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!

@ChristmasJ our Waitrose has a wine bar, not free wine but it’s very nice.
Imagine if they offered a free coffee or a glass of wine. 🤪

To be absolutely specific, which of course nobody minds, because it's about a supermarket item that has no personal feelings (or a postmenopausal lady who really is completely impossible to embarrharas, because she really doesn't care whatsoever, there was a massive table full of us at coffee shop today, all busy saying stuff that sort of shut down conversation...only to have it started up again by another one saying something even worse...) I couldn't find a small tin of Green Monster Ho Ho Ho Sweetcorn, there was only big ones or little super m branded ones, my family are sooo not going to cope with this (or they might not notice) but I could have experienced "the change" in the supermarket, metamorphosised into a Big Green Sweetcorn Monster, and stomped off home to make pizza with a different time to what I was ex-specs-tin...or something like that. Plus us ladies are all retired, and boy oh boy can we talk... probably not about sweetcorn tho, it does have be said.

@ChristmasJ have you already been on the 🍷? It’s Green Giant.isn’t it? 😂

SparlingBrook, where is the Waitrose with the wine bar, I'm just getting my coat...see you in a min...it could be only four minutes down the road...

It’s Sunday, they shut at 4. ☹️

Hi Sparky, no I have just been out with a friend, had some pop (no crisps tho) and a rather lovely unfortunately unfree coffee. I didn't spend too much. It was a really, really lovely day. It's reduced. I don't really get why people don't just talk about things. Maybe they think other people will think they are nuts. In a world where Tick Tock exists? Nobody is going to send anyone to the loony bin because there wasn't even room for our poor relative, who didn't get the chance of a psych ward during COVID and is no longer with us now. Yet I see her all the time, her happy teenage style walk and her distinctive way of dressing. But really, in fact, she's no longer with us. If we don't talk about the elephant in the room, it may take up all the space and there will be no room left for us. I, for one, need lots of space ..and a Waitrose wine bar with free wine...but probably a bad idea in fact because most people drive to the supermarket, and being able to drive is very helpful for freedom.

Sounds fab for those who go on the bus tho...of course most people may not drive to the supermarket. Sorry !

It could just be me, but I don't think the Waitrose wine bar can be making very much money.

It often looks really busy. They do food too, in the current climate I can’t see them keeping it open if it’s not viable.

Is this a joke post ?you do know most average people do not frequent waitrose …

Which post?

Tesco the other day had very little choice of peanut butter but about a million varieties of Belvita biscuits!!

Ours sell nothing but single onions! And charges you 30p for the privilege of buying a bag to put them in

@ProfYaffle why do you need to buy a bag for them? Isn't the whole point of the loose veg that it reduces plastic?
I'm no eco zealot but I never put the loose veg in individual bags. Just chuck them lose in the main big bag with the rest of the shopping

Tesco start reducing their stock in august to prepare for Christmas stock, is it that?

The big supermarkets (Asda, Tesco, Morrisons) have been reducing their range of products for years, from long before Brexit/Covid.

It's why I go to either B&M or Home Bargains every week, as they have a much broader range, despite being much smaller shops. They typically have a row of each different type, rather than the big 3 who have a whole bay of a much smaller range.

If you want a much better range of crisps or canned soft drinks, local convenience stores are often much better. The big supermarkets concentrate on the Walkers basic flavours and multipacks and on CocaCola and Pepsi.

Same with lesser popular tins of soups - if you want specific flavours other than the basic tomato, chicken, etc., then you need to go elsewhere instead of the big 3.

Brexit/Covid has made this worse, obviously, but the rot set in years before.

Define average though? Waitrose obviously gets enough footfall otherwise it wouldn’t exist. In my parents’ town it’s the only in-town supermarket, so the average person does frequent it.

Wikipedia tells me the Big Four are Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and Asda. But Waitrose’s market share is about on par with Aldi and Lidl, perhaps a little higher.

I've had tesco Bananas with tougher stringy bits in the middle a couple of times recently. Never had that before.

TBH when i go into my local Waitrose the Vegan thngs were always reduced,maybe that why stock s now low or not stocked

just a thought