Supermarkets discussion

[Silver Cobra]

For the fact that I work for them, I do the bulk of my shopping at Asda. The combination of my colleague discount and the recently-introduced Asda Rewards scheme make shopping there pretty economical, even being on par with and/or surpassing Aldi and Lidl in many cases. Though mentioning those two, I also shop in both of them for some particular items that my Asda store either doesn't sell or is more expensive for even considering my colleague discount (shows I don't have complete blinded loyalty to my employer ). One particular feature of the Lidl that opened up last year in Biggleswade that I really like is their in-store bakery. Their baked goods are so nice and the prices are fantastic. For example, their in-store-baked all-butter croissants at 45p each massively trump Morrisons' 39p offering in terms of taste and size, and are just as good as and far cheaper than those offered by Sainsbury's (85p each IIRC) and Co-op (at least 85p each as well, but it's been too long since I last shopped in one).

Ironically the nearest supermarket to where I live is Morrisons. However, like has been mentioned in this thread already, their recent price hikes across most ranges have put me off shopping with them other than for the odd item or two. I've also spoken to local residents who feel that, despite the store going through quite a big overhaul recently, the experience shopping there has massively gone downhill.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You get them printed at the checkout after you pay. I haven't had anything sent or emailed to me that I can remember for years.

The reason they do it is that a lot of people will put them in the bin. That is, it's cheaper than just discounting to the same extent.

 

[Mojo]

You get them printed at the checkout after you pay. I haven't had anything sent or emailed to me that I can remember for years.

Like others I haven’t seen them printed in yonks, all my offers from Sainsbury’s appear in the Nectar app. Only get the pet insurance advert or pricematch tickets these days.

You always used to see the vouchers from previous customers hanging out the printer, which despite having Nectar numbers printed on would work for anyone. Was quite profitable to go around collecting unwanted ones.

 

[ChrisC]

I’ve received a number of vouchers from Waitrose these last few months. Before Christmas I had a number of £11 off when you spend £70 vouchers and this week I’ve received some £14 off when I you spend £70. I know that £70 is a lot to have to spend when like me you live on your own but I used a couple of them before Christmas and stocked my freezer with meat, fish and frozen veg. The current ones are in date until mid Feb so I will use at least one of them. If I’m going to get as much as £14 off when I spend £70 I will stock up on packet and tinned items that are well in date. It’s good to be able stock up on good quality food from Waitrose to last me a few months.

 

[Acey]

I’ve received a number of vouchers from Waitrose these last few months. Before Christmas I had a number of £11 off when you spend £70 vouchers and this week I’ve received some £14 off when I you spend £70. I know that £70 is a lot to have to spend when like me you love on your own but I used a couple of them before Christmas and stocked my freezer with meat, fish and frozen veg. The current ones are in date until mid Feb so I will use at least one of them. If I’m going to get as much as £14 off when I spend £70 I will stock up on packet and tinned items that are well in date. It’s good to be able stock up on good quality food from Waitrose to last me a few months.

Freudian slip or what ?

Talking of discounts etc,I mainly do a click and collect at Sainsburys,they run a substitute scheme where if an item is unavailable they offer an alternative ,if the alternative item is a higher price they refund the difference in your next shop .which usually works pretty well,last week I put on my list a bottle of own brand brandy at £10 70,it wasn't in stock so they offered as a substitute a bottle of Martell VS Fine Cognac priced at £30,crazy ! especially as they had loads of cheaper brandy in stock ! my conscience wouldn't let me accept it so I handed it back !

​

 

[davehsug]

Looks like Morrisons are starting the Tesco discount thing. Bought some McCains baked potatoes last week and the end freezer shelf said offer price £2.25. The price oin the normal freezer section was £2.69. I asked at the till what the actual price was & was told £2.69. I didn't make a fuss, thinking I'd misread the sign, but on checking the till receipt, they were charged at £2.69, with a 45p reduction at the end, for the My Morrisons card.

