To think Waitrose is a rip off?

I love Waitrose.

I get all of my fruit, veg, fish and meat in there. The quality of the above IMO, is far superior to anywhere else.

stupid to buy branded items Waitrose because they are usually more expensive than the other supermarkets.

I buy a lot of their essentials range, which is excellent - highly recommend their essentials Brie! Their essentials washing powder is also good.

i also like the ambience of my local Waitrose. It is a far calmer shopping experience with helpful staff. It is the only supermarket that does not stress me out! Aldi , Lidl. I find too chaotic and hate the way they throw items so fast at you at the checkout.

if you don't like Waitrose op, then shop elsewhere it isn't mandatory to shop there!

I like Waitrose and find it a good shopping experience, I buy treats, some fruit, veg and meat, but rarely have a full trolley as I buy my main shop online from Tesco. I also use M&S similarly to Waitrose. Shopping in store in places like Tesco and Asda isn't a good experience, hence the online shop.

I'm old and I dawdle and I'm not easily offended by opinions on MN.

Old people don't dawdle, how derogatory.

"Miserable cow on the checkout", what a cheek you have describing anyone that way!! Disgusting.

'Fun sponge' 😂

I'd like a Waitrose but live in Ireland.
Some years back there was talk of John Lewis coming but it never happened. ☹️

Sainsburys stock ortiz tuna.

I love Waitrose. It's too expensive for me to do a full weeks shopping but I sometimes go for treats and I know when they start yellow stickering items.

I think you answered the question in your first para!

It is much more relaxing in my local Waitrose compared with our local Lidl (always horrendous queues), Tesco or Morrisons.

We don't have a Morrisons, but there's one a few miles away in a town where I sometimes have work appointments, so I occasionally pop in there if I just need milk or something.

It's utter mayhem. I can never find the stuff I want, and there never seems to be any staff to ask, it has horrible narrow aisles and they're always cluttered with stuff waiting to be shelved, the fish counter really stinks, as though the fish is almost off and it's generally just an awful experience.

I've started going a longer way home, which takes me past a Sainsburys and a Lidl. How busy Lidl is varies tremendously, but I have a bit of an addiction to their pecan pastries, which are worth queueing up for.

Try the Waitrose own brand stuff. It is really good quality and a big saving on brands.

Yep.onion rings £1.50 more expensive than Iceland...please don't say quality. It's onion rings covered in batter/breadcrumbs!

I freaking LOVE my local Waitrose. The staff are polite and lovely and it’s a newly built store so everything is clean and new. I returned my trolley to the trolley park yesterday and the man in his 60s working there said ‘thank you, that’s very kind! In my nearest Tesco you get some miserable cow on the checkout who is pained to even smile.

It is without a doubt more expensive but their produce is better. If you’re buying brands, it’s pretty pointless going there. Heinz Baked Beans, Kelloggs cereal, Birdseye fish fingers will all be inflated prices. But their meat and fruit and veg is nicer quality. I’d never buy stuff like loo roll or bleach there, I get all that from Aldi but their seasonal BBQ stuff and summer editions are delicious.

We only have a choice of Tesco, Aldi or Waitrose. I buy almost all my fresh stuff at Waitrose. Fresh stuff always seems to have a longer shelf life than the stuff in Tesco and is far better quality. For some things (eg farmhouse mature cheddar, bacon, fish), Waitrose Essentials is cheaper and nicer than Tesco's posher range .

For branded stuff, and things like bog roll, it's Tesco every time: cheaper by quite a bit, usually.

Themselves. Someone called op a ‘miserable bloody fun sponge’ over a discussion about a supermarket. Someone else has decided she’s ‘airing her reverse snobbery.’ Such silly overreactions!

Who are they embarrassing? not the posters who've said they like Waitrose and shop there, surely? nothing to be embarrassed about there.

You’ve done it now op, you can’t insult the shop of choice of all the very middle class mumsnetters like that! Some of the responses here are embarrassing!

Don't by the brands

Our Waitrose is lovely. I’ll pay extra for things just for the better and less jarring lighting alone! The staff are always better and a lot of the products aren’t really that expensive - but I don’t buy a lot of brands so perhaps that’s why.

We have a fairly big M&S food shop. It's like a normal supermarket, though not as big as some. Has plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, etc.

Not just their ready meal options. Though really don't like this whole UPF mania that is currently rife in places like Mumsnet anyway.

If you don't want something, just don't have it. Let others do what they like without all the faux 'UPF concerns' that we see constantly right now.

Our Waitrose is different to what you describe.

It's not compulsory to shop there. I assume you have alternatives.
If your local one isn't up to par, then simply go elsewhere if you prefer.

I was always being told not to dawdle as a child!
My 88 years old dad still thinks I'm dawdling if I stop to take a photo while on a walk!
Great word!
Sorry, didn't mean to go off at a tangent, @RoxyMoosic !

I think Waitrose is a bit of a ripoff, for nothing special, so I use the usual supermarkets for bog standard stuff, and M&S for treats.🤷‍♀️

I like my local Waitrose and not just because it's only 5 minutes walk. Staff are always helpful, fresh stuff tends to last better. You can get soft fruit (e.g. gooseberries, blackcurrants,) which you often can't at other supermarkets. And back in the last millennium, the beef my father farmed was sold there. I like the business model with all staff being partners.

I usually go to big Sainsbury's for stuff like shampoo and washing powder. I might also go to M&S, Tesco, Morrison's or Lidl, and much more rarely to Aldi, Asda or Co-op - I used the Co-op quite often where I used to live, as there was one close. Proximity to home or routes to work or other activities plays quite a large part in my supermarket use.