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Original poster

My mums weird obsession and fierce loyalty to her favourite shop!!

82 replies

BossyPaws · 29/04/2018 14:11

My mum has always had this weird fascination with whatever her favourite shop is at the time. So first one was Netto ...

Conversations would be like:

"Oh that sounds nice, did you get it in netto?"
Me: no, Tesco
"Oh, I don't like Tesco, I don't know why you won't shop in netto, don't you like it there?"
Me: "I've just never been in"
"Why? Why won't you try it? It's not all cheap stuff you know! I don't know why you don't try it!"

then she discovered Morrisons

"Have you ever bought these from Morrisons? They're lovely!"
Me: "no"
"Why? What's wrong with Morrisons?? Why won't you try it?"
Me: "there isn't one near me"
"Well we'll pick you up and take you!"
"No point, I have Tesco on the doorstep"
"Oh Tesco! I would never shop there, hate it, can't stand it, even if it was next door I wouldn't shop there! Morrisons is brilliant, shall we take you at weekend?"

Now it's Aldi ... constantly going on and on about Aldi, questioning everyone why they don't shop there, questioning other people's shopping decisions, insisting on trying Aldi produce, banging on and on about Aldi in every conversation :

Me: "I did that 5k race at weekend!"
Mum: "oh we went shopping, took your aunty Brenda but she won't go in Aldi, I don't know why, I told her ... " this went on for about 20 minutes.

A couple of days later
"Guess what! We went into town and Brenda and guess where she shopped?! Aldi!! Ha! I told her it was good stuff and she wouldn't have it! I said to her "I thought you didn't shop at Aldi!" Just goes to show doesn't it!!"

Ffs who cares!

She's also obsessed with other people showing loyalty to a certain shop -

"Did you get them in Tesco? Because that's where you shop isn't it? Do you like Tesco? You must do you always seem to be in there!"

Then I switched to ASDA and my god you would've thought I'd switched religion

"Asda??? You went to ASDA??? How come? Why not Tesco?? Have you fallen out with Tesco now? So do you only shop at Asda now?"

It's so frustrating because every fucking conversation is dominated by it. If I'm talking to her I can't mention that I popped into Morrisons/coop/Tesco (god forbid Tesco) as the conversation will change entirely to shops and where everyone she knows shops. I'm actually avoiding talking to her because of these frustrating obsessions.

My aunt said recently that she has always thought my mum was autistic but never diagnosed because of the times they grew up up - could she have a point?

It's frustrating but also mind boggling how obsessed she is about such menial things

OP posts:
CrispsForTea · 29/04/2018 14:16

I think it's a generation thing, as my DM is also obsessed about being loyal to places. E.g. She wont shop around for better car insurance deals, and she won't change opticians despite her current one being a lot more expensive than specsavers etc.
I think brand loyalty used to mean something, but I'm not really sure it does anymore...

MissDuke · 29/04/2018 14:22

I must admit, ASD was my first thought when reading this op so it is funny you mentioned that at the end. Obviously it may just be her personality, but it just reminded me so much of my DC with ASD.

Jaimx86 · 29/04/2018 14:24

Hahahaha. My mum is a bit like this with Aldi!

BarleysFiddle · 29/04/2018 14:40

My MIL can be a bit like this, but I think it's just because she's bored. She's been at home for 40 years, and she has nothing else to worry her.

CheeseCakeSunflowers · 29/04/2018 14:46

I starting thinking ASD as well before you mentioned it. Does she go out anywhere other than the shops. It could just be that she has nothing else to think about. If you were to take her on an outing somewhere interesting would that give her something else to talk about or would it still be shops.

Rattysparklebum · 29/04/2018 14:50

My Mum only shops in Sainsbury’s she ‘likes the quality’ even Christmas and birthday presents come from Sainsbury’s 😂

Undercoverbanana · 29/04/2018 14:59

Can you imagine working with her? She sounds very depressing. Does she talk about anything else? Political activism or travelling?

She sounds like she has a very boring, unadventurous life. I think I would feel a bit sorry for her and encourage her to take up some sports or something.

fantasmasgoria1 · 29/04/2018 15:02

My ex mil was obsessed with Morrison’s. She used to try and convert me to Morrison’s and often bought things for us from there. The things she brought such as pies, pasties etc were awful and told her so. She blew up about it and never stopped telling me I needed to shop there! Funnily she began going to m&s and almost stopped going to Morrison’s!

JenBarber · 29/04/2018 15:07

MiL loves M&S.

She's always saying how skint she is but will happily pay £12 for some rolls and ham.

When she visits she'll ask how on EARTH we COPE without an M&S. It's tough, obvs, but somehow we're scraping by...

WinnersClub · 29/04/2018 15:19

Crisps and OP, my MIL is like this with Specsavers. Not just any Specsavers but the one near us. So if she visits SIL who lives 40miles away and has a Specsavers 5mins walk from her house, she won’t go to that one, it has to be the one near us Confused.

