Supermarkets discussion

[gswindale]

Had a trip to Sainsbury's earlier for a combination of "click & collect ", "food to order" and "Christmas food to order". One car ahead of me at the collection point loading up. It still took over 15 minutes to get our order from the store to the car.

The Christmas food to order collection was fine, although for some reason you pay a deposit online and then have to pay the balance when you collect, but with a voucher to refund the deposit. Why they can't just take full payment online and then just give you the goods is beyond me as it would make the whole process somewhat smoother.

For the normal food to order, the food collection point said they had no record - only for the Christmas order, so to go to the click & collect point, who then said I needed to go to the food collection point in store. Fortunately they did ring a manager who managed to arrive with the goods a fe2 minutes later.

In previous years, we've done a Tesco c&c, but missed out on a slot there this time. I would normally be there and back within 30 minutes (it's about 15 minutes there and 10 back). Sainsbury's is about 7 minutes each way and yet due to their incompetence I was out for about an hour!

 

[Ladder23]

Love Morrisons but it's well out of my way,

Unfortunately I hate Asda, and that's what's closest, followed by aldi and lidl, which I equally dislike.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Popped into Sainsbury's at six o'clock this morning. Very quiet and I was in and out in less than half an hour. Availability was decent.

Picked up everything I needed for tomorrow except for Brussels sprouts, which I'll grab on my way home after grabbing some bread from the local bakery co-operative.

 

[londonbridge]

Sainsburys nowhere near as busy as I expected, in and out relatively quickly with everything I needed except for one item I forgot so a trip to the “local” later on. Got to self checkout, about six people in front of me but they were all waiting for a cash till so I went straight through a card only one.

 

[Harpo]

Two seasonal items seem to be absent everywhere in my locality this year.

Brazil nuts in shells have been a rarity, only appearing occassionally in small numbers with mixed nuts.

More importantly, I’ve not found fresh cranberries so can’t do a homemade sauce.

 

[takno]

Tesco was absolutely rammed, but it was quick through the till because they don't have enough staff working to actually have anything useful on the shelves. Sainsbury's was an oasis of calm by comparison and well stocked throughout.

Both could have done with getting a bit more aggressive with their out-of-date reductions - there's some really large piles of meat I could have bought and froze, but it wasn't worth it for 20% off. They might get rid of it later, but it's not a day when people are spending time browsing for stuff that isn't on their lists.

 

[dangie]

Tesco was absolutely rammed….

Well they’re shut tomorrow and aren’t open again until……. Boxing Day……

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Well they’re shut tomorrow and aren’t open again until……. Boxing Day……

The Tesco in my local area shuts at 7.00 p.m. tonight and doesn't re-open again until Friday 27th Dec at 6.00 a.m. Similarly so at the nearby M&S Food Hall, which re-opens Friday at 8.00 a.m. Not everywhere is open Boxing Day.

 

[gg1]

Both could have done with getting a bit more aggressive with their out-of-date reductions - there's some really large piles of meat I could have bought and froze, but it wasn't worth it for 20% off.

That's something I've noticed supermarkets have become particularly poor at the past few years, at all times, not just Christmas. Seems to be more common that it used to be to find products with use by dates the same day with no reductions at all.

I often go shopping quite late, sometimes not long before store closing time. Something I've seen a few times at Sainsburys at those times is a member of staff putting all the remaining fresh bread, pastries etc into large plastic bags (presumably destined for the bin) and all still at full price. They'd surely be able to sell some of them if they'd applied a hefty discount for the last hour or so the store was open.

 

[RuddA]

That's something I've noticed supermarkets have become particularly poor at the past few years, at all times, not just Christmas. Seems to be more common that it used to be to find products with use by dates the same day with no reductions at all.

I often go shopping quite late, sometimes not long before store closing time. Something I've seen a few times at Sainsburys at those times is a member of staff putting all the remaining fresh bread, pastries etc into large plastic bags (presumably destined for the bin) and all still at full price. They'd surely be able to sell some of them if they'd applied a hefty discount for the last hour or so the store was open.

Very annoying when I would still be happy to pay full price and they have just taken it all away.

 

[takno]

That's something I've noticed supermarkets have become particularly poor at the past few years, at all times, not just Christmas. Seems to be more common that it used to be to find products with use by dates the same day with no reductions at all.

I often go shopping quite late, sometimes not long before store closing time. Something I've seen a few times at Sainsburys at those times is a member of staff putting all the remaining fresh bread, pastries etc into large plastic bags (presumably destined for the bin) and all still at full price. They'd surely be able to sell some of them if they'd applied a hefty discount for the last hour or so the store was open.

Almost nothing goes in the bin anymore. Depending on the product and local networks it goes to discounters, food banks or animal feed. At the outside it goes to composting.

Having watched people buying up the half-priced bread at Tesco at 5 o'clock I'm not convinced more that doesn't end up in the bin anyway.

