Guest Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 After many years of being a Tesco shopper, I am wondering whether it really is our best option. It's the only supermarket in our village but we've got a large town 5 miles away with an Asda and Morrisons (plus Aldi and Lidl I think) and a smaller town (that we go to quite often) 7 miles away with a Sainsbury's and Aldi. I have tried them all over the years but found the range at Sainsbury's limited (it's quite a small one) and the prices higher. Asda does have some cheaper prices but I found the quality of fresh food poorer and they lacked some of the more esoteric stuff we buy (we're veggies and my OH is gluten free). Lidl and Aldi seemed impossible for a full weeks shopping and it wasn't worth travelling if I still had to go to another supermarket too. Since we returned from Australia though my OH has done all the shopping and he goes for the convenience of the local Tesco. We seem to spend an awful to of food though - at least £100 a week (for 2+1) and I asked a friend yesterday and she spends closer to £60 (albeit for 1+1). I know everyone's expenditure is different so it's a pointless comparison but interested in which supermarkets people choose as I assume most people have a similar objective - the best quality at the cheapest price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I loved our local Sainsburys even worked there for a short period. We visited it when last came back, it's twice the size now. We had breakfast there it was really nice. Felt strange having all the isles of booze there now :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest km75 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Sainsburys :-) we went back on holiday in October and I had forgotten how great it is!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Waitrose is my favourite - great range of pretty much everything I could ever want, and nice quality fruit/veg and meat. I go there regular for "small shops" but for a bigger shop will go to Sainsburys, which has a far better range of "non-food" stuff. Would like to try Aldi / Lidl more - the closest is Lidl and even then, it's just not close enough. There's only so far I'm willing to walk / drag my shopping bags on the bus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi69 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Never had a waitrose or sainsburys close enough to where we used to live, so can't comment. I used to use Asda. Mainly for convenience but I did overall find it the cheapest. For better quality fresh fruit n veg I would head to Morrisons. Never got on with Tesco. Just out of interest LR...do you miss any of the speciality shops in Freo, ie Peaches, the fishmongers, little deli's etc. Only asking as I've only moved 30mins down the road and I do!! Must admit I headed back up there for my Xmas fayre, and to limes in Melville. But I suppose I hate chain supermarkets wherever. They are only good for their special offers in my eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 We seem to spend an awful to of food though - at least £100 a week (for 2+1) and I asked a friend yesterday and she spends closer to £60 (albeit for 1+1). I know everyone's expenditure is different so it's a pointless comparison but interested in which supermarkets people choose as I assume most people have a similar objective - the best quality at the cheapest price? So what happened to the UK being so much cheaper than Australia, so many people go on about it, I shop for 2and 1 here and dont spend that amount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Never had a waitrose or sainsburys close enough to where we used to live, so can't comment. I used to use Asda. Mainly for convenience but I did overall find it the cheapest. For better quality fresh fruit n veg I would head to Morrisons. Never got on with Tesco. Just out of interest LR...do you miss any of the speciality shops in Freo, ie Peaches, the fishmongers, little deli's etc. Only asking as I've only moved 30mins down the road and I do!! Must admit I headed back up there for my Xmas fayre, and to limes in Melville. But I suppose I hate chain supermarkets wherever. They are only good for their special offers in my eyes. I miss them SO much!!!! Peaches was a short walk from my house, it was a little expensive but I loved it! I miss the South Fremantle Farmers market too - we have nothing like that here, the nearest farmers market only runs once a month and only sells real specialist foods that are lovely but expensive - no bags of apples for $2.99 The UK is changing though and there are more and more quirky independent food shops, it seems as if the big chains have moved off the high street onto the retail parks and the high street is been taken over by independents which can only be a good thing. A food co-op is just starting up in a nearby town so it will be interesting to see how that progresses. I live in a farming area so there should be plenty of opportunity for buying direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 So what happened to the UK being so much cheaper than Australia, so many people go on about it, I shop for 2and 1 here and dont spend that amount! As I said you can't compare what one person spends with another, my supermarket bill includes alcohol which yours won't and we buy specialist foods which are expensive. At Coles/Woolies we tended to spend $200-220 a week plus another $30-50 on fresh food at the farmers market/deli/fishmonger etc. plus alcohol so maybe $250-300 a week. That was two years ago though so I would imagine prices have increased a little since then. My post is nothing to do with Australia - just being cheeky and using the collective wisdom of the people on this forum to get some opinions (& it is in the UK chat section) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Waitrose is my favourite - great range of pretty much everything I could ever want, and nice quality fruit/veg and meat. I go there regular for "small shops" but for a bigger shop will go to Sainsburys, which has a far better range of "non-food" stuff. I love Waitrose but there isn't one in my area and even if there was I couldn't afford to shop there. When we lived in Southend we'd go occasionally for a 'treat' shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 From all the replies it sounds like it's a shame that we don't have a better Sainsbury's nearby - ours is very small, no cafe, no clothes - not that I'd be going for that but just to give you an idea, it's not a Sainsbury's local but it isn't much bigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I found that basics in ALDI (loo roll etc) supplemented by quality/specialist products from Waitrose to be a good combination. Did love some of Tesco's veggie stuff (veggie haggis!). So much choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellers and Whitehead Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Marks and spencers. .love the place! !!Other basic shopping will do anywhere I'm near. