Supermarket selection in decline :-(

[SparklyMistleToes]

Just a little whinge about what I assume is due to a combination of Brexit and the cost of living crisis.

I've never liked Tesco, but husband pays for the groceries and he prefers Tesco because of the club card points so that's why we shop there.

But recently their selection has become more crap than it used to be. They've stopped stocking Kerry Gold butter, Gourmet Burger Kitchen Burgers, mozzarella for pizzas (the kind you grate yourself), German salami (they've now changed it to German 'style' salami and it doesn't taste the same). There are lots more things that I can't remember at the moment.

Waitrose has stopped stocking Barts dried spices and other bits. The things I can find there that Tesco used to carry are so much more expensive.

The general quality of food is in decline. Cheese has gone to shit and doesn't even melt properly anymore.

My apologies. This post has derailed a bit. I'm sat here with raging PMS listening to jolly Christmas music on the radio and I want to actually smash it. The decline in quality of food and clothing, combined with the shitty weather and amount it takes to heat the house and cook using our oven and air fryer is really pissing me off. Will we (aka the U.K.) ever go back to normal? Or are we stuck like this now? It's miserable already and we've not even hit Jan/Feb. I was in Waitrose today and I swear they've turned the heating off in the store! We could actually see our breathe in the chilled fruit section!

So I wasn’t going mad then today when I was looking for the Schwartz and other packet mixes in Sainsburys?! I really do rely on them for a base for many meals .

The cheddar I buy now is so crumbly, I use a cheese slicer for cheese on toast and all I get now is crumbs of cheese not slices at all.

I'm glad you said this OP. I've noticed it too but assumed it was because I live in the arse end of nowhere and our 'big' Tesco is still quite small. They don't do celery or fennel any more. No large packs of anything at all and no deli any more, but a wall of weirdness where they just seem to put any old random bits. I hate Tesco any way but shop there as dp works there and we get a staff discount. Our local Sainsbury's seems less rubbish but it's so expensive.

I noticed Wilkos was very badly stocked for everything too. I hope they're not in trouble. They're the only useful shop left in our high street.

We have a Boots which has one facing of each item on display with no stock on the back of the shelf. I can remember visiting Yugoslavia (as was) as a teenager and the shops have the same feel to them here now.

I can’t tell whether this is satire or not.

Our Tesco is the same. It gets worse every week. They don't even sell single onions anymore!

This made me laugh far longer than it should have bravo OP.

I agree the Christmas selection in Marks and Spencers is depressing. Far less interesting than in the past.

I work in supermarket retail and it’s nothing to do with Brexit. 80% of profit is made from 20% of the merchandise, so all the extra special items that people buy occasionally will gradually be disappearing as they don’t generate enough profit.
On MN lots of posters say how cheap Lidl and Aldi are to other supermarkets, well there a reason for that …… they carry a lot less stock and selection than other supermarkets and now, so that they can compete, the other supermarkets will start doing the same!
Brace yourselves because lots will be disappearing.

Why did they use to supply them though?

Are profit margins tighter

Are we all going to have to improve our cooking skills

I alternate deliveries between Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose and have honestly not noticed shortages of anything. I pretty much eat the same stuff every week so would notice if any of it disappeared. This week the only thing missing from my Waitrose delivery was a four pack of polo mints, which I can live without.

I'm with you on Aldi and Lidl OP. I've never been a fan of jumble sales which is what they feels like.

I suspect some it is down to the the supermarkets not paying the manufacturer what they are asking and so the manufacturer doesn’t sell to them and they don’t buy that product.

People shopping at Waitrose and Marks and Spencers for their weekly food shop are not being tempted away by cheap food at ALDI and LIDL.
ALDI and LIDL compete on price. Their real competitor is ASDA, Iceland and maybe Tesco and Morrisons.

We were told this would happen with Brexit. We were even told what products it would affect. And that has happened.

I've noticed it's mainly cheap and own brand items disappearing. Miss Molly's and Stockwell brands especially seem to have been substantially cut, which during CoL times like these, seems a bit unfair.

I often split my shop between Tesco & Aldi. I like earning the points from Tesco but whereas previous years I'd shop in Tesco and I couldnt get everything I needed from Aldi its swapped round. I'll now go to Aldi for products Tesco doesnt have in their cheap ranges as I refuse to pay branded prices for most items.

Tesco own brand toilet rolls (cream coloured) have been unobtainable (from local Tesco) for ages. We have to be careful which type we use as the thicker types block the pipe going from our house to the septic tank and I know that particular one is ok. This week every item on my Tesco home delivery order was available. Yay!

Yes! There has been a massive decline in range since covid which has not improved. Particularly the size thing. No Tesco, I do not want a box of washing powder as big as a house because I can barely lift it and have nowhere to store it.

I've been trying for 2 months to get Sainsbury’s own garlic mushrooms in breadcrumbs and can't find them. Yet can buy them online. Our store never does them anymore. Craving them so much.

I agree entirely. It’s shit shit shit and I am VERY PISSED OFF.

It's a combination of things, but cutting down on wastage will be an obvious cost cutting exercise. The Mozzarella OP is missing is probably not the best seller, if you think about the 2 choices they have in Lidl and Aldi, the proper Mozzarella (the ball type) and probably grated hard Mozzarella are sufficient for the majority of customers. Buying in bulk is cheaper. It could mean independent shops will get a look in to supply a larger range according to local demand, of course...but it will be at a cost to the customer!

The stock and supply issues are problematic all over the UK supermarket sector, not just Tesco. Various reasons, mean supermarkets are struggling to get stock shipped from a vast number of suppliers, so have had to quickly change to other suppliers. And the HFSS legislation, has really negatively affected the layout of alot of supermarkets, who've had to juggle everything around to be compliant, but the way the supermarkets were built and originally laid out, means the space in some stores isn't as useable, and mass variety of some items has had to be reduced as there just isn't the shelving space to accommodate everything. Also, the sudden huge increase in demand for plant based, gluten free, free from, vegetarian/vegan foods, etc, again, means other stock has to go to accommodate.

I’ve noticed a reduction in the vegan/veggies options and alternatives too though! Have resorted to Amazon for things we used to get in Sainsburys or Tesco. Waitrose cut so much of its vegan brands range, own brands only now! Assumed Brexit/cost of living.

As a PP mentioned, why do supermarkets not stock their cheapest own brand products online? I can't get own brand basic muesli from either Tesco or Asda.

@Goodoldvera But greater choices in cheeses are demanded by customers. The deli I use can not get hold of cheese from suppliers I have been buying for years. People go there because they want better that what ALDI or LIDL provide. And still there is less choice than before.

There is an outbreak of bird flu - eggs are scarce as is poultry
Dairy farmers have been paid an absolute pittance for years - if they are paid more, this might be one positive of Brexit.
The rest is to do with the cost of ingredients going up, either due to agriculture issues or import issues due to Brexit.

It will be a hard slog, but all we can do is ride it out if we can and help those who need it if we are able. I live in hope that by this time next year we will be members of the EEA and things will get better 🙏

Have noticed significantly darker lighting in some supermarkets in quieter periods later at night, presumably to save electricity.