Waitrose ?

Author
Discussion

Herbie58

1,705 posts

191 months

Sunday 7th February 2010
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Is ocado really that much better? It's next on my list to try.

Sainsburys - the sell by dates tend to be crap, food quality decent, deliver on time.

Tesco - took bloody ages to deliver, made stupid substitutes (skimmed milk for full fat?) and the delivery driver tried to say he couldn't fin house and wanted me to meet him
at the end of the road. Yeah, that's why I pay for delivery, to lugg my shopping up the street.

Waitrose - first time they made sensible substitutions and chucked in bigger sizes to make up for it. Second time they substituted sesame seeds for celery? And charged me for both. Also ordered two fillets of monkfish, which I know are approx weights online at £12 but £22 in actual weight is a bit cheeky.

Interested to see how ocado try out

Murph7355

37,760 posts

257 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Ocado IS Waitrose. Just the delivery arm.

Tanguero

4,535 posts

202 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Ocado claim not to be Waitrose, but just to have an exclusive supply deal with them... Not quite sure where the distinction is on that one!

In terms of quality of service I suspect it depends very much on your local outfit. Our Sainsbury's delivery almost invariably missed the delivery time and were the ones making the daft substitutions. Tesco seemed to have difficulty showing up at all and had a penchant for delivering only about half the goods ordered. In contrast Ocado have always been on time and have hardly ever made a substitution as they always seem to have what we ordered in stock.

Healey73

1,181 posts

285 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Ocado was set up by a few bored Bankers with a tie in from Waitrose, I can't remember how much of a share Waitroses stake was now but the agreement was that the Ocado management team would buy it back over a period of time. Not sure if that ever happened so waitrose may still own a large slice of the Ocado pie.

smack

9,729 posts

192 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Pferdestarke said:
Support local producers and Lidl/Aldi.
Local producers - definantly. I prefer my pounds stay in my local area.
Lidl and Aldi are german, so that are more of your pounds leaving our shores rather than staying.

HereBeMonsters

14,180 posts

183 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Murph7355 said:
Ocado IS Waitrose. Just the delivery arm.
So what's this then? http://www.waitrosedeliver.com/

MentalSarcasm

6,083 posts

212 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Ocado and Waitrose are separate companies. Ocado have a direct supply link to Waitrose, and they have a similar customer service ethic to Waitrose/John Lewis, and in return Waitrose had more of their products being sold.

Waitrose Deliver was then set up and differs from Ocado in that they don't charge for delivery (the first home delivery service that didn't charge), I'm sure what's happening between them and Ocado now as there's no point in having two services for the same stuff.

Waitrose is more expensive but the staff are treated far better than at any other supermarket, I used to be a cashier for them and a lot of people on my section had worked for Tesco or Sainsburys in the past and said they wouldn't go back even if they were offered more money. They're paid better, get better benefits, and as a result they tend to be a lot more friendly and helpful. If I go to Tesco and can't find something, the staff member I find to ask will generally just point aimlessly and go "somewhere down there", whereas when I worked for Waitrose we were trained to walk the customer there, hand them the item if necessary and check that there wasn't anything else they needed before moving on.

But then as a former employee I'm slightly biased wink

Oh and my Mum only buys meat from Waitrose now as she says the quality is much higher than Tesco. Waitrose also does a lot of British stuff (I think I've only ever seen British meat there) and tries to get local suppliers, the one I worked at sold a cake line that was started by a small local home bakery. They do stock out-of-season fruit and veg from other countries but then if they didn't there would be hell to pay with some customers so you win some you lose some.

HereBeMonsters

14,180 posts

183 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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For reasons of economy we do our main shop in Tesco (love the Clubcard point as well), but most of our "top-up" shops at Waitrose. Probably because it's the closest to us, but we definitely go there more often than when it used to be a Morrison's.

Some of the Waitrose own-brand items I've found to be better than the leading branded stuff, and their ingredients are great quality. I always find I come away from Waitrose with a bunch of things with which to make something nice, whereas in Tesco I tend to stick to ready made stuff, packets and jars of sauce etc. Their stuff just doesn't inspire me in the same way.

