On 31 May 2011 at 7:43pm the old mayor wrote:
Hi What is the general consensus of shopping in our local Waitrose ? I find going in with a list rather redundant as they are quite erratic with their stock, is it a case of not what you want, but what they've got? The shelves are minimally stocked, with rows of items only at the front and nothing behind. Based on that I can't see them actually building a new store, more like selling the premises on again.
After a spell off from Tesco's giving Waitrose a go, when I went back I was actually amazed at just how much stuff is in Tesco's !! Do we actually enjoy and want Prince Charles' milk and bread ? We are not fans of Tesco's but can't get to grips with Waitrose.
Be very interested to hear other folks perception.
On 31 May 2011 at 9:32pm jrsussex wrote:
Do you work for Tescos?
On 31 May 2011 at 9:37pm I have to agree... wrote:
I've never been able to get anywhere near a weekly shop in Waitrose & always end up in Tesco!!
I have to say though that the new M&S foodstore in Hollingbury is very good. 
On 31 May 2011 at 9:45pm Trevor wrote:
Why? can you only shop in a store with primary colours and big bold signs hanging over your head shouting BUY IT NOW,you don't want it but Buy IT...
What is there to get a grip of, maybe there is less out on the shelves because Waitrose has a better sense of stock control. I don't think they will be selling up any time soon , get a grip Old Major you're talking nonsense. Not sure what's on your shopping list must be very exclusive or very bizarre, do tell?
On 31 May 2011 at 9:53pm Mmmmmm wrote:
I think it will make a difference when Waitrose can expand - at the mo, they don't have anything like the storage space that Tesco has, so when everyone descends at the same time (Sat mornings esp), the stock goes quick. When the green lorries arrive, the staff are v quick at getting the stock out onto the shelves. I've been to Waitrose just as the lorry arrived once and there was almost no veg when I first went in, so I browsed the rest of the store, then went back to the veg and most stuff was there by then. I hope they also take the opp to do something about the car park too when they expand.
On 31 May 2011 at 10:42pm Rookie wrote:
Tesco is rubbish. I went there this evening and half of the items I wanted were not available.
I tend to go to Asda these days. I find it a lot cheaper, even after allowing for fuel, and much better stocked. Lidl is worth a look too if one is on a tight budget.
On 31 May 2011 at 11:05pm MC wrote:
I'm constantly surprised by big gaps in Tesco's shelves too. Their stocking policies seem inept and don't appear to cater for the higher demand over bank holidays. and even weekends very often.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 12:47am Pedant wrote:
Why the fook do people always make Tesco plural? You don't say Waitrose's or Asda's - why is it nearly always typed and said Tesco's?? Ignorant and stupid.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 3:08am even pedanter wrote:
Adding 's to something says they own it, not that there are more than one of them. Gawd bless our greengrocer's for the greengrocers' apostophe- where would we be without it? - France?
On 1 Jun 2011 at 6:32am even more pedanter wrote:
Good point Even Pedanter. I might that add as well as making that ignorant & stupid mistake, Pedant is also one of those ignorant and stupid people that uses more than one question mark. People in glass houses etc..
On 1 Jun 2011 at 6:52am jrsussex wrote:
Ignorant and stupid? A little bit over the top I think, what if a poster is talking in terms of all Tesco stores, they could put it in that way or simply say Tesco's. Would that be incorrect grammar?
No mention in previous psost of product quality or value for money, does that mean it is of little importance with low price structure the important point. Over the years some tesco products have left me in some doubt as to their quality. I tend to use the smaller local traders where possible, an increasingly difficult task.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 6:56am MC wrote:
As I used it "Tesco's" is correct. "Tesco's shelves". The shelves that belong to Tesco.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 9:09am NewLewesian wrote:
I agree on Tesco quality. If you shop at both Tesco and Waitrose the difference is extremely obvious, particularly for fresh vegetables.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 11:09am pedantus maximus wrote:
You may have observed that many shops are always, or at least often, referred to in the plural, with or without apostrophy: Marks & Spencers, Harrods (tho not Fortnum & Mason!), Debenhams, Hanningtons (of blessed memory), Boots (its founder was Jesse Boot). The list goes on.
On another tack, has it now become compulsory to say "Haitch"? The BBC seems to think so. What is the penalty for failing to comply?
On 1 Jun 2011 at 11:10am pedantus maximus wrote:
Sorry: meant "apostrophe" of course.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 1:41pm Old Cynic wrote:
I find Waitrose well stocked - always fund what's on my list. Some things are a bit pricey but the staff are lovely and so helpful. Unlike Tesco who, cos they are big, don't give a monkey about customer service.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 2:58pm Decent Citizen wrote:
Spot on Old Cynic.Tesco staff are rude and unhelpful.I prefer to buy less, but get better quality and much nicer service.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 4:27pm Clifford wrote:
I always assumed the staff at Waitrose were paid more and the conditions were better. The staff at Tesco always look unhappy and stressed and what I assume are the managers strutting around look like they're rejects from a bouncers' academy (male and female).
