Hello
Guest

Sponsored Links


Topic: Supermarkets (grocery stores)  (Read 2172 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

  • *
  • Posts: 418

  • Liked: 325
  • Joined: Feb 2017
Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« on: April 28, 2017, 11:27:18 AM »
Can I get some input on where you shop for groceries, particularly staples.  On visits, we have always rented a self-catering cottage and cooked our own food.  To my mind, Booths won hands down, but it was higher priced.  Hated Asda, Tesco's was okay, Morrison's was nice.  I had a terrible experience at Sainsbury, I bought some chicken, and when I opened the package, it stunk of rot and was obviously bad.  Put me off shopping there.

I don't mind shopping at different places for different things.  I'd just like to hear some comparisons and recommendations.


  • *
  • Posts: 642

  • Liked: 116
  • Joined: Jan 2017
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2017, 12:01:27 PM »
Mostly Sainsbury's but we get meat from Tesco.  Sainsbury's basics and taste the difference brands are pretty good.  We only go to the biggest Sainsbury's and not the little one, as it is better to price compare and get the best dates on things.

The best produce in this area (Kent) comes from the farm stand or farmers' market so we often use one of them.  Also there is an excellent butcher near us so it's worth looking for one of those!

Morrisons is good for prepared food and we have gone there to buy things for 'picky dinners'.

We also like Waitrose but it's a little more expensive and also not very close to where we live.  If you drive or there is one near you it could be worth it.

We buy coffee, prepared food, hard to find produce, and biscuits from M&S.
Spouse Visa:
Received by Sheffield 19 Nov 2016
Decision Made 26 Jan 2017
Visa Received 30 Jan 2017
Arrived in UK 15 Feb 2017
FLR (M) Biometrics 16 Sep 2019
FLR (M) Approved 17 Sep 2019 (Super Priority)


  • *
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 26862

  • Liked: 3589
  • Joined: Jan 2007
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2017, 12:07:33 PM »
I used to mainly shop at Tesco, but for the only reason that Tesco was the only nearby supermarket when I was growing up, so that was the food I knew.

Right now, I shop mainly at Sainsbury's because it's the nearest supermarket to me (only about 2 miles away while Tesco is the other side of the town), but I do occasionally buy a few things at Tesco and M&S Food.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


  • *
  • Posts: 6584

  • Liked: 1891
  • Joined: Sep 2015
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2017, 12:55:44 PM »
I wouldn't let one bad experience put you off Sainsbury's for life.  I've always found their meat selection pretty good. 
I much prefer Tesco for delivery or click and collect.  You can even go to the Tesco website in the morning and set up a click and collect for the afternoon. 

I like Lidl and Aldi because I prefer European stuff over the British brands sometimes.


  • *
  • Posts: 63

  • Liked: 28
  • Joined: Feb 2017
  • Location: Oundle, Northamptonshire
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2017, 02:34:24 PM »
Probably depends on where you live and what shops you have. We are only a tiny village but we use the Co-op and Waitrose. I like both, they have different selections so we usually switch back and forth. We only have a Tesco express so not really somewhere you could shop.
Met: Sept 2008
US Fiancé Visa: June 2010
Married in US: July 2010
Son born: Feb 2012
Online Application: 24 Feb 2017
Biometrics: 27 Feb 3017
Sent application priority: 28 Feb 2017
Visa received: 29 Mar 2017--APPROVED!
Arrived in UK: 13 April 2017


  • *
  • Posts: 862

  • Liked: 68
  • Joined: Dec 2015
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2017, 02:49:57 PM »
We do our main shop at Aldi and then supplement with Asda since they don't have everything at Aldi. I prefer Aldi meat to Asda's.

Just curious what about it you dislike?


  • *
  • Posts: 3547

  • Liked: 537
  • Joined: Jun 2014
  • Location: Derbyshire, UK
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2017, 04:25:25 PM »
We do any in person shopping at Sainsbury's, though we do swing by Morrisons on occasion. All my grocery deliveries (of which there have been many lately) are with Tesco as I prefer their ready meals to anyone elses. Things have been busy and cooking when I get home from work at 7pm blows.

