It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Woolsery

SadieO said:

TheAble said:

I personally like the self-scan/checkout, and with Sainsbury's for example you get some good discounts with it as well. Pack and scan as you go, quickly through the checkout. It's not for all of course, but for me I find it one of the better aspects of modern living.

One of the downsides of Iceland for instance is they don't have any such machines (in my local store anyway), and rarely enough staff on the checkouts. You might get a "chat" thrown in but it's overall a poor experience in my view.

I agree. It's so much easier to pack your stuff as you go along and I'm honestly not that struck on having a few minutes chat with the cashier, I'd rather get through the checkout quicker! Also I particularly like it when I've got a voucher for money off if you spend X amount. I take great pleasure in keeping track as I go along and getting it as close to that amount as possible!

I think the current situation where people can choose is fine, but it's clear what the supermarkets would like people to do and the practice of giving them inducements ('nudges') is all about that.

I used to live in a city and speaking to till staff wasn't very high on my agenda, as the whole experience was pretty impersonal. Now I live in a place where people speak to strangers in the street, never mind the checkouts, so it's a different world. It also takes me 40 minutes or more to reach the supermarket, so I'm not dashing in and out. Although I do have family at home etc there are many people around my age who don't, so for them a trip to the shops is maybe the one bit of human contact in a day. People's attitudes and needs change as they age and life deals various cards to them.

Florenceem

I live in a very deprived area.
We gave out 24 food parcels at my SA yesterday.
Today outside my SA are crates of cabbage and potatoes - free - help yourself.

nannygladys

Woolsery - so is a depression the result of a longer recession?
Well both are bad enough and it effects the poorer in society the most whichever it is.

luvchocolate

Woolsery said:

London_1 said:

I agree and think that the supermarkets ,especially the 'big four' have become complacent over the past few years thinking that their tills will always be jingling with the publics cash.

I think because of the very high increases in fuel and utilities folk are now becoming increasingly aware that food,once bought ,must be eaten and not binned willy nilly.

I read recently that the UK wastes  9.5 million tonnes of food annually with households responsible for about 60% of it, so if tightening belts reduces that, it's one consolation. We had a 40th wedding anniversary party a couple of weeks ago for around 50 people and actually had to put the food waste bin out, but normally it sits there unloved because we  put peelings etc in the compost or freeze bones etc then throw them in someone else's on collection day! We have 15 properties' waste and recycling stacked close to us at collection time, but being country people they are mostly well-behaved.

I resent the way supermarkets reduce tills for people paying with cash, or those like me who just want to keep cashiers in work and have a chat. I won't jump through any hoops I don't agree with and if the queues get too long in a certain one beginning with S I've been known to shout "We need some more staff on the tills here!" It works too.

My Sainsbury is by the bus station and many customers are over 60. We are always being asked to use self service tills but most of us decline. 
One supervisor told me I would have to get used to it in the future....my reply was no I'll shop elsewhere 

Effician

nannygladys said:

Woolsey - what's the simple difference between a recession and depression. I've tried to find a simple explanation but to honest a lot of it goes over my head. I hope you don't mind me asking, I'm not trying to catch you out or anything.

nannygladys

Sorry for butting in.

There are a few terms  but the main ones are 

1) technical recession which is country specific & occurs when you have 2 consecutive quaters of economic contraction.

2) Recession which is of longer duration & will include a wide range of decline in economic activity, covering several economic aspects such as employment, household, corporate incomes etc

3) Depression is a deep recession lasting for years or decades & will often affect wider geographic areas or continents..

nannygladys

Effician - thanks for the explanation, you're not butting in at all. 

It's just you hear the words recession and depression bandied about I was wondering what the difference was, I suppose in the big scheme of things we all have to get on with it and try to manage as best we can, whichever we are in but it's going to be difficult and it seems to be getting worse.

Rosa_Damascena

I heard the other morning that US GDP is estimated to be shrinking for Q1, I remember thinking this does not bode well for us at all. 

I have felt anxious about the future for so long now, every little sign stacks up and multiplies in my mind. I hardly eat, I don't go out and I stopped heating the place in February, all in anticipation of not being able to pay the bills in decades to come. What more can I realistically do? 

YorksLass

I have an inventory of what's in my store cupboards and find it useful to see where there are gaps so I can stock up before I run out of something or when I find it at a good price.  I have nothing that's past its best before date so obviously I must be using and rotating correctly.  I hate waste of any kind but especially food.  You might just as well open your purse, tip it up over the bin and throw money away.

As for household cleaning stuff, well, it took me a long time to use it all down to a sensible level, partly because I was overbuying and partly because I inherited an awful lot from my late DF's house.  Now I have a just a few items and have gradually changed from premium brands to SMs own basic brands.  I find they're just as good and considerably cheaper.

Do I feel sorry when SMs say people are buying less?  No, I do not.  Household budgets are becoming more and more squeezed and people can only spend what they have.  To spend more than that means people getting into debt which is never a good idea.  I take their promise of bringing down the cost of essentials with a pinch of salt because their idea of essentials differs so much from mine.  And, whatever they might say, they are still making a profit - just not as big a profit as they would like.

On the subject of self service checkouts and smart scan apps, I detest them and refuse to use them.  I know some people are happy with them and I don't begrudge them that choice.  I do, however, object to the tactical "coercion" they use to get us all to use them.  It's a bit like when banks close branches because they reckon people are using online banking more than in a branch.  Mmm, isn't that because there aren't any branches?  Chicken and egg spring to mind.

I may not always win but I'm always trying to beat them at their own game.  As an example, my SM currently doesn't have any own brand tins of corned beef or sardines (again).  I could buy branded ones but that's a higher price of 50p on a tin of corned beef or 70p on a tin of sardines.  Luckily, I have some in stock and will wait until they do get their own brand back in.  Sadly, the SMs basics seem to be in short supply or in some cases have simply been withdrawn.

We're OAPs and, whilst not rolling in money, are well versed in budgeting.  Others, often through no fault of their own, are not so lucky and I really feel for them.  Whatever happens, we all have to manage as best we can and help the less fortunate if/when we can.

LadyHarriet

annieb64 said:

I had several older cousins-all girls fortunately-so nearly all my clothes were hand me downs.  My aunt in Canada used to send a box of clothes,  adults as well as children's . It was an exciting day when that arrived as she usually included some Canadian sweets.
Mum did make a few summer dresses as a cousin worked in a cotton mill and could get remnants cheaply. My grandma knitted and crocheted for us .

My granny was great friends with her neighbour who lived with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. The granddaughter (Ginty) was a couple of years older than me, and so when her granny helped her sort out clothes that were too small, I used to be the happy recipient of some really lovely things - Ginty had fabulous taste! It never bothered me that I was wearing second-hand clothes.

Rosa_Damascena

LadyHarriet said:

annieb64 said:

I had several older cousins-all girls fortunately-so nearly all my clothes were hand me downs.  My aunt in Canada used to send a box of clothes,  adults as well as children's . It was an exciting day when that arrived as she usually included some Canadian sweets.
Mum did make a few summer dresses as a cousin worked in a cotton mill and could get remnants cheaply. My grandma knitted and crocheted for us .

My granny was great friends with her neighbour who lived with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. The granddaughter (Ginty) was a couple of years older than me, and so when her granny helped her sort out clothes that were too small, I used to be the happy recipient of some really lovely things - Ginty had fabulous taste! It never bothered me that I was wearing second-hand clothes.

Because they were new to you. Same principle applies to the thrill of the chaz.