to ask for an explanation of supermarket snobbery?

[elfsmamma]

I am British but I have lived abroad for the last 5 years, when I lived in the UK I had a pretty demanding job so I did my shopping in the nearest supermarket.

I am staying with my parents over Christmas, me and dp wanted to go shopping for tge ingredients for a couple of meals and also some pyjamas as I had forgotten to pack mine.

There is an ASDA and a Sainsburys both about a 5 minute drive from my parent's house I suggested we went to ASDA as it is bigger and more likely to have pyjamas.

My mum said "oh god, don't go to ASDA, it's terribly depressing" she went on to justify this by saying the food was crap and the other shoppers were rude, people often had trolleies full of junk and whinging kids. I am not sure how the other shoppers are anything to do with my dm. Dm finished off by saying she prefers to spend an extra 20 pounds a week on her shopping at Sainsburys.

We went to ASDA despite the warnings. It was great, we got a huge fresh salmon for 4 pounds a kg, fresh dill, organic new potatoes, pasta and the ingredients to make bolognese, some good wine and lots of fresh fruit.

Cab someone explain supermarket snobbery to me?

[Belize]

Your mum is right.

[Prettykitty111]

No sorry because I don't get it either. I like the food in waitrose but its so expensive I certainly wouldn't do my weekly shop there. I go to wherever is nearest and will have what I want!

[NinjaBunny]

I find ASDA depressing too.

Our local one is shit. However, when I visit my inlaws I always go to their ASDA as it's really nice.

It's not a snobbery thing, it's a the shop is pants thing.

[NinjaBunny]

ASDA do rocket shaped crumpets though which are pretty much impossible to resist..!

[SPsWantsCliffInHerStocking]

I have no idea either. I just go to the closest

[BunnyLebowski]

I'm an unapologetic supermarket snob.

I have a soft spot for Asda but absolutely hate Tesco, Aldi and Lidl.

The quality of their produce is just not good enough and doesn't compare to the naice supermarkets.

[HoHoHopelessAtNamingBabies]

I think it's just like anything in life, some people equate cheaper with 'not up to my standard'. Pure snobbery.

We don't have an Asda but when we have visited them when on self catering holidays etc. I've always been pleased with the price and produce. Our regular shops are Waitrose and Sainsbury's and I've not seen much discernible difference tbh.

So YANBU in my book!

ps. I can understand the whinging kids but this is definitely not exclusive to ASDA but why does she care what others have in their trollies!?

[specialsubject]

I'm afraid your mum may be a bit weird. And a dream for the marketeers!

if she's happy to pay the Sainsbury premium, good luck to her.

[ilovepowerhoop]

We switched to Asda as tesco was getting too expensive. Only other option close to us is a smallish morrisons

[Chippingnortonset123]

I love Lidless because the fruit and vegetables are so cheap compared to Tesco. You need to learn the system of packing quickly and there are no staff around to ask for advice. I get a buzz from Lidless. (You need to take a pound for the trolley).

[loveolives]

Another unapologetic supermarket snob. I absolutely prefer without a shadow of a doubt Waitrose and Sainsbury's.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

I hate Asda, and Tesco and Morrisons. There is something depressing about them.

[ilovepowerhoop]

We'll if I hated Asda tesco and morrisons I'd have nowhere left to shop!

[cardibach]

^I have a soft spot for Asda but absolutely hate Tesco, Aldi and Lidl.

The quality of their produce is just not good enough and doesn't compare to the naice supermarkets.^

Really, Bunny? Despite the many 'WHich' reports saying otherwise?

[Philoslothy]

I struggle to buy everything I need in Asda and find the quality poor. The way the shop is set out is very stressful and the queues are awful . I have tried twice to do an online shop with Asda, first time the order was not processed and the second time they charged me twice but I had no food.

At Waitrose the quality is better, the suppliers are tested better and I don't need to queue.

I do top up at Lidl or Aldi.

[ouryve]

Our nearest ASDA makes me stabby, and our nearest Tesco, which is our nearest supermarket is no better. The ethics of those chains as a whole are pretty dire. Sainsburys is no more expensive, anyhow and it's easier to buy meat which meets more than the bare minimum animal welfare standards, in there.

And I used to actually like ASDA before Walmart got hold of it. Each of the stores had a much more individual flavour to it and the quality and range was a bit better than it is now.

[Spaulding]

I shop in Sainsbury's. Find their own-brand stuff a million times nicer than Tesco. I don't mind ASDA in-store, although their own-brand stuff isn't very nice IMO, but the branded stuff is often cheaper than Tesco and Sainsbury's. But their online grocery service is appalling, which is why I gave up on them after about 4 times of rubbish service.

Waitrose is nice, has a good selection of products, but way too expensive for me.

[elfsmamma]

I found the food in ASDA great quality, maybe if you were looking for some more obscure ingredients it wouldn't be a great choice but basic stuff it seemed fine.

We own an occasionally grumpy 1 year old so kids whinging is no new experience for us, infact it is probably best if we go to ASDA as to not offend the delicate Sainsburys shoppers!

[Snowdown]

We normally shop at Waitrose and we only visit asda when we visit our in laws - there is loads of aggression between parents and children which I dislike. Staff are fantastic though, really friendly and have found the produce just fine. Find the local Tesco has fairly aggressive customers but they have fantastic fruit and veg - much better than Waitrose but I can't face the anger...it gives me the dreads.

[Hexbugsmakemeitch]

It's beyond me.

My MIL used to go on and on and on (you get the idea) about Waitrose. She would stock up on things from there whenever she visited a place that had one. One has finally opened near us and I'm just a bit meh.

It's nice enough but I really don't see it as any different from Sainsburys.

[nomorecrumbs]

I choose Sainsbury's over Tesco (I know the two aren't massively far apart on the snob scale) because our local Tesco has a shitty small car park, angry shoppers, narrow aisles and waste half their space on that crappy self-scanning system. Plus their food isn't as good.

[BunnyLebowski]

Really really cardi and I'm speaking from depressing personal experience.

I had no choice but to shop at Aldi. It's a depressing dump that sells low quality meat, an extremely limited selection of fresh produce and wine that is presumably bottled rat pish.

I like high quality food and varied meals. I do not want to eat the same 5 dinners on rotation all the time.

So I now shop in Waitrose, M+S and Sainsburys. They're all clean shops with lovely helpful staff and a wide selection of good quality food. That'll do me thanks.

[MrsDavidBowie]

I shop at Waitrose because it is my nearest supermarket.
I love it.

If Sainsbury's was nearer I would probaly shop there too.

Loathe Tesco and Asda. Not an enjoyable shopping experience.
Have never been in Co-op or Morrisons.

[Taz1212]

I used to despise Morrison's but they did up the large one near us and I really like it now- a smaller closer one is very depressing though and I'll only go to it if stuck. I do go to Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi and Lidl for specific items- no supermarket snobbery here.