Your supermarket choice

66Mustang

Just wondering out of curiosity if people go to whatever supermarket is closest or do you travel to your preferred one?

And which supermarket do you prefer based on prices and quality combined?

I like Tesco as I feel it’s a good compromise between price and quality, and we do travel to get there, about 6 miles by car.

We also have an M&S close by which is convenient for treats but expensive for everyday items.

66Mustang

I always get Aldi and Lidl mixed up!! I think we have a Lidl within a short drive and it’s quite nice there I find, you can get some decent stuff at good prices. The one thing I found is that like to make you queue, when the queues get “too short” they take someone off checkouts and make them do something else, making the queue long again. I guess that’s how they can afford to sell things competitively as they are paying less staff.

life

Iceland for the frozen food. Just throw frozen food in the freezer. Then put them in the air fryer to make the food quick as possible. I get it delivered once every week , week and a half. 

66Mustang

@Teddybear12 enjoy, I like rarebit

poppy123456

Tesco is my shop and usually travel about 4 miles. I like the Clubcard offers they have. 

I sometimes go to Lidl or Aldi for a few things, if I run out during the week. Don’t usually do a weekly shop there though.
I do use B&M because of their cheaper cleaning products and the cat litter I get from there is more than £1 cheaper. 

Tori_Scope

I usually go to Morrison's, as it's my closest one. There's also a Food Warehouse nearby, so I go to that too to get frozen bits. I go to Aldi when I'm at my partner's house, as that's the closest, and from my experience definitely cheaper than a lot of the other supermarkets.

I've heard ASDA's new essentials range is good- has anyone tried it? 

janer1967

I use asda on line mainly use them as I live on a new estate and they were the only one that delivered to my postcode 

There are others now.keep saying I will do morrisons but they never have any suitable slots 

Aldi is very close about 400 yards but they had refit and everything now in glass cabinets with doors which is hard to get to stuff when in wheelchair and they moved everything round so with my limited sight I can't see anything in the cabinets 

Tori_Scope

That's an interesting point about the accessibility of glass cabinets in supermarkets @janer1967. Is that something you've raised to them as a concern? 

bg844

Tesco is the one for me and is the one I get everything, it’s right next door to Morrisons too so I occasionally pop in for bits and get bakery items as I think they’re the best for that and both are 1 mile away. My closest shop is Co-op 200 yards away and if I need bits like milk, bread or meat during the week I’ll go there. I think I’m lucky with shop choices as all of the main supermarkets are within a 3 mile radius of me, with the exception of M&S which is 5 miles but if I am going to that area I will pop in for a look as I love their tea meal deals and Jaffa Cakes lol.

I don’t like Aldi, Lidl or Asda. Not because I’m being a snob but I find those stores dirty and the staff very unhelpful and some products I have bought in the past have been very poor quality so I avoid altogether now.

Siwheels73

We are lucky in that our local Tesco is less than 500m away, which means we are able to use my wife's mobility scooter to get there very quickly. Also,having a Clubcard means we can get discounts on our shopping. As it's a Tesco Extra, it's one of the bigger choice stores.

emancherry33

I end up going to different stores as it can be cheaper in them on different days and times so don't have a favourite store.

janer1967

@Tori_Scope no I haven't said anything just don't go anymore 

They are hardly going to change it all again but it is a shame as lots of people round here in chairs or on scooters but the big glass door fridges and freezers are impossible to deal with from chair 

Sandy_123

I don't have a favourite I don't use tesco anymore because they built an aldi next to it, so I use aldi if I go. Like morrisons for shopping on line as it arrives in bags. Easier 4 me. Plus they now have a 25 minimum spend most have it at 40, so handy if u want a small shop. 

leeCal

We use the Coop, Tesco’s, Morrison’s, Iceland and M & S, depends on where we are at the time. An eclectic method. 

Steve_in_The_City

I am a tad limited for shopping as I have to go on my mobility scooter. Locally I only have small Tesco's. They are not suitable for my 4 mph mobility scooter and carry limited stock. Occasionally I go a large Tesco that is a 35 minute ride there, and 35 back. I used to like it, but they revamped the store and everything is now behind the dreaded glass doors, so I no longer bother - it is too much of a struggle.

Very local to me is an Argos (truly wondrous staff) and ideal for my scooter. There is a Co-Op, an M&S and an Aldi. They are all small City branches and not suitable for my scooter. A few minutes ride away there is a very good Waitrose with excellent staff and service. Many disabled people use it. For me, Waitrose offers the best value; it has an unfair reputation for being expensive. Like everyone else I have to watch my spondoolies, but I can shop in Waitrose quite economically. About 10 minutes away is an excellent M&S, with a good menswear department and a large food hall. It is very mobility scooter friendly.

