Crowded Supermarkets

[SS4]

?

I've never had any trouble taking £5s out from the bank?

( Then again, I withdraw money over the counter, not from a machine..... )

I can get them out over the counter but there never seems to be enough room, indeed there seems to be a pressure at the larger branches to push people towards using the machines. I suspect it's to massage the figures on queues, I've seen similar behaviour at supermarkets where people are encouraged to use self-service

 

[me123]

Pushing onto self-service is also to fill up quotas. Checkout managers will often be asked to have x% of sales put through a self-service till, therefore the operator is to encourage people to use them. To be honest, I never did it; every time I did, something went wrong for the customer and I ended up feeling like an idiot!

In both supermarkets and banks, they can't force you to use machines (unless you're in Nationwide and want to withdraw <£100, but they're a crap BS anyway). So just stay in the queue. Withdrawals normally aren't what causes the queues anyway.

 

[Tom B]

I have to say that I find English fivers to generally be in a much worse state than Scottish ones; even the RBS (who haven't introduced a new design of banknote in ages) seem to issue decent ones from their branches.

 

[DarloRich]

Don't you just hate them and in particular the people with trolleys who seem to go into a day dream and block your path, get in your way etc. I feel like shoving them violently out of my way. The worst is when you get about 2 or 3 women with trolleys stood in the middle of the aisle gossiping away and blocking the path! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Take a tip from me and shop at night when it's much more serene. I'm off for a spot of gardening to calm down!

Yes i find that all the other problems faced by the world a the present time pale into insignificance against the most pressing and perhaps worrying issue of our times, the problem of a crowded supermakrket.

I mean compared to a vast war in afghanistan, the middle east on the brink of civil war, japan irradiated, global warming, financial meltdown AND a conservative government i can see how you might be worried!

BTW it does p**s me off but i just relax, go with the flow or go to Waitrose!

 

[WestCoast]

or go to Waitrose!

Does Waitrose even exist oop North? I very rarely see them! Although we do have Booths which is arguably "posher" (going back to this ridiculous supermarket class system I mentioned before)....

 

[DarloRich]

Well i am darn saaarf now so prefer Fortnum & Mason! lol

We have loads of Waitrose up north - i just cant afford them!

 

[Mojo]

Does Waitrose even exist oop North? I very rarely see them!

Yes, they opened a branch in Islington a few years back

Cannot afford Waitrose?! For lots of things they charge the same price or less than everyone else, particularly if you are willing to swap a branded product for Waitrose Essentials, which for lots of things tastes the same. I absolutely love Waitrose because the shops look great, staff are friendly, produce is brilliant and the range is inspirational. I also like the fact that in my two local branches instead of multiple queues there is one single maze queue and a maître d' who accompanies you to the next free cashier. It's much fairer and quicker.

I don't do all my shopping in there, as I'm someone who can only tell the quality difference in a few items; my weekly shop is done in Sainsbugs, but for items which cost the same, vegetables (better quality in Waitrose), ethical goods or items which Sainsbugs don't sell (like that lovely goats cheese available from the cheese room) or ad-hoc purchases it's gotta be Waitrose! If someone tried to work me out through looking in my kitchen or at my till receipts they'd struggle; it contains a nice mix of: brands (eg. Walkers), Sainsbugs Basics, ''Taste the Difference'' and bits and bobs from Waitrose too.

 

[WestCoast]

Well i am darn saaarf now so prefer Fortnum & Mason! lol

We have loads of Waitrose up north - i just cant afford them!

I just did a search, there isn't one single Waitrose in the whole of Lancashire or Cumbria! Not that I am bothered, It just feels like a another supermarket to me. There's always M&S or Booths for my cravings for Parmesan Parsnip Twiglets.:roll:

 

[HST Power]

In my area, the Waitrose supermarket is quite fairly priced. I don't shop there, but if it was a choice between Waitrose and Morrisons, I'd go to the more expensive shop if it meant the quality of the products were better. The meat in Morrisons is awful and I can't stand their TV adverts!

 

[DarloRich]

Yes, they opened a branch in Islington a few years back

Cannot afford Waitrose?! For lots of things they charge the same price or less than everyone else, particularly if you are willing to swap a branded product for Waitrose Essentials, which for lots of things tastes the same. I absolutely love Waitrose because the shops look great, staff are friendly, produce is brilliant and the range is inspirational. I also like the fact that in my two local branches instead of multiple queues there is one single maze queue and a maître d' who accompanies you to the next free cashier. It's much fairer and quicker.

