I hate Tescos!

[seasprout]

I use the supermarkets early in the morning, this morning i was in Tescos at 6am.
Had the place to myself. (and lots of cleaning staff)

[Maf]

Anyone got some spare seed for Loo Roll plants ?

[Shortie]

Maf... not my cup of tea personally, but there are peeps around that use scraps of material and wash them ready for use again...

[Kristen]

Well, for a change, the Tesco's delivery guy produced a sack barrow today. He piled the 6 trays onto it and wheeled them straight into the kitchen and then proceeded to help unload.

I suggested I should train him as to which cupboard each item went in - ready for next time - but he thought the odds of him coming back to us again soon were remote.

But for all that, the "unload" was blinking quick today.

But it narks me that they can't reliably deliver all that I order - they have the benefit of having my order 24 hours, or more, in advance. The fact that their site tells me something is unavailable BEFORE I have chosen a delivery slot is a laugh too.

Beats the hell out of actually GOING to the store though, based on all your experiences above!

[Mikey]

Anyone got some spare seed for Loo Roll plants ?

Whats a loo roll plant, does it come two or three ply?, do you have to use softeners in the liquid feed to make it a smoother wipe! How do they make the velvet type, is it crossed with a savoy cabbage.

[zanussi101]

i read a book last year about a family who tried to spend no money for 3 months- they grew loofah plants to use in place of loo roll.
not sure if you can grow it over here as they lived in Oz...

[Kristen]

My Andrex plant is growing right next to the Spaghetti tree ...

[Paul Wagland]

Oooh, I like this thread! The Tesco store near my office has the highest turnover of any Tesco in the country (and hence, I would guess, any supermarket full stop?). They used to make an average of £1million per day profit, probably much more now.

Despite this the car park is filthy, the signs are all rusty and bent, the toilets stink, the cafe serves food that looks like my dog hacked it up, the queues are all a mile long at every time of day and despite the store being a zillion acres they don't sell Quorn roasts or my favourite whiskey.

They recently closed the last six or eight checkouts - all boxed in and painted white. I asked why, thinking they must be installing some flash new tills that made things extra quick. I was told they were 'seeing how the other tills coped' and would probably be adding extra shopping aisles instead.

I'm trying never to go there again!

[rainbowbrite]

we need to make a stand people!!!

i actually rate shopping as more stressfull then moving house and getting married (is that normal?) i actually think supermarkets do it on purpose so that you grab what you can before paying and running out and if you're anything like me realise i've spend far too much money and still forgotten the bread and loo roll and so have to go back and do the whole thing again.

[Kristen]

Best thing that every happened to us was when Tescos started their internet shop.

Until then we did a one-stop-shop at the supermarket (not necessarily Tescos). Since Internet Shopping we use the shopping-time to go the the butcher and the farm shops and I've had the joy of re-remembering the taste of good butchered meat and fresh vegetables forgotten since my childhood. Plus we now grow a decent amount of our Veg.

Personally I reckon Tesco's has a very good internet shopping system. I print out the "Favourites" each time I shop. We have that in the kitchen, instead of a conventional shopping list, and when we want to re-stock I just call up my favourites list on their website and work down the paper copy.

The staff who deliver (well, here at least) are exceptionally friendly and helpful. Anything ordered by accident (or not even) they take back, no questions. All the frozen / chilled stuff comes temperature-controlled all the way to our door - I can't replicate that using my cool-bag! - and it certainly costs me at least a fiver to drive to the store and spend time wandering round it, unless I have other shopping to do nearby.

The substitutions and out-of-stock items are a bit hit and miss, but its only 1 or 2 items each time, and I can live with that.

[hooraynana]

I think that self scan is a total con - they employ less people now to serve you - because you will serve yourself - so where is the money off my shopping for doing the shopkeepers job ??? - oh i love moaning about this lol
get rid of self scan - employ some genuinely nice people who want to work with people - not kids who struggle to grunt never mind say hello , thank you and goodbye
rah rah rah - annoys me !!!
like sainsburys tho - the one near me seems to emply genuinely lovely bods who are v. helpful - just wish it was a bit cheaper !
ahhh feel better now thats off my chest ;-)

[zazen999]

Just been to our first real co-op shop.

Firstly, they were selling 6 strawb plants reduced to 89p, so I got 3. They were on a 3 for 2 offer, so when it scanned, they reduced the full price of one of them; so I effectively got 18 plants for 89p. [didn't notice until I just went through the receipt when I got home or I would have told her to scan one through again.]

They were playing Rufus Wainwright and Psychedelic Furs. Tick

One of the stackers was singing happily to the Psychedelic Furs Track. Tick

They have not changed around any of their aisles since we first went here, which is last April - so over a year. Tick

They had both items I thought we would have to buy in the Vege shop. Tick

I've got a dividend card, so once a year will get a cheque through the post. Tick

All profits go to charities or back to dividend holders. Tick

I actually enjoyed myself. Tick

*Excellent [in Bill and Ted style]*

just popping off now to plant 18 strawbs out.

[Headfry]

Sadly our local Sainsburys is BAD.....

Round by the veg- floor is filthy! it smells, veg is found on shelves rotting! WHY!

They seem to 'push' their own brand constantly so choice is limited.

Car spaces are for matchbox toys only.

I complained about the recycling of their own brands....even most of the organic food wrappers, you can't recycle!

their letter waffled on about how they were doing so much, but completely washed over my 'recycle complaint..ijiots I say.

Rant over

[SlugLobber]

i actually rate shopping as more stressfull then moving house and getting married (is that normal?)

Perfectly normal. I went through a period of about 3 years only doing online shopping, as I simply couldn't face it. I still don't 'do' clothes shopping, except charity shops and stands at country shows. Can't stand it.

[Winged one]

We are finally seeming to manage not to have to supermarket every week. partly because of a large stores shop relatively regularly (travel the 2 hours to Newry and fill a very large trolley load in Sainsburys - may yet find the Asda, or the sains with the clothes). Which means that typpical weekly shops are now much more about bread, milk, meat, fruit and veg and far less about the large trolley load every week.

So some weeks we have managed to get to the local butcher and greengrocer instead, and with supplementing with what we are now growing ourselves, and being a bit better at using the freezer, we spend a lot less time doing the supermarket even the weeks that we do go there. So much so that, a couple of times recently, myself and the toddler have done a "fast dash" around on a friday evening on our way home from work/creche, scanner in hand (we self scan and pack bags as we go in that supermarket) grabbing what is needed and not going near the place again for a week!! So all weekend can be pleasure (well, housework too - but no shopping)! And still get home in time for her tea (which we couldn't ever do before when it was a full load).

The only thing is that I want a bigger freezer, so that I can go to the butcher and get a large load of meat about once or twice a month, and then I can avoid a supermarket a lot more!!