 

[GusB]

Talking of discounts etc,I mainly do a click and collect at Sainsburys,they run a substitute scheme where if an item is unavailable they offer an alternative ,if the alternative item is a higher price they refund the difference in your next shop .which usually works pretty well,last week I put on my list a bottle of own brand brandy at £10 70,it wasn't in stock so they offered as a substitute a bottle of Martell VS Fine Cognac priced at £30,crazy ! especially as they had loads of cheaper brandy in stock ! my conscience wouldn't let me accept it so I handed it back !

I've usually done fairly well with substitutes, to the extent that I've often deliberately ordered the own-brand version of a product, knowing full well that it's likely to be substituted with a branded item. Sweet pickle is one such item; I'd say that most of the time I've tried to order it, they've subbed Branston in its place. I've order a small chicken, only to have a large one sent instead. Other than the time when they sent a cabbage in place of a lettuce (!) I've had little reason to complain.

There was a period of time when there were lots of out of stock items in a particular section and they didn't send any substitutes at all. That's extremely annoying when it's an item that's either unavailable in local convenience stores, or the item is excessively priced in the local shops.

 

[hexagon789]

I've usually done fairly well with substitutes, to the extent that I've often deliberately ordered the own-brand version of a product, knowing full well that it's likely to be substituted with a branded item. Sweet pickle is one such item; I'd say that most of the time I've tried to order it, they've subbed Branston in its place. I've order a small chicken, only to have a large one sent instead. Other than the time when they sent a cabbage in place of a lettuce (!) I've had little reason to complain.

There was a period of time when there were lots of out of stock items in a particular section and they didn't send any substitutes at all. That's extremely annoying when it's an item that's either unavailable in local convenience stores, or the item is excessively priced in the local shops.

Not me, but I know someone who recently had their selected brand of toilet roll substituted, not by an alternative brand but an alternative product - kitchen foil!

No, you did read that correctly. Not kitchen roll, kitchen foil.

 

[birchesgreen]

Must have been a bit uncomfortable.

 

[gnolife]

Not me, but I know someone who recently had their selected brand of toilet roll substituted, not by an alternative brand but an alternative product - kitchen foil!

No, you did read that correctly. Not kitchen roll, kitchen foil.

I've had dog food substituted for bird seed before - not something I was particularly thrilled to discover. I'm sure that my dog would have eaten it given the chance though.

 

[DelayRepay]

There was a period of time when there were lots of out of stock items in a particular section and they didn't send any substitutes at all. That's extremely annoying when it's an item that's either unavailable in local convenience stores, or the item is excessively priced in the local shops.

This is why I stopped online shopping. I only started during the pandemic to avoid the chaos of the shops, but I carried on because, working from home, I found it convenient.

I don't mind substitutes of different brands of the same product, or two small packs instead of a large pack. But I stopped online shopping when I had too many items missing completely (in one case, milk. Really, there was no milk at all of any type/size in stock?). Online shopping is not convenient if you have to drive to the shop anyway to buy all the things they've missed.

Strangest substitution: A screw cap lightbulb in place of one with a bayonet fitting. You do have to wonder what goes through the mind of the person picking the order sometimes!

 

[hexagon789]

Must have been a bit uncomfortable.

They sent it back

I've had dog food substituted for bird seed before - not something I was particularly thrilled to discover. I'm sure that my dog would have eaten it given the chance though.

I'm sure there are worse substitutes, but that's the funniest I've heard about.

in one case, milk. Really, there was no milk at all of any type/size in stock?). Online shopping is not convenient if you have to drive to the shop anyway to buy all the things they've missed.

Assuming whichever supermarket you ordered from operates the way my store does, they have strict time limits and item picking rates to work to, if the item ordered isn't out on the self it gets marked as out of stock or substituted even if the item is sat in a chiller or warehouse in the back.

It's too time consuming for them to go check. While a customer shopping in store could ask a staff member, we check the stock records, see the item is in store but not on the shelf, go in the back and then put the item out on sale.

That applies with everything from fruit & veg; to milk; to bread; to even toys, books and toasters.

Sometimes shopping in store is more reliable in terms of obtaining what you want, particularly as the online orders are started early, often before the store open so frequently no other staff have been in yet to fill the shelves with essentials depending on when they are delivered.

Our nightshift for instance doesn't fill the milk, so when the dayshift starts at 7am the milk hasn't been touched since 10pm or earlier the previous evening.