The discounts generally are really disappointing in general at the moment, but they often start a bit earlier, and from my regular checks around discount sections I'd say less of it is making it through the day unsold. Tends to be a mix of more price-concious/desperate customers, better stock control and longer dates.

 

[GatwickDepress]

I often go shopping quite late, sometimes not long before store closing time. Something I've seen a few times at Sainsburys at those times is a member of staff putting all the remaining fresh bread, pastries etc into large plastic bags (presumably destined for the bin) and all still at full price. They'd surely be able to sell some of them if they'd applied a hefty discount for the last hour or so the store was open.

The baked in-store bread and pastries go to either composting or cattle feed as part of the No Food Waste to Landfill policy. Packaged bread is donated to charities along with other best before disposals.

The Sainsbury's POS system has no way of applying a time-gated discount like Tesco does - all their loose pastries are automatically reduced after a certain time.

 

[gg1]

The baked in-store bread and pastries go to either composting or cattle feed as part of the No Food Waste to Landfill policy. Packaged bread is donated to charities along with other best before disposals.

The Sainsbury's POS system has no way of applying a time-gated discount like Tesco does - all their loose pastries are automatically reduced after a certain time.

Thanks, good to know it's not totally wasted. It's mainly the freshly baked in store items I see being bagged in this way, which are only loosely wrapped rather than sealed, so probably can't be sent to food banks, homeless charities etc.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Thanks, good to know it's not totally wasted. It's mainly the freshly baked in store items I see being bagged in this way, which are only loosely wrapped rather than sealed, so probably can't be sent to food banks, homeless charities etc.

My understanding is that, in theory, there's nothing to stop a company from donating loose items along with up to date allergen information. In practice, no company wants to be the one with the headline 'X supermarket kills homeless man through negligence'. Plus, by the time they're being distributed the next morning, they've gone stale and nasty.

Now, avoidable waste from depots! That's a fun issue!

 

[52290]

The Tesco in my local area shuts at 7.00 p.m. tonight and doesn't re-open again until Friday 27th Dec at 6.00 a.m. Similarly so at the nearby M&S Food Hall, which re-opens Friday at 8.00 a.m. Not everywhere is open Boxing Day.

Not everywhere shuts on Christmas Day either.
My local Spar shop is open from10am till 3pm.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Not everywhere shuts on Christmas Day either.
My local Spar shop is open from10am till 3pm.

Indeed, but these tend to be the smaller and more limited range "convenience" type stores rather than larger size supermarkets. Trust the staff are on "double-bubble"!

 

[johntea]

Talking of best before dates I ordered some peanut butter from Amazon as a bit of a joke gift for a friend...as I was about to wrap it up just now saw the best before date on the label was 08/02/2024! (Not too sure if that is a UK date or US date format as it is an American brand so best case around 5 months past worst case almost a year past!)

Decided to moan at Amazon customer services who gave me a refund and told me to keep it

I certainly won't be in a rush to do my food shop with Amazon any time soon!

 

[philjo]

More importantly, I’ve not found fresh cranberries so can’t do a homemade sauce.

I bought a pack of cranberries in Morrisons about 3 weeks ago but haven’t seen any on my visits to Morrisons since then.
I have obtained a couple more packs from Waitrose recently.

I have found several gaps on the shelves in Morrisons recently so usually at least one item on my list was not available. It is unpredictable as to whether there would be any fresh salmon available on the days I wanted it.

 

[david1212]

.... On the subject of Aldi, has anyone else noticed they don't seem to be stocking a lot of normal products to make room for Christmas produce?

Come the end of October I find supplies become erratic. I presume they are juggling the delivery network capacity to bring in the seasonal items.
Then from the last week of November as you say some of the normal items disappear e.g. some cooked meat. I can only guess that both the ingredients and production capacity is turned over to Christmas lines even though when it first appears ....

I’ve noticed that in previous years too. Lots of Christmas-themed food with expiry dates well before the 25th. ...

By last Thursday I had what I needed except fresh and chilled items.
Last year on the 23rd ( Saturday ) I walked down to Tesco. It was surprisingly quiet.
This year I did the same yesterday afternoon. It was busy but not heaving nor traffic queuing to get in, circling for a parking space then queuing to get out again. No long queues at the checkouts either. I can recall many years ago long queue and staff wandering sharing tubs of chocolates while waiting.

They’re closed an entire ONE DAY!

or for some two

The Tesco in my local area shuts at 7.00 p.m. tonight and doesn't re-open again until Friday 27th Dec at 6.00 a.m. Similarly so at the nearby M&S Food Hall, which re-opens Friday at 8.00 a.m. Not everywhere is open Boxing Day.

Lidl & Aldi locally (Luton) are closed on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day (as well as New Years Day). Much more civilised.

I think the same for most if not all their stores in England & Wales. In Scotland Lidl will be open 11:00 - 17:00.

I don't need to go again until Monday. At a push I could stretch to Thursday.