Our Sainsbury's has the nicest baked goods.
The usual. American girl meets British guy. They fall into like, then into love. Then there was the big decision. The American traveled across the pond to join the Brit. And life was never the same again.


  • *
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 16302

  • Also known as PB&J ;-)
  • Liked: 840
  • Joined: Sep 2007
  • Location: :-D
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2017, 04:49:21 PM »
Probably depends on where you live and what shops you have.

And the quality of your shop too!

ASDA around here is absolutely rubbish- cheap, crowded and not very nice produce or meats or anything.
Morrisons around here is dirty and they charge you to use the car park. Stuff seems expensive there. 

The Sainsburys in the other direction is tiny, but good quality off their fish and meat counters. But their staples are very limited and they have a tiny fruit/veg section.

M&S - Their meat and produce is quite nice, but expensive. We don't eat ready meals, but even if we wanted to, most are off limits because hubby can't eat dairy in any format. 

No Waitrose or Booths or Whole Foods or anything like that around here at all.

I like the Lidl around again now that they redid it. It used to smell like mold and rotten food.  But it's on the other side of town, so we never even think about it. 

Aldi can be hit or miss. Sometimes it's fabulous and other times, it's dirty and has nothing you actually want. 

There's a big Co-Op store, but it's in a dodgy side of town and always a bit dirty too.

Smaller Co-Ops are good, but expensive too.

We like Tesco.  The regular Tesco has plenty for everyday needs.
The "Big Tesco" has a great fish and meat counter and a large fruit and veg section.  At both Tescos, price is good, quality good, they have great markdowns on fruit/veg and stuff heading out of date. I love to buy flowers that are going 'out of date' there too and fill my house with the joyness of cut flowers.

I also like to use a local co-operative which can be quite expensive, but they sell lots of dairy free and vegan ingredients which works really well for the man who can't eat dairy.  It's all fair trade, bulk ingredients, etc in there too, so that's good.

So that really long winded answer was, really, shop around to see what you like. 

I've never gotten food on my underpants!
Work permit (2007) to British Citizen (2014)
You're stuck with me!


  • *
  • Posts: 18235

  • Liked: 4985
  • Joined: Jun 2012
  • Location: Wokingham
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #8 on: April 28, 2017, 07:08:46 PM »
Our Asda is great and that's where we have a monthly delivery pass.  Not had an issue with meat or produce from ours.  We get a lot of gluten free products from M&S and prefer their regular bread too.

We buy our meat (chicken, mince, etc.) from Costco and portion it out into Ziploc bags for the freezer.


  • *
  • Posts: 413

  • Liked: 21
  • Joined: Jul 2011
  • Location: Midlands
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2017, 07:35:49 PM »
Tesco is sufficient for most everything. We've had good experiences with Tesco delivery, and go there for most of our grocery shopping. There's a small Co-Op just a five minute walk away, which is really convenient if we just need to pick up some milk, bread, etc. There's an M&S Food right by my workplace. I really like M&S for their quality, but can be expensive.

People are always saying how much money they save shopping at Aldi, and they're impressed with the quality too. My husband's grandparents do pretty much all their grocery shopping there. I'm always looking for ways to save money, so is it really that good?

The local Morrisons is so cramped and crowded. Hate being right on top of other people when I'm shopping so I don't go there. There isn't a Sainsbury's or Asda nearby so don't go there. I've never been to Waitrose or Lidl.

