Will ASDA go to the wall?

[Fridayhermit]

My nearest big supermarket is ASDA and because I no longer drive due to disability, it is convenient. I have shopped there since I moved here over 30 years ago (and even worked there for a couple of years while having caring responsibilities). But I went in today and the shelves are half empty there are so few staff about and there is no vibe or buzz about the place which I remember it definitely used to have. Is it just my local store or are all branches equally devoid of staff and stock?

Bearsden one is plush compared to ours 🤣 least they have working doors

They price match with Tesco and I get a voucher for the difference if it would be cheaper with Tesco. It’s only happened 3 times in 11 months. I get minimal substitutes (2 ever) and found my weekly £250 shop for 5 people at Asda reduced to more like £220. I was surprised but it’s been consistent!

It's just so expensive and a bit crap. Might as well shop at Waitrose!

Never go to Asda, it’s revolting

With Stuart Rose (ex chairman of Marks and Spencer) now at the helm. I suspect the banks put him in. It should turn around eventually. The brothers ran garages before this so bit off more than they could chew. Which I said at the time.

I do feel for the staff. It's going to be grim for some time yet.

The one near me is grim, low stock which often has only a day or so "use before" grubby shelves in some departments and beggars by the cashpoint and in the car park. I only go if I have to, there is drug dealing and I have seen crack being smoked round the back, not Asda's fault especially but it all adds to the negative feel about the place. I have an Aldi near me and I tend to go there and then get a few nice bits from M and S if I am in town.

Look, I am in no need of an excuse to shop at Waitrose instead, but it really isn’t on that scale of expensive. Also I did a Tesco/Asda price comparison on the same shop last year because I wanted a reason to shop at Tesco instead and Asda (which is nearer and has cheaper deliver/click and collect options) was marginally cheaper.

Asda hasn't had a "buzz about it" since they removed the instore radio with live DJs and replaced it with prerecorded crap.

Waitrose is well lit and feels well stocked-
There used to be a budget shop that I went into as it was nearer than Waitrose , and it was depressing.
Waitrose never feels depressing- Although Aldi pet beds are wonderful! ( depressing shop wasn’t Aldi)

I was in mine yesterday and this exactly describes it! Asiles of tat most of it Christmas stuff, even the clothes now seem to be mainly Christmas jumpers, Christmas pyjamas and loads of party wear. I needed a sympathy card and guess what?, all the general cards have been shunted to one side to make way for Christmas cards. Do they not realise that people still have other occasions that they want to send cards for? Went to the cafe, it was mainly Christmas style food, it is only half way through November!!!

They've really gone down hill. I last went to one about 4 years ago and was shocked by the decline then. It was more like a back room store cupboard with cardboard boxes of stock piled high above the shelves. It was just one big shoddy mess.

I live next door to one and haven't been in for weeks, it's a mess and the staff can be pretty shitty. Their shelf stackers and pickers seem to actively try to stop you getting to products! I very rarely managed to get everything I needed too, there was usually something out of stock.

I'm sure it's just a coincidence but any time I've filled in one of their feedback requests I've had a influx of junk emails right after. Weird.

The atmosphere has definitely changed, shelves are empty a lot. Tdr Capital became majority shareholders at the beginning of the month so will be interesting so see what happens.

I was in one yesterday thought it was a nightclub the music was so loud.

The brothers are from a town where they seem to get their own way a lot. There's been resistance from other towns around the area to their ideas.

It's a shame that Asda are heading for the shitter, but sadly I'm not shocked. They now charge more than Morrisons and Sainsburys, but their products are not that good. They're OK but not as good as Morrisons and Sainsburys. I have a little Asda in my local market town, but I haven't shopped in it this decade to be honest.

I get all my stuff from Aldi and Morrisons and Iceland and Lidl. (Only 4 stores in my town apart from the small Asda.)

Also, in this small Asda, there are 10 checkouts. And they are all self serve. When you ask someone to serve you, (at the ciggie counter,) or ask them to come over to your self serve checkout, as you have booze, you can see them sighing - and rolling their eyes. Customer service is substandard.

It would be a shame if Asda shut down - altogether - but it wouldn't honestly affect me at all. I was pissed off and sad when Wilkos shut down though. Still am sad about it to be honest.

My local ASDa is doing OK, staff are pleasant and in good numbers, so maybe it's a regional thing? I shop there so hope the brothers wake up.

I stopped using Sainsbury's when they wouldn't roll.over my >£200 gift voucher after covid. I also use Ocado, it's a little more pricey but you do get M&S food and my DD has a gluten intolerance, so its useful in accessing good quality gluten free food. I also take my mum shopping in Aldi/Lidl, but you do have to be discerning at Aldi because some foods are awful - I'm esp thinking salsa sauce for tortillas as an example!

It's blooming freezing in ours; I think they've stopped paying to heat it.

Staff.... fewer and fewer of them around, none at their petrol station I have used recently :(

We order online from Asda and recently there are so many subs or items unavailable. However we had a delivery today and every single item arrived. No subs, no items unavailable so hopefully it's getting better.
I've not physically been in Asda for ages, probably not since I stopped working there two years ago, but can't say it had much of a buzz when I was there.

We get a delivery every week, not noticed any problems with subs recently (beyond the usual odd one). Some of their stuff comes in and out of stock, but it’s still a million times better than our local Sainsbury’s, which is overpriced and terrible quality.

Me too, but only in store. Deliveries are bad, as PPs mentioned.

I have noticed this about Asda recently and have thought the same.

They have cut back on staff and seem to be focusing on taking over all the local petrol stations!

Our nearest Asda is a one hour round trip, so DP and I don’t go, but I take DM there once a month or so.

Each visit is slightly worse than the one before, stock is so hit-and-miss, and staff have gone from brilliant to largely indifferent (special mention to the mardy arses in the pharmacy) and reluctant to help. Goodness knows what’s going on behind the scenes, but shopping there is miserable experience these days. I suspect working there is, too.

But to answer OP’s question, I’d be surprised if Asda went to the wall.

Asda aren't going anywhere, they made an absolute fortune last year, over £1bn.
My Asda order last week was approx £140, there were no subs or unavailable items. The one in Wolverhampton is also very good (I arrange my sisters weekly online shop from there).
There are some empty shelves in every supermarket at the moment, there are obviously supply issues of certain items at the moment, but it seems to be affecting all supermarkets.
Most supermarkets will probably have already made job cuts, why pay staff to check out your items when they can get us to do it for free. There are already stores in the USA where you don't scan your shopping, you scan an app when you go in and somehow the store knows exactly what you have left with and charges you accordingly. Don't ask me how this works, but it definitely exists and I'm sure in the future we will have that set up here. It will certainly cut out any form of shop lifting.