Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I don’t understand Waitrose.

630 replies

JensonsAcolyte · 04/05/2021 14:40

I just went to the big Waitrose because they stock gochujang paste. I thought I may as well get a few bits, chicken, cereal, crisps, pasta etc. All the sort of stuff that isn’t dinners but filler food.

£90!

For four bags of shopping.

And it didn’t feel special or posh or magical or anything.

Why do people shop there? Is it actually a snobbery thing? We have a Sainsburys, Tesco and Lidl within a mile or so radius as well.

The only thing it had going for it for me was the aforementioned chilli paste that I couldn’t get in Tesco. But other than the Ingredients range, the other ranges they offer aren’t very wide.

Will anyone admit that they shop there out of snobbery/classism? Grin

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
MrsJBaptiste · 04/05/2021 15:37

We haven't got a Waitrose near here so I can't comment on their prices but I always notice how much more expensive Sainsburys is than Tesco which is more expensive than Asda.

However the shopping experience at Sainsburys is so much nicer - wider aisles, quieter, less families mooching around together - so I tend to go once a week for the weekend treats top up shop.

Probably the worst time to go really as I buy far too much beer and wine which is loads more expensive than other supermarkets but then I don't dread going there as much as when doing the weekly Asda shop!

AMillionMilesAway · 04/05/2021 15:37

I don't have a Waitrose near me, so never been in one, but I do think M+S/Waitrose are seen as "better"/"above" other supermarkets (by some people, not all!)

honeyytoast · 04/05/2021 15:38

I’m a student and I mainly go to Waitrose because it’s only down the road - I’d have to travel for another shop. But I don’t really buy a lot of groceries, no meat etc and I only buy for myself so I don’t notice a big difference to other shops.

LeilaLiesLow · 04/05/2021 15:38

@JensonsAcolyte

I just went to the big Waitrose because they stock gochujang paste. I thought I may as well get a few bits, chicken, cereal, crisps, pasta etc. All the sort of stuff that isn’t dinners but filler food.

£90!

For four bags of shopping.

And it didn’t feel special or posh or magical or anything.

Why do people shop there? Is it actually a snobbery thing? We have a Sainsburys, Tesco and Lidl within a mile or so radius as well.

The only thing it had going for it for me was the aforementioned chilli paste that I couldn’t get in Tesco. But other than the Ingredients range, the other ranges they offer aren’t very wide.

Will anyone admit that they shop there out of snobbery/classism? Grin

Was that chicken free range or organic? And how does it compare with Sains and Tesco?

I think your post is unfair unless you are willing to itemise all you bought, with either brand names or products, and compare with the same from Tesco.

Maybe do that?

WellLarDeDar · 04/05/2021 15:38

I honestly dont get Waitrose either. I do most of my food shop in Sainsburys and get a few regular items. The times that I have nipped in to Waitrose (as it's closer to me) to get the exact same item (including brand!) it's always a couple of quid more expensive for literally no reason I can fathom. So annoying, feels like I'm just paying extra to be in a Waitrose.

Toilenstripes · 04/05/2021 15:38

I shop at Waitrose occasionally but I will be damned if I’m going to justify myself for fear of being thought a snob.

lazylinguist · 04/05/2021 15:40

I don't have a Booths near me as I am in the south but tried one when I visited the lake district on the back of Mumsnet praising its merits but was hugely disappointed. We bought some cake that was dry and there wasn't a great choice of ingredients. I think Waitrose is better personally.

I guess you were unlucky. I probably go to Booths twice a week, and my nearest one is only a little branch. It's full of lovely stuff, including very good cakes.

TonTonMacoute · 04/05/2021 15:40

I live in Cornwall and have a Waitrose quite near. I do think the quality of a lot of things that I buy is better than Tesco or Lidl. This is not true of everything, just the things I buy. If that makes me a snob, so be it. FWIW I would never pay £7 for 2 packs of sliced chicken when I can buy a whole chicken for £8-9!

However, I have noticed that it's impossible to spend less than £90 whenever I go, I nearly always get tempted to buy more than is on my list.

We also have a very good local food hub, most of it locally sourced - fresh vegetables, fish, meat, breads, cakes, eggs, dairy absolutely everything I need. Order online and collect on Friday afternoon.

The individual items are more expensive than in the supermarket (£22 for a chicken anyone?) but the only time I have spent more than £90 on a weeks shop was at Christmas when I got the goose. I usually spend between £40-£70 for a whole week's shop.

Supermarkets are very, very good at parting us from our money! I realise that not everyone has this option available to them.

Anjo2011 · 04/05/2021 15:40

I used Waitrose delivery through lockdown as they were the only supermarket that I could get a slot with. Have continued to shop with them. Great selection of products, good own brand essentials ranges and other more unusual items if that’s what you are after. I’m not mad keen on the fruit and veg, it’s not the freshest tbh. I tend to use the local market for these items. Yes it can be expensive but doesn’t have to be if you choose carefully.

Troublewaters2021 · 04/05/2021 15:40

I am a totals Waitrose snob I just find I nicer to shop in than our local Asda 😂 the aisles seem bigger and it’s just nice way to shop compared in my opinion.

