It's not just food, it's M&S profits

groatie_queen

Today I went into town to pick up new reading glasses, and whilst in the shopping centre had a quick look in Marks & Spencer's food dept. Thought perhaps I might treat myself to a pot of salad, but the prices were eye-wateringly dear, and I just couldn't bring myself to pay what they were asking.

So I went home via my local Tesco (alas no Lidl) and picked up enough veg for several meals for approx the same price as one of of M&S's four-in-a-pack salads which were tiny!! The M&S pots are narrower at the bottom than the top, so if you look down at the pack from above, you think there's more in the tubs than there actually is....

But it got me thinking - is there anything you buy from M & S food hall because you think it's worth the money, rather than it's just a treat?

Yours frugally
GQ

fizzel81

No Sorry m&s is not somewhere i will buy anything foodwise from, i find there prices just too out of my well price range

Blacksheep1979

you can't compare a pre-prepared salad pot to buying the seperate parts - thats like comparing a chicken pie to chicken offcuts and flour eggs etc. Also if you one of the salad pot things (or create your own ones) from sainsburys, tesco etc they're also narrower at the bottom than the top and pricey.

On a side note I've been really put off the fruit and veg in both sainsburys and tesco as it has been well below what I'd call an acceptable standard.

pavlovs_dog

M&Sis the only place i've found meatloaf so far. they also do nice fish cakes. we see it as a treat, every once in a while

groatie_queen

That's precisely my point, Backsheep - how expensive readymade food is - I never normally shop in M&S foodhall, so I'm interested to know if anyone does find any of their food items, readymade or otherwise, good value for money.

Edited to add, re fruit and veg, up here in Scotland, we don't have weekly markets in the same way as in England, so if there isn't a local greengrocer, Tesco's or equivalent is all there is. Farner's markets have started up, once a month, but they are very expensive and organic / specialised.

I know when we were small, my mother bought M&S granary bread because at that time (mid 1960's) she couldn't find it anywhere else locally, not even in the local bakers. So she was prepared to pay for it because it wasn't available anywhere else at that time.

ti1980

I work at M&S so I get quite a bit of my shopping from there. The nearest supermarket to me is Sainsburys and there are an awful lot of prices that are comparable and that is before using my discount.

My maths is pretty terrible so I have trouble trying to work out whether I am better off buying certain things from M&S or Sainsburys.

I tend to buy most things only when they are on offer at M&S and I think they work out at good prices.
Sometimes I get various things like 1 litre sunflower oil, 69p (costs me 55p). I've not seen it cheaper and it is not something I need in bulk amounts.
Sometimes I buy milk for the house (I rarely use it) and I think it works out cheaper for me to buy it than my flatmates buying it from Tesco, Sainsburys or Asda and it is definitely cheaper than our local shops.

I go to Lidl occasionally but I have been let down by the fruit and veg so many times that I don't buy it from there anymore and I find that a lot of Aldi snacky things have MSG in them which I try and avoid apart from when I have a chinese takeaway.

boo81

certain things when they are on offer are not bad value, the crispbakes were always on offer and my mum and dad buy them all the time. Personally I just like making things from scratch but the chicken and brocolli ones are lovely!

Gingernutmeg

I like their mince, the 2 for £4.50 pack. I don't live near a good independent butchers, and (probably wrongly lol) I only 'trust' M&S and Waitrose meat. I've *never* bought nice meat from Tesco or Sainsbury's, the last lot of Sainsbury's organic mince ended up in the bin it was that gristly, and my partner (a steak fiend) said their steak was revolting and wouldn't eat it. I'd rather pay a bit more for meat that I know will get eaten. Plus I get three meals from half a pack of mince so it doesn't work out as very expensive at all

aaroncaz

I always buy M&S coleslaw, its the best!! Used to work there, boy do i miss the staff shop!!
Its a place to buy a few treats, not do your weekly shop.

comping_cat

I love M & Ss pork and chestnut stuffing, i stock up around xmas and easter, as they dont always sell it during the year!!!

Sweet_Pea_2

The crispbakes are nice and I think they are good value as they seem to be permenantly on offer.
I think for ready meals that Sainsburys is very similar in price to M&S.
My mum who is unfortunately the queen of ready meals thinks that M&S works out cheaper for her as they do quite a lot of things that are suitable for just one person so she has less waste.
My mother in laws fave saying at one point was "would you like a slice of so-and-so, (eg, chocolate gateau,strawberry pavlova etc ) its very nice because its from Marks and Spencer" which always made me snigger. (She could have been their inspiration for their adverts!)
My friends daughter used to work there whilst still living at home, so my friend used to give her a list of things to get with her discount, she was devastated when she left!