On 1 Jun 2011 at 4:31pm Mystic Mog wrote:
I find Tesco a deeply stressful. The self service check-outs are are terrible..."unexpected item in bagging area". You have type in the barcode code for the reduced items. Often most of the normal checkouts are closed to save costs. The veg is often sold out.
Waitrose is a pleasure especially if you use their scanning system. The price difference is mainly in the loss leader budget items that Tesco sell; tinned toms, baked beans etc. Many other items are the same price.
I only shop at Tesco as a last resort especially now that they have been give permission to expand and take more than £35m from the town and surounding area.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 4:55pm Happy Shopper wrote:
I don't know what time of day you go shopping MM, or what you try to put through the self service checkouts. I am not saying they are anything special, but I don't recognise the Tesco that you are describing.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 6:36pm Clifford wrote:
The self-service check-out is a wonderful scam - get the customer to do all the work so Tesco can sack another employee. Meanwhile, the Tesco US CEO oversees a massive loss and gets paid £7 million.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 7:11pm bastian wrote:
right on brother.....personally I can't be arsed to walk as far as tesco
On 1 Jun 2011 at 7:29pm Trevor wrote:
Yes that's all very well but what did the old Major want that Waitrose
didn't have ?
On 1 Jun 2011 at 7:51pm the old mayor wrote:
Mayor actually. What we wanted exactly isnt important to you but it has provoked quite an interesting debate, apart from the tangent re the purals, but this is Lewes so what do we expect.
Hollingbury M & S here we come !!!
On 1 Jun 2011 at 8:20pm Bob wrote:
In defence of waitrose the warehouse is tiny for the demand of stock and waitrose go out of their way to limit waste which may sometimes result in some stock not always being in the shelf, however daily checks ensure it will be there asap. Waitrose in lewes is one of the more successful waitrose branches so I doubt it will change hands. Also my last point is that waitrose "partners" earn 50p less an hour than those at tesco for a normal level shop assistant. Ps before anyone asks, yes I use to work there and I believe it's a great place.
On 1 Jun 2011 at 10:55pm pedant wrote:
Even more pedanter - using two punctuation marks is a widely recognised and understood way of adding emphasis to written communication. By the way, shouldn't you be called Even More Pedantic?
My original point was that people call Tesco Tesco's when they are referring to one building housing one shop, not when writing about the shelves in the fookin place!
On 2 Jun 2011 at 6:46am Even more pedanter wrote:
1.Grammatically, the use of two questions is wrong. Just because something is "widely recognised and understood" doesn't mean its right.
2. When people call Tesco Tesco's they are referring to Tesco's stores, or Tesco's products, or Tesco's supermarkets - the possession (stores/products/supermarkets) is implied. People do this unconsciously because its a more natural sound than ending on an 'o', which is not common in English. Whilst its not a grammatically perfect construction, it is no more or less widely recognised and understood than your two question marks.
2. My name is whatever I want it to be, proper nouns are not subject to any rules. If you think they are then why haven't you capitalised your own?
3. Yes we accept your original post was referring to plurals, thats why it was wrong to use the examples of Waitrose's and Asda's. You would have been correct if it said Waitroses and Asdas.
On 2 Jun 2011 at 8:23am Brian Giggs wrote:
And why does Tesco have self service tills that are closed? Why do they need to be closed, It's not like they need anyone to work them, it's self service! Sainsburys in Newhaven is far better, also coming soon to Newhaven, Asda!
On 2 Jun 2011 at 10:50am extreme pedant wrote:
Of course shops can be, and usually are, referred to in the possessive. I have never heard of anyone referring to Harrod, or Boot, or indeed to Radish or Ron when it was open.
On 2 Jun 2011 at 12:14pm Shop Worker wrote:
As to why self serves may be closed, regardless of the store, they often run out of coins to dispense as change and in the case of NCR equipment used in Boots, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and others they are very poorly designed with no way of putting them into card only mode - the best you can do is put a sign on them saying card only which customers will usually not see until it is too late. Generally speaking I would encourage people to use self serve machines as little as possible - they do not always register money you put in correctly and they also result in less jobs.
On 2 Jun 2011 at 2:54pm Decent Citizen wrote:
I ,on rare occasions use Tesco,(I go there for two for one books) preferring to get quality meat and veg at Waitrose.Yes, you might pay a little more perhaps but,for smiling,helpful staff and no disappointments,I prefer it. Just last week in a queue in Tesco, a suited,booted, ushered me over to the self pay. Never again, I was still there when the queue I was in had lessoned! My own experience has been of rude, uninterested staff who seem as if they wish they where anywhere else but!Ask them to help you find something,and get the reply,"if it aint on the shelf". When I hand over my money I do expect eye contact!
