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Saving money by shopping at..........Waitrose!

Obviously mileage will vary for different people with different circumstances but having recently become single again, I have been trying to tighten my belt.  Slightly weirdly, having tried the whole Aldi/Lidl thing, I found the best way of getting my shopping bills down was going to Waitrose!

A few reasons:

-Most importantly, their Essentials range is extensive, surprisingly well priced and generally very good quality.  There are quite a number of examples where in other supermarkets I may choose to swerve own brands because I don't particularly like them so I end up buying branded stuff.  Take baked beans as an example.  I know alot of people like the 41p Aldi beans but they're not for me.  Buying a brand is well over £1.  Waitrose charge £1.90 for four cans, so about 48p a can and again personally, I really like them so will happily take them instead of a brand.  Same applies for lots of other items in my case.

-Loads of yellow labels.  I imagine it's because of their fairly wide range of things like ready meals but there are lots of reductions throughout the day, certainly in my local branch. Often it's the more "exciting" meals, meat etc so I get to have a load of variety without paying up for it.

-Unlike some cheaper supermarkets, they still sell lots of loose fruit and veg.  If I need a leek and two carrots, I can buy those.  Doesn't matter how cheap something is if it ends up getting wasted.  On the subject of fruit/veg and wasting them, their stuff also lasts for ages so gets used instead of ending up in the bin.

-Their loyalty card gives you vouchers on the exact items you actually regularly buy rather than trying to encourage you to try new stuff.

I'm not saying everyone is going to slash their shopping bills by going to Waitrose but I do think it's important not to assume that the discounters are always the answer.  I'm sure they are for many if not post people, but everyone's circumstances are different so I guess maybe it pays to consider what is best for you.
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Comments

  • sarah1972
    sarah1972 Posts: 19,366 Senior Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Homepage Hero Photogenic
    drenk1976 said:
    Obviously mileage will vary for different people with different circumstances but having recently become single again, I have been trying to tighten my belt.  Slightly weirdly, having tried the whole Aldi/Lidl thing, I found the best way of getting my shopping bills down was going to Waitrose!

    A few reasons:

    -Most importantly, their Essentials range is extensive, surprisingly well priced and generally very good quality.  There are quite a number of examples where in other supermarkets I may choose to swerve own brands because I don't particularly like them so I end up buying branded stuff.  Take baked beans as an example.  I know alot of people like the 41p Aldi beans but they're not for me.  Buying a brand is well over £1.  Waitrose charge £1.90 for four cans, so about 48p a can and again personally, I really like them so will happily take them instead of a brand.  Same applies for lots of other items in my case.

    -Loads of yellow labels.  I imagine it's because of their fairly wide range of things like ready meals but there are lots of reductions throughout the day, certainly in my local branch. Often it's the more "exciting" meals, meat etc so I get to have a load of variety without paying up for it.

    -Unlike some cheaper supermarkets, they still sell lots of loose fruit and veg.  If I need a leek and two carrots, I can buy those.  Doesn't matter how cheap something is if it ends up getting wasted.  On the subject of fruit/veg and wasting them, their stuff also lasts for ages so gets used instead of ending up in the bin.

    -Their loyalty card gives you vouchers on the exact items you actually regularly buy rather than trying to encourage you to try new stuff.

    I'm not saying everyone is going to slash their shopping bills by going to Waitrose but I do think it's important not to assume that the discounters are always the answer.  I'm sure they are for many if not post people, but everyone's circumstances are different so I guess maybe it pays to consider what is best for you.
    Their essentials range is great and really competitive! 
    Never found any yellow labels 
    Love their loose fruit & veg although I’ve not found a supermarket that doesn’t have this 

    Not sure about the loyalty card though….. never ever had vouchers for items I actually buy 

    I’m a Senior Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Competitions Time, Shopping & Freebies boards, Employment, Jobseeking & Training boards If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • gwynlas
    gwynlas Posts: 2,044 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I have the luxury of time and will do a computer search to check on prices for certain items i eintend to buy.
    Waitrose quite often comes up and whilst not yellow stickered I have had great mark downs on their deli counter
  • drenk1976
    drenk1976 Posts: 3 Newbie
    Second Anniversary First Post
    sarah1972 said:
    drenk1976 said:
    Obviously mileage will vary for different people with different circumstances but having recently become single again, I have been trying to tighten my belt.  Slightly weirdly, having tried the whole Aldi/Lidl thing, I found the best way of getting my shopping bills down was going to Waitrose!

