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AIBU?

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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
Bluntness100 · 04/05/2021 16:03

@DanglingMod

Yep, glad you can see the funny side, OP.

£4.50 for Nutella? That's just not a Waitrose person type of food, so they can massively overcharge for it. You've been had Wink

Um what? She paid 4,65. For the same size in Asda it’s 4.75. How’s she been had?
Meruem · 04/05/2021 16:03

I get all my “basics” from Tesco’s but for anything “nice” I go to M&S or Waitrose.

For example I recently got a coffee & walnut cake from Tesco’s. It was ok. But dry and very little filling. The same type of cake from M&S, 10 times nicer. Ready meals from places like Tesco’s, pure slop most of the time. Whereas again Waitrose/M&S actually tastes nice. Ok not true of every single product, but in the main.

I only have myself to feed (well and the cats!) and my budget is reasonable so I don’t need to make large economical meals. It is totally about the quality. For some things it doesn’t matter, hence why I do a bulk shop at Tesco’s, but for some it definitely does.

HarebrightCedarmoon · 04/05/2021 16:03

I am somehow managing to spend £130 a week at Aldi at the moment. Ok it's a fiver for click and collect, and there are five of us- effectively five adults worth of stuff, not just food, and probably I've bought more from there because of click and collect being convenient, instead of topping up elsewhere, but it still sounds like a lot of money, at Aldi. Especially when we buy a lot of fresh veg and it's often like 30p.

mklanch · 04/05/2021 16:04

i love waitrose. you get what you pay for!
do you realise that tesco, asda, morrisons, sainsburys and iceland all get majority of their chicken from thailand! that they dont support british farmers.
thats why i pay more and shop at waitrose or m&s...if you plan your meals etc it ends up costing only a small amount more.

Confusedandshaken · 04/05/2021 16:04

It's a mystery to me. I buy a big shop at Waitrose online regularly. . It covers most meals for 2 adults WFH for a week including a couple of Charlie Bighams ready meals (which cost a fortune) and a couple of bottles of wine. I spend about £90 which I think is a lot but we eat well with fresh fish/meat and veg etc as well as frozen things.

I think when you shop at a different store to normal you need to be flexible. The chicken is particularly puzzling - it sounds hugely expensive. I wouldn't have paid that. You can buy a small free range chicken there for about the same or less than a fiver for a whole factory farmed one. Or 2 packs of ham for £4.00.

2 things I don't buy at Waitrose are fizzy drinks and crisps which IMO cost silly money there. And we don't eat cereal so I can't comment on that.

BeechTreeView · 04/05/2021 16:04

I really miss Waitrose, their range of food is better, the quality was good and most of all Sardine Picante...

I don’t understand Waitrose.
zurigirl · 04/05/2021 16:07

I do most of my shopping at Waitrose at the moment, mainly because it's within walking distance