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AIBU?

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Original poster

to ask for an explanation of supermarket snobbery?

260 replies

elfsmamma · 21/12/2013 19:26

I am British but I have lived abroad for the last 5 years, when I lived in the UK I had a pretty demanding job so I did my shopping in the nearest supermarket.

I am staying with my parents over Christmas, me and dp wanted to go shopping for tge ingredients for a couple of meals and also some pyjamas as I had forgotten to pack mine.

There is an ASDA and a Sainsburys both about a 5 minute drive from my parent's house I suggested we went to ASDA as it is bigger and more likely to have pyjamas.

My mum said "oh god, don't go to ASDA, it's terribly depressing" she went on to justify this by saying the food was crap and the other shoppers were rude, people often had trolleies full of junk and whinging kids. I am not sure how the other shoppers are anything to do with my dm. Dm finished off by saying she prefers to spend an extra 20 pounds a week on her shopping at Sainsburys.

We went to ASDA despite the warnings. It was great, we got a huge fresh salmon for 4 pounds a kg, fresh dill, organic new potatoes, pasta and the ingredients to make bolognese, some good wine and lots of fresh fruit.

Cab someone explain supermarket snobbery to me?

OP posts:
DeWe · 21/12/2013 20:21

My dgran used to buy Kwik save economy.

I remember well the day it dawned on me that I'd rather not have any ice cream than have a kwik save economy choc-ice (they were always half empty inside too). That really was scraping the bottom of quality outside food you wouldn't give for your pet. Wink

However my experience of Waitrose is there are two sorts of people that shop in it:

  1. Those to whom it's close,
  2. those who think they're above others

We shop in Tescos/Sainsbury's. We had a bit of a chuckle as dh showed mil that one particular item she bought from Waitrose differed from the one we'd got from Sainsbury's by two factors only:

  1. The label said Waitrose not Sainsbury's
  2. She'd paid half as much again as we had.

She didn't believe us. Grin

CailinDana · 21/12/2013 20:22

As a foreigner it seems to me that English people like to segregate according to wealth. That's what supermarket snobbery is all about as far as I can see. It's reflected in this thread by people saying customers in the cheaper supermarkets are aggressive and cheaper supermarkets are depressing. Sentiments like that seem bizarre to me. I couldn't give a toss about the other customers or whether the place suits my mood or not all I care about is that it stocks what I want at a reasonable price and isn't too far away. I know a couple of people who would actually be genuinely upset at not being able to afford waitrose/M&S as though having to buy their Heinz ketchup for 20p cheaper with the plebs in Asda was totally infra dig. Weird.

K8Middleton · 21/12/2013 20:22

haha my mother is very similar. She told me there was no supermarket near where we are going on holiday. What she meant is there is no Waitrose! There's a Tesco Extra, a huge Morrisons and small Sainsburys and an enormous Asda.

She came out with other similar rubbish to your mother. I think if you are going to buy ingredients to cook with then Asda and Morrisons are actually the best for fresh fruit and veg. I have also struggled to find free range meat and chicken in some supermarkets but I think that's more about geographical location than supermarket brand.

I do love Waitrose because it does tend to be less, erm, real than Asda but I love the fresh produce and the world foods I can get there so there's pros and cons to both.

ukatlast · 21/12/2013 20:23

I don't really get it either and shop in Asda, Sainsburys, Tesco, M&S and the Co-op....I do sometimes avoid Asda because I find it too big (after having lived abroad too) and this makes it take too long to get around.
I was in there this evening though...Asda that is.

K8Middleton · 21/12/2013 20:24

It's not wealth Cailin, it's class. A whole special British phenomena all of its own...

MisguidedHamwidge · 21/12/2013 20:25

I agree with your mum! It sounds like she may have been to my local Asda.

Sainsburys is quieter, the check out staff are much nicer and there aren't usually a load of snarling pit bulls chained up outside.

yummymumtobe · 21/12/2013 20:26

It's not a supermarket thing so much as individual branches. Our nearest asda is horrific - sweary mums and loud coarse people. The one near in laws is fine though. The aldi near my parents is great and it's always a highlight of our trips there to visit aldi and bag some bargains! For our general shop we go to waitrose. Don't know why people think its so expensive as their essentials range is fine.

Trills · 21/12/2013 20:28

Supermarkets can be very variable depending on where you live.

The Asda by your mum may very well be an unpleasant and depressing place, even if yours is not.

I've lived rear supermarkets that I have actively avoided because I didn't like spending time near people shouting and swearing at their children, or people who smell so much that it's not nice to stand behind them in a queue, and this has sometimes taken priority over the quality/price of the food (which was similar to other supermarkets nearby).

MrsUnderwood · 21/12/2013 20:30

The Morrisons and the Asda in my town seem to have really dingy lighting that makes for a bit of a depressing atmosphere.

The food is fine though!

FraidyCat · 21/12/2013 20:31

The supermarket at the end of my street was a Safeway, morphed into a Morrison's for a short while, then was sold to Waitrose when Morrisons needed to raise some cash.

I preferred it when it was Safeway. I hold it against Waitrose that they vandalised the décor and took it down-market (in appearance) when they moved in. Safeway/Morrisons had recently done it up, it was posh with real stone floors etc, Waitrose ripped all that out and installed some bland white flooring, probably vinyl.

