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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Rate the shops: posh or not

333 replies

Codswallop20 · 25/03/2021 23:35

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.

OP posts:
SilverBirchWithout · 26/03/2021 02:00

Waitrose is definitely posher than M&S. M&S is just catering to a ready meal and lunch market for people who want an alternative to a take away or meal out. Sort of an upmarket Iceland really.

mrschocolatte · 26/03/2021 02:36

I’ve always been slightly confused by Budgens. When I moved to London in the 90s there were loads of them in ‘nicer areas’ of London like Finchley. So I thought they were pretty posh. But having shopped there they certainly didn’t feel posh. More like a Coop.
I love Booths! There aren’t any in the South so I buy all their stuff online from Amazon Fresh, along with bits from Morrison’. I like I can do a mix and match of bits and get that all in one weekly online shop.

avamiah · 26/03/2021 02:56

I love Waitrose and then any of the rest can follow.
I used to love M&S but to be honest their packaging looks amazing but their food isn’t that great anymore .
I stopped ordering from them a few years ago when I went to collect my Christmas order and half of my order wasn’t there as they had substituted many of my main items ( king prawns , half lobster , whole dressed crab for totally different items and never told me before collection.
Yes getting a refund is not a problem and they are very sorry and give you a complimentary voucher or credit but that doesn’t do much on Christmas Eve .

KingdomScrolls · 26/03/2021 06:15

Waitrose
M&S
Tesco
Sainsbury's (would be higher but ours has very aggressive known crack users demanding money when you exit)
Morrisons (not one very local to me and only seen to be in quite deprived towns around here)
Asda
Aldi
Lidl (depends which one I go to, brand new one is actually very nice and has a good bakery, the one in the rough part of town I went to the first week we moved here and someone tried to take my purse out of my handbag while I was queueing)

RingtheBells · 26/03/2021 06:24

I would say that M&S and Waitrose are equal, likewise so are Aldi and Lidl

Fatladyslim · 26/03/2021 06:42

I think Iceland is the a really expensive supermarket! Nothing is really under £3, you can pick the same up in M&S for the same pice or less. The ham is the same cost in both shops.

Not posh but def expensive!

sandgrown · 26/03/2021 06:52

I think pricing may depend on the area . Iceland is very reasonably priced where I live and has a surprisingly good range of frozen and fresh food. Probably should be higher up the list. I also have 3 Booths nearby and though lovely they are too expensive for the full weekly shop.

OpusAnglicanum · 26/03/2021 06:54

Harrods is more "designer" than truly posh

Harrods is a tacky tourist shop and not posh at all. I don’t know anyone who actually shops there any more.

So there.

Donotgogentle · 26/03/2021 06:59

Morrisons has trained fishmongers in store and great fish, I’d rate it higher then pp.

I’ve had to ban DH from Planet Organic, it’s completely ruinous in there.

newmumwithquestions · 26/03/2021 07:00

I think Lidl needs promoted. Free range meat and lots of MSC fish in there now. Plus fresh herbs, and their nut and seed collection is good. I go to Lidl and Waitrose though so I don’t know what that says about me. With occasional Tesco’s as Waitrose always has a queue at the moment. I think our Tesco’s is less posh than Lidl!

But also I have just realised that I need to navigate on our way to the lakes this summer. Then I can accidentally sneak in a Booths stop off. I haven’t been but am intrigued. My excitement about this has made me realise I need more in my life.

aintnocoffeebigenough · 26/03/2021 07:00

Love this thread Grin

Me and DP have previously debated the ranking of smaller, local shops.

I think Londis is bottom of the barrel. Spar is usually quite nice round these ends and more expensive. Nisa seems to have undergone a massive transformation and now they’re all refurbished and new and fancy.

Not sure about where I’d place One Stop - thoughts?

hellcatspangle · 26/03/2021 07:03

Booths is lovely and I was really surprised at the reasonable prices!

Mummadeze · 26/03/2021 07:08

Poundland and corner shops
Iceland
Aldi and Lidl
Morrison’s and Co-op
Asda
Tesco
Sainsburys
Marks and Spencer
Waitrose

felulageller · 26/03/2021 07:09

I can never even tell Aldi and Lidl apart. Is there really any difference between them?

My 'hierarchy' would be:
Aldi/Lidl
Farmfoods
Iceland
Asda
Morrisons
Tesco
Co op
Sainsbury's
M&S
Waitrose
The old wholefoods which I miss for special occasions!

MizMoonshine · 26/03/2021 07:22

Farmfoods
Iceland
Lidl
Aldi
Tesco
Morrisons
ASDA
Sainsbury's
Marks and Spencer
Waitrose

Although I most often get my shopping from ASDA because it's convenient. I prefer M&S and Aldi.

Tesco I have long viewed as a dirty shop. Always grubby no matter which one it is.

Literallynoidea · 26/03/2021 07:31

Harrods is not posh. It's Arabs who live locally and tourists.

Also and Lidl are posher than Morrison's.

BarbaraofSeville · 26/03/2021 07:33

Booths is definitely posher than Waitrose.

As well as poshness, you could probably draw a graph of food quality and variety (because that's what actually matters) vs price.

Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl would be above the line, ie the food is better than the price would suggest, but Tesco and Co-op would be below the line, as in it's expensive for (often) crap quality. Agree about Morrisons being the best for fish, and even more so now that they've bought a Cornish supplier that is facing Brexit related struggles that they probably voted for. They had razor clams and octopus in last time I was there.

My personal bugbear with the Co-op is that, while they shout about all their 'fair trade, local, animal welfare' credentials, our local one only sells crappy water filled imported bacon, which puts a downer on the weekend 'stagger to the nearest shop for an impromptu fry up' thought.

Iceland is a curious mix of very cheap and quite expensive, but sell an awful lot more than frozen pizza. Also has a good selection of frozen fish.

Best thing to do is mix it up, vary where you go and cherry pick what you like/what you can afford from where. I shop at just about every shop that's been mentioned, and stock up every few weeks, rather than buy the same things from the same shop each week.

LadyCatStark · 26/03/2021 07:40

@Codswallop20 we have 3 local Booths [preens].

Our local posh town has Aldi, Sainsburys and Booths so they must be considered acceptable in terms of poshness (I saw a man in full shooting gear in Aldi a few weeks ago 😂)

BonnieDundee · 26/03/2021 07:41

I always thought sainsburys was posher than Tesco?

Linguaphile · 26/03/2021 07:45

Lidl isn’t posh, but I know several well-off people who do the bulk of their shop there because they get decent food for a bargain. The people I know who wouldn’t be caught dead in a Lidl or Aldi are actually nearer the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum (or they are first generation money) who put a lot of importance on buying brands and/or being able to shop in the ‘right’ supermarket. So, for that reason, I think Lidl and Aldi are a bit of an anomaly in the ranking system. Certainly near the bottom in terms of price and shopping experience, but different clientele to say Morrison’s or Asda because they don’t do the branded food that some people want to be seen buying.

Personally, I think Lidl is great for doing the weekly shop when supplemented by Waitrose/Whole Foods/Ocado for the nicer or more niche bits. They obviously vary on a shop to shop basis, and sometimes the local Aldi is better, but our Lidl has a bakery, an organic section, fresh herbs, and locally sourced free range meat/eggs.

LemonRoses · 26/03/2021 07:46

Local shops aren’t on the list. Places like Goodwood farm shop and Sharphams are definitely nicer than supermarkets.
Getting it from the farm down the road and through local ‘exchange of excess’ is best. We haven’t paid for eggs for years. We don’t buy much veg or fruit in summer/autumn and we grow our own pork.A local surgeon uses one pig to make sausages and cure hams that are shared around.. Lamb gets dropped off and the fish man brings locally caught fish and seafood around in his refrigerated van. Venison is road kill divided up by the surgeon if anyone drops off a carcass. Pheasant is freely available.
Just need the local bakery, if you don’t make your own bread.

Marks and Spencer’s is mainly prepackaged items. Fortnum’s is nice for gifts. Rod’s is fun for a shop, when in town, but you’re not comparing like with like.

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?

The rest is really down to the housekeepers choice and convenience.

IcyApril · 26/03/2021 07:47

Iceland/farm food
Lidl
Morrison’s/coop/Asda
Aldi
Tesco
Sainsbury
Marks and Spencer
Waitrose
Harrods/F&M/Selfridges food hall

cravingthelook · 26/03/2021 07:51

I think the foods in Aldi and Lidl are of better quality sometimes than any of the other supermarkets... I've vowed to never got back to Tesco. Last few trips put me right off. I use Morrison's for anything I can't get in Aldi or Lidl

Shivermetimbers0112 · 26/03/2021 07:54

I do a weekly shop at Lidl, top up in Sainsbury's. Saving huge amounts and absolutely no issue with the quality of food etc. Interesting points above re aspiration etc. I'm a very high earner but don't feel the need to be seen to shop in a particular place, and distinctly uninterested in brands. I drive a Skoda too - why not?

Tigerchips · 26/03/2021 07:55

Booths is posher than Waitrose.

Your Lidl must be shit.

What about bargain booze? Grin

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