Same thing with Colgate toothpaste. It HAS to be Colgate.
Washing powder HAS to be DAZ nothing else. I could go on.

pigsDOfly · 29/04/2018 15:19

I know someone who only ever shops in Waitrose - obviously only for groceries. Our local Waitrose is tiny and it must restrict her choice but because she loves (her word) the place - she absolutely will not shop anywhere else.

Crispbutty · 29/04/2018 15:21

How will she cope with the potential Asda and Sainsbury’s merger? 😂

AnnieOH1 · 29/04/2018 15:22

Oh God I'm like this with Aldi! I evangelise to anyone willing to listen, although I don't think I ever obsessed over my previous store choices though! Eeep!

teamclean · 29/04/2018 15:24

Sounds like she has fierce convictions at any given moment but no real loyalty because she does change allegiances fairly often. It's just that when she's in the enthusiastic phase of a new store, she comes across as loyal. Not sure why she would behave like this, but then I still haven't figured out my own mother.

Smile and nod, smile and nod {grin}

hammeringinmyhead · 29/04/2018 15:30

I'm not sure about ASD but in retirement my grandparents only ever left the house to go to Morrisons, always on a Tuesday. They didn't have anything else to talk about so you'd get a blow-by-blow!

Aspergallus · 29/04/2018 15:31

Bloody hell. This is my mum too. The same repetitive incredibly banal pieces of conversation. To be honest, her repertoire of conversation is one of the things I rely on to remind myself why I am a working mum (she never worked out of the home and never socialised in any way either, so quite an extremely limited life). I get supermarkets, the price of everything, what's happening in soaps I have never watched...and an absolutely endless conversation about laundry and housework in which the baseline assumption is that I am at home everyday which I'm not. Doesn't matter how many times I say: we don't have a Morrisons, don't watch soaps, and I catch up with my washing at weekends...it still goes on and on repetitively.

Original poster
BossyPaws · 29/04/2018 15:35

She hasn't worked for years and does lead a very limited life involving shopping, garden centres and one day a week at the church craft class so maybe that is the problem. Thing is she's never interested in anything else, when I try and talk to her about stuff I've been doing she acts as if I'm the one with the boring life! 😂

OP posts:
Hateloggingin · 29/04/2018 15:40

Aspergallus- I get that re the soaps! I thought it was just my dm! I don’t watch any soaps and she’ll say, ‘well in Corrie, I know you don’t watch it, but there’s a woman called Sue and she’s just ’

It’s bloody weird!!

Original poster
BossyPaws · 29/04/2018 15:43

Oh my mum does that too!

"You don't watch the hairy bikers do you? Well on Wednesday Si fell over and Kingy was laughing at him! Oh it was so funny! And I know you don't watch ennerdale but last night Sonya, she works at the post office, had a heart attack and would you believe, Dave, who works at the pub, told her she was faking it! How terrible is that!"

Not terrible at all mum cos they don't bloody exist! 😂

OP posts:
CoughLaughFart · 29/04/2018 15:57

I was visiting my mother back in November and she asked me what I’d like for Christmas. I said I could do with some decent towels and that perhaps I could choose some from the M&S website while I was there.

Mom: You know where they have nice towels? Asda.
Me: I never go to Asda; there isn’t one anywhere near me.
Mom: We could go and get some while you’re here!
Me: But then I’d have to carry them back on the train.
Mom: Oh, I suppose... they do have REALLY nice ones though.

The next day I went to do the food shop with her at Asda - as soon as we’re through the door it’s ‘Did you want to look at the towels, seeing as we’re here?’

Gaaaaaaaahhhh 😬😬😬

TonTonMacoute · 29/04/2018 16:00

My MIL is obsessed by how much tins of tomatoes cost, and will go further to shop somewhere just because their tomatoes are 4p a tin cheaper than the nearest shop Confused.

She asks me ‘How much do you pay for?’ various items, and is very disapproving when I say I have no idea.

Cindie943811A · 29/04/2018 16:02

Oh dear, does it come to this when’s get older or have managed to miss it now I’m in my 70s?
I think it may have a lot to do with a paucity of interests outside of housework, shopping and tv.
When there were only a couple of channels nearly everyone used to talk about the programmes next day but now there’s many channels and catch up we all watch different stufff and I think some folk miss this.

topcat2014 · 29/04/2018 16:07

I am like this with Aldi - a group of us all arrive at 9:45 9:30 on Sunday morning for a catch up Blush

Ofthread · 29/04/2018 16:16

Mine insists on telling me all about whatever she has bought at a discount of some sort. MUM, you have a house full of crap!

Ofthread · 29/04/2018 16:18

She had an incredibly high powered job until recently, so that's not the reason.