The UK Supermarket Rip-off

[WEHGuy]

If I won the lottery I would buy myself a farm. I would grow veg and rear animals totally organic and free range and never have to buy any processed, overpriced, crap value st from a supermarket.

[zakelwe]

Sorry to contest the view but really they have saved customers millions of pounds over the years.

I went into my local Shell petrol station the other day and bought a tin of Heinz big soup for £1.55 as I couldn't be arsed going to Tesco's. Went to Tesco's the next day and looked and they were doing it for 83p.

On the whole one thing you can't complain supermarkets of is ripping people off. You think of the time saved just going to one place for a start.

I can complain of other things though, like lack of skill on the fishmongers. Ask one of those guys to fillet a Dover sole and watch them break out in a cold sweat.

Andy

[rykard]

Try Aldi or Lidl they regularly have offers on fruit and veg

[oilandwater]

Aldi is fantastic for fruit and veg. I also buy their part baked bread rolls, very useful for emergency's, and at 39p the best bargain around.

[Mike Rouse]

We also have a fish van come down from Grimsby each week, but when you want a piece of Haddock on a Monday and he is not here till Thursday you go to the supermarket, now l have been told by a reliable source that Morrisons stock the freshest fish out of the supermarkets, l agree being placed at the front of the store is not alway ideal.

Regarding food prices l am sure that there price has gone up to a degree and they are passing it on possibly a little dispoprtiantly though.

I had some meat from Tescos supplier over christmas and must say it was exceptional and l consider that l have tried some good meat.

Mike

[mybrainhurts]

Hugo a Gogo said:

mybrainhurts said:

What triggered price rises about a year ago..?

fall of the pound against the euro

And sabotage by the EUSSR, of course...

[Plotloss]

zakelwe said:

On the whole one thing you can't complain supermarkets of is ripping people off.

Step outside the consumer mindset for a moment and I think you'll find it's the one thing they've become specialist at doing in their rise to dominance.

The only good supermarket is a dead supermarket.

[hornetrider]

I remember bread effectively doubled in price a couple of years ago due to a bad wheat harvest - yet have not come back down at all. I'd be interested to see the profits at Wharburtons or Kingsmill

[deevlash]

rykard said:

Try Aldi or Lidl they regularly have offers on fruit and veg

I can vouch for Lidl last week limes were 10p each and about 12 lines were reduced by 40%. Theres not as many lines reduced just now though as it freezer promotion time, frozen beef ready meal type thing with a huge yorkshire pudding for £1 thats far far better than the birdseye ste? Ive got a few in my freezer Still plenty of cheap good fruit and veg though, an iceberg lettuce is 69p iirc.

[deevlash]

Plotloss said:

zakelwe said:

On the whole one thing you can't complain supermarkets of is ripping people off.

Step outside the consumer mindset for a moment and I think you'll find it's the one thing they've become specialist at doing in their rise to dominance.

The only good supermarket is a dead supermarket.

people hate shopping, it's dull as hell. Supermarkets allow you to do a whole shop under one roof and get the hell out of there in an hour instead of trailing your arse around 5 different shops all afternoon on a saturday morning. Some people may whinge and moan about prices etc but how many actually want to return to traipsing up and down the highstreet to individual shops for their meat, then their fruit & veg, the another for groceries? Sod all, thats how many, the few that do can go to farmers markets etc or individual shops.

The problem with the large amajority of individual shops is that they dont offer anything better than the supermarkets offer to entice people to come there instead of Tesco etc. I get my Fruit and veg from my shop as its fresh every day and cheap, my local fruit and veg shop sucks in comparison and the local grocers is comically overpriced. The only thing I tend to buy outwith supermarkets is meat, you cant beat a proper butchers with sawdust on the floor imo.

[croyde]

So if the winter is to blame for the amazingly high prices, we should expect them to plummet soon, NOT

Cucumbers at Sainsburys went from 70p to 80p just before Xmas and yesterday they were 98p.

And why has coconut milk become like saffron spice in price. Blue Dragon was around 70p for 400g a year ago but now over £1.60 yet the Jamaican stuff is only 70p from the corner shop.

Rant over.

[davidspooner]

dreamer75 said:

We started using Abel & Cole for all our fresh fruit & veggies, milk and meat (would prefer to use local shops but there isn't a greengrocer and I generally don't have time to get to the butcher) - I don't think their prices are too extortionate, the quality is good, the veg/fruit tastes much better than the stuff int he supermarket and apparently their van is run on biodiesel (not that I'm particularly bothered by that but some people are).

I can really recommend them if they deliver in your area.

Just placed a trial order for their small box, I rely on Waitrose at the moment but have to say that the cost is really off putting.

Cheers!

[Greenie]

WEHGuy said:

If I won the lottery I would buy myself a farm. I would grow veg and rear animals totally organic and free range and never have to buy any processed, overpriced, crap value st from a supermarket.

Or if you don't win the lottery you can go to a butchers instead.

[pacman1]

Matt_N said:

pacman1 said:

Matt_N said:

kiteless said:

Your local butcher for meat.

You local farm shop for veg.

Your food will be cheaper and tastier.

Not preaching; it's just what mrs k & I do.

Same here, I finish at mid day on a Friday so go down to Chipping Sodbury for the butchers, bakers and green grocer. The quality is so much better, I tend to buy large quantities of steak mince, sausages, chicken breasts, stewing steak etc, then seperate it up and freeze it.

I also notice that our fruit and veg stays fresh for so much longer.

Only thing were missing is a fish monger, Id love to be able to get proper fresh fish.

Nelsons or Artinstalls?

There's a fish van from Grimsby that parks in the street once a week.

Edited by pacman1 on Tuesday 19th January 17:25

Artinstalls for me.

When does the fish van come down? Saturday?

Shopping at the street also has its benefits, can pop in to the Squire for a sneaky pint.

I tend to mix n match between the two butchers meself.
I think the fish van is in town friday or saturday mornings. The Codfather, guys name is Jeff , 07970 177943.

The Squire has some good ciders on draught at the mo, Pheasant Plucker and Old Rosie (7.8%)

[blindswelledrat]

croyde said:

Cucumbers at Sainsburys went from 70p to 80p just before Xmas and yesterday they were 98p.

70p for 400g a year ago but now over £1.60 yet the Jamaican stuff is only 70p from the corner shop.

:

I could just read anecdotes like that all day.

[croyde]

Now who can tell who does the shopping in my household.

[pacman1]

[mcflurry]

Mike Rouse said:

We also have a fish van come down from Grimsby each week, but when you want a piece of Haddock on a Monday and he is not here till Thursday you go to the supermarket

That's because the Fishermen don't fish on a Sunday. Any fish bought on a Monday will probably be frozen or not at its best...

[Mike Rouse]

mcflurry said:

Mike Rouse said:

We also have a fish van come down from Grimsby each week, but when you want a piece of Haddock on a Monday and he is not here till Thursday you go to the supermarket

That's because the Fishermen don't fish on a Sunday. Any fish bought on a Monday will probably be frozen or not at its best...

Exactly so all these people saying buy from a fish monger can rarely gaurentee it is any fresher than Morrisons can they?

Mike

[pacman1]

It's not good when mid week you get a hankering for a curry, is it?
Fridge full of healthy things, but no, me need curry!
Just got back from Morrisons from picking up something cheap to satisfy the craving.
And pray what greeted me in the chill section?
New! Family pack, Chicken Tikka Masala with Pilau Rice. 1600g. 5 quid!
Mildly authentic and probably made with imported chicken.
Ah well, tonight, I can live with the guilt..

Edited by pacman1 on Wednesday 3rd February 19:29