M&S food. Rip off or bargain?

[SapphosRock]

I posted last week about doing our weekly food shop in M&S.

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3952990-how-much-would-you-pay-for-this-shopping

I love the quality of food but DP thinks M&S is a rip off. I think it’s a bargain. Today’s weekly shop came to £74.26 - every meal for a family of 2 adults, 1 DC (age 5) and 1 baby (just started weaning).

A few bits were reduced.

Pics show breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So was I ripped off or is this good value?

Fruit from M and S is generally lovely and therefore good value. Often find deli and dairy items have v short use by dates and that’s annoying on things that don’t freeze. Most processed foods from M and S have sugar in them, even the savoury ones.

Why so much processed food? The quality of M&S food is quite mediocre so I wouldn't shop there. What's the point of this post?

That’s about three days worth of food not 7!

Total Bargain!

@BrieAndChilli

It may seem cheap now while you have small children but wait u til the are tweens/teens. You won’t be able to spend so little!! Looking at your food (but we do have an extra child) a loaf of bread wouldn’t last us the week. We use for 2 adults, and. 13, 11 and 9 year old - 1 load of white bread, 1/2 load of brown seeded, pack of wraps, pack of bagels as standard. You packs of meat would need to be double!! That would instantly increase your spend greatly.

Ain't that the truth! We are a family of 5 spending a minimum of £150.

M&S food is streets ahead in taste, quality, range and freshness. It just is. Where do you think the other supermarkets got the idea for their ‘quality’ ranges (taste the difference etc.)?

If you want better food, you have to pay for it. I’m happy to do so, and I don’t feel ripped off. Asda would be cheaper, M&S is better.

I've been very disappointed with their sell by dates recently - got home and some of their salads were actually past the sell by date. But I guess that's an unusual situation.
I love the truffle pesto and quality of food is generally high. I wouldn't do all my shopping there though as too expensive for basics.

@Iamthewombat I think the quality of food is shit. I had to claim uc during lockdown, and I was given £60 m&s vouchers to help with shopping. I was looking forward to a bit of luxury when I was skint, but I was massively disappointed. The meat was crap compared to the butchers, and twice the price. The fruit and veg was crap compared to the greengrocers, and twice the price. The fresh fish I bought was nowhere near as nice as the Aldi’s, and twice the price. Most of the rest was about the same quality as what you’d get in any other supermarket. The only things that were a bit nicer where their processed foods and ready meals, but they don’t make up enough of my shop for it to be worth the price of shopping there. I don’t know why people think it’s so nice.
And to push the point further my oh ended up getting a factory job making confectionary goods to all major supermarkets. Supermarkets have their own slightly recipes for similar products, there’s better stuff going in most of the Aldi and Tesco products than m&s

During lockdown that should have said

You’ll have to tell me where your local shops are. It’s along time since I’ve seen a greengrocer’s shop, and fruit off the market is nowhere near as good as M&S. Local butchers don’t have anything as nice as M&S either. Do you live in Borough Market? (Joke)

I think that's exorbitant compared to what that would cost in Lidl/Aldi. I occasionally do top up shops in M&S as it can be hard to find free range chicken anywhere else locally, but I don't think the quality is so much better in general. Palm oil is in almost everything, which I try not to buy, which makes it hard to get a lot of stuff in there. And we don't buy ready meals, which is obviously one of the big features of M&S. I don't think it's way more expensive than other non-budget supermarkets though.

I entirely agree about those quantities for a week, but I'm not sure that's really the point you're making. And as I speak as someone who has to make four school packed lunches a day, and have a teenager in the house, my perspective is totally screwed.

TBH I agree with DP! This shop is not anywhere near enough for a week even for a small family! Where are milk ,butter ,cereal etc .One loaf wont last a day in our house! Also loo rolls and so on .Unless you are a secret advertiser for M and S this doesnt seem barely enough for one OAP!

That doesn't look like a week's worth of food to me for 3 and a baby. I buy similar to that for me and one child.

Am I having deja vu here?

I like M&S food (mainly ready meals) but my main issue is whilst their fruit and veg looks lovely most of it is imported from overseas when loca/ukl stuff is in season yet they never stock uk produce.

I dont understand how that's a weeks food? How old are your children?
What kind of meals do you have?
I'm looking at your fruit, that wouldn't last 3 days in my house.
Do you not buy chocolate, biscuits, crisps?

I spend roughly that on 2 of us in Tesco but we get a lot more food than you have there! Is that really all you eat in a week or do you already have quite well stocked cupboards?

I shop at M&S, I wouldn’t say that’s £75 worth of food but I guess the alcohol/meat takes up a decent %? I’m vegetarian.

I think their fruit & veg offerings aren’t much more expensive than other supermarkets but there’s a distinct quality difference. Worth the slightly higher price.

You do have some cheap items (outside of yellow stickers), eg that loaf of bread costs 65p.

But where’s all your nappies, household stuff, loo roll, soap, cleaner, tins, butter, milk etc. I can get all that an my food for the same amount in Aldi.

I would estimate you could but that trolley in Asda for about £60 so maybe a 15 to 20% saving. If you can afford it then it's not a big deal really the extra £10 or £15 per week.

I dont shop in m&s because my weekly foodbill is already about £130 per week so I definitely wouldn't like to go 20% higher than that!

This will easily last us a week with stuff left over. My kids don't eat much though, like I said in the OP the baby is weaning and only tasting stuff and my 5 year old will have a share of ours (and her beloved chicken teddies).

I do live near a Poundland though which is where I get cleaning products, loo roll etc.

I only started shopping in M&S as couldn't get any delivery slots and couldn't face the stress of the big supermarkets. I definitely think we're spending less now.

Just find it interesting talking about food shopping. Not much else going on to chat about !

Another one here who says that can't possibly be a full weeks food - and I have a similar age family, 2 adults, a 3 year old and 1 year old. What about milk? We get through about 20 pints a week. And tea, coffee, snacks for the kids, cereal, bread, cheese, crisps? Plus your portions seem small for meals.

Aside from that, I like M&S, it's good quality food but as I can get double that amount of food (ie a full weeks shopping) in Aldi for about the same price, I don't go there much.

The rotisserie chicken is huge and will def do 2/3 meals. Roast, chicken salad and maybe a soup.

Umpopular option but M&S food is just overpriced Iceland food. Hate both. It's just ready meals with an expensive label stuck on. I don't know how anyone does a proper food shops there and buys actual ingredients. I've had vouchers a few times and struggled to spend them.

I wouldnt call it a "bargain". Its probably a fair price for what you have but it could certainly be bought elsewhere cheaper. But you dont need us to justify what you buy in your shopping - if you're happy with it thats great.