My first shopping expedition at our newly opened Waitrose....

[Fnaar]

Waitrose are part of the John Lewis Partnership.

Didn't know that... what about "never knowingly undersold"?? If the food is cheaper at other places, then the slogan is poo. I blame Nick Clegg.

 

[marinyork]

So that's why out of all the local supermarkets, Waitrose has the most sheffield stands and the best cycle-parking facilities... readily accessible and under cover to boot.
Why is there a constant stream of the reasonably well healed (amongst others) loading panniers and baskets with Waitrose goodies throughout the day?

Local is not much interest. You want a picture out of 80 or 90 supermarkets for each. If someone wants to think Waitrose are brilliant towards cyclists I would point out the stores that Waitrose has acquired through the competition commission... The short answer is that most of the supermarkets are roughly as bad as each other with bizarre variations for each. Some are better than others. Crankarm is actually fairly correct in his assessment though...

 

[Arch]

Local is not much interest. You want a picture out of 80 or 90 supermarkets for each.

Yebbut, 'local' matters to each of us individually. I don't give a toss how many bike stands they have in Waitrose in Chandlers Ford, since I'll be shopping in York. The reason I shop at Sainsburys is because it's the very nearest to me. If Morrisons were nearer, I'd use them more - although there are odds and ends that I can get there that I can't get at Sainsburys, so I do pop in sometimes. I expect I'll use Waitrose on the same basis.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Waitrose - better fruit, better meat, better nibbly bits, better fish, better cheese, better wine.

I'd concur. I disagree that Tesco is all bad IME, but Waitrose is certainly a few clicks higher. And there is a price to pay for those clicks.

Certainly I think the gap has widened as Tesco have had to be very savvy about price and that does affect quality, but judging by the sheer numbers ging through the tills it's a strategy that seems to be working for them. Also Tesco have ranges of most products to fit all budgets and a lot of 'Finest' products I've tried are as good as any to be found anywhere. We used to shop predominantly at Tesco as it's the most convenient and cost effective and for the bits where we wanted better quality we popped into Waitrose.

However, our shopping habits have changed recently. We now travel further out of town... to Sainsburys.
The prime reason was the sheer number of rude and unpleasant people shopping in Tesco. Having a few £12 off vouchers helped push-us along the road.
Wow, what a difference!
Far more pleasant and cosmopolitan customers, much calmer, less product choices (actually a good thing), but most importantly, the Sainsbury branded stuff is really very good quality, not quite Waitrose, but closer and with prices in the Tesco direction. We effectively feed 5 adults so price matters.
Now call me a snob (and it's probably true), but the Saturday morning shop is one of the few times in our manic lives where the long-suffering Mrs FF and me get to spend time together (sad eh?). Food is also important to both of us, so we want to spend our time in a nice environment.
Sainsburys is getting the majority of our food budget, with top-ups from Waitrose still for the special stuff.
I'm missing the Tesco CDR wine box though...

 

[Fab Foodie]

Local is not much interest. You want a picture out of 80 or 90 supermarkets for each. If someone wants to think Waitrose are brilliant towards cyclists I would point out the stores that Waitrose has acquired through the competition commission... The short answer is that most of the supermarkets are roughly as bad as each other with bizarre variations for each. Some are better than others. Crankarm is actually fairly correct in his assessment though...

Maybe, I can only vouch for Abingdon, where there is probably a higher than National average number of people of all social groups riding bikes as every day transport. The store was designed and built by Waitrose.

 

[Fab Foodie]

JLP is one of the more principled employers but it's not what it once was, pay divides have rocketed. When the minimum wage was introduced there was an assumption that it would matter little to the JLP as they would have few(if any) employees earning below that level. The reality came as a bit of a shock to all concerned, and yes, that it came as a shock is a shock in itself.

Things may have changed. My 17 y/o daughter just started last week and they are just about to change their pay scale so that she'll recieve £6.20/hr, which seems OK to me.
The interview process just for a Saturday job was harder than any interview I've ever had to undertake.

 

[MacB]

Things may have changed. My 17 y/o daughter just started last week and they are just about to change their pay scale so that she'll recieve £6.20/hr, which seems OK to me.
The interview process just for a Saturday job was harder than any interview I've ever had to undertake.

Hey, I still rate them, they score very well re employee happiness by comparison to comparable roles elsewhere. I was referring to the minimum wage when it was introduced and that they had to adjust more than the odd one or two upwards Where it went a bit more awry was, no surprise, a bit too much greed at the top, maybe a belief in all this 'market value' cobblers. There have been a few executives that have left JLP for greener pastures and ended up with egg on their faces. JLP executives aren't exactly being headhunted by competitors, but still felt their pay should be aligned with said competitors. Nepotism and 'contacts' are also rife within JLP and they have a long history of links to ex-military types.