    A few reasons:

    -Most importantly, their Essentials range is extensive, surprisingly well priced and generally very good quality.  There are quite a number of examples where in other supermarkets I may choose to swerve own brands because I don't particularly like them so I end up buying branded stuff.  Take baked beans as an example.  I know alot of people like the 41p Aldi beans but they're not for me.  Buying a brand is well over £1.  Waitrose charge £1.90 for four cans, so about 48p a can and again personally, I really like them so will happily take them instead of a brand.  Same applies for lots of other items in my case.

    -Loads of yellow labels.  I imagine it's because of their fairly wide range of things like ready meals but there are lots of reductions throughout the day, certainly in my local branch. Often it's the more "exciting" meals, meat etc so I get to have a load of variety without paying up for it.

    -Unlike some cheaper supermarkets, they still sell lots of loose fruit and veg.  If I need a leek and two carrots, I can buy those.  Doesn't matter how cheap something is if it ends up getting wasted.  On the subject of fruit/veg and wasting them, their stuff also lasts for ages so gets used instead of ending up in the bin.

    -Their loyalty card gives you vouchers on the exact items you actually regularly buy rather than trying to encourage you to try new stuff.

    I'm not saying everyone is going to slash their shopping bills by going to Waitrose but I do think it's important not to assume that the discounters are always the answer.  I'm sure they are for many if not post people, but everyone's circumstances are different so I guess maybe it pays to consider what is best for you.
    Their essentials range is great and really competitive! 
    Never found any yellow labels 
    Love their loose fruit & veg although I’ve not found a supermarket that doesn’t have this 

    Not sure about the loyalty card though….. never ever had vouchers for items I actually buy 

    Hi Sarah,

    Not sure that Aldi/Lidl do loose veg and my experience down here is that other supermarkets often have a more limited selection.  

    I'm in Cornwall which I know is an unusual part of the country so this might explain that and also having more yellow labels! 
  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 13,449 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    shame waitrose don't let you check prices extensively - Like M&S who don't let you check at all.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe and Old Style Money Saving boards.  If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

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  • Eldi_Dos
    Eldi_Dos Posts: 2,049 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Brie said:
    shame waitrose don't let you check prices extensively - Like M&S who don't let you check at all.
    As has been said M&S page lets you check price and availability in your local store.

    I have found that if a item is showing as "low stock" there is a good chance there could be yellow label bargains when you go in. Got a gammon for less than half the original price yesterday, in the oven just now and smells even better when its a bargain.
  • Albermarle
    Albermarle Posts: 25,924 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Sixth Anniversary Name Dropper
    The Waitrose weekly vouchers on the app seemed to have dried up, but some have reappeared again this week. Having said that 50p or maybe a Pound off two items is nothing exciting.
    Also since they revamped the offering with more 'Essentials', I do not get any 'save £6 if you spend £60' offers sent to me anymore.
    However the OP is right in that not everything is expensive, as is popularly thought.

    One long standing plus point ( for the last 25 years at least) is that their ready made curries are the best ( can not say the same for the Chinese ready meals though) although at nearly £5 each, they should be good.

    On the other hand their standard/essentials meat range is not great quality and the premium range is very expensive ( such as mincemeat, burgers, rump steak etc )  Tesco and Aldi are better in this respect .
  • Sarahspangles
    Sarahspangles Posts: 2,671 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I use Ocado, who obviously used to stock Waitrose items. There are a few things I miss, but as many M&S things we like, though mostly I buy Ocado own brand.

    My default with the Ocado app is to search for an ingredient and then sort by ‘price per’, I look for the first item with reasonable discount or recommendations. At checkout, Ocado offer ‘Flash sales’ at 40% off. Stuff will have one or two days of life. Sometimes I check out then go round again to remove things replaced by sale items.
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  • Emily_Joy
    Emily_Joy Posts: 1,414 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I fully agree with OP. Contrary to Sainsbury's and Tesco in our area, Waitrose fruits & vegs with yellow stickers are actually tasty and perfectly eatable.
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