To think Waitrose...

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Isn't expensive or posh?

Out of interest I just popped my weekly shop (I shop Waitrose and m&s mainly because they are closest and always has a niggle that discount/big 4 supermarkets aren't really worth the extra petrol and traffic to drive to ) into the mysupermarket website.

I would save a royal £3 on my weekly shop, and that's the maximum, if I went to one of the big 4, and that's only if I dropped 3 items out of my basket, because the others don't stock them, theses items where: sea bass (whole, Waitrose fillets them for free), duck legs and pollock fish fingers.. these items actually cost £10 together, so the big 4 seem to be more expensive.

I would like to think that most people can afford to spend £5 on a whole large fish, £4 on 2 duck legs and £1.20 on a pack of fish fingers given they had the choice. All of the above would feed a family of 4.

Would I also be unreasonable to propose a ban on elitist supermarket posts. That goes for Aldi and Lidl shoppers too...

Just shop at your bloody local supermarket people, it's just bloody nonesense that any single one is more expensive than the other!!

I shop in Waitrose as it's the closest supermarket to where I live. In the spirit of austerity I decided a while back that I should look to save money so went on a comparison shopping site and priced up my average weekly shop ..... there wasn't an awful lot in it, but I was amazed that Waitrose actually came out cheaper. So I have now justified it to myself. Obviously there is always the potential to end up with a way more expensive bill in there with all the lovely unnecessary luxury things - but I try to resist! If I'm disciplined, shop on-line and stick to my list, then I know it's not going to be any more expensive.

Waitrose own brand are more expensive generally, e.g. Weetabix - Waitrose £1.80, Tesco £1.29, Tesco value 75p. And the first two are identical. Sometimes the Waitrose food is definitely nicer, though, like their own brand pitta bread and houmous.

People are not stupid. If it didn't save them money to go to Asda over time then they wouldn't do it. Buying in bulk, cheaper fruit and veg (yes, even if it is 'shit'), cheap meat etc. It adds up. Some people don't have any stretch in their budget at all, so £3 here and there is a big deal. Other people buy cheap stuff which isn't available in better stores.

I dont shop at Waitrose as the £1 parking charge gets my goat... on principle. Apparently i can get it bk... i just dont want the hassle.

People that are really struggling for money obviously aren't buying duck legs etc. They're buying value fish fingers, value bread etc. The direct comparisons never work because people trying to save money alter their shopping depending on what's cheaper in the supermarket they shop at, including special deals etc.

There's nothing wrong with shopping at Waitrose but it's going to be much more difficult to feed a family for £50 there than it would be at Aldi.

I got a few basic items yesterday. Was going to stop off at tesco express but went into automatic 'drive home mode' and forgot to turn off. So went to waitrose as the other supermarket on my route.

Probably didn't cost me any more.

Incidentally they have self service tills that don't have a bagging area. So there's no checking you've scanned everything. Is that because waitrose customers are considered more trustworthy?!

I do like those self service tills with no scales, but they only take cards.

Waitrose definitely is more expensive, I've tested it myself several times and it works out on average 20% more for what I buy. However, I'm not buying duck legs or pollock fishfingers so I can't comment there! I buy pretty much exclusively own brand and I find the Waitrose essentials range much more expensive than say Tesco (not even T value), and the pack size tends to be smaller or you can't get the big bulk offers on things like pasta that you can at other places. The food is no nicer either in my view, I think it's just the name/image that encourages so many people to shop there.

Posh for a supermarket HeadDreamer i know sushi bars and wine bars are elsewhere.

Haven't RTFT but can you really feed a family of 4 with 2 duck legs? Not being funny, I am genuinely interested what you do with it?

misses point of thread

Family of four with two duck legs.... maybe a duck ragu with parpadelle ? Certainly wouldn't need a whole leg each and the sauce would be bulked out with veg.
Mmmmm pasta yummmmm

Certain things are cheaper in different stores so I usually divide between Morrisons, tesco, and Waitrose. None of them are more than 10 minutes from me so it really doesn't cause too much of an issue to do it this way.

I think the best way to shop around but not go to multiple supermarkets each week is to rotate them, so in Creatives example I would probably mostly go to Morrisons but have a trip to Waitrose and Tesco every so often and keep a list of the things I liked from those supermarkets so I could make sure I stocked up with them when I was there.

I spend loads more in waitrose than lidl, but that's because I get all the nice ingredients from there that I can't find in the latter. But if I compared the basics directly lidl would still win, surely? Its 50p for a pack of noodles or spaghetti that will feed the family, 39p for tinned toms, 99p for camembert, 99p for feta, 79p for tinned coconut milk, 55p for handsoap etc

seemyvest mmmmmm hungry now!!

Quality rather than cost has made me switch recently, after a lifetime spent in Waitrose.

A few weeks ago I made a goulash with beef from our local butchers and the meat just melted in your mouth.

It was so good that the following week I made it again with Waitrose beef (roughly same cost) and it wasn't nearly as nice - tough and flavourless.

I'm now buying all meat in the local butchers and buying everything else in Tescos, which has way better bread and kid-friendly stuff than Waitrose.

I also find that oranges are a really good test of a supermarket's quality. While Tescos own are not great, they stock Jaffa oranges which are lovely (and are how Waitrose ones were a decade ago...).

We don't have Waitrose here (NE Scotland) and I think the nearest one is in Edinburgh, so I've never been in one, so can't compare any prices

I am on a very tight, limited budget and I usually get an Asda delivery once a month, however at the moment I'm finding I can get a bit more for my money at a Tesco, so I got my last delivery from there, and have an order to go again tomorrow when I get paid

I don't like Aldi or Lidl, I tried a new one that opened here at the end of last year once, the grapes were mouldy by the next day, and the casserole beef was as tough and chewy as old leather

I don't like Lidl because XH used to make us go there every week, and I have some serious issues caused by XH, so the couple of times I've tried Lidl here just ends in me having a panic attack

Waitrose has great online offers for bigger shops- usually £20 off a £100 shop (making it £80) and free delivery.

I do that every couple of weeks as it's great for own brand washing tablets and heavy cans and stuff and a bargain- of you shop online you can avoid the temptations of treat in store as well.

You can get loads, mainly own brand (essentials is good) I stock up the freezer and cupboard at the same time.

Glad of the thread as been feeling guilty that i should go to Aldi bit a lot of the stuff I can't get there and end up doing two shops (things like quorn for example)

I do think some of the fruit and veg is quite expensive at Waitrose but good quality and the fish has good offers 3 for two for example.

Of course you get the free coffee and paper with the online order too and they sometimes out complimentary choc bars in as well!

You could get Waitrose to deliver in rural Wales so could maybe in Scotland as well- or Ocado also has good offers and is all online but many does Waitrose food.

Agree. YANBU OP - but anyway for me it is a matter of politics.

Waitrose is much cheaper than my local Co-op too.

yes, Co-op is more expensive