The widening pay divide, from top to bottom, has been an oft raised issue in internal communications. Hasn't stopped the greedy buggers but has, perhaps, held them a little in check. They do get reminded that they don't have the same 'shareholder' pressures as their competitors. The fate a few ex executives hopefully underlines that for them.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

So that's why out of all MY local supermarkets, Waitrose has the most sheffield stands and the best cycle-parking facilities... readily accessible and under cover to boot.
Why is there a constant stream of the reasonably well healed (amongst others) loading panniers and baskets with Waitrose goodies throughout the day?

Sorry to alter your quote but for accuracy when you are talking local, there is no "THE" local for everyone

In my case Waitrose has TWO sheffield-type stands that Heath Robinson himself seems to have cobbled together from old plumbing pipe and joints and some hinged wheelbenders a foot in front of them being no use at all. I went to Waitrose today in fact, but mainly for a few bits - yes I do like their veg over Tesco or Sainsbury's, so I will go there but not for a "big shop". Since Sheffield don't do the trailer hire and I needed to get some loo rolls and kitchen roll which fill panniers on their own, I took the mule and had to leave it stuck out in the way of everyone passing

In my case the Aldi opposite Waitrose has the best cycle facilities of all the supermarkets near me with well-spaced proper Sheffield stands under cover, in good view, and close to the trolley parking.

As far as quality etc goes....when I was a kid my mother used to go to three or four shops, for different things. That still seems to me the better way to do it, if you have the time.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Sheffield Tiger, I thought the MY, was implicit in what I wrote, but yes, I was refering to those I have reasonable access too (in response to Crankarm claiming that Cyclists were not good business).

 

[marinyork]

Sheffield Tiger, I thought the MY, was implicit in what I wrote, but yes, I was refering to those I have reasonable access too (in response to Crankarm claiming that Cyclists were not good business).

Cyclists are good business for Waitrose even here -the one in Sheffield is in the Muesli belt. It is used by cyclists more than other supermarket. Waitrose have repeatedly declined requests to install proper Sheffield stands. A store of its type they really should have installed proper sheffield stands by now, irrespective of legacy issues.

I don't find the my local supermarket game very interesting. People don't tend to stay in the same place all their lives or shop at the same place forever. I campaign to have and inspect cycle parking installed in places I don't shop. It might not be that big a deal in some ways, the heaviest bike usage of supermarkets I've ever seen was in places like Driffield, Market Weighton and Goole and they didn't necessarily have good or any facilities- not in any of the famous cycling places.

 

[snailracer]

John Lewis offers a price-match on every single item they sell. They also offer free extended warranties on consumer electronics items.

The price-match is only offered on items that have the same part numbers, which on the face of it seems reasonable.

However, you will likely find that the JL electrical item has a part number that is unique to JL, even though the item is physically identical to one sold by a competitor, whose part number is similar but not identical.

Most high-street retailers pull this scam, not just JL.

 

[dellzeqq]

JL's target customer is middle class, middle Englander, they wear JL's awful grey and green clothes,drive a silver Mercedes and have kids called Tarquin and Gisella and they won't shop anywhere else. If you are a customer who arrives by bike they couldn't really care less as they see you as a low value shopper.

Quoi!?? I arrive by bike (all right, so it is a Bromtpon), chain up to the new bike stands and make straight for the bubbly section of Waitrose or at least that part of it that sells prosecco made by Italian socialists. And the smartest Waitroses doesn't have a car park. As for JL - if Peter Jones doesn't mind me taking the Brompton in to their brasserie for a bit of smoked salmon salad washed down with something scrummy I reckon it's because they're probably more interested in the food than they are in cars. Which is how it should be.

 

[PK99]

The price-match is only offered on items that have the same part numbers, which on the face of it seems reasonable.

However, you will likely find that the JL electrical item has a part number that is unique to JL, even though the item is physically identical to one sold by a competitor, whose part number is similar but not identical.

Most high-street retailers pull this scam, not just JL.

that sounds like a Modern Myth to me!




Whenever i have checked white Goods (i have fridge, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine and tumble drier all bought from JLP over the past 10 years) JL kingston has been the best shop price locally fro items identified from the manufacturers calalogue and specifically have been the same or cheaper then Kingston Bentalls

 

[Fab Foodie]

Quoi!?? I arrive by bike (all right, so it is a Bromtpon), chain up to the new bike stands and make straight for the bubbly section of Waitrose or at least that part of it that sells prosecco made by Italian socialists.

Tsk, a 'Cheapskate' Champagne socialists...

 

[Maz]

I remember when I was a kid in Sheffield there was a chain supermarket called Presto. Anyone else remember it?
I don't know if it was a national chain or not, I was too young to know that kinda stuff.