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I found that basics in ALDI (loo roll etc) supplemented by quality/specialist products from Waitrose to be a good combination. Did love some of Tesco's veggie stuff (veggie haggis!). So much choice! Morrisons are price matching with Aldi now - it's a bit of a convoluted voucher scheme but if you always shop at Morrisions I suppose it works out okay. I shouldn't forget I suppose that we got £70 club card vouchers this year, which doubled up to £140 to spend on Christmas presents (& you can get pretty much everything from Tesco Direct). I might leave my OH doing the main shop at Tesco - he's a creature of habit but try an Aldi top-up shop on a weekend to get some cheap stuff. or persuade him to give Morrisons a try and I'll go to Tesco on a weekend if there are things he can't get at Morrisons. It's probably the veggie stuff at Tesco that makes it work for us - my son had veggie haggis for Christmas dinner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritChickx Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Asda and Morrisons for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Sainsburys for me for range quality and price. Not a fan of tesco and hate the shopping experience of Aldi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Liking Lidl at the moment, nice selection of continental stuff in the deli counter, and good wines. I can almost get a full shop for 25% less than Asda. Then it is just Asda for toilettries and brands I need. Never go to Tesco, don't have a Waitrose.... will sometimes go to the food hall in Marks, but just for a treat and never a full shop, and occasionally Sainsbury when I'm feeling flush! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 We were very lucky as had this place http://www.leicestermarket.co.uk it has about a hundred food stalls covering everything from vegetables to seafood to game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I used to shop at Ocado. I could have my shopping delivered and put away on a Sunday morning before any of the other shops were even open. I also used Able & Cole for various fruit, veg, meat and bread. And occasional treats. Before Ocado I shopped at Asda because it was convenient and more pleasent to shop in than Morrisons. The Morrisons near us were always dark and the staff were miserable. Tesco's was in the town centre and a pain to park at so never shopped there. No Sainsburies close by where we lived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I absolutely love Waitrose. The product quality in my opinion is superior to Tescos and Sainsburys, and the stores are better designed, spacious and well-lit. You pay a bit extra there though, so probably it's a good idea to shop there for the luxury items, whilst using the other stores for basics. ASDA are great on price, particularly for booze, but the product range and quality (particularly fruit and veg) leaves something to be desired. Personally I find shopping in ALDI a bit redundant. Now and again you get some good deals, but their product range is so tiny that you end up having to go elsewhere to get the rest. In Melbourne that means either one of the big two supermarkets (neither of which I think are great) or trawling around independent grocers, butchers, delis etc. That's ok if you've got the time, but if you haven't (and I generally haven't), it can really drag the process out. It was rumoured a few months ago that M&S were checking out sites in Melbourne and Sydney, but nothing seems to have come of it so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I absolutely love Waitrose. The product quality in my opinion is superior to Tescos and Sainsburys, and the stores are better designed, spacious and well-lit. You pay a bit extra there though, so probably it's a good idea to shop there for the luxury items, whilst using the other stores for basics. ASDA are great on price, particularly for booze, but the product range and quality (particularly fruit and veg) leaves something to be desired. Personally I find shopping in ALDI a bit redundant. Now and again you get some good deals, but their product range is so tiny that you end up having to go elsewhere to get the rest. In Melbourne that means either one of the big two supermarkets (neither of which I think are great) or trawling around independent grocers, butchers, delis etc. That's ok if you've got the time, but if you haven't (and I generally haven't), it can really drag the process out. It was rumoured a few months ago that M&S were checking out sites in Melbourne and Sydney, but nothing seems to have come of it so far. M&S Food Hall was nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyHeart Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 They were all good. Better range of bread than supermarkets here. That said looking forward to doing my shopping later and buying Aussie stuff. You just miss what you can't get. One thing I have said is not wasting money on supermarket bacon anymore. Its utter crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 After many years of being a Tesco shopper, I am wondering whether it really is our best option. It's the only supermarket in our village but we've got a large town 5 miles away with an Asda and Morrisons (plus Aldi and Lidl I think) and a smaller town (that we go to quite often) 7 miles away with a Sainsbury's and Aldi. I have tried them all over the years but found the range at Sainsbury's limited (it's quite a small one) and the prices higher. Asda does have some cheaper prices but I found the quality of fresh food poorer and they lacked some of the more esoteric stuff we buy (we're veggies and my OH is gluten free). Lidl and Aldi seemed impossible for a full weeks shopping and it wasn't worth travelling if I still had to go to another supermarket too. Since we returned from Australia though my OH has done all the shopping and he goes for the convenience of the local Tesco. We seem to spend an awful to of food though - at least £100 a week (for 2+1) and I asked a friend yesterday and she spends closer to £60 (albeit for 1+1). I know everyone's expenditure is different so it's a pointless comparison but interested in which supermarkets people choose as I assume most people have a similar objective - the best quality at the cheapest price? lucky to have the lot ...asda ...tesco ...sainsburys ...waitrose ...mands ....aldi ...within 2 miles ..............on the odd occassion when i have been , i prefer morrisons or aldis ....i always ended up spending a fortune in tesco and asda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablo Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Sainsburys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julinoz Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 a lot of people in the UK are shopping at Aldi and Lidl whose range is not great, but their beers are the cheapest you can buy. Morrisons has a great range and is taking on the Aldi price wise. Tescos are in trouble, there are a lot of big supermarkets here competing with each other, I fear one will go to the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benthomas010 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 a lot of people in the UK are shopping at Aldi and Lidl whose range is not great, but their beers are the cheapest you can buy. Morrisons has a great range and is taking on the Aldi price wise. Tescos are in trouble, there are a lot of big supermarkets here competing with each other, I fear one will go to the wall. Tesco aren't in trouble. They have suffered a big hit this year but still set to make 1.4bn in profit. Whilst Aldi and Lidl are growing at 40% year on year it's from a very small base and are lightyears behind the big 5. (Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys, Waitrose & Morrisons). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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