I don't do all my shopping in there, as I'm someone who can only tell the quality difference in a few items; my weekly shop is done in Sainsbugs, but for items which cost the same, vegetables (better quality in Waitrose), ethical goods or items which Sainsbugs don't sell (like that lovely goats cheese available from the cheese room) or ad-hoc purchases it's gotta be Waitrose! If someone tried to work me out through looking in my kitchen or at my till receipts they'd struggle; it contains a nice mix of: brands (eg. Walkers), Sainsbugs Basics, ''Taste the Difference'' and bits and bobs from Waitrose too.

Sorry - that was a sterotypical northern joke about Waitrose. Their prices are not too bad and are at least competetive on basic sundires. The qulaity of thier own productsa is much better as is fruit and veg but a full shop is cheaper at Morrisons (at least up north, commercial/distribution base/links closer to stores etc) or ASDA

 

[thefab444]

In my area, the Waitrose supermarket is quite fairly priced. I don't shop there, but if it was a choice between Waitrose and Morrisons, I'd go to the more expensive shop if it meant the quality of the products were better. The meat in Morrisons is awful and I can't stand their TV adverts!

The other problem with Morrisons is their apparent desire to enforce Northern customs like "The Pie Shop" on the ex-Safeway stores they acquired in the South.

Another good thing with Waitrose is the PA is only used for staff matters, not for playing tacky music or plugging offers.

 

[DarloRich]

Pie shiop - A problem? You southerners should be greatful we are educating you in the ways of life shortening lard based pastry products! softies!

 

[me123]

The other problem with Morrisons is their apparent desire to enforce Northern customs like "The Pie Shop" on the ex-Safeway stores they acquired in the South.

Somehow, I think you'll survive :roll:

 

[jon0844]

I don't know how much value you put on your own time, but if you register for Self Scan at Waitrose, I can't see how you'd ever want to shop anywhere else.

Imagine walking in, chucking everything into a trolley or bag and walking out - without getting done for shoplifting. As said above, they price match 1,000s of products anyway, but even the more expensive stuff is worth paying more for to eradicate the queuing/scanning/packing process completely.

I'd seen people using it for ages before we registered, and now I don't have a clue why we ever waited! It's completely free to sign up and the sign up takes a few minutes tops, with the usual friendly staff you won't always find in Tesco (there are plenty of good staff in Tesco I should add, but as yet I've not seen the bad ones in Waitrose!)

 

[me123]

I don't know if you ever went to Safeway when they did their self-scan (which sounds pretty similar)? It was well liked by customers, although they weren't too keen on the 1:10 chance of getting put through a normal checkout anyway. The big problem was the losses, however. It might be better with the clientèle you get in Waitrose, but there was a huge loss with this system apparently; from both deliberate con artists and presumably genuine mistakes.

I've never used Waitrose's option. The only shop anywhere near me is in Byers Road, Glasgow; it's a bit out my way for anything other than a top-up shop. If only I lived in the West End again...

 

[jon0844]

My wife was stopped randomly and they manually checked the items. The thing is, unless you noticed the final balance on the screen before handing the terminal over, you'd not even know if what you scanned tallied - they don't tell you if you were wrong.

However, if you did get it wrong, they'll stop you again in the near future. I don't know how many times until something happens - as it's not happened to us.

I can imagine fraud being somewhat higher if they did it at Iceland or Lidl. Iceland is the only place where I've almost seen fights at the checkouts. Literally, not just people shouting.

 

[WestCoast]

The other problem with Morrisons is their apparent desire to enforce Northern customs like "The Pie Shop" on the ex-Safeway stores they acquired in the South.

What, you don't eat pies???hock:The older Morrisons stores are the worst (or best depending on your POV) with "Market Street" and all the fake shop fronts from yesteryear, I am sure they had good intentions but it just looks tacky to me.

 

[HST Power]

I can imagine fraud being somewhat higher if they did it at Iceland or Lidl. Iceland is the only place where I've almost seen fights at the checkouts. Literally, not just people shouting.

That's why mums go to Iceland!

