc, but there are more and more occasions that usual items of stock are not on the shelves if its not fri or sat. Fruit n veg are noticeable in their depleted stocking levels not that i buy fruit or veg from tesco.....  its same with laundry/cleaning items, some soft drinks/whisky etc

I've had enough and so I'm looking to another supermarket. 

Which is the best and why?

[Bob8]

11 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

I've used tescos for years and hillards before them. They've always been OK. Middle of the road.... but these last few months they've gone down the pan.

I don't know if its due to restructuring, reduced staffing, less frequent deliveries etc, but there are more and more occasions that usual items of stock are not on the shelves if its not fri or sat. Fruit n veg are noticeable in their depleted stocking levels not that i buy fruit or veg from tesco.....  its same with laundry/cleaning items, some soft drinks/whisky etc

I've had enough and so I'm looking to another supermarket. 

Which is the best and why?

Where do you live?

[Robin Evans]

1 minute ago, Bob8 said:

Where do you live?

The carbuncle of the North..... Rotherham...

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Robin Evans said:

I've used tescos for years and hillards before them. They've always been OK. Middle of the road.... but these last few months they've gone down the pan.

I don't know if its due to restructuring, reduced staffing, less frequent deliveries etc, but there are more and more occasions that usual items of stock are not on the shelves if its not fri or sat. Fruit n veg are noticeable in their depleted stocking levels not that i buy fruit or veg from tesco.....  its same with laundry/cleaning items, some soft drinks/whisky etc

I've had enough and so I'm looking to another supermarket. 

Which is the best and why?

Aldi is ridiculously good value for what it is. The fruit can be hit and miss but for the price you pay I suppose that's part of the deal.

Morrisons and asda are always solid I've found.

At my uni house the two closest shops were Sainsbury's and Co-Op. Both were a tad pricey and Sainsbury's particularly gave off a "trying to be waitrose but not" vibe. It was worth it financially to walk down to morrisons in town or Aldi on the way home from football generally. Their only benefit was convenience. 

[Futtocks]

Morrisons are good for fresh produce, especially meat & fish, where they tend to have more variety than the average supermarket.

[Robin Evans]

4 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Morrisons are good for fresh produce, especially meat & fish, where they tend to have more variety than the average supermarket.

Its looking like Morros is the reasonable alternative.....

I was fishing for responses on whether sainsburys 7.5m 23mins or waitrose 8.9m 32mins was worth fannying about for the more poncier option.... is poncier a word.... or is it more poncey??

[gazza77]

Morrisons aren't great imo, but I do think that quality does vary across each chain dependent on the individual store. 

[Griff]

Fish counter is good at Morrisons.

In store bakery is good at Lidl.

Aldi's are good value on a limited product stock.

What I've found is that you occasionally need to go to a big supermarket because your Aldis and Lidls don't stock enough product lines.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

51 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Aldi is ridiculously good value for what it is. The fruit can be hit and miss but for the price you pay I suppose that's part of the deal.

Morrisons and asda are always solid I've found.

At my uni house the two closest shops were Sainsbury's and Co-Op. Both were a tad pricey and Sainsbury's particularly gave off a "trying to be waitrose but not" vibe. It was worth it financially to walk down to morrisons in town or Aldi on the way home from football generally. Their only benefit was convenience. 

Yeah I do most of my shopping in Aldi and have found exactly the same thing. Never had a problem with anything apart from fruit and veg. I have bought some before, packs of pepper for example and a couple will be starting to rot or apples that will have soft spots on or something like that but I should probably just have paid more attention when choosing which one I was getting. That's the only problem I've ever found with aldi. 

[Futtocks]

38 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

Its looking like Morros is the reasonable alternative.....

I was fishing for responses on whether sainsburys 7.5m 23mins or waitrose 8.9m 32mins was worth fannying about for the more poncier option.... is poncier a word.... or is it more poncey??

Sainsbury's isn't particularly fancy compared to Morrison's, based on my experiences with both local branches. Waitrose is worth the occasional visit, but probably not during lockdown.

[Griff]

40 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

Its looking like Morros is the reasonable alternative.....

I was fishing for responses on whether sainsburys 7.5m 23mins or waitrose 8.9m 32mins was worth fannying about for the more poncier option.... is poncier a word.... or is it more poncey??

Waitrose have some very nice stuff on offer but I wouldn't want to be doing all my shopping there.

[Futtocks]

Just now, Griff said:

Waitrose have some very nice stuff on offer but I wouldn't want to be doing all my shopping there.

Their own label stuff isn't pricey, but I'd go there for the occasional treat, not an everyday shop.

[Gerrumonside ref]

1 hour ago, Robin Evans said:

Its looking like Morros is the reasonable alternative.....

I was fishing for responses on whether sainsburys 7.5m 23mins or waitrose 8.9m 32mins was worth fannying about for the more poncier option.... is poncier a word.... or is it more poncey??

I use Aldi, Tesco’s and M&S for treats.

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Robin Evans said:

Its looking like Morros is the reasonable alternative.....

I was fishing for responses on whether sainsburys 7.5m 23mins or waitrose 8.9m 32mins was worth fannying about for the more poncier option.... is poncier a word.... or is it more poncey??

Tbf its v similar to shopping at Marks & Spencer as it goes.

[Futtocks]

18 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Tbf its v similar to shopping at Marks & Spencer as it goes.