Waitrose food is good, as long as you don't mind paying (probably) four times as much as Asda. We get our food from Asda. (DW idea: actually I also found it a bit depressing at first, but TBH I don't think there's any real difference between Asda/Tesco/Sainsbury's customers round here.)

Trills · 21/12/2013 20:31

For example I believe that Morrisons that have always been such are much more pleasant than those that used to be Safeway.

cjel · 21/12/2013 20:32

Waitrose is my local and must admit I don't shop at asda because I find them dirty and loud and always have stock in the isles that i can't get round. Tescos I won't go to on principal that they had a big hand in changes high streets that I don't like. I prefer to shop wrose or m and s and pay the extra (although I don't think there is much difference to wrose prices) and know they are fairer to staff and suppliers. And no horsemeat!!!

jonicomelately · 21/12/2013 20:32

Booths is the best supermarket in the world.

MrsFassbender77 · 21/12/2013 20:37

I alternate between Tesco and Ocado and order the main weekly shop online. Waitrose do have nice products, there's no doubt, but it is full of pretentious wankers. People seem to go there dressed up with Mulberrys and Audi aplenty.
Personally, for a quick top-up I prefer to hang with the chavs at ASDA.

GoldenGytha · 21/12/2013 20:38

Someone was murdered in the Sainsbury's I worked in,

One member of staff stabbed another to death.

I also worked at Asda quite a few years ago, they were an absolute delight, and the staff were far happier and much nicer than any at Sainsbury's.

Never seen a snarling pit bull type dog tied up at any supermarket Hmm

AtticusMcPlatypus · 21/12/2013 20:39

I work for Tesco but do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Aldi or Lidl. We only have Tesco, Lidl and a small Co-op in our town but all the others, except Waitrose, are a 10 mile drive away. Tesco, even with my staff discount is just way too expensive now. We live in a wealthy area and the Tesco is priced accordingly. I dislike Asda, just too big, quite like Sainsburys, the one nearest is is always dead so never any queues and i rarely shop in Morrisons.

stopgap · 21/12/2013 20:40

joni I totally agree about Booths.

I live in the US and am a huge devotee of Whole Foods. Yes, it's blooming expensive, sometimes the CEO says dubious things, but their organic meat and vegetables are second to none, and often I don't have the time to go mincing around farmers' markets with a toddler in tow.

catgirl1976 · 21/12/2013 20:43

Booths is awesome

I live walking distance from one

I blame it for all my financial issues

freelancegirl · 21/12/2013 20:45

I'm with your mum, my local ASDA is horrible. The food is fine and definitely feels a better value shop than the nearby sainsburys but the whole experience at ASDA make it much more stressful.

Snowdown · 21/12/2013 20:47

The check out assistant putting my shopping through at Waitrose tonight said at least Waitrose has a bit of class, oh how I disagreed. Our local Waitrose maybe the best of a bad lot but it's still pretty shitty. Isles are full of staff filling Internet orders and restocking shelves and that is not just a Christmas thing, the staff would knock you down just to get on with their task - you as the customer feel very much like an inconvenience that will be knocked over by the determination of the staff with the stocking cage if you don't keep your wits about you, they stop for no one...I envy people who live near a polite Waitrose.

cjel · 21/12/2013 20:48

Mrs Fassbender. How can people help it if they buy 'naice' clothes and drive'naice' cars.

I drive german car that cost a lot of money but I'm the same person as when I used to drive a mini metro. Should I never change my car or clothes so I don't offend you?

ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO · 21/12/2013 20:50

Op i think your very brave to get sea food from Asda.

I also find it depressing :I do not trust their offers or their food one bit actually.

They have no reputation to maintain so will try and get away with anything and everything. Its odd but I never find any choice in there either, a huge great big warehouse and yet there seems to be far more choice of cheeses for exmple in nearly every other store.

I think some people get to a certain age in life and do not want to put with small things anymore, its your in laws little treat to themselves at a ripe old age not to have to face Asda.

I think sainsburies are just as cheap and good and they also do clothes, and I also like their clothes.

HOwever I love their clothes, they are great and esp for DC.

helenafalco · 21/12/2013 20:51

Sainsbury online for big shop and top up in m and s or tiny asda near us. Can't stand the big Asda few times i have ventured in I left feeling very stabby :( Once went into the big asda one school night around 10 pm and there was a woman with about 6 children ranging from about a year old to ten shopping for clothes and yes my judgy pants were on that night

ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO · 21/12/2013 20:54

snow I think they would be horrified if you told them that, have you ever pointed this out or complained?

In twenty years I have never had a bad word to say about any waitrose I have been in, for exactly the reasons you say there....They always stop and move if a customer is coming, they never try and barge past you, they treat customer as absolute KING< when you want something they dont try and fob you off and if they do not know, they say they wil find out for you, you carry on shopping.

I know my waitrose is one store I can step into and relax, and have a fun shop, I also know if there is ever a problem, it will be sorted and to my satisfaction.

Mamafratelli · 21/12/2013 20:56

Hate Asda. Hate Tesco. Love Sainsburys and Aldi. Nothing ti do with snobbery just personal preference. Tesco is too busy, our local Asda is a bit grubby. Sainsburys is always half empty and aldi is small but perfectly formed.