Changing grocery shopping habits

Grouchy

There has also been a lot of discussion on the media about changing shopping habits and I think over the past year or two I've realised that where and how I do my shopping has changed drastically. I must admit that I hate shopping so anything that simplifies things and doesn't waste my time is good for me. . Was wondering if others have changed in some way.
I used to always shop at a reasonably sized Sainsboys which was decent quick experience and good products. Since prices have skyrocketted and there is more choice I'm now shopping for 80% of my groceries at Lidl/Aldi. My nearest Sains and Tescoy and Asbos have all been knocked down and replaced by stores which are like aircraft hangers and for me makes shopping unpleasant and takes a lot longer (wading through whole aisles of crisps, bog rolls, seems to be more products all actually the same but taking up aisle after aisle).

Lidl./Aldi sum up for me:

Positives

• Smaller stores, sensibly staffed and outfitted, easier to find things.
• No sales gimmicks just a shop with food in it!
• Small number of varieties for each product (I dont want 19 options on bog rolls which are all actually the same)
• Prices predictable (really gets my goat the 'big' SMs with their fake price cuts - if you follow prices you can see they are mostly artificially increased before the 'cut' - do they think we are mugs?
• Single item pricing usually (no bogof nonsense which can be wasteful and annoying)
• Good prices which seem to me very competitive and often undercut other SMs
• Good quality of products (I've been surprised how good the general quality of the foodstuffs are)
• Less packaging than other SMs (a lot of fresh veg is loose or unpackaged)
• No promo coupons for saucepans or whwatever (I CBA frankly and want best price on products rather than gimmicks)
• Checkouts seem very speedy (may change as they get more popular which they are in my area)

Negatives

• Don't offer a full range of products (I always have to shop for additional stuff elsewhere)
• Limited stock of authentic world foods
• Unpredictable stocks on some items

All in all I'm happy with the Lidl/Aldi type of supermarket which feels less designer and fancy and offers a no nonsense shopping experience. For additional stuff I go wherever is easiest or have things I know I want at the best prices for that shopping week though I avoid Tesco which is ridiculously big and filled with 50% non food items which I have no interest in.



Interested to hear others opinions.

maman

My habits have changed but it's well over a year since I did my main shop in one of the big supermarkets.


I used to go to Asda but it got very untidy and down at heel, all the offers seemed to be on processed rubbish and staff were scruffy and patronising. Then a new Sainsbury's opened nearer home but was a little more expensive.


What I do now is go to Aldi for my main shop and then pop into Sainsbury's for a quick top up. BUT what I have noticed in the past year is that I buy more and more in Aldi and less and less in Sainsbury's. Sometimes I don't need to go there at all.

TravellingAbuela

My local Aldi opened 21 years ago (it's just had it's birthday!) and I used to pop in weekly for such as cleaning/laundry stuff. Then I went over the road to Sainsbury's for the rest of the shopping. As Aldi's range has improved so much, nowadays it's the reverse! The bulk of my shopping is done in Aldi and then a pop across the road to Sainsbury's for the odd bits I prefer from Sainsbury's!

In between times we acquired a new Asda which I tried for a couple of weeks but decided it wasn't for me. Too big for a start, almost every visit involved a wait at cs as something was wrongly priced or shelves empty of what I had gone in for!

I also pop in to such as Home Bargains, B & M, Farmfoods and Fulton Foods when I am passing and stock up any bargains I spot. (Even M & S gets a visit as I am quite partial to their lightly dusted and seeded haddock and stock up when it's 3 for £10.)

When I cast my mind back 35/40 years ago, then yes my shopping habits have changed . In those days my shopping involved a weekly visit to Sainsbury's and that was it! I miss the way my points accumulated quickly in those days but that's all!

ps good post Grouchy!

[Deleted User]

I too have changed my shopping habits ,I also use Aldees more than I did before, and I always try to check the prices online before I go.If I go to Sittingbourne (about 5 miles away)There is a large Morrie's which I like to have a look around in plus a fairly goodsized Aldees.Between them I can usually buy most of my shopping.I virtually never use Tescos at all anymore and I have a Mr T Metro 3 minutes away from where I live,but it has been 'Refurbished' and everything is in cold cabinets (which I can't see the point of) and because its been 'redone' the prices have got even highter than they were before.There is a HUGE Tescos a mile away which I also never use and you would need a motorised trolley just to walk around it.I want to buy my food shopping not clothes,t.v.s or electrical white goods.There is a decent sized Sainsbobs in Hempstead Valley (about 2 miles from me) which has an excellent fresh meat and fish counter and sometimes I will buy stuff from there ,but usually only when its been reduced as they do have some really good meat reductions.
My little local shops I also use as on Mondays the g'grocers do have some really good veggie reductions (great for soups etc), and my fresh butchers also have weekly meat deals
But the biggest change has been only shopping if I can every 10 days or so, and only buying what I really need or have run out of.No more wandering around the shop throwing stuff in the trolley for me. I have my shopping list and usually manage to stick to it .Saves pounds that way
:):) I think an awful lot of us have become far cannier shopper, than before the times started to get harder in the 2008 crash.
The cost of food rising is one of the things that the government seem to have overlooked.as a rule its the women of this country who do the shopping and feeding of their families and millions of women have been voting with their feet.When I drive past the big tescos the car park never seems to be as full as it used to be and yet even if I go to my nearest Aldees in Gillingham its usually crammed with cars and people looking for a bargain.I like the idea of a veg super six which means that when there is a glut of something you can take advabtage of the cheaper prices.I can buy a cucumber in there a good 20p or so less than in the bigger SM.At the end of the day its just a cucumber that I need to go with my salad.I bought a large block of cheese a few weeks ago in Aldees for under £4.00 in the bigger SM it would have cost me over £6.00. their range maybe isn't as big. but for basic stuff you really can't beat them