Oh, and I go to Wilko and Savers (sometimes B&M) for cleaning/laundry and paper/plastic products. A bit cheaper than Tesco.
4/2015 Married
7/2015 Spousal visa granted
8/2015 Moved to England
10/2020 ILR granted


  • *
  • Posts: 642

  • Liked: 116
  • Joined: Jan 2017
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #10 on: April 28, 2017, 07:49:26 PM »
Oh yes, for household things we almost always go to wilko.  So much cheaper to buy toothpaste, surface wipes, etc. than the supermarket prices, especially as I'm unemployed at the moment and can make separate trips during business hours.  I went there today actually to buy some hangers.
Spouse Visa:
Received by Sheffield 19 Nov 2016
Decision Made 26 Jan 2017
Visa Received 30 Jan 2017
Arrived in UK 15 Feb 2017
FLR (M) Biometrics 16 Sep 2019
FLR (M) Approved 17 Sep 2019 (Super Priority)


  • *
  • Posts: 2611

  • Liked: 223
  • Joined: Jun 2012
  • Location: London
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2017, 08:17:49 PM »
We tend to do whatever closest or on the way home. For us, that usually Sainsbury's, sometimes Tesco and occasionally Waitrose.

We're vegetarian, so I can't help on the meat front, but we're happy with Sainsbury's. I work from home, so I've got time to make a separate trip to Tesco if one of our staples is on offer. We prefer Tesco fresh bread (DH likes their olive bread and I love the jalapeno cheddar loaf) but don't usually go out of way for it.

When we lived near-ish a Waitrose, sometimes I'd go there in the afternoon - they had amazing markdowns on breads and fruit. I once got a few kilo tubs of strawberries for £1 each. Taught myself how to make strawberry jam off that. I'd usually be able to get a few loaves/packs of bread on markdown and since the 3-for-2 offer still applied, they were dirt cheap. Seriously. Sometimes it would be three packs of bread (usually pita, hamburger buns or hot dog buns) for 15-20p total. They'd be dinner that night or I'd freeze them and use them later in the week. If they didn't all get used, it wasn't a big loss. We've also scored Easter candy (after Easter) for practically free.

I'm not the only one loving the Waitrose markdowns:
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/oct/24/cheapest-supermarkets-last-minute-bargains-markdowns
July 2012 - Fiancée Visa | Nov 2012 - Married
Dec 2012 - FLR | Nov 2014 - ILR | Dec 2015 - UK Citizen


  • *
  • Posts: 502

  • Liked: 111
  • Joined: Oct 2013
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2017, 09:43:02 PM »
This thread has made me realize I'm a little bit of a snob My grocery stores of choice are Waitrose, Marks and Sainsbury's if I'm slumming it. I've never been to a Lidl or Aldi and when my MIL goes to ASDA, I just drop her off, park the car and have a coffee and wait for her to finish and reload the car. Oh my. I should call myself Hyacinth Bucket


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


  • *
  • Posts: 1258

  • Liked: 154
  • Joined: Feb 2016
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2017, 09:58:11 PM »
 I hate the sainsburys and adds  here they are run down and smell like wet dog. I know, weird.

I swear on Aldi. My husband and daughter are so beyond picky eaters that I can get the food they eat and it's cheap. We do tesco for somethings but our basics come from Aldi. It's so cheap (I am not a brand snob though).


  • *
  • Posts: 862

  • Liked: 68
  • Joined: Dec 2015
Re: Supermarkets (grocery stores)
« Reply #14 on: April 29, 2017, 09:26:03 AM »
People are always saying how much money they save shopping at Aldi, and they're impressed with the quality too. My husband's grandparents do pretty much all their grocery shopping there. I'm always looking for ways to save money, so is it really that good?

I am a huge Aldi advocate! I even managed to get my husband, who is a brand snob, on board with Aldi. The meat is often Red Tractor assured (from British farms...usually your beef, chicken, pork...)

I love their super six deals but other supermarkets have been trying to compete with this now and will also offer similar for super low prices. I get all my vegetables for Christmas from here because they're usually less than 30p a bag for potatoes, carrots, parsnips sprouts, etc. I think the veg used to go off fairly quickly but I swear this has improved.

We love their houmous here too. Not a huge selection but the Moroccan one is amazing! I'm also a huge fan of their Amaretto :-P

What we love best about Aldi is we're in and out faster than Asda it seems!
« Last Edit: April 29, 2017, 07:37:25 PM by BriKH »


Sponsored Links





 

coloured_drab