Supermarkets and Social Class
Discussion
Following on from many a thread on here about any particular supermarket (usually Asda/Tesco) being for pikeys or whatever, I've had a thought. What do the PH masses think of all the supermarkets on this list?
Tesco
Asda
Morrisons
Waitrose
Sainsburys
M&S Food
I'm not taking into account the occasional great deal that a normal sane person might go into one of the "pikey" supermarkets for, I'm just looking at people's perceptions of the supermarkets with regards to social class of customers etc.
Tesco
Asda
Morrisons
Waitrose
Sainsburys
M&S Food
I'm not taking into account the occasional great deal that a normal sane person might go into one of the "pikey" supermarkets for, I'm just looking at people's perceptions of the supermarkets with regards to social class of customers etc.
Generally, yes the stereotypes are true.
Chavs flock to Asda, Tesco, Aldi and Nettos. Because they are cheap and their budget doesn't offer the opportunity of extravagent food.
Saisnburys is next, then you have your Waitrose and M&S.
But who cares. I shop where it is cheapest. I just avoid peak chav times.
Chavs flock to Asda, Tesco, Aldi and Nettos. Because they are cheap and their budget doesn't offer the opportunity of extravagent food.
Saisnburys is next, then you have your Waitrose and M&S.
But who cares. I shop where it is cheapest. I just avoid peak chav times.
aclivity said:
It doesn't matter what social class you are in, most people will go to the nearest supermarket. IME anyway.
In general I'd agree but with the exception of M&S and Waitrose, people will normally go to the nearest or most convienient of the "big four" Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys & Morrisons.With M&S / Waitrose I think it's more a case of people will travel specifically to go them for nicer produce or will use them all the time if they have higher levels of disposable income to not worry about cost.
aclivity said:
It doesn't matter what social class you are in, most people will go to the nearest supermarket. IME anyway.
Absolutely.ALL the Supermarkets tailor their product lines to the market. This is largely affected by the mix of housing near them. Housing costs being a fairly strong indicator of household income.
In my town housing is quite mixed so Asda has a broad range of shoppers and so has a broad range of product lines as does Morrisons. Tescos is actually quite upmarket as it's slap bang next to an affluent area. Our Sainsburys (which I happen to shop at) isn't as "posh" as many...
In the order you listed, and based on my experience of the ones near me:
Tesco - not bad on prices and quality, but parking is a nightmare and the staff all seem like they've got better things to do/smoke.
Asda - smells of a mixture between stale urine and body odour. And their fruit is crap. Their "home" section isn't bad though - household items such as pillows, candles etc.
Morrisons - fantastic. Hands down the best in terms of price, quality and shopping experience. With the exception of the jobsworth security guard that I shouted at the other week as he wouldn't let me into the store at 20:55 when the store closed at 21:00. I was only wanting some cat food.
Waitrose - don't have one near me.
Sainsburys - never had a problem with quality, but they are a bit expensive on certain items.
M&S Food - good quality, but not worth the prices they charge.
Tesco - not bad on prices and quality, but parking is a nightmare and the staff all seem like they've got better things to do/smoke.
Asda - smells of a mixture between stale urine and body odour. And their fruit is crap. Their "home" section isn't bad though - household items such as pillows, candles etc.
Morrisons - fantastic. Hands down the best in terms of price, quality and shopping experience. With the exception of the jobsworth security guard that I shouted at the other week as he wouldn't let me into the store at 20:55 when the store closed at 21:00. I was only wanting some cat food.
Waitrose - don't have one near me.
Sainsburys - never had a problem with quality, but they are a bit expensive on certain items.
M&S Food - good quality, but not worth the prices they charge.
There's always the exception - my parents neighbours are wealthy but shop in ASDAs because it's nearby, though they precede the Ocado generation by a few years and are 'frugal' types. I often shop there late at night to avoid their chav'ish clientele; their Household stuff, Milk, Beer etc. is good value.
There's also not alot of real difference in alot of the produce, for example I happen to have done some work for the bakery that makes the "Cheesey topped baps" they all go on the same trays and the same oven, however M&S take the middle square of say 64 perfect looking baps, Sainsburys take the next square out, and Asda get all the outer ones where the cheese has caught a bit and they've all gone a bit wonky, but fundementally they are the same. Obviously what the supermarkets pay the bakery reflects the quality and the selection and hence the retail price.