M&S make a damn good steak pie: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/a24997495/marks-and-spencer-fastest-selling-product-pie/ 

[ckn]

2 hours ago, Griff said:

Waitrose have some very nice stuff on offer but I wouldn't want to be doing all my shopping there.

We do most of our shop at Waitrose because the food is good quality and their offers make it just as cheap as Tesco/Sainsbury’s. For example, their meats and fish are 3 for £10 for some really good stuff. Some of their stuff is shamefully overpriced tat but that’s for those who want to spend on it. 

It can’t compete with the Asda and cheaper brands on price but on sheer quality it can. 

[Saintslass]

4 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

The carbuncle of the North..... Rotherham...

Nah, sorry.  That title belongs to my town, St Helens. 

[Saintslass]

4 hours ago, Robin Evans said:

I've used tescos for years and hillards before them. They've always been OK. Middle of the road.... but these last few months they've gone down the pan.

I don't know if its due to restructuring, reduced staffing, less frequent deliveries etc, but there are more and more occasions that usual items of stock are not on the shelves if its not fri or sat. Fruit n veg are noticeable in their depleted stocking levels not that i buy fruit or veg from tesco.....  its same with laundry/cleaning items, some soft drinks/whisky etc

I've had enough and so I'm looking to another supermarket. 

Which is the best and why?

The shelves at ASDA have had big empty spaces consistently throughout the pandemic.  I think some of the problem is supply.  Early on the supermarkets switched their focus to stocking more of the essentials rather than the full range they stocked prior to the pandemic and that is certainly still the case at ASDA.  Their fruit and veg are total pants too.  I used to shop at Morrisons pre-pandemic but ASDA was closer and bigger and so I thought safer during the height of the pandemic but I'm soon to return to Morrisons because I'm getting a bit tired of things going off within a few days of me bringing them home.

[JonM]

2 hours ago, gazza77 said:

Morrisons aren't great imo, but I do think that quality does vary across each chain dependent on the individual store. 

Agree. One of our local Sainsbury's is pretty poor but the main one in Cambridge is fine. Tesco have a policy of varying their offer depending on the area, both in terms of pricing and what is actually stocked - stores which have a lot of people picking  up food on their way home from work have lots more ready meals, to give a simple example.

[Futtocks]

I was listening to Radio 4 a few days ago, possibly the Food Programme, and they said that many supermarkets had simplified their choices during the crisis, just to get more goods on the shelves. The example given was pasta (a panic-shopper favourite); fewer varieties, but more stock.

So if you are choosing this time to compare supermarkets, remember that things will change some way down the line, when it comes to choice.

[Robin Evans]

10 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

I was listening to Radio 4 a few days ago, possibly the Food Programme, and they said that many supermarkets had simplified their choices during the crisis, just to get more goods on the shelves. The example given was pasta (a panic-shopper favourite); fewer varieties, but more stock.

So if you are choosing this time to compare supermarkets, remember that things will change some way down the line, when it comes to choice.

I was deliberately ignoring the lockdown period. My angst with tesco started before lockdown and is no sign of improvement. 

Tesco has definitely dropped down the league for me. Before Christmas they closed their fish stall, butcher stall and reduced fresh food options. 

[Dave T]

Im biased as I work for the Tesco Group and I get discount so I think that sways me but I think it is the best standard supermarket around. I just don't find them very inspiring, same things Weeke in week out, few new ranges and few real luxuries. 

I go to Tesco 80% of the time and then top up with some treats and stuff at Lidl and Morris ons, sometimes Asda for a change. 

[Futtocks]

6 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

I was deliberately ignoring the lockdown period. My angst with tesco started before lockdown and is no sign of improvement. 

Tesco has definitely dropped down the league for me. Before Christmas they closed their fish stall, butcher stall and reduced fresh food options. 

Fair enough; there's a Tesco quite near me, but as a non-driver, it is too much hassle to visit. The Sainsbury's is a couple of minutes' walk away, while Morrison's, Waitrose, M&S, Asda, Lidl and Aldi are reachable by a single bus journey. Plus there's Wing Yip and Loon Fung equally available for more exotic purchases.

[gazza77]

1 hour ago, Robin Evans said:

I was deliberately ignoring the lockdown period. My angst with tesco started before lockdown and is no sign of improvement. 

Tesco has definitely dropped down the league for me. Before Christmas they closed their fish stall, butcher stall and reduced fresh food options. 

If it's an option, have you considered shopping with local suppliers? We buy meat from local butchers, fruit and veg on markets or from local delivery suppliers, and other local shops, such as a zero waste store where we can. Supermarket shopping tends to be for dry and tinned stuff, plus cleaning. It is sometimes more expensive (not always) however the quality is usually so much better, and it's often far more quick and convenient (especially deliveries) than having to drive to a supermarket of any description. 

[Futtocks]

16 minutes ago, gazza77 said:

If it's an option, have you considered shopping with local suppliers? We buy meat from local butchers, fruit and veg on markets or from local delivery suppliers, and other local shops, such as a zero waste store where we can. Supermarket shopping tends to be for dry and tinned stuff, plus cleaning. It is sometimes more expensive (not always) however the quality is usually so much better, and it's often far more quick and convenient (especially deliveries) than having to drive to a supermarket of any description. 

The last time I had a local (to home) butcher was nearly 30 years ago. The nearest market's a fair distance off too.

There was a fantastic butcher near our former offices, so I hope that when we go back to normal-ish working, it'll be in that neighbourhood again.