Nice people thread part 5 - nicely does it

LydiaJ

I use Sainsbury's occasionally - there's a reasonbly big one near DS & DD's school that I go to after dropping them off sometimes (although it doesn't do petrol). There's a bigger one on the other side of town (near where we used to live) that has petrol and is much better for clothes. My main gripe about them is that they don't always have everything I want grocery-wise, and there are always long queues for the checkouts even when the store is quiet.

I also use Tesco occasionally - there's a Metro one near DS & DD's school, and I can get in and out of there much more quickly than Sainsbury's if all I want is a few bits and pieces for their lunch boxes. There's also a bigger one not too far from my work that sells a few things that I like and can't get anywhere else. I often get petrol there too.

Sometimes I use Waitrose - there's one close to work. It sells most things I want, and does toys and homewares, so we go there for DS & DD to choose presents sometimes. I like that it has a better reputation for treating its staff fairly than most of the others.

I drop into the Co-op frequently because I drive past it on the way home from most places. It's small and doesn't have much choice (and no petrol) but I can get the basics of what I need day to day. I constantly feel that I ought to be more organised, get into a habit of ordering a weekly delivery from one of the others, and stop spending money on "oh no I need this tonight/tomorrow" Co-op trips, but I'm not doing very well on that ATM.

I don't use Aldi or Lidl because the parking is difficult and I'm always in a hurry, and Morrison's and Asda aren't near where I live now or near where I used to live or near work or the kid's school, so I've never got into going there. I use Tesco and Ocado (when they send me an offer) for online shopping - when I get round to it, which used to be regularly but hasn't been so for a while now.

Doozergirl wrote: »

It's sad and distressing. The least they could do would be to make it easy for you. If he'd have known what might happen, I'm sure he would have paid a kings ransom just to be at their weddings. What price do you put on that loss

You're an amazing woman.

Thanks Doozer. They are doing their best for me - the more information I provide for them, the more money they can claim for me, and while money can never replace DS & DD's dad, it can take the pressure off me work-wise so I can have more time and energy to give to them, which is a good thing.

SingleSue

I love M&S food, I have a field day if I receive M&S vouchers....outside of vouchers, I just go in and oogle the food and dream (although they do do some decent reductions at the end of the shopping day). It is not a huge store, in fact, our M&S is quite famous as being the smallest full department store in their stock.

Our nearest Sainsbury is too far away to use it as a serious shopping place, the fuel used would negate any savings made but if we are going past it on the way somewhere else, we occasionally pop in. We do have a Tesco but it is hopeless and tiny, again, the nearest big Tesco is a drive away (even further than Sainsbury), so not worth it for a normal shopping excursion. We do however, go there in the school holidays as a day out....youngest likes playing with the electronics on display and the big Currys and PC world are across the way.

Asda is even further out than the big Tesco....been years since I have been to Asda.

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

When we go to Asda I always look to see what my income that is taken off me as tax is being spent on...

You get yours back though through your creative application of the rules.

PasturesNew

I'm nowhere near a Waitrose, closest is 50 miles away. I went into one once, but they were small and just closing, so I've never bought from them.

M&S food .... not even walked wistfully down the aisles for about 5 years. Closest M&S to me's about 20 miles and in a pedestrianised area, so I don't even go past it.

Also, even our very very largest stores in the whole county are probably what you guys would call medium-sized but not great.

The supermarkets are roughly the size of a small/standard Lidl/Aldi. I wish supermarkets would give the retail floorspace on their website, if you can go 20 miles one way for one, or 20 miles the other way, it'd be handy to know which one had the biggest floor area. As I am not a regular shopper in any of these shops I don't have favourites, so wouldn't care which I was going to - if I was going to, say, Asda to buy one item then I'd prefer to know which was laragest so I might stand a better chance of them having it. If you think that sounds mad ... to do a 40 mile round trip for one item.... that's what we call "life in the country", when you don't have the range/size of shops to ever carry a range of goods or stock to be able to buy stuff. The big supermarkets are at least one way of trying to walk into one shop and find one simple thing, rather than spending a day trawling all round 3-4 small towns without knowing your way around.

misskool

I shop in Waitrose and Lidl, mainly because they are the closest to me and we aren't that fussy about a set number of things to buy.

Waitrose is nice and not as expensive as some people think and we always pop in for the reductions. Lidl does nice fruit and veg, not as much choice but good.

Been a busy Saturday (for us) already. OH put hallway radiator up, I've been learning how to clean a gutter and just about to tidy the front garden (which looks terrible).

Dave/lir/tom/people in the know: I need to get rid of a couple of medium sized shrubs. Do we rent a woodchipper and then compost in the back garden or get a skip to move it all away?

chewmylegoff

Waitrose only for me. Not because of snobbery, but because we do our shopping on Sunday afternoon and sainsburys is horrendous at that time. Also Waitrose have that hand scanner thing so you can scan and bag your shopping as you do it and not have to queue at the tills.

michaels

Several trips to the tip?

misskool wrote: »

Dave/lir/tom/people in the know: I need to get rid of a couple of medium sized shrubs. Do we rent a woodchipper and then compost in the back garden or get a skip to move it all away?

silvercar

We cleared out the study last week and had loads of stuff for the tip. Luckily the tip is only a mile away. It's been redesigned as a recycling centre, pleasantly surprised that you can recycle expanded polystyrene. Disappointed that they now refuse to take bags of general rubbish. Recycle only so two bags had to come back home.

zagubov

Nearest is a Waitrose but there's small and big Sainsburys and Tesco nearby (the big stores do cheap(ish) petrol).

The Asda's about a mile away but you need change for the parking.

The veg is better in Sainsburys but the bargains/reductions are better in the other three.

There's a Morrisons but like I said I can't see it does anything cheaper or better than the others.:cool:

CKhalvashi

zagubov wrote: »

Nearest is a Waitrose but there's small and big Sainsburys and Tesco nearby (the big stores do cheap(ish) petrol).

The Asda's about a mile away but you need change for the parking.

The veg is better in Sainsburys but the bargains/reductions are better in the other three.

There's a Morrisons but like I said I can't see it does anything cheaper or better than the others.:cool:

I’d disagree with you on this one Zag.

We’re saving money (seemingly) since we’ve been doing Morrisons on a Weds morning instead of Tescos on a Sunday.

May be something to do with not having the kids with us on that, but about £15 cheaper on a shop, then 15p/l off a tank of diesel (I make sure its on the red line on a Weds) is not too bad. Works out a total of at least £25 off! :eek: