Rate the shops: posh or not

[Codswallop20]

I will start you off.

Level 1

Lidl, farmfoods

Level 2

Aldi, Iceland,

Level 3

Asda, Tesco

Level 4

Morrison's, Sainsbury's

Level 5

M&S

Level 6

Waitrose, Booths

Level 7

Harrods

Level 8

Fortnum and Mason

Discuss.

(Entirely light-hearted and for entertainment purposes only, couldn't actually care less and have no aspirations of posh!)

Inspired by the other posh thread, and FYI ferrero rocher are still posh enough to make me feel somewhat inadequate.

I'm a bit of an odd sock in that we're not mega rich, but we're well off enough that we don't need to consider the cost of items in a weekly shop.

I don't wilfully spend more than I have to and avoid deals, but I will just pick what I fancy from the shelves. My husband will trawl around for better prices and I just don't see it as a good use of my time. And my mum once refused to just drop in to Booths for a loaf of bread and a couple of bits because it was cheaper at Aldi - except the Booths in Windermere was en route and the Aldi was in Kendal.

FelicityBeedle

i love a bit of shopping in Fort Bum and Mason

I didn't realise quite how much chain supermarkets vary by area until I worked in quite a deprived city for a bit. Food shopping was generally pretty depressing. There was a huge Sainsbury's (which I had to trek to without a car as there was nothing half decent that was local to me) that was absolutely crap, and even the Waitrose was small and somehow a bit shit (while still being ££). How can even a Waitrose manage to be shit?! So I do think replies are likely to be coloured by where people happen to live. In my area the Tesco is slightly nicer than the Sainsbury's, for example, but clearly that's not the case nationwide judging from other people's responses.

Don't understand people putting M&S on a level with Waitrose, though. M&S is mainly cleverly-marketed, vaguely aspirational pre-prepared stuff. I can't imagine ever doing the bulk of a weekly shop at M&S, no matter what my income was. Waitrose are streets ahead but also aimed at a totally different market.

@thecatsthecats

Posted too soon - my point being is that posh shops doesn't mean that everything is BETTER, just that it's not lowest common denominator appeal that matters.

(which is also why Lidl attracts more posh people in my suburb than Asda in spite of both being cheap - people go there for the nice continental cheese, not for choice because they need the cheap options)

I agree.

I regularly shop at Lidl because I like the authentic German cooked meats, sausages, chocolate & quirky theme weeks. And the in-store bakery, of course. The fact that they also sell cheap basics is a bonus, but it’s not the main reason I shop there.

Sainsbury’s do ‘basics’ humous and avocados here. They’re posh

Waitrose budget "Essentials" range includes petits pois, olives and pate!

Their Essentials mature cheddar is nicer than Tesco's "Finest", and a cheaper.

I shop at LIDL for the pretzel rolls in the bakery. They are like crack to me. Luckily I can’t easily get to one, because I’m supposed to be low carbing.

Since when have hummus and avocados been posh?

Hummus especially is very cheap, although I suppose it's more expensive than making your own, but I suppose that's considered aspirational too?

I think Tesco and Sainsburys should be together as Morrison's and Asda, then Lidl Iceland and Aldi.
Waitrose is the poshest 'everyday' supermarket 😂

Posted too soon - my point being is that posh shops doesn't mean that everything is BETTER

Very true. I moved somewhere with a Booths a few years ago, having never even heard of it before that. Booths is less posh that Waitrose, but better imo. M&S doesn't count imo - it's not a proper supermarket.

I'd definitely rank Sainsbury's above Tesco and Morrison's. Aldi and Lidl are in a funny position, because they ought to be tier 1or 2, but then the middle class shoppers (including me ) discovered them and maybe that's changed their image a bit!

The household staff do my grocery shopping.

I'm in the north and our local Morrisons is very good (excellent meat and good quality basics) but the part of town it is in isn't great and so there's a broad social mix of customers. Poverty rather than criminal elements though. Suspect if it swapped locations with Sainsbury's or Asda or Tesco it would be considered posher than it is. Still miss Safeways, they had the best fruit and veg.

Ooooh @rosesandHellebores-you are speaking my language.

“It depends where you live and the quality if the local management.

