Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
20 February 2010
08:5341080#1
I took an oul canter up to LIDL in Hawkinge last sunday. I actually didnt set out to go to LIDL but rather the Mayfly Pub which is across the road. They do a nice lunch there at reasonable cost and appear to be known for their pies. So thats what we had..pies...who ate all the pies?? well now you know!
The impression these supermarkets like LIDL and Aldi give is that they are cheap. No nonsense setups with a pile em high philosophy. You are hoodwinked into thinking you are getting a bargain..all the prices are carded up in the old fashioned way..black felt tip pen on cardboard but it seems to suggest to the gullible (me!)..BARGAIN!! and we all love a bargain dont we.
I bought a large jar of Nescafe Gold Blend which screamed out £5.08...so I thought, thats great, a good bargain.
Several days later while coming back from a small job with ColetteB on thursday...we nipped into Tesco on the gloomist grimmest day imagineable. It was mid-day so I though there wont be too much of a crowd about..WRONG!
The biggest crowd I have ever seen in Tesco was in Tesco. The first clue was we couldnt easily find a parking space..and then we went in and the world and his wife were in there. Where are all these people coming from. Rumour had suggested the Tesco takings were down 40% since the arrival of Morrisons, but looking at the crowds on dreary thursday..No! not so. But I hope Morrisons are doing well also as we need life in the centre of town. I dunno maybe these people in Tesco come from further afield..who knows?
Back to the Nescafe Gold Blend, bought at £5.08 a few days earlier in LIDL. I wasnt looking for coffee but what did I see...the same large jar for just £4. Yes £4...I was gutted. My bargain from LIDL wasnt a bargain after all.
After the shock of this we went for a light lunch in the Tesco circa 1955 canteen, rather laughingly called a restaurant. The canteen wasnt for me..its a grim place and boasted a selection of gloomy-faced customer who all appeared to be in the throes of contemplating the fine art of suicide...Gloomy, very gloomy..I left humming that old Elvis song for the lonely and desperate.."its down the end of lonely street and called..Heartbreak Hotel"
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
20 February 2010
09:4141081#2
You are right about so called bargains Paul - but they all do it; it's a matter of checking them out but you can't go to all the supermarkets first and see the prices and then shop; you'd lose any advantage in petrol.
I liked the last bit about their cafe.
Roger
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,709
20 February 2010
09:5441082#3
I agree Roger, you need to keep your wits about you and have a reasonable memory for what prices you have seen in other outlets.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
20 February 2010
10:2941083#4
It is always possibleto get a better deal, so the basis of a good deal is that both parties are happy with the terms when they agree to trade. So, Paul, if you thought at the time the Lidl deal was a good one for you, it remains so.
As Ross and Roger suggest, heed Shaw Taylors credo, "keep 'em peeled", as you are then more likley to avoid doing something you regret later, but counterbalance that with paying for cnvenience, fuel savings etc.
Some of the latest Tesco offers also smack of desperation. The gang of 4, Asda, Sainsbury, Morrison, Waitrose, are relentlessly eating away at margins and I suspect it is non-core business that is now making the profits.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
20 February 2010
11:3141089#5
the supermarkets know that people do not have the time to compare every single price, they make clear what their loss leaders are then recoup it on the rest of our shopping.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
21 February 2010
09:2141111#6
One of the few retail sectors that are virtually recession proof are the supermarkets. We all have to eat. They normally see a huge increase in their cheaper ranges in hard times, which seems to be the only way they are affected, although they simply shift the marketing a tad to accomodate that and they still rake it in. They cant lose. If people dont go out to restaurants, which appears to be the case, they stay indoors, but still eat and where do they buy it?
But just to add a further bit re Tesco's gloomy canteen. This is one of those places that give you all your condiments wrapped in plastic. ColetteB is normally good at opening plastic stuff, what with her nimble fingers. But even she couldnt get the blasted things open the other day. I had tartare and mayonaise with my fish ..and she had mustard and ketchup with her sausage and bacon. But could we get them open...No! In the end out of growing frustration and pounding palpitation, I stabbed the tartare with my fork. Result: tartare goes everywhere including into my left eye. So with one eye blinded with tartare and one eye still usable. I proceeded to stab the others while protecting my one good eye.
