Waitrose and the Heston Black Forest Buche

QuackQuack_2

PRODUCT:
http://www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductView-10317-10001-155011-Waitrose+from+Heston+black+forest+buche

It looks mouthwatering, I want one!

With the heavy TV advertising for the Waitrose Heston Black Forest Buche, I rather foolishly thought that buying one of these would be fairly easy - how wrong was I!

I don't have a Waitrose in my town, but I am surrounded by that at around 20 miles away to the north, south, east and west. Before setting out I thought I'd try to buy one online.....

[CUE FAMILY FORTUNES EHT ERT NO SOUND]
'Not available online' became plain old ' 'not available' over the course of a few days watching. I figured I would need to visit a store to get one.....

I drove north to a store - 35 minutes in traffic - to find they did not have any. I drove south west 16 miles to another store who also did not have any. Then south, then east to another two stores (plus one other for good measure) and I was met with the same image in all the stores:



I did ask staff if they had any. One said "They won't be in until after the 12th". I said "But it's the 14th?" One said "They sold out within minutes." I asked "How many did you have?" "six" came the reply.
One member of staff at another store said "Not you as well! We've never had them, all we have is a space for them."

I started out this morning, I've just got back in - but I've learnt a few things about Waitrose over the last few days:

1: Their online customer service seriously sucks. I've not managed to get a word of advice out of them in a week on where to find one of these despite mailing them 3 times.

2: Hell are they overpriced on stuff! I can wear £12.99 for a cake to die for, but £1.99 for two basic Scotch Eggs, when they are just 86p in Tesco? The place was full of over-priced guff. Prices in Waitrose would make M&S blush!

3: The old problem that haunts lowsy supermarkets was present - long queues three to five deep with unstaffed, closed checkouts in abundance.

4: Staff on the tills painfully slow - I know many of them are old and rusty, but please someone OIL THEM!

5: Nice to see replenishers putting stock out, but tutting at customers who are browsing stock and leaving carp on the floor to fall over is not ideal.

This was my first experience of Waitrose but I don't think I'll be rushing back. I used to wish we had one in our town but I've changed my view on that.

I started out as a brat wanting a posh cake, I got a day of disappointment. Perhaps I'll look for one on eBay or go and camp outside Heston's house and beg. Failing that I'll suggest they rename this "The John Lewis Waitrose Black Forest Surprise" - the surprise, of course, being if you are lucky enough to find one!


If anyone responds to this post saying "My Waitrose has got a freezer full of them" I'm may well just self destruct!

Azari

QuackQuack wrote: »

2: Hell are they overpriced on stuff! I can wear £12.99 for a cake to die for, but £1.99 for two basic Scotch Eggs, when they are just 86p in Tesco? The place was full of over-priced guff. Prices in Waitrose would make M&S blush!

And they (standard Scotch Eggs) are not even a noticeably higher quality product.

3: The old problem that haunts lowsy supermarkets was present - long queues three to five deep with unstaffed, closed checkouts in abundance.

Standard everywhere but when you are paying Waitrose prices you expect better service.

5: Nice to see replenishers putting stock out, but tutting at customers who are browsing stock and leaving carp on the floor to fall over is not ideal.

This was the worst thing about Waitrose when I lived somewhere where they were the only supermarket in town. Very slow to get your shopping done because of the staff blocking the shelves.

fluffnutter

Your experience seems to have disappointed you. But I will say this for Waitrose... their Black Forest Buches are to die for. Delicious!

Azari

fluffnutter wrote: »

Your experience seems to have disappointed you. But I will say this for Waitrose... their Black Forest Buches are to die for. Delicious!

Ooooo, you're a meanie! ::rotfl:

meer53

Overhyped and overpriced ! Why do people fall for it ? Every year ? I think they deliberately make less then they need, same with last years Xmas pudding, you would have thought they'd learned wouldn't you ? I suppose i'm just cynical ! I love Heston Blumenthal but wouldn't pay his prices. Even if i won the lottery.

DCFC79

Its well known that waitrose is more pricey than asda, tesco etc. I wouldnt do a full shop there even if the quality is better or is demed to be, you dont get riff raff in there like you do in asda so thats a plus, yes the operators may be slow but must have been the checkout you chose, surely there were some with a younger person on. Could you not have called the stores you went to ask if they had any in stock and to put 1 by for you ?

I shall let you know what its like when we have ours, ill also tell you what the xmas pudding(with the orange in) is also like if you like ?

The heston mince pies are nice though.

fluffnutter

If you think Waitrose is too expensive, you're simply not the target audience. Waitrose is for people who are quite happy to pay extra just to avoid all the horrors of the cheaper supermarkets (poor people swearing at their screaming children, pop music etc).

DCFC79

fluffnutter wrote: »

If you think Waitrose is too expensive, you're simply not the target audience. Waitrose is for people who are quite happy to pay extra just to avoid all the horrors of the cheaper supermarkets (poor people swearing at their screaming children, pop music etc).

We get discount so its not too bad for us as its probably brings the total cost to what would be spent in tesco/sainsburys etc for same number of items.

fluffnutter

On a more serious note than my previous comment, Waitrose isn't about bargains. If that's what you're looking for when you go shopping, then shop elsewhere. Waitrose's raison d'etre is not simply about offering food at the cheapest price. And, TBH, there's certainly a market for what they're offering. If there wasn't and shopping was about price alone, they'd go out of business. In actual fact, they're expanding.

QuackQuack_2

I have to agree it has its target market sector - I just wonder who these people are?! Do they enjoy paying over the odds for average food with lousy service and long, slow moving queues?! I guess I'm just not middle class enough to be tolerant of it!

The cynic in me wonders if the target demographic for Waitrose is based upon making customers think they are 'better' than other people who shop in such menial places as Sainsbury's, Asda or Tesco?

From what I've seen today, if you break the shop down to price, quality, service and stock availability it's a pretty poor customer experience!

I used to think Asda was rough, but annoyingly they seem to get it right most of the time. If I could change anything about them it would be their lousy cheese, their frequent changing of item sizes, recipes and specifications - oh, and I'd ban customers from wearing tracky bottoms and showing off their midrifts!

I have to admit it - I'm just not posh enough to shop at Waitrose. I don't feel included because I just can't switch off to high prices, average quality, poor service and poor stock availability. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Real Waitrose customers won't respond to this message as they will tolerate anything you chuck at them - wannabe Waitrose customers and imposters, however, may reply below............
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I WANT THAT CAKE! GIVE ME THAT CAKE! I'LL WAIT IN THE QUEUE!
I'LL LET YOU LOOK DOWN YOUR NOSES AT ME, I'LL EVEN APOLOGISE FOR NOT BEING POOR! JUST GIVE ME THAT CAKE!

brettcta

my housemate works there and brought 3 home this afternoon

looks like it's black forest buche on christmas day for this cat