I'm not excusing the company for not having milk available for your order, but hopefully you can understand how such a simple omission can occur.

 

[SteveM70]

Strangest substitution: A screw cap lightbulb in place of one with a bayonet fitting. You do have to wonder what goes through the mind of the person picking the order sometimes!

The simple answer to that question is “nothing”. If the item you ordered is out of stock the system (either the ERP system or the warehouse management system, different retailers do it differently) will sometimes invoke a substitution process which will be set up by head office people, normally supply chain analysts. Sometimes they either don’t have subs switched on, or for some products there just isn’t an appropriate substitution and the order line gets cancelled. But by the time the order reaches the picker the order line looks like any other, basically “go to location xyz, confirm to the system you’re in the right place, pick one of what’s there, move on”

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Strangest substitution: A screw cap lightbulb in place of one with a bayonet fitting. You do have to wonder what goes through the mind of the person picking the order sometimes!

Speaking as a former supermarket employee, the staff assigned to the picking jobs for the delivery bit tended to be the ones who couldn't be trusted not to mess up if they were assigned to checkouts and the like, but were at least quick. Often those roles were given to new starters aged 16-17 who might not have the real world experience to understand why such a substitution is nonsensical.

 

[Ostrich]

We moved our basic weekly shopping from Waitrose to Aldi a couple of years back, and I've estimated it initially saved us around £700 - £800 a year - although Aldi's prices have increased a fair bit these last 6 months.

The problem with Aldi is you can never be sure they'll be carrying what you need from one week to the next, so we tend to use Waitrose now as "back-up" for missing items, and for those niche items Aldi never stock. The Aldi quality / taste is generally fine, but certain items aren't as good as Waitrose; also, we have had issues with fresh produce rapidly going off.

With Waitrose, we try to be canny and buy in bulk (i.e. ground coffee, plant-based carton milk) when they've got an offer on, and concentrate on their in-house Essentials range which are genuinely good value. The price of branded products there can be eye-watering. The MyWaitrose card isn't particularly beneficial these days, certainly since they stopped the free newspaper offer if you spent £10 promo.

The local Asda carpark is a nightmare to enter/exit thanks to a recently introduced Council-imposed one-way system, so that's off the menu. We use Iceland occasionally for bulk canned goods, and there's a Lidl in town, but I'm allergic to ANPR cameras.

 

[jon0844]

Aldi does take a while to understand, but it's worth it IMO. Coming from a big supermarket, the reduced number of lines and the funny rip-offs of the big name stuff you used to buy can be a little daunting.

They'll move stuff around for events, like Christmas, and ditch a lot of things you may get the rest of the year. A lot of that will be the middle aisle stuff, which increasingly includes big name brand stuff (and I am not sure it's any cheaper here than the other supermarkets). That stuff will come and go.

On the main shelves, most stuff is in the same place from one store to another (they've worked hard to standardise layouts, certainly on the most recent new build stores) but you can find stuff missing for days or weeks - and they just spread items out to fill the gaps. For me that's been things like sliced cheese, or a cereal I like.

As a consequence as both have long dates, I feel compelled to buy like it's toilet paper during Covid!

In the freezers, things move around a lot more and I've noticed far more products just disappear. Again, once stuff comes back you end up buying a few more than you otherwise would to store at home.

I now prefer to shop at least once a week, and I often don't need to make a list anymore as it's like muscle memory. You know where everything is, so just walk along and get the items you need to replace almost like a robot.

The other advice is to try cheaper products out. You may find the taste a lot different to the brand you used to buy, but I find that most things are fine. If you really can't live without some products, shop for those items separately but get the bulk of items in Aldi. You'll still save money.

I am sure this is why Aldi is increasingly stocking big name brands, as it may reassure some people in the transition phase!

 

[matacaster]

Local ASDA near work has reduced number of checkouts to 1 and they are going to get rid of that too. So only self-service will be left. Big queues and some very disgruntled customers. One member of staff said she had been shouted at, sworn at and had abandoned purchases thrown at her. I got the impression she wasn't totally happy with ASDA head office plans!