I've never actually seen a checkout fight, though I've seen people get really irate in the queues, and when things go wrong when they try to pay. One man I saw had a huge trolley full of shopping, but his visa card wouldn't work and they had to take it off him and put it all back! He wasn't happy to say the very least!

 

[strange6]

Another bugbearer of mine are those in-store people who try to stop you shopping and sell you something like they're own gas/electricity supply or their own Insurance. Sainsbury's are probably the worst for this - don't think they realise how much it pees off people.

 

[Barton Keyes]

Best to order online and have it delivered. Saves time and petrol and eases the blood pressure.

 

[HST Power]

Best to order online and have it delivered. Saves time and petrol and eases the blood pressure.

The problem is, the people who pick the shopping up just walk in and grab the first things they see off the shelf. Don't check the dates or the condition, just grab it and stick in the van, crushed up with everything else.

 

[me123]

It costs you £5, so it may be more expensive than a trip to the supermarket depending on where you live. If something's out of stock, they'll pick a "suitable alternative" that may not be what you're looking for. At least when you go yourself, you can pick a suitable alternative that you want (if indeed you want to spend money on an alternative). And then you have to sit and wait in for a two hour slot whilst they deliver it.

 

[jon0844]

Don't some now have one hour delivery slots?

I think Tesco is trialling a collection service, so you can pop by the supermarket to pick up when convenient for you (within a time range) and not need to step out of the car. That's quite a good alternative, but you do still pay for them to get the shopping together. At least you're in a position to refuse replacements there, and perhaps get another substitution.

In our experience of using Tesco and Ocado, they do offer good substitutions and seem to pick good fruit and veg (knowing, presumably, that you'd complain or refuse otherwise).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The problem is, the people who pick the shopping up just walk in and grab the first things they see off the shelf. Don't check the dates or the condition, just grab it and stick in the van, crushed up with everything else.

I've seen the home delivery lot at work in the supermarket; I can assure you that they do indeed check the dates - and they make very sure that they put the shortest dated stuff in...

That's one reason I prefer to drive 7½ miles each way every 2 - 3 weeks to do the big shop. Make sure I get the longest dated stuff and in the best condition. Oh yes - I don't end up with unbelievable subsitutions either!

 

[me123]

In our experience of using Tesco and Ocado, they do offer good substitutions and seem to pick good fruit and veg (knowing, presumably, that you'd complain or refuse otherwise).

I used Tesco once (or rather my Mum did). They left out 4 products. I don't think she'd have minded other than the fact that she'd broken her leg and couldn't get anywhere to replace them! Tesco refused to send another delivery out because all four items were fresh and demanded we pay extra to get the refrigerated van back. There were also some rather dubious substitutions. This was in the early days, so I hope all has been resolved now.

It is also worth noting that, the last time I used Tesco for an elderly neighbour, it allowed you to put in a few words about the product. So, for example, rather than a 500g pack of chicken breasts, you could request something like "four approximately equal sized breasts", or suggest suitable substitutions, or even say that if it's not in stock just to forget about it. I don't know how reliable this is, but it's got the potential to work assuming the shopper isn't a brain-dead moron.

 

[HST Power]

I've seen the home delivery lot at work in the supermarket; I can assure you that they do indeed check the dates - and they make very sure that they put the shortest dated stuff in...

That's one reason I prefer to drive 7½ miles each way every 2 - 3 weeks to do the big shop. Make sure I get the longest dated stuff and in the best condition. Oh yes - I don't end up with unbelievable subsitutions either!

I suppose the stores vary when it comes to delivered to your door. I've only ever used Sainsbury's, but when I did, a lot of the items had about a day left on the dates. I don't mind driving up though as it's not too far.

 

[Mojo]

Thanks to jonmorris0844 for persuading me to finally register for Quick Check at Waitrose. Just got back from the Marylebone branch where I registered at the Welcome Desk and was given a scanner straight away. I felt a bit like a secret agent nipping around the shop and had to resist the urge to shoot at people with the scanner

Went straight to the priority lane and got to skip the 15-odd person queue. Woman at till took the scanner and I paid and was ready to go. Brilliant.

 

[jon0844]

Yes, I still do that now. The wife hates it.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Remind me how old you two are?

 

[me123]

I need to try this out! Sadly, the only branch anywhere near me is Byers Road And I don't see them opening a Coatbridge store any time soon

Can't say i ever remember doing that with the Safeway scanners (when I was old enough to get away with it!)