Gregg Wallace programme on TV

Goldiegirl

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

This programme is not real.

No, it's an entertainment show, so elements of it will be staged

jackieblack wrote: »

And although the presenters saved them about £160, that's still a £170 a week spend going forward :eek:

Although, to be fair to the woman, she said she'd be trying to reduce her shopping bills more over the coming weeks.


It's not really feasible to expect a person to drop from £330 to the national average of £80-ish per week or less in one go, so it would seem to be a work in progress



With a bill of £330 per week, I'd have expected to see caviar and lobster going into the trolley. If she'd just bought branded stuff she actually needed, she'd have made a huge saving, she wouldn't have even needed to switch to non-branded stuff.


I think this overbuying thing is quite common. I often see threads on this board with people asking for help with making the best of their store cupboard. They list huge amounts of really random items, and you wonder what possessed them to buy this stuff in the first place.


Gregg Wallace himself doesn't really bother me, but all that weird roaring he was doing when they were making the beef casserole was a bit odd !

missyrichards

I'm just watching it now, it was funny the way they couldn't tell which one was their usual mayo.:D It just goes to show how little people must notice the taste of their food when they eat.

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

I find it unconvincing. I much prefer MSE Martin prattling on about downgrading products to get cheaper deals compounded annually.

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver

Cheese wise I find buying a massive lump at the Tesco Deli much cheaper than the prepack packs which are hugely overpriced. For some reason I don't race through it like i did the marketing packs.

missyrichards

I cannot believe how much sugar was in those drinks!:eek:

mmmsnow

I would like Greg to come into my household and save me money. We are already savvy shoppers but there's always room for improvement. Instead of cutting a £330 food shop to £170 (which is still double the average weekly spend for a family of that size), cutting down from £50pw for two people and three dogs would be a real challenge!

Goldiegirl

mmmsnow wrote: »

I would like Greg to come into my household and save me money. We are already savvy shoppers but there's always room for improvement. Instead of cutting a £330 food shop to £170 (which is still double the average weekly spend for a family of that size), cutting down from £50pw for two people and three dogs would be a real challenge!

I think that would be a whole different show.


This show is a prime time show, and needs to appeal to a mass audience. Therefore, they aim at people who are average, rather than people who are already spending less than the average each week


I think your idea would be better as a day time show, I could see it working then

catkins

I'd like to know just how true this programme is. Every week we are supposedly watching a family do a weekly shop but they always seem to buy things you would not be buying weekly.


Last night's family bought, amongst loads of other items, a bottle of olive oil. Now how often do you buy that? Certainly not weekly. I don't even buy a bottle monthly. Is it meant to be coincidence that the week the cameras follow them they need to buy items that most people would only buy once a month at most (more like once every couple of months).


Also where do Greg and the other guy get the families' previous few weeks shopping bills?


I just don't see that a family can be spending over £300 a week on food and yet eat ordinary pretty boring food. They said most meals are chicken and that is not even a particularly expensive meat. They may spend that one week topping up but not every week. That's over £1,200 a month which, unless you are eating lobster and drinking champagne every night I just don't think is possible.

Cornucopia

catkins wrote: »

I'd like to know just how true this programme is. Every week we are supposedly watching a family do a weekly shop but they always seem to buy things you would not be buying weekly.

I've seen every episode (for my sins). It's fairly obvious from what is said and done that they are not "shopping normally" in that segment of the programme. How abnormal it is remains open to speculation. I would guess that the programme-makers would say that it is staged (it must be) but that it does not materially affect the programme. In every programme, for example, the filmed shopping expedition spend is less than the "average" spend based on receipts.

Last night's family bought, amongst loads of other items, a bottle of olive oil. Now how often do you buy that? Certainly not weekly. I don't even buy a bottle monthly. Is it meant to be coincidence that the week the cameras follow them they need to buy items that most people would only buy once a month at most (more like once every couple of months).

I suspect the main distorting factor is that they are told: buy what you like, we'll film a few bits and then we'll pay.

Also where do Greg and the other guy get the families' previous few weeks shopping bills?

Rifling through bins? Presumably they are saved by the "contestants" and given to the programme-makers.

I just don't see that a family can be spending over £300 a week on food and yet eat ordinary pretty boring food. They said most meals are chicken and that is not even a particularly expensive meat. They may spend that one week topping up but not every week. That's over £1,200 a month which, unless you are eating lobster and drinking champagne every night I just don't think is possible.

There were several adults, weren't there? And they were also buying Gluten-free things, which can be much more expensive.

This is my issue with the programme: that the real learning points (essentially canny cooking and trying different shops/brands with economy in mind) are lost in the name of having an entertaining format and the inevitable questions it raises.

maman

catkins wrote: »

Last night's family bought, amongst loads of other items, a bottle of olive oil. Now how often do you buy that? Certainly not weekly. I don't even buy a bottle monthly. Is it meant to be coincidence that the week the cameras follow them they need to buy items that most people would only buy once a month at most (more like once every couple of months).

I do take your point about olive oil (unless they happen to be a celebrity chef as they seem to use it copiously;)) but it always amazes me with threads on here how people budget weekly for toiletries and cleaning materials. I sometimes think I must be one very grubby individual as I'd be hard pressed to buy (on average) one single item of cleaning stuff or toiletries per week.


I'm another saddo who's watched every programme. Watching last night's later:).