I would probably do all my shopping at Waitrose if they had a few more special offers on things I regularly buy, or if my income rose considerably.

jackal

Original Poster:

11,248 posts

283 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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ANY EXAMPLES ?

V8mate

45,899 posts

190 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Deva Link said:
Simpo Two said:
Second - how frightfully nice the punters, sorry clientele were. Nothing like striking up a bit of light banter over the truffle oil.
So it's a good place to make out with posh birds? wink
yes Bored housewives.

wiffmaster

2,603 posts

199 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Waitrose might be pricey, but everything they sell is of excellent quality. For a supermarket, the quality of their meat and fresh produce is fantastic. Speaking to a few farmers at the local NFU meet who knew most of the suppliers/production lines, they said Tesco had by far the worst quality meat of any supermarket and Waitrose the best.

They said meat quality was as follows:

Waitrose
M&S
Morrisons (surprising!)
Asda/Sainsburys
Tesco

How much to read into that I don't know, but it seems reasonable from my experience.

thetapeworm

11,241 posts

240 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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There is no shame in opting for the Waitrose "Essentials" items to bring the costs down, it's not like Tesco Value, the quality is still good smile

mcflurry

9,099 posts

254 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Ocado home deliveries are miles ahead IMHO.

They turn up on time
They deliver to the kitchen, not the front door
They offered to take away the carriers for recycling
The receipt has sell by dates already populated to aid menu selection
The prices were in line with the other supermarkets
They sell Premium rums (top reason)
Free newspaper smile

JRM

2,043 posts

233 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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Pferdestarke said:
I've shopped there on occasion when location and budget have allowed. Excellent quality but a complete rip off in short.
What tosh. I put my Ocado shop into Sainsbury's on-line once, swapped Waitrose essentials for the basic Sainsbury's version - which is not as good quallity. I think Waitrose was something like £1.90 more expensive including delivery, on about £110 worth of goods.

I'd probably spend that on petrol and parking going to Sainsburys, rather than have a very well trained and timely delivery driver bring it directly into my kitchen

aircooler

121 posts

179 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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smack said:
Pferdestarke said:
Support local producers and Lidl/Aldi.
Local producers - definantly. I prefer my pounds stay in my local area.
Lidl and Aldi are german, so that are more of your pounds leaving our shores rather than staying.
yes but they are both the best for consistent good quality, so that's where my money goes most of the time.

thetapeworm

11,241 posts

240 months

Monday 8th February 2010
quotequote all
mcflurry said:
Ocado home deliveries are miles ahead IMHO.

They turn up on time
They deliver to the kitchen, not the front door
They offered to take away the carriers for recycling
The receipt has sell by dates already populated to aid menu selection
The prices were in line with the other supermarkets
They sell Premium rums (top reason)
Free newspaper smile
Agreed on all counts other than I haven't sampled the rums and they seem to have put a stop to the newspaper now frown

SmokinV8

786 posts

212 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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they do wonderful tubs of natural yogurt which have a base of cinnamon and cooked apple,these tubs disapear in our house very quickly (something to do with the other half i think)
mrs smokinv8

jackal

Original Poster:

11,248 posts

283 months

Monday 8th February 2010
quotequote all
SmokinV8 said:
they do wonderful tubs of natural yogurt which have a base of cinnamon and cooked apple,these tubs disapear in our house very quickly (something to do with the other half i think)
mrs smokinv8
thx

they sound great

jessica

6,321 posts

253 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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we do waitrose when we need nice stuff. like truffle salt. game meat and pasta flour.
Its ok just dont buy everday stuff from here. although as has been said there everyday stuff is fine..................

we shop at Aldi. waitrose. Morrisons and the local independant shops plus the co op....
Even use the Pound shop for pantene shampoo and other good deals.

okgo

38,077 posts

199 months

Monday 8th February 2010
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ahhhh yes the 99p store is great for toothpaste, dishwasher tablets, cans of drink, shampoo smile