On 2 Jun 2011 at 4:42pm shopper wrote:
At Tesco you get surly staff, poor quality produce compared to other shops and some of the shoppers look as if they'd be better suited to queuing to get on the Jeremy Kyle Show, so best avoid the place if you ask me
On 2 Jun 2011 at 7:49pm Shop Worker wrote:
I work for a large supermarket. I'm not going to say which, but it is not Waitrose. I must say that I would much rather and often do shop at Waitrose as opposed to my own supermarket. They have a much nicer range (especially in the "Little Waitrose" format they have just started opening), and although they are not as cheap, the difference is increasingly small. The quality of their own brand items (take for instance in-store bakery) is vastly superior to all the other supermarkets in my opinion. In addition I have no doubt whatsoever that staff at Waitrose, as part of the John Lewis Partnership are treated much better than myself, and as far as I am aware many of them are paid close to £7 an hour as opposed to just over £6, in addition to the massive share of profits that they receive.
On 2 Jun 2011 at 8:53pm the old mayor wrote:
This is all very interesting ! Do people respond to Tesco's request to 'How did we do'? which is printed on all their till receipts wanting to know all about our shopping trips. And if so, what sort of response does one get ?
On 2 Jun 2011 at 10:03pm Shop Worker wrote:
I have completed the Tesco questionnaire in the past. Once, having put in the survey that staff were not making any attempt to be polite or communicative (based on my own standards as employee of unnamed supermarket) I got a response from the regional manager who claimed the store in question was his local store, and that he was surprised to hear my comments about the staff because they were always extremely pleasant when he did his shopping. Isn't that odd? Staff being polite to their regional manager.
On 3 Jun 2011 at 8:48am Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Anyone who finds Tesco stressful should try a visit to Morrisons in Seaford. It is hell on earth - cramped, gloomy and full of people who appear to be heavily sedated just standing and staring vacantly (although I suppose they might be heavily sedated as that's the only way to endure shopping in Morrisons).
I loathe Tesco though, and find they're more inclined not to have what I want than Waitrose. And why can you only get fair trade bananas in big pre-packed bags in Tesco?
I'm a huge Waitrose fan. Their meat is terrific and they do nice coffee cake for only £1.99. And it's never awash with badly behaved children, unlike Tesco.
On 3 Jun 2011 at 11:35am IQ wrote:
When I have to go to Tesco, I try to spend as shorter time as possible in there as with every passing second, I can feel my IQ level dropping surrounded by morons being served by morons. Waitrose staff are so much more of a pleasure to deal with; smiling, helpful, chatty and welcoming. I think the main difference is the younger Tesco's staff had no hope at school and that's where they ended up whereas the Waitrose staff are only there before starting a new course at college / uni.
As for stock levels, I have never not found what I am looking for. Especially when they have their deals on Talisker whiskey, making it a better deal than duty-free at the airport
On 3 Jun 2011 at 11:55am Grrr wrote:
Holy Moses, this is a nice classist thread now isn't it?
Get you lot with your terribly middle-class attitude - makes me wonder if any of you have ever dared hold a conversation with a working class person - dare I even suggest it.
Don't like Tesco? Don't go to Tesco. Don't like Waitrose? Don't go to Waitrose. Oh and let's try and segregate the community wherever possible in case someone middle class catches 'stupidity' hey? What a joke.
On 3 Jun 2011 at 12:23pm i dont live in lewes... wrote:
Agree with ACT..
Morrisons in Seaford is Hell on Earth, a place to avoid.
On the few times I've been in there it's hard to tell who is the more miserable, the staff or the punters.
"HALLELUJA" for internet shopping.
PhilX
On 3 Jun 2011 at 12:27pm Decent Citizen wrote:
IQ is entitled to air his opinion of Tesco staff.In some respects I agree with him, just a tad ott,but, there you are that is his experience. As to being middle class,you could not be more wrong! I just use my hard earned money to feed my family with the best quality food I can!Go to Waitrose day before date on food runs out,freeze it,serve with lots of veg. Simple!Unfortunately not many people cook from scratch these days.Sadly,Home Economics(or housecraft)in my day is not taught in schools I am told. Certainly not in the way we were taught anyway.
On 3 Jun 2011 at 12:37pm Happy Shopper wrote:
IQ (?), what an idiot. I guess you would only have to stand in Tesco for a few minutes before your IQ dropped so low they could put you straight on the vegetable aisle with the rest of the cabbages. The I in IQ stands for intelligence, so don't use that name unless you are capable of showing some. (and it's 'as short a time' not 'as shorter time' by the way)
On 3 Jun 2011 at 1:44pm Grrr wrote:
Decent Citizen - it's the fact that he's (or she's) talking about the customers as well as the staff that really got my goat. No one has the right to talk like that about people they no nothing about.
And to suggest that the staff at Tesco are drop-outs whereas the staff at Waitrose are clever little things is just ridiculous.
All in all, I think you might have kind of missed the point of my post to be honest.