 

[66701GBRF]

I used to always do my main shops at Sainsbury's and then little bits and pieces at ASDA or Morrisons depending where I am. However since Sainsbury's removed the majority of their full tills in favour of self-service with ridiculously small packing areas a few years ago I now do main shops at ASDA. While ASDA do have a lot of self-service tills I can at least fit 4 full size bags for life in the packing area and they also have a couple full size conveyor self-service tills which is nice. I do detest the amount of ASDA staff cluttering up the isles with their trolleys (not the stock refill ones) and their fruit and veg doesn't seem to be of a too higher quality.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I had another reminder this morning of why I increasingly avoid Morrisons: They are absolutely awful for showing deals and multi-buy offers on the shelves which they then don't honour at the checkout. On this occasion it was Bliss 4-pack yoghurts which were showing on the shelves as 2 for £3. I even took the trouble to check on the shelf labels that the offer did specifically apply to the particular flavours I was buying - since I know advertising offers that turn out not to apply to certain flavours is a trick Morrisons often use. But no, despite my checking, no deal at the checkout, which then meant I had to waste my time (and the time of the self-service checkout assistant) cancelling the purchase.

I don't remember ever having this kind of trouble at Sainsburys, ASDA, or Tesco. But at Morrisons, it's become a routine thing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't remember ever having this kind of trouble at Sainsburys, ASDA, or Tesco. But at Morrisons, it's become a routine thing.

TBH this is one thing I really like about Lidl/Aldi - no complex offers designed to catch people out or to make them wastefully overbuy, just reasonable prices per item.

 

[skyhigh]

I had another reminder this morning of why I increasingly avoid Morrisons: They are absolutely awful for showing deals and multi-buy offers on the shelves which they then don't honour at the checkout. On this occasion it was Bliss 4-pack yoghurts which were showing on the shelves as 2 for £3. I even took the trouble to check on the shelf labels that the offer did specifically apply to the particular flavours I was buying - since I know advertising offers that turn out not to apply to certain flavours is a trick Morrisons often use. But no, despite my checking, no deal at the checkout, which then meant I had to waste my time (and the time of the self-service checkout assistant) cancelling the purchase.

I just take a photo of the label and show it to them and they manually input the discount. I've never had it refused (though they occasionally will go and check the shelf themselves to make sure it's not an old photo).

I don't remember ever having this kind of trouble at Sainsburys, ASDA, or Tesco. But at Morrisons, it's become a routine thing.

Our ASDA is awful for the shelf price being different to the actual price. It's 50-50 as to if the price shown on the shelf will be higher or lower than the price they'll attempt to charge.

I wish more supermarkets would use the e-ink price signs that Aldi and Lidl are starting to use. Pretty much every supermarket I've visited in Europe over the last few years uses them now and it means there aren't any outdated labels.

 

[jon0844]

TBH this is one thing I really like about Lidl/Aldi - no complex offers designed to catch people out or to make them wastefully overbuy, just reasonable prices per item.

Not always honouring mislabelled items is a common complaint on my local(ish) Morrisons, while Aldi now has e-ink price tags. You can see special offers, which are rare, by them having a red background set.

Edit: beaten to it on the e-ink labels!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Not always honouring mislabelled items is a common complaint on my local(ish) Morrisons,...

They should let you have all your shopping at the checkout for free if this is demonstrated to be the case; they'd soon sort it out then!

 

[jon0844]

They should let you have all your shopping at the checkout for free if this is demonstrated to be the case; they'd soon sort it out then!

I am not 100% sure what the rules are these days on prices being advertised wrong, if you are told the 'correct' price at the till and haven't yet paid (so have the option to give it back) - but even if there's no legal obligation to honour the lower price, most would do it as a goodwill gesture (and then get it fixed).

But given people may pay and find out later they've been overcharged, with all the hassle that would entail, it's another reason why I'm happy not to shop there.

 

[GusB]

I am not 100% sure what the rules are these days on prices being advertised wrong, if you are told the 'correct' price at the till and haven't yet paid (so have the option to give it back) - but even if there's no legal obligation to honour the lower price, most would do it as a goodwill gesture (and then get it fixed).

But given people may pay and find out later they've been overcharged, with all the hassle that would entail, it's another reason why I'm happy not to shop there.