Sainsburys in Wandsworth - dreadful and with some of the rudest staff I have ever encountered. Agreed. But v impressive spirits selection, while simultaneously only having about half a shelf of wine. Why? Locals are hard drinkers maybe??
Waitrose in Wandsworth - wonderfully managed and laid out. Nooooo - too long and thin and strange interaction with car park.
Sainsburys in Putney - small but so helpful. The 1970s called - they’d like their supermarket back
Waitrose in Putney ers always seems a mess. Crazy pinch point in the middle by the fish counter
Asda Roehampton is just a mess and staff are unhelpful. Erm, yes, a bit challenging. There was a thread on here several years ago which I think concluded that Roehampton Asda was always a bit fighty

There is now a Lidl in Putney. It could best be described as a very different experience from Waitrose.

we get organic veg delivered...

Oh, does that mean that because we weren't worried during lockdown 1 because we get a veg box and my local organic dairy delivers butter, cheese, greek yogurt, fruit juice, eggs and naice bread alongside our milk we are super posh? So put Riverford at the top !

Killing myself laughing at those who think Booths is just for southerners on holiday...🤣

You’re just jealous...😉

I've never stepped foot in a booths(never seen one in my life lol) and we don't have Waitrose here either. In rural Wales we don't do posh. If you've got money your more likely to shop at local independent shops.

I worked on Jermyn Street at one time so was always popping in to F&M to pick stuff up, unlike Harrods and Selfridges it does sell a wide enough range of food to be used for "normal" food shopping. However Borough Market is better and you do see some celeb chefs shopping there from time to time.

Personally I think it isn't really that practical to have a list that includes places that only have one branch.

@Codswallop20

Also realised I missed off the co op and probably loads more!

Big mistake putting Lidl there OP! I saw someone I knew actually look ashamed because I'd seen them in Lidl. They said that they'd never been there before & thought that they'd try it, all whilst not knowing where to look 😆.

Sainsbury's are matching some of Aldi prices, so for that alone shouldn't they go into level 1? You've really not thought about this have you?

Asda should be in the -1 Level.

The only shop I used to think was posh (I was too young to know any better) was Harrods. Most of them just charge too much, & have customers who foolishly believing that they're quality.

I love M&S food and often have special things from there for a treat but I wouldn't count it as a supermarket. Most of their food halls only stock a small part of their range and even when I do an Ocado shop an awful lot of M&S products are out of stock.

Incidentally I've been very underwhelmed by the M&S/Ocado collaboration. I've used it because I've been able to get delivery slots (Tesco and Morrisons are permanently booked up locally) but they have haven't been great. Unreliable delivery times, loads of out of stock items and the products appear to be hurled into carrier bags from a distance. This week a side of salmon had been crushed under so much other shopping the vacuum seal broke and it leaked salmon juice everywhere. The drivers are very polite though.

I thought Ocado used to be higher up than Waitrose - for those who shop there but simply too posh to do the grocery shopping themselves

Iceland was quite well rated as ''middle range'' in a recent survey.

[quote DoubleTweenQueen]@JellyfishandShells Bit off topic, but I feel the same about Hamley's, where my grandparents would take us for a special treat before Christmas, in the 70's.
Took my youngest DD there a couple of years ago and it felt like an indoor market.

I haven't been to Liberty's for a while, but that's also gone the same way.[/quote]
True, very true ☹️

Ocado has gone downhill since the M&S deal. M&S food is pretty rubbish really unless you want to have an indoor picnic for every meal.

We don't have Sainbury's or Asda or Booths close enough to be useful, so it's either Waitrose and Lidl, or Lidl and Tesco, or Lidl and Morrisons depending on the town.

But the butcher we mainly use sells their meat to Harrods. And bread comes from independent shops.

Really posh is having your own farm & organic vegetable garden. ;-)
Other than that, local (organic) butcher and greengrocer/farm shop.
All the rest are pretty irrelevant.
I used to work in M&S as a Saturday girl and during university holidays, many, many years ago. Nowhere near as good now and far too many ready meals.
Hate Waitrose and Tesco, Sainsbury's is or was more or less OK for the things I wanted.
Not a massive fan of supermarkets.

Booths isn’t available in the south, so less smart simply because of location; it’s fun for holidays and that’s their main market, isn’t it?

Of course it isn't their main market. Not all Booths branches are even in tourist areas. For lots of people it's just their local supermarket/food shop. Wealthier types do their whole shop there. Most people I know either tend to pop in there when they just neer a few bits, or use it to top up their main weekly shop with some nice extras. There are 2 branches I regularly go to, neither of which is in a holiday area.

Also it sells perfectly ordinary everyday food, not 'fun stuff for holidays'. It just has some stuff that's a bit more gourmet/upmarket, and it stocks some products from local producers etc.

And fgs - less smart just because of being in the north of the country?