 

[Russel]

Come the end of October I find supplies become erratic. I presume they are juggling the delivery network capacity to bring in the seasonal items.
Then from the last week of November as you say some of the normal items disappear e.g. some cooked meat. I can only guess that both the ingredients and production capacity is turned over to Christmas lines even though when it first appears ....

On Sunday, I wanted a mozzarella ball, they had none at all, not even grated, but they had an entire fridge dedicated to Christmas cheeses, then I started to notice other bits and pieces that weren't available.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Why why why do people leave it until the last minute to get their shopping things done ? it always baffles me ,I appreciate there are some who have no choice but really !

Corrected for you.

Yes even the missus was actively trying to steer me away from getting Christmas food last week !. She was even adamant we could get a reduced Turkey on Christmas eve (see below) - I was not prepared to risk it.

On Christmas eve last year I did a last minute top-up shop at Aldi and was pleasantly surprised by how quiet it was (the shop and the town in general). Not only that, because they were going to be closed for two days, much of the chilled stuff was reduced. I only needed a couple of bits and pieces that I'd forgotten when doing my main shop, but I took the opportunity and bought a few extra things for the freezer, especially as the discount was more than the usual 30% off. I've still got a few things to buy, so I'm hoping to employ the same tactics tomorrow.

I've probably jinxed it now!

Local Morrisons on Christmas eve - No trolleys available out side so I knew it would be busy. But I searched the car parks and dived in for the bargains.

I think this year with Christmass day on a Wednesday many people were fooled into getting the shopping done in the week leading up to Christmas day but that was only the two days of Monday and Tuesday. In a year when Christmas falls on Saturday, Sunday or Monday shopping gets done the preceding Monday to Friday - so five days.

I’ve noticed that in previous years too. Lots of Christmas-themed food with expiry dates well before the 25th.

However, today has made me realise we are now definitely into the Christmas holiday - Our corner shop has got a big cardboard dispenser full of Cadburys creme eggs!

Yes. I have even got heavily reduced price mince pies last week. An early Christmas atmosphere boost for me !.

We did the booze shop at Waitrose this evening around 7. It was fairly pleasant - not too busy and not many queues, and all the stuff due out of date over Christmas was reduced. Only downside was that quite a lot of stuff like basic veg had been stripped bare over the course of the day

I went to Morrisons yesterday (24th) about 14:00 just to see what was available reduced. Freezer is now full of 75% off food !.
Turkey ? - no it had all gone by then.

For Veg last week I spotted Sainsburys doing various veg in packs for 15p and then Morrisons at 10p. I got plenty of Carrots, Parsnips and Swede but only finally encountered Brussels sprouts in stock on Monday (23rd) !. The shed will keep them fine for a couple of weeks even.

 

[route101]

Went to Morrisons last night and shelves were bear, must be the weather warnings and people stocking for NY.

 

[GusB]

Went to Morrisons last night and shelves were bear, must be the weather warnings and people stocking for NY.

I'd end up being a bit grizzly if I was unable to buy what I needed!

 

[Peter Sarf]

I'd end up being a bit grizzly if I was unable to buy what I needed!

Just hit my local Morrisons as I could not bear to stay at home. Shelves looked bearable - in fact well stocked - actually did not look terribly blitzed let alone bare. Was on the busy side though.

 

[trainmania100]

Hope everyone's spent their Co-op members card balance. It expires today, having been taken over by the new members prices.

 

[Russel]

Hope everyone's spent their Co-op members card balance. It expires today, having been taken over by the new members prices.

I signed up for a membership card earlier this year, paid my £1 but have all but given up with using it, every other Co-Op I go in to I get told that they only accept certain types of Co-Op card...

 

[davehsug]

I'd end up being a bit grizzly if I was unable to buy what I needed!

Been happening for months now. We always go early Friday morning and there are always many empty shelves and aisles are clogged with pallets as shelf filling takes place. I think they've stopped overnight filling.

 

[eyebrook1961]

Been happening for months now. We always go early Friday morning and there are always many empty shelves and aisles are clogged with pallets as shelf filling takes place. I think they've stopped overnight filling.

We have two Home Bargains in town and the one on the periphery is notorious for continually having wheeled cages full of stock for shelf filling in the way of people trying to get their trollies round. I'm assuming that it's purely to save having people working out of hours to fill the shelves.

 

[DannyMich2018]

We have two Home Bargains in town and the one on the periphery is notorious for continually having wheeled cages full of stock for shelf filling in the way of people trying to get their trollies round. I'm assuming that it's purely to save having people working out of hours to fill the shelves.

Some time ago I went to our local Aldi around 2100hrs. Some aisles were near impassible due to cages been worked. Fortunately didn't need much.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Been happening for months now. We always go early Friday morning and there are always many empty shelves and aisles are clogged with pallets as shelf filling takes place. I think they've stopped overnight filling.

The other thing Morrisons are doing is reducing the amount of ambient stock cover in stores because they're desperate for working capital, so more stock is being worked directly from delivery to the shelves rather than sitting in the backup for a few days. Obviously this carries an increased risk of empty shelves if demand is higher than forecast