It has been a while since I worked in retail, but we were always told that if an item scanned at a price higher than the shelf price it was a big no-no and that the store could be in hot water if Trading Standards were made aware. I had to call a supervisor and the store admin team were informed right away. I can understand the odd shelf edge ticket being missed during price changes (we're all human), but if it's happening frequently it's an issue that needs to be addressed; it's clearly a sign that they're not doing proper price checks.

Edit: I came across this, but I'm not sure if it applies to the whole of the UK.

That page doesn't exist anymore | Consumer Council

We have made some updates to our website and the page you are trying to find has either been moved or doesn't exist anymore.

advice.consumercouncil.org.uk

Misleading prices
The law makes it illegal for businesses to mislead you about the price of an item.

Misleading pricing information can be given in a number of ways. The following are some examples:

The price shown on a shelf edge label or a price ticket is lower than the price actually charged at the till;
Incomplete information is given about the price;
Not all charges, such as VAT or a call-out charge, are included in the price quoted; and
False information is given when making comparisons with other prices (e.g. in a sale).
Despite it being a criminal offence, if an item has been marked incorrectly with the wrong price, e.g. the shelf label says £1.50 but the item scans at £1.80, you cannot demand that the retailer sells you the item at the lower price. If a business regularly prices items incorrectly, this may be something Trading Standards Service will want to investigate.

 

[Iskra]

It has been a while since I worked in retail, but we were always told that if an item scanned at a price higher than the shelf price it was a big no-no and that the store could be in hot water if Trading Standards were made aware. I had to call a supervisor and the store admin team were informed right away. I can understand the odd shelf edge ticket being missed during price changes (we're all human), but if it's happening frequently it's an issue that needs to be addressed; it's clearly a sign that they're not doing proper price checks.

An advised price is an ‘invitation to treat,’ not a contract so legally there is no issue, it’s more a moral question.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

An advised price is an ‘invitation to treat,’ not a contract so legally there is no issue, it’s more a moral question.

So what happens if you've already just paid for the item(s), and then see from the receipt that the shelf price was wrong?

Surely it has to be illegal for businesses to display misleading prices?

 

[Iskra]

So what happens if you've already just paid for the item(s), and then see from the receipt that the shelf price was wrong?

You could quibble it, and I’m sure it would be sorted or at worst a refund. However, contractually the price that flashed up when scanned would be the one that matters.

 

[Gloster]

I am not sure if this is new, but I noticed that some normal price items in Morrisons have yellow tickets. Previously, I thought that yellow indicated an offer and white the normal price. A couple of days ago Vimto, which had been on offer, was back at the normal price, but with a yellow ticket: I then noticed a couple of other items with yellow tickets and normal prices. I wonder if this is a sneaky way of getting people to think that items are still on offer. There is nothing that actually says that ‘yellow means offer’, but plenty of people seem to assume that.

 

[urbophile]

I have an Aldi store round the corner from my block of flats.

It is noticeably cheaper there than when I got to other supermarkets in the area, such as Iceland or Morrisons.

The only criticism I have of Aldi is that I wish they would get rid of all the cheap rubbish they sell in the middle aisle and use the space to sell an expanded range of food.

Aldi seem to only stock items that sell in large quantities, which I suppose is how their business model works, and how they are able to keep prices so low.

However it is slightly annoying when you buying ingredients for a specific recipe, and there is always one item that Aldi don't have, so you have to go somewhere else.

My nearest (five minutes walk). Not just basics: they stock some extremely high quality 'delicatessen' type stuff and a good range of wine. But there is a restricted range, and availability of the things they usually stock is a bit hit and miss. The staff – probably because of their comparatively high wages and hence morale – are mostly friendly and helpful. But I wish they wouldn't sell so much fruit and veg ready-packed in plastic. Not only is it bad for the environment, it means you often have to buy more than you need (my daughter, who has recently moved, misses her former neighbourhood Waitrose because although expensive it was usually easy - and cheaper - to buy just enough ingredients for one person).

I feel a bit 'meh' about their middle aisles. As you say, get rid of the junk and sell more food. But sometimes there are bargains worth having.