We got all the packets open that way but by now the table was a mess...mangled sauce covered plasticky bits everywhere and me down to one good eye. The salt and pepper has to be torn too, so before you start dining at all, the table by now has more littered paper on it than the town dump. So in the midst of all this rubbish you carry on trying to enjoy your lunch.
Eventually you finish, but its very much an eat and run experience, in very depressed circumstances. So before the bog-eyed suicidal female sitting at the table next to you, frog leaps over the balcony into the cornflakes below, you make a slithering slow withdrawal...not forgetting to take your messy tray with you and deposit it in the slot provided.
Guest 664- Registered: 23 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,039
21 February 2010
11:3041115#7
21 February 2010
11:3841116#8
PaulB, an excellently written and enjoyable read, but slightly erroneous factually. I must observe, it would take a suicide leap of prodigious proportions to reach the cereal section from the cafe. Much more likely would be a hard landing in the soft drinks section.
With regard to the salt, sauce, mustard etc; sadly, someone will probably advise us that condiment packaging is a health and safety requirement these days. Besides, what on earth is Collette thinking, an English breakfast demands BROWN sauce, not ketchup. Tut tut. ps I thought it true of the Irish breakfast too?
Furthermore, I am also amused/frustrated by the size ratio between the tin tea-pots and the HUGE mugs into which one is meant to pour a cup of insipid tea, made probably with much time consuming soaking of a Tesco "Value" (think not) tea bag! Whatever happened to tea cups and saucers?
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
21 February 2010
12:1641122#9
How long before gocompare.com flag up supermarket prices?
True friends stab you in the front.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
21 February 2010
18:4741132#10
Sid
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
21 February 2010
19:1941134#11
only once have i eaten at the whitfield grocer.
never never again.
the breakfast consisted of concrete fried bread,greasey bacon, a rubber egg, an undercooked sausage together with a rubber egg.
to add insult to injury i had to clear the table before having space to eat it.
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
21 February 2010
22:0841147#12
Why one would choose to eat at Tesco when there are a myriad of excellent facilities in town is beyond me........
True friends stab you in the front.
21 February 2010
22:1641150#13
Convenience Andy. THey have one set on the ground floor and another beside the cafe.
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
23 February 2010
20:1741255#14
Ah! Gawd what a laugh, I enjoyed reading the above
To my embarrassment I must admit that we have eaten there twice now but to be honest we were absolutely starving on both occasions and thought that perhaps it would be better second time around. I must say that it must be akin to eating at a prison cafe although they are probably somewhat better these days.
I had all the sauces Sid, as having stabbed all of them I thought waste not want not and yes I agree, the brown sauce is a necessity. By the time you break into the sauces the food is cold anyway and as for those darn teapots why, oh why, can't Tesco get the non spill ones that Debenhams have
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
27 February 2010
20:5141498#15
Just a quick post whilst borrowing ,my boys computer(he was up at Bishops stortford to watch Dover sadly they cancelled the game at 1pm so he travelled all that way for nowt.
I understand the Dover club chair is not happy and is reporting Bishps stortford to the league, you can imagine the cost of travel for the players/club/supporters.
Anyway back to the subject in hand on supermarkets,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Tescos is a poor cafe, unlike morrisons, paulb/collette pop in morrisons one day, the staff are friendly, the food good and a good price.
The friendly staff abreath of fresh air
27 February 2010
21:0341499#16
Morrisons cafe is good, decent food, nice strong tea, comfortable surroundings, pleasant and friendly staff. Good prices too.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
27 February 2010
21:2441503#17
good to see you back here keith.
that is bad about bishops stortford, surely they should do an early morning inspection, if any doubt then postpone.
small clubs can not afford wasted travel costs, the supporters too.
27 February 2010
22:0141511#18
Referees do the inspection, not the local clubs.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
27 February 2010
22:2841515#19
sid
even at the top level, a club can call in a local referee to make an inspection and make a decision whether the game is on or not.
27 February 2010
22:4541517#20
Yep Howard, that is true. The point I was trying to make, badly, was that clubs don't call off games (except Chester City), the refs have that pleasure.
According to Mark Winter, the pitch only needed a good forking to remove surface water, and that IS down to the host club.