I should follow suit - I’d save an absolute fortune, I often go in for one thing and come out with a trolley load. The better half is considerably more sensible.
I’ve proved this today having done a fairly big shop in Waitrose after some exercise this morning - many of the items I bought are already in the fridge from the last time I went shopping!
Their wonky carrots are extremely tasty, far nicer than several organic ones we used to buy from other supermarkets. Richard’s comment above on carrots is interesting.
Any Cantele recommendations?
Well, we use Ocado and have been for the last ten years or so. There aren’t many Waitrose supermarkets in West Yorkshire, if any, but we used to shop at the Waitrose in Hitchin before we moved up here. I’m afraid I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to supermarkets - ASDA in Keighley is absolutely dire!
Often been tempted to try Ocado - seems I may be late as I gather they will be selling M&S stuff.
From other comments it seems Asdas anywhere are not enticing stores to visit.
Apparently so. It’s Waitrose for now though
Another reason to try it - I’d potentially only order what I really needed and could check the fridge before ordering!
Ocado has for the past five years provided the website, warehousing and delivery services for Morrisons as well. This has cost Morrisons about £210m so far.
Oooh! Having a dig, are we? 
The worst are the supercilious buggers (like my neighbour) who declare ‘I do it online’, as you unload your shopping from the car. I bet I did online supermarket shops before he’d even used the internet.
Thanks Debs, will try some local retailers.
and it’s the only time I have ever seen a disabled person as a shop assistant. I say that without ANY prejudice or assumptions. Just a fact. Last winter there was a girl (is it ‘young adult’ nowadays?) in a wheelchair doing things like stock the shelf’s help customers etc…
I’m a bit old fashioned in that my other half takes care of the shopping apparently it’s something I don’t do very well but I believe she uses several supermarkets one of which isn’t Waitrose.
We’re lucky in that we still have a butcher, Baker and greengrocer within a five minute walk also we have a Coop at the bottom of our road which is great for beer and wine.
tbh I wish more people would adopt the only two kids idea. To be fair the royals do seem to spit them out quite regularly so this is ‘vow’, IMHO, is a good thing.
Like you I find this a very interesting subject, with my lens focused on the differentiation and sustainability of the respective business models - especially as the food retailing landscape has become ever more intense and shopping habits have evolved.
Unquestionably, the ‘disruptors’ (Aldi/Lidl) have introduced a new perspective in to the UK around the application of retail science and optimal business models. As Tesco found out a few years ago, having a business model founded on large estate units stuffed full of lines and all the supply/control functions/infrastructure this requires (expensive and not nimble), can leave you exposed.
In essence, it all seems quite obvious with Aldi/Lidl operating stores around/less than half the size of the larger size units operated by the indigenous operators (I include ASDA here), with highly engineered processes for added/maximum efficiency and offering a narrow range of own label goods very cutely sourced. The larger operators eschewed smaller units/locations, several (Tesco in particular) landbanking sites at significant cost to prevent competitors getting hold of them, which left a seam of opportunity for Aldi/Lidl in hunting down smaller sites.
I think it also helps Lidl (IIRC a pan-European operation) that their financials are opaque and aren’t exposed to the scrutiny & critique of public markets.
I concur with your thoughts around ASDA. While it’s not a bad as the old Safeway operations where goods were stacked on the shelves within their packing boxes, the ASDA business appears to lack investment it its service delivery, with an over-focus on price alone.
I agree with a lot of Alley Cat’s comments.
The one I would focus in on is the Co-op, it has a dowdy image but very good bakery products, good ethics and I became a member. I find I am using it much more, as indeed I do Lidl (sadly I do like a glass of wine with my music or watching the cricket) (Lidl wines are very good, and very competitive)
Back to the Co-op , I became a member and find a 5% return on Co-op purchases adds up quickly. Plan to use it for my Christmas Brandy and a January shop.
The is a crucial difference between the small Co-ops and the small Tesco shops, the Co-op sells a lot of their own brands whereas Tesco are much more expensive as hey eschew their own branded items in favour of the much more expensive named brand products .
Still there and doing very well as Hitchin is now a highly desirable commuter town for ex Londoners. Service at Hitchin Waitrose is still superb unlike the one in Southsea here on the South coast. I remember it when the site was the local maternity hospital where both my children were born thirty something years ago.
It was a sad day a few years ago when the Co-op sold a farm near here (Cotswolds). That was the start of the de-investment in land.
Just remembered what must have been one of my earliest visits to Waitrose (before they came oop north) on holiday - we shopped at Waitrose Chichester. The young ladies on the tills seemed jolly posh - thought they had all been to finishing school. A bit of a shock when we were used to shopping at Asda and Morrison’s where the checkout peeps were not posh in the slightest
Returning to Booths they are struggling I think and up for sale. Lost a shedload of ££ a couple of years ago
