Discussion
Herbie58 said:
Is ocado really that much better? It's next on my list to try.
The supermarkets too close by for me to have tried any of the internet shopping services, but Ocado use a very different model than the others.With the others someone actually runs around your local branch putting your order together. Obviously there's an incentive for them to off load older/less perfect stock on you - the stuff that shop customers would avoid themselves. Not saying that every supermarket does it, but from the comments on here obviously some do!
Ocado put your order together in the warehouse. So you're not going to get nearly out of date, or past their best items.
JRM said:
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
I'm pleased that your delivery driver is well trained. I hope you pat him on the head when he leaves your expensive shopping in your kitchen.
I would be embarassed to let a likely-to-be 50-something guy carry my bags in from the van when I am an able-bodied individual capable of either getting the shopping myself or at least insisting that I help. Talk about highlighting the divide between you and him. Is your time so precious that you can't go shopping? Do you get satisfaction when the van pulls up and the neighbours (who do their shopping at ASDA) can see? I'd bet that you do.
Christ don't you see that you are buying in to the whole experience. You are not just paying for your groceries but for the additional training/fleet/fuel/salaries of these people who serve you. When I buy food, I want decent value and you do not get that at bloody Waitrose or Ocado.
We tried the Aldi/Lidl thing once for our weekly shop and although some of their products are excellent, some things they just don't stock so it's a bit difficult.
I'm not too sure why people get so upset that a tin of beans or whatever is 5p dearer in Waitrose than elsewhere. If you object then don't shop there. I don't give a feck about the 5p and prefer the experience there rather than the other supermarkets.
I'm not too sure why people get so upset that a tin of beans or whatever is 5p dearer in Waitrose than elsewhere. If you object then don't shop there. I don't give a feck about the 5p and prefer the experience there rather than the other supermarkets.
Pferdestarke said:
Try the same with Lidl or Aldi, or a local butcher/farm shop and no doubt it would be cheaper. And not only that, you'd not tell the difference in a blind tasting with most of it.
There is some good value stuff at Lidl I bought a chainsaw there for instance, cheap and does the job, Waitrose do not sell chainsaw's.I bought a pasty at Lidl once, it was barely edible, the Waitrose ones are probably twice the price and are not only edible, but rather good. I am sure there will be some items that are cheaper and of equivalent quality sold at Lidl as compared to Waitrose. There are also many things that Lidl just do not sell or do not have a quality equivalent for. You pay your money and take your choice, I like Hereford beef, cheeses made with unpasteurised milk, organic salmon and the occasional guinea fowl so I go to Waitrose for them. There is a particular flavour of squash that is only sold at one Tesco in my area so once a month or so I go there and buy some baked beans and breakfast cereal etc. too.
Waitrose also has a good reputation for ethical treatment of farmers and other suppliers, true enough this is pushed in their marketing, however if it were all lies I am sure some journo would have caught them out. Morality aside this does seem to mean that they get the higher quality goods because they pay for them, of course so does the customer.
Lidl = eat to live
Waitrose = live to eat
Pferdestarke said:
I'm pleased that your delivery driver is well trained. I hope you pat him on the head when he leaves your expensive shopping in your kitchen.
I would be embarassed to let a likely-to-be 50-something guy carry my bags in from the van when I am an able-bodied individual capable of either getting the shopping myself or at least insisting that I help. Talk about highlighting the divide between you and him. Is your time so precious that you can't go shopping? Do you get satisfaction when the van pulls up and the neighbours (who do their shopping at ASDA) can see? I'd bet that you do.
Personally, if the fella had his own key and I didn't even have to get up off the couch to open the front door then i'd pay even more. Maybe these Ocado bods should cut your toneails and give the downstairs a quick hoover as well. HAVING YOUR OWN STAFF IS WHERE IT'S AT IMO I would be embarassed to let a likely-to-be 50-something guy carry my bags in from the van when I am an able-bodied individual capable of either getting the shopping myself or at least insisting that I help. Talk about highlighting the divide between you and him. Is your time so precious that you can't go shopping? Do you get satisfaction when the van pulls up and the neighbours (who do their shopping at ASDA) can see? I'd bet that you do.
I tried Aldi once or it may have been Lidl.
Ended up throwing most of it away as it was largely impulse purchases of odd s
t that they stock and felt physically dirty on emerging from the shop.
I hate supermarkets with a passion, a proper passion, especially the Evil Empire but Waitrose is good and Ocado is easily the best delivery service.
But then I don't buy meat from any of them, so perhaps that's the difference.
Ended up throwing most of it away as it was largely impulse purchases of odd s
t that they stock and felt physically dirty on emerging from the shop.I hate supermarkets with a passion, a proper passion, especially the Evil Empire but Waitrose is good and Ocado is easily the best delivery service.
But then I don't buy meat from any of them, so perhaps that's the difference.
