AIBU to think Sainsbury's got really bad?

[Clandestino]

I'm from ROI but go "up North" shopping from time to time (it's almost over the corner so closer and easier to reach than some other big shopping centres). I used to love Sainsbury's because I used to buy good quality stuff there as a treat for Christmas.
I was there on Saturday and left disappointed. Even felt like local Lidl and Aldi provide better quality and selection of various delicacies than Sainsbury's.
AIBU to think Sainsbury's went down quality-wise or did other supermarkets simply improve and Sainsbury's just remain where they were 10 years ago?

I think sainsburys is fine, i feel like supermarkets in ROI are fucking terrible. Other than aldi/lidl you've got just tescos and supervalu and some other places like that, really limited and insanely overpriced. Thats been my experience in ireland!

But in the UK, Sainsburys would always be my choice over tesco, co-op et al. Tescos is the absolute pits.

I haven't shopped in Lidl for years but I much prefer Aldi food to any of the other supermarkets.

Sainsburys is my local shop and I don't think it's great but I alao can't stand Tesco. Morrisons is good if you've got one near you but that's not always the case unfortunately.

I like SuperValu in Ireland. Lots of lovely local stuff. You also seem to have a lot more nice butcher's shops,even in small towns, than we do.

Sainsburys has gone weird of late. Odd changes to stock lines, and a slow disappearance of variety.

But they have got a Sushi bar in some stores, which has been carved out of existing space.

And also the merging with Argos.

Aldi & Morrisons. Tesco has some OK bits. Asda used to be ok. Now it's utter shite.

The Aldi by my Mum's house seems to have the most middle class selection I've ever seen

Sainsbury's tu has definitely gone weird. Seriously how can a size 8 feel like a 12??

I've just ditched Sainsbury's and gone back to Ocado. Because of price. Yes, you read correctly. Ocado now cheaper for my weekly shop than Sainsbury's. I saved £7 this week.

I really like their baby clothing range - always seem to find something I like every time I shop there. The adult TU range seems to have gone down hill from abut a year ago but maybe that's just this seasons fashions.

From ROI but live in UK. Sainsburys is ok, on a par with Tesco & always has been. To me, Waitrose + M&S are the "posh" shops here.

It all went wrong at home when Superquinn closed IMHO. I quite like Dunnes Stores, find their supermarket bit is really good.

Highlight of Christmas at home was always Superquinn sausages :-(

Of late, all the 250g filled pasta has disappeared (only 500g).

The rectangular blocks of parmesan cheese.

Hemp Milk (certainly in some stores).

And 2x6 225g packs of bacon (now all 300g).

All most irritating, when you're just two who eat like sparrows.

Unfortunately there's one loaf that no one else even tries to make, and we like our peasant food, so have stuck with Sainsburys.

I used to love Sainsbury’s.

Supermarkets in RoI are rubbish.

I miss Waitrose

Never ever buy Sainsbury's nappies.

Peeled the arse of my newborn son red raw.

Is that the one in Newry you are going to? If so, then I agree it is shit. The one at Sprucefield is way better

Hate Sainsbury's.
Over priced and under staffed.
I drive five miles out of my way to go to Lidl.

Since my local Sainsburys installed an Argos collection point the whole place has become tacky. A lot less variety and they have added an extra height shelf on each aisle to hold restockable items. It now looks like you are walking down a prison corridor as all you can see is straight ahead. I have switched to Waitrose where I can see daylight whenever I want to and don't feel so caged in.

Yep I agree. It is where I have shopped for years, it is my local supermarket but I am not loyal to just one. They seem to have removed all their own brand sushi and replaced it with a sushi bar and although it is nice they never seem to have any customers purchasing it because it is is so expensive! Lots of other product ranges have disappeared or got much smaller. Might try Ocado as keep hearing positives about it.

Sainsbury's is really crap quality for fruit, veg etc and quite pricey.

We've got three Tesco stores nearby, small, large and enormous. I prefer the large one although the manager suffers from 'moving-itis' - that is moving things round unnecessarily to the point where he deserves a good duffing up.

I sometimes visit Sainsbury's but always feel a little disappointed in it.

(Drifting OT ?) What gets me is how all supermarkets seem to use their own brands to offer the same varieties as branded goods, rather than increase variety ... it means even across supermarkets, shelves can look very identikit.

@weedsneed totally agree, brilliant choice of local foods & even most smallest of places usually has a very good butchers, my sil lives in a small town in ROI which has two butchers, couple of greengrocers & at least two bakers, the quality of food is also really very good.
Yy Sainsbury seems to have gone downhill lately, have recently converted to Ocado & has been consistently cheaper than Tesco.

I don't actually have a store anywhere near me and can't really judge their produce but I was trying to order two pairs of TU jeans this morning and right at the end, after battling their glitchy site for 20 minutes, they tell me that they don't deliver to my post code. I am really annoyed. The Royal Mail and pretty much every other courier delivers here, we are only 1.5 hours drive from Glasgow. How difficult can it be to put two pair of jeans into a jiffybag and send them off?

I’ve always thought Sainsburys food was very overpriced, I wouldn’t do my “big” shop there. I think Tu has gone downhill as well. I used to buy quite a lot for both me and the kids but tbh I couldn’t spend money in it lately. I live in NI and have noticed a lot less cars travelling up to it so I don’t think you’re the only one not bothering anymore.

I don't usually shop in sainsburys but I did my 'big' shop there last week and spent less than in Aldi!
I think it depends on the branch, the location etc.

Ours has the best selection of cat food, seems to have all the ones we needed (poorly and old cat) and I can usually find everything I need except the bread I want, including biscuits that don't contain palm oil. I tend to buy less than I used to anyway, but I absolutely detest Tesco and Lidl.

Usually pop into Waitrose for bread as no-one seems to have the value sliced loaf I like anymore, so often get a small unsliced reduced one as we don't use a lot of bread.

I can also get a reasonable shop in Morrisons.

Sainsburys are terrible to work for too, they overwork their staff rather than take others on, and if they do its only on a 12 hour contract
My son has had to give up his job as he was working from 3am to whatever hours they wanted,as a baker, and the pay was no more for starting at that time,eventually had a stroke and they still wanted him to go in the day after, [mini stroke but still a stroke] then had an accident on broken floor tiles