I rarely go to supermarkets because the quality of the food is poor and I am lucky to have some great farmshops, butchers and fishing boats locally to buy local food from. When I have been to supermarkets, the following is obvious:
None of them do any meat worth eating. M&S and Waitrose get close, but it's still not good. Tesco and Morrisons in particular have appalling meat. All supermarket fruit and veg tastes only of water and lasts a fraction of the time on the fridge that my locally grown stuff does, probably due to having not travelled round the world and is thus better value for money.
I don't think it's about applying class rules to shops, it's more about whether you have sufficient experience of real food to be able to tell that supermarket stuff just doesn't taste very good and be willing to pay a bit more for stuff that does.
None of them do any meat worth eating. M&S and Waitrose get close, but it's still not good. Tesco and Morrisons in particular have appalling meat. All supermarket fruit and veg tastes only of water and lasts a fraction of the time on the fridge that my locally grown stuff does, probably due to having not travelled round the world and is thus better value for money.
I don't think it's about applying class rules to shops, it's more about whether you have sufficient experience of real food to be able to tell that supermarket stuff just doesn't taste very good and be willing to pay a bit more for stuff that does.
JDMFanYo said:
I just can't understand why anyone would do their weekly shop at waitrose
I work on the principle that quality comes first in terms of what you stuff down your throat. Next, they do price matching on many lines (an extension of the "never knowingly undersold").
Then again, and possibly MOST important, the "profits" in the John Lewis Partnership go directly into a virtuous circle of lining the workers' pockets, not some shareholders elsewhere.
Lastly, all of the above adds up to a "reasonable" (I could never, ever class shopping as pleasurable!) experience.
JDMFanYo said:
beano500 said:
JDMFanYo said:
I just can't understand why anyone would do their weekly shop at waitrose
I work on the principle that quality comes first in terms of what you stuff down your throat. Next, they do price matching on many lines (an extension of the "never knowingly undersold").
Then again, and possibly MOST important, the "profits" in the John Lewis Partnership go directly into a virtuous circle of lining the workers' pockets, not some shareholders elsewhere.
Lastly, all of the above adds up to a "reasonable" (I could never, ever class shopping as pleasurable!) experience.
As I mentioned, the branded products I purchase from Asda, meats/veg and other items I will purchase from a higher quality supermarket or it will be locally sourced. Local sourced fruit/veg is around 40% cheaper than buying from the cheapest of supermarkets, and the quality often superior to that of Waitrose/M&S. The exception being fruit/veg which is either out of season, or cannot be sourced locally.
I suppose it comes down to several factors, the highest being ego, followed by disposable income.
I personally don't dispose of money, I spend it wisely as long term, this can be invested elsewhere.
The odd £100 per month or so that I save by shopping at Asda is £1200 a year, which would pay for a nice Snowboarding holiday. Personally, the thought of a week snowboarding appeals more to me than a slightly more 'pleasant' shopping experience.
John Lewis is my #1 choice for TV's mind.
Edited by JDMFanYo on Monday 1st February 15:07
Or - you could just shop in Aldi, which is alot like shopping when on holiday too! - Everything has funny names - including the staff and nobody else that is shopping there speaks English!
slight exaggeration, but its not a bad experience! and the power tools have a great warranty
I think people who do a weekly shop at the so called high end supermarkets are crackers. I dont see the point in paying extra for the same product.
I find a big change in quality in the meat. For eg take a Chicken from any of the big names (M,A,T,S) and one from a Farm, cook it the same and let the taste buds do the talking. You will be supprised in the difference between them. I dont mind paying more for quality if its worth it. I dont have things like this all the time as its a pain going to the farm shop maybe once a month i will go and get meat from places like that.
I find a big change in quality in the meat. For eg take a Chicken from any of the big names (M,A,T,S) and one from a Farm, cook it the same and let the taste buds do the talking. You will be supprised in the difference between them. I dont mind paying more for quality if its worth it. I dont have things like this all the time as its a pain going to the farm shop maybe once a month i will go and get meat from places like that.
Tesco - absolute scum.
Asda - better than tesco's, where i tend to do most of my shopping.
Morrisons - same level as asda, but all their food seems to go off quickly.
Waitrose - i wish they'd actually open a store near me instead of putting adverts on TV when my nearest one is 50 miles away. Having been to a couple around the country, i love them.
Sainsburys - same as asda.
M&S Food - pricey but top top quality. Same as Waitrose.
Asda - better than tesco's, where i tend to do most of my shopping.
Morrisons - same level as asda, but all their food seems to go off quickly.
Waitrose - i wish they'd actually open a store near me instead of putting adverts on TV when my nearest one is 50 miles away. Having been to a couple around the country, i love them.
Sainsburys - same as asda.
M&S Food - pricey but top top quality. Same as Waitrose.
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