Waitrose understand farming better than the other multiples because they have their own estate (Leckford) where they produce (amongst other things) mushrooms, trout and dairy products. They understand that food has a range of ancillary costs and benefits that are refelcted in a higher price in store. I for one don't think that Waitrose have the same zero-sum pricing aim that Tesco, Asda et al do.
You pay your money and you take your choice.
You pay your money and you take your choice.
Pferdestarke said:
I'm pleased that your delivery driver is well trained. I hope you pat him on the head when he leaves your expensive shopping in your kitchen.
When my wife was heavily pregnant, it was a nice change compared to another delivery team who refused to take anything past the door... Tanguero said:
Having used Tesco, Sainsburys and Ocado for home delivery regularly over the last couple of years, we have pretty much stopped using anyone apart from Ocado as the quality of both their service and their produce is far better than the others.
In fact our weekly shop cost went down when we moved from Sainbury's to Ocado.
Many of the British are still stuck on the out of date thinking that if it costs more it must be better. Lidl & Aldi are extremely popular in Germany where quality is paramount. Supermarkets such as Waitrose do have a larger range of goods butthe equivalents are not of higher quality. They are packaged, displayed and marketed differently and that is why they are more (sometimes significantly) expensive.
I shop in Waitrose for certain things but ONLY if I can't get them in Lidl or Aldi - these stores rely on their reputation of price and quality. Supermarkets such as Waitrose rely on the 'experience' (as one poster here put it) such as pretty displays and nothing still left in their packing boxes. Items such as fresh vegetables are consistently very good (including organic) at Lidl & Aldi and the cost is way less than the British owned supermarkets.
I shop in Waitrose for certain things but ONLY if I can't get them in Lidl or Aldi - these stores rely on their reputation of price and quality. Supermarkets such as Waitrose rely on the 'experience' (as one poster here put it) such as pretty displays and nothing still left in their packing boxes. Items such as fresh vegetables are consistently very good (including organic) at Lidl & Aldi and the cost is way less than the British owned supermarkets.
Goughie said:
Waitrose understand farming better than the other multiples because they have their own estate (Leckford) where they produce (amongst other things) mushrooms, trout and dairy products. They understand that food has a range of ancillary costs and benefits that are refelcted in a higher price in store. I for one don't think that Waitrose have the same zero-sum pricing aim that Tesco, Asda et al do.
You pay your money and you take your choice.
And the Co-op is the biggest farmer in the UK; yet their fresh food is sYou pay your money and you take your choice.
t.fatboy b said:
Tanguero said:
Having used Tesco, Sainsburys and Ocado for home delivery regularly over the last couple of years, we have pretty much stopped using anyone apart from Ocado as the quality of both their service and their produce is far better than the others.
In fact our weekly shop cost went down when we moved from Sainbury's to Ocado.
Tanguero said:
fatboy b said:
Tanguero said:
Having used Tesco, Sainsburys and Ocado for home delivery regularly over the last couple of years, we have pretty much stopped using anyone apart from Ocado as the quality of both their service and their produce is far better than the others.
In fact our weekly shop cost went down when we moved from Sainbury's to Ocado.
V8mate said:
Goughie said:
Waitrose understand farming better than the other multiples because they have their own estate (Leckford) where they produce (amongst other things) mushrooms, trout and dairy products. They understand that food has a range of ancillary costs and benefits that are refelcted in a higher price in store. I for one don't think that Waitrose have the same zero-sum pricing aim that Tesco, Asda et al do.
You pay your money and you take your choice.
And the Co-op is the biggest farmer in the UK; yet their fresh food is sYou pay your money and you take your choice.
t.Simpo Two said:
The first thing that struck me about Waitrose, when a new branch opened nearby, was that my car would actually fit into the parking spaces (designed for X5s not Micras).
Second - how frightfully nice the punters, sorry clientele were. Nothing like striking up a bit of light banter over the truffle oil.
Third: 'Blimey, how much?!'
But you do get a little green token to support one of the three 'charities of the week' on the way out, which is nice and makes you feel philanthropic and rich
Of the food - yep, seemed OK to me.
In short, you pay for the experience.Second - how frightfully nice the punters, sorry clientele were. Nothing like striking up a bit of light banter over the truffle oil.
Third: 'Blimey, how much?!'
But you do get a little green token to support one of the three 'charities of the week' on the way out, which is nice and makes you feel philanthropic and rich
Of the food - yep, seemed OK to me.
V8mate said:
Tanguero said:
fatboy b said:
Tanguero said:
Having used Tesco, Sainsburys and Ocado for home delivery regularly over the last couple of years, we have pretty much stopped using anyone apart from Ocado as the quality of both their service and their produce is far better than the others.
In fact our weekly shop cost went down when we moved from Sainbury's to Ocado.
Roger645 said:
V8mate said:
Tanguero said:
fatboy b said:
Tanguero said:
Having used Tesco, Sainsburys and Ocado for home delivery regularly over the last couple of years, we have pretty much stopped using anyone apart from Ocado as the quality of both their service and their produce is far better than the others.
In fact our weekly shop cost went down when we moved from Sainbury's to Ocado.
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