Original poster
JensonsAcolyte · 04/05/2021 15:41

Anyway I’ve eaten half some of the Port Salut cheese now and I think I was probably hangry and grumpy and didn’t soak in the ambience enough or something.

OP posts:
ssd · 04/05/2021 15:42

@blobblob

We can't comment because we don't know what you bought. £90 might be reasonable. I shop there because:
  • they treat their staff better
  • they treat their suppliers better
  • their food is generally much better quality - and I don't want to eat rubbish, cheap food
  • they support charities that I support
  • their staff are properly trained and pleasant and polite

I have done cheaper shops before and I feel hard done by because the food's not as nice or I know the supplier's been screwed over or the chickens have lived miserable lives etc etc

You think people shop there for snobbish reasons. Really - why on earth would they?? I'm sick of people moaning and virtue signalling about what they think should happen but supporting businesses that make it less likely.

Why do you say they treat the staff better??
21Flora · 04/05/2021 15:43

@ssd it is employee owned so staff are treated well and usually get quite large bonuses

SofiaMichelle · 04/05/2021 15:43

I don't think a lot of that list is cheaper elsewhere really, is it?

Looking at some of the expensive items, the Itsu Bao buns and Gyoza are exactly the same price at Tesco, Sainsbury's and Ocado.

The Anchor spreadable is £1 cheaper at Waitrose than at Tesco and Asda!

underneaththeash · 04/05/2021 15:44

I don’t find it much more expensive than Sainsbury’s (meat is more expensive IMO) and the fresh bread is much nicer. The fish range is excellent, too. I wouldn’t buy sliced chicken though.
I find Aldi pointless, I can never get even half the things I need and it’s not a pleasant experience.

Jaxhog · 04/05/2021 15:45

I've been shopping online for the past year, alternating between Sainsbury and Waitrose (depending on slots). If you buy Waitrose essential and use their 3 for 10 pounds meat and fish offer, it's actually cheaper than Sainsbury! Sainsbury steak is better though.

2morecats · 04/05/2021 15:47

Some people only have Waitrose as an option, that’s why.

For instance, the three nearest supermarkets to me are all Waitrose and, importantly, all have car parks. There is also a Sainsbury’s in Putney, but no parking. A small Aldi has just opened in Putney. I’ve never been in Aldi so will have a look.

I just think they’re all much of a muchness really. I possibly find M&S slightly more expensive than others, but Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s etc are all the same.

Badyboo · 04/05/2021 15:47

Sous Chef is a good site for gochujang and other such goodies if you can't get to an Asian supermarket. Not an ad, I promise!

Original poster
JensonsAcolyte · 04/05/2021 15:48

@Badyboo

Sous Chef is a good site for gochujang and other such goodies if you can't get to an Asian supermarket. Not an ad, I promise!
Thank you! I’ll have a look for next time.
OP posts:
tinytemper66 · 04/05/2021 15:48

@JensonsAcolyte

No, lunches. Sliced chicken. Cost me £7 for two packs! Seven English pounds Shock
English?
WellTidy · 04/05/2021 15:48

I love waitrose. The quality of fruit and veg in my local one is way better than any of the other supermarkets (save for my local M&S). The best before dates, at least on the days that I shop, are always excellent too. We eat a lot of soft fruit (dietary needs) and theirs is much, much better.

There are lots of things that I really rate there. It is also a more relaxed shopping experience, as the store is smaller but seems more spacious, and the stock levels are reliable. No tannoy announcements. And I get a free newspaper. It all helps!

But I alternate a Waitrose shop with a Sainsbury’s online delivery, and spend more overall in Sainsbury’s than in Waitrose.

lazylinguist · 04/05/2021 15:48

I am a totals Waitrose snob I just find I nicer to shop in than our local Asda

Oh it definitely is nicer to shop in. I'm just not willing to pay a third more for my shopping every week just in order to be able to enjoy a momentary thought of "Oh this is quite nice" while filling my trolley. Grin It seems like a ludicrously high premium to pay for a brief, small aesthetic advantage. I mean... it's still just a supermarket, it's not exactly Fortnum & Mason!

billybagpuss · 04/05/2021 15:49

It does look like you didn’t look at the offers, the chicken fillets are usually on the 3 for a tenner options. I did a weeks shop there this morning for £65,

I shop there because I like my vegetables to be fresh and last more than 24 hours.

Cassilis · 04/05/2021 15:50

Waitrose is twice as far away as Tesco and Asda so we rarely go there for a weekly shop.

We do go there for a treat. No one else seems to do do Pistachio ice cream.

I do have a Waitrose near me at work so used to pop in for yellow sticker bargains.

Branleuse · 04/05/2021 15:50

I love waitrose, but I have to be careful because far too easy to spend a fortune on posh cheeses, expensive yoghurts etc.
Theres a bread I like from there and sometimes i just nip in to get a couple of loaves and suddenly ive spent £60.
Its the same in sainsburies though

Swipe left for the next trending thread