Edwardia

Since joining MSE I've gone organic and found it can be really difficult to find organic food in supermarkets.

I get eggs and milk from Abel & Cole. Veg from Sainsbury's, ASDA, Ocado, Waitrose, Lidl, Abel & Cole, Riverford - whichever I can find/order. The few processed things we buy eg gluten free fish fingers for OH and nut cutlets come fro Ocado. Grass pastured GM free NZ lamb chops from Lidl, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.

I have to be far more organised now. Generally I manage to save around £16 per shop at Ocado.

Doc_N

The latest accolade for Aldi in this month's Which? magazine:

"Best and worst supermarkets Supermarkets compared

For the first time ever, Aldi has been voted Britain's top supermarket, according to the annual Which? supermarket survey.
Aldi's 76% customer score means it narrowly edges out Waitrose (75%), which has been voted the best supermarket every year since our survey started in 2007."


Lidl are at number 4, but Tesco are 9th out of 10, and the Co-op 10th.

No wonder Tesco are struggling compared with a couple of years back - they've been sussed as overpriced, with deceitful pricing and a quality which can at best be described as average. Apart from their meat - which is best avoided altogether.

maman

Doc_N wrote: »

The latest accolade for Aldi in this month's Which? magazine:

"Best and worst supermarkets Supermarkets compared

For the first time ever, Aldi has been voted Britain's top supermarket, according to the annual Which? supermarket survey.
Aldi's 76% customer score means it narrowly edges out Waitrose (75%), which has been voted the best supermarket every year since our survey started in 2007."


Lidl are at number 4, but Tesco are 9th out of 10, and the Co-op 10th.

No wonder Tesco are struggling compared with a couple of years back - they've been sussed as overpriced, with deceitful pricing and a quality which can at best be described as average. Apart from their meat - which is best avoided altogether.

I believe this week Tesco's are going to announce how badly they've done financially this year. I'm not surprised as more shoppers vote with their feet.


Delighted to see the Co-op in 10th. I find even their YS stuff ridiculously expensive, maybe they'll learn too that people won't be ripped off.


I feel so sorry for the mse people who don't have a choice where they live.

davsidipp

I've always used wait rose and sainsburys,but for the past few months aldi,has been getting my money on a weekly basis.no longer feel the need to pop in there for anything anymore.if i need cheerios,which are my can't do without,i use the local nisa or coop when on offer.i do sometimes have the urge to go to waitrose,but only do it when i feel a bit flush,but tbh,even there i don't miss now.

valk_scot

I used to be an 80% Tesco shopper and 20% everywhere else, including Lidl. I've made a conscious effort over the last year or so though to buy as much of my list as possible from Lidl and only the odd things I can't get there from Tescos etc. My shopping bills have dropped about 25% and as a bonus I think we're eating better, I buy far more ingredients because there's far less by way of convenient pre-made stuff in Lidl. Oh, and it's quicker to shop there too, you don't have to spend twenty minutes in the toilet roll aisle doing the mental maths to work out the best buy if there's only three choices of loo roll.


I went into Lidl this morning btw to buy ingredients (Meat, veg, pasta, spuds, that sort of thing) for two lunches and two 2-course dinners for a family of four, some extra fruit, bread, milk, cornflakes, shower gel, jam, chocolate and a couple of bottles of coke. Three carrier bags full and it cost me just under £30. How far would £30 go in Tesco????


The cats don't like Lidl cat food though, which is a bit of a pain.

siegemode

I used to check on mysupermarket and make a list before visiting sainsbobs, t's, asd@ and w@itrose but now my habits have changed. I can't stand the pre xmas scrum anymore and so in nov 2012 I started shopping online with Ocado, Abel and Cole and Riverford. By checking out the offers which invariably move from shop to shop and are repeated every 3 or 4 months I can stock up and spend less. I'm also less tempted by impulse buys,YS items and perceived bargains. Less time is spent at the shops, OH doesn't moan about the waiting time and I avoid paying for delivery by booking ahead and choosing late evening slots. No going out in bad weather and saves on travel costs. No loading and unloading, carrying to the house, just everything delivered to our doorstep hassle free, love it:j