Cutting up my Tesco Clubcard !

Broadwood

Tesco ONLY seems to exist to make maximum profits for shareholders and top executives. Customer service and value for money is way down their list of priorities.

We had breakfast in their cafe yesterday, half of it was warm at best. We bought a few items which Lidl and Aldi don't stock, including Tesco Value Midget Gems. Before Xmas they were 35p for 200g pack. Now they are 34p for a 175g pack. This is fairly typical of late.

At the checkouts there were 2 or 3 customers waiting at each open checkout queue. Out of approximately 30 checkouts, nine were unmanned.

Luckily within 5 miles we have Aldi, Lidl, Iceland, Morrisons, Sainsburys & Asda. Non are perfect, but at least we have a choice.

Goodbye Tesco ! Greedy bar stewards !

Azari

I seriously doubt that you'll find any supermarket to be much different.

Tesco are the largest retailer in the country because they know what works.

I agree that there are annoyances with supermarkets, particularly their wilful insistence on not having enough checkout operators and their perpetual 'tinkering' with prices that see certain items suffering massive percentage price rises from time to time, but, as I said, they know what works.

fluffnutter

Broadwood wrote: »

Tesco ONLY seems to exist to make maximum profits for shareholders and top executives.

Correct. It's called capitalism.

Azari

fluffnutter wrote: »

Correct. It's called capitalism.

Indeed.

A 'company' has three functions within an economy:

1) To make a profit for the shareholders
2) To provide employment
3) To provide goods and/or services

It only makes logical sense to try to maximise one of these.

Which is why in no civilised country is there ever a completely free market.

A company must attempt to maximise the return to investors but the regulations governing the companies activities must limit the extent to which they can do this.

Hence employment and consumer protection laws.

fluffnutter

One can have the view that an emphasis on quality of products and service increases profits. The better you are, the more people will shop there, surely?

Problem is, if there's no competition and they all act like arses, how can people vote with their feet?

Azari

fluffnutter wrote: »

One can have the view that an emphasis on quality of products and service increases profits. The better you are, the more people will shop there, surely?

Absolutely.

That is how those who believe in a completely unregulated market believe things will work.

And, indeed, it can and will work for some companies. Which is why you have cheap and cheerful supermarkets at one end and Waitrose and M&S at the other.

It is completely self evident that people do not or cannot always use the best quality companies in any field.

Problem is, if there's no competition and they all act like arses, how can people vote with their feet?

And this is why you must have effective regulation.

Otherwise certain aspects of company's behaviour will always drop to rock bottom because even those whose actors would prefer to behave in a more responsible manner will have to compete with those who will stoop to anything to make more money.

It's all very well to say that the market will 'sort itself out', but the market is in a perpetual state of flux and people will be continually be getting 'ripped off' whilst this sorting out takes place.

boobies

Broadwood wrote: »

Tesco ONLY seems to exist to make maximum profits for shareholders and top executives. Customer service and value for money is way down their list of priorities.

We had breakfast in their cafe yesterday, half of it was warm at best. We bought a few items which Lidl and Aldi don't stock, including Tesco Value Midget Gems. Before Xmas they were 35p for 200g pack. Now they are 34p for a 175g pack. This is fairly typical of late.

At the checkouts there were 2 or 3 customers waiting at each open checkout queue. Out of approximately 30 checkouts, nine were unmanned.

Luckily within 5 miles we have Aldi, Lidl, Iceland, Morrisons, Sainsburys & Asda. Non are perfect, but at least we have a choice.

Goodbye Tesco ! Greedy bar stewards !

Bye then, leave us your Clubcard number and password so we can use your points! :rotfl:

Broadwood

boobies wrote: »

Bye then, leave us your Clubcard number and password so we can use your points! :rotfl:

They have you ensnared because they know people like you will keep going back to spend the points that YOU HAVE PAID FOR in the inflated prices that Tesco charge compared to the no-frills chains like Aldi and Lidl.

You are welcome to my 20 points !
What a cheap price to escape their clutches...phew !

sarahg1969

Broadwood wrote: »

They have you ensnared because they know people like you will keep going back to spend the points that YOU HAVE PAID FOR in the inflated prices that Tesco charge compared to the no-frills chains like Aldi and Lidl.

You are welcome to my 20 points !
What a cheap price to escape their clutches...phew !

But, as you say, Aldi and Lidl don't stock everything you need, so you'll have to go somewhere else as well. If you can afford the extra fuel, and your time is worth less than saving a couple of pence at the supermarket, then go for it. I've personally not found Aldi and Lidl cheaper for most stuff, to be honest, and you always have to finish off a big shop elsewhere.

boobies

Broadwood wrote: »

They have you ensnared because they know people like you will keep going back to spend the points that YOU HAVE PAID FOR in the inflated prices that Tesco charge compared to the no-frills chains like Aldi and Lidl.

You are welcome to my 20 points !
What a cheap price to escape their clutches...phew !

I guess I am a tad more savvy than you. I don't do my main shop there, I only buy when they have points offers on and even then I check whether they are still best value for me (and whether I can sell the goods on at cost or profit). In the space of a few years Tesco have had a few hundred pounds off me ... and I have enough BA miles to be flying Club for many years to come!

Broadwood

boobies wrote: »

I guess I am a tad more savvy than you. I don't do my main shop there, I only buy when they have points offers on and even then I check whether they are still best value for me (and whether I can sell the goods on at cost or profit). In the space of a few years Tesco have had a few hundred pounds off me ... and I have enough BA miles to be flying Club for many years to come!

I'll agree you may be AS savvy as me. The advantage you seem to have is that you can spare the time to sift through the offers at many or all your local supermarkets and even maybe your local high street greengrocer. I'll have to make do with getting the basics plus a few extras at Lidl each week, and then doing the rounds weekly at either Aldi, Morrisons or Sainsburys to top up on the items I like best from each of them in rotation. Also we do a monthly trip to Iceland.

The shoppers I can't understand are those who go to Tesco for everything even when they have a choice of other cheaper supermarkets. Acute lack of shopping time is the only excuse I'd accept at a pinch.