I am a big fan of Sainsbury's, but it is a 25 minute ride there, and 25 minutes back. I have been shopping there since 1983. Just along the road from Sainsbury's there is an Iceland, well adapted to my mobility scooter and some of the food is great. But I generally try to shop closer to home, so for me it is Waitrose and a decent branch of M&S in The City.

Sorry to have gone on so long, but I love shopping. For me, it is a social outing. If I had the use of my legs I would shop in all of the shops, all of the time, because they all have their merits. But as they say "needs must" so it is mobility scooter-friendly shops for me.

66Mustang

Thanks all for sharing

@Steve_in_The_City I agree that you can shop economically in Waitrose. Also I don't mind shopping as well. Like you say it's a trip out. We often do 2-3 smaller shops in the week rather than one big one so that we can get out more often (among other reasons).

Steve_in_The_City

66Mustang said:

Thanks all for sharing

@Steve_in_The_City I agree that you can shop economically in Waitrose. Also I don't mind shopping as well. Like you say it's a trip out. We often do 2-3 smaller shops in the week rather than one big one so that we can get out more often (among other reasons).

@66Mustang When my partner was alive and I was able bodied we went shopping almost every day, whether we needed to or not. As you said, it gets you out more often (among other reasons). Going to the shops gave us something to do, we met old friends in the street for a chat, we would go and have a beer and play cards or games on my tablet and someone would always join us. Occasionally we would go and have lunch. We even knew people on the bus, so shopping was a really sociable experience rather than a daily necessity. It is still sociable for me, although I am limited as to where I can go. But it gets me out of the flat, so that is a reason to be happy! Shopping is like an enjoyable hobby that brings me in to contact with others. I do shop online occasionally, but it is not the same thing. I hope you continue to enjoy your shopping trips! 

SueHeath

We use a local Asda only 5 min drive - i was thinking of changing to morisons 15 min drive because our Asda was getting so bad with not having stock in, but it was better this week, so hopefully just a blip. We don't like the joints of meat from Asda so always go to morisons for those, x

Steve_in_The_City

66Mustang said:

Thanks all for sharing

@Steve_in_The_City I agree that you can shop economically in Waitrose. Also I don't mind shopping as well. Like you say it's a trip out. We often do 2-3 smaller shops in the week rather than one big one so that we can get out more often (among other reasons).

@66Mustang When my partner was alive and I was able bodied we went shopping almost every day, whether we needed to or not. As you said, it gets you out more often (among other reasons). Going to the shops gave us something to do, we met old friends in the street for a chat, we would go and have a beer and play cards or games on my tablet and someone would always join us. Occasionally we would go and have lunch. We even knew people on the bus, so shopping was a really sociable experience rather than a daily necessity. It is still sociable for me, although I am limited as to where I can go. But it gets me out of the flat, so that is a reason to be happy! Shopping is like an enjoyable hobby that brings me in to contact with others. I do shop online occasionally, but it is not the same thing. I hope you continue to enjoy your shopping trips! 

Cher_Alumni

@Steve_in_The_City I can relate to that, supermarket browsing is one of my guilty pleasures, especially the middle aisle of a certain shop. It's where I bump into most people and it 'gets me out of the house' on days it feels like the walls are coming in; it's definitely been a lifeline during maternity leave as some days are verrrry long with a little one, and just to feel part of civilisation ( ) made all the difference.

I know some of you may remember this, but just to remind others, Scope researched and produced a report about the accessibility of supermarkets during the pandemic. Although written under the context of covid-19, most of it still applies today so do take a look the next time you fancy a read. Let us know if you have any more thoughts too! 

Steve_in_The_City

@Cher_Scope Don't worry about supermarket browsing being a "guilty pleasure" because having a baby is a big deal I am told (I've never had one myself!) and I believe it can leave some people feeling a little blue. So getting out and about and escaping the walls that are coming in (tell me about it) is a good thing! Now, as you have confessed to your little guilty pleasure I am going to go public with my guilty shopping pleasure that is practically a fetish! I love to watch people shopping. I see them getting out their mobiles to check things (guilty myself) and phoning partners to discuss whether or not to spend 90p on a packet of ginger nuts! It tickles me pink. Further in to the depravity of this fetish, I can tell at a glance what type of lifestyle someone has by what they put in their shopping basket! And if they should buy a newspaper, I really do know all about them! And I love the conversations. Recently 2 young women were giving the guy behind the fish counter a hard time because they wanted to know what was organic, and what wasn't. Eventually they selected fish they didn't want because it was organic! But the best place to watch people dithering and prevaricating is in the bakery aisle. It is hilariously comical. Today (yesterday now) I sat patiently on my mobility scooter for around 8 minutes while a young couple discussed what type of sugar they needed! They completely blocked the sugar and flour section so after a long wait I said "would you mind passing me a bag of that flour, and by the way you want standard caster sugar".

But it is at the checkout I have the most fun. I won't go in to it. But as pervy as my watching people shop fetish is, I don't worry about it. As Freud tells us, a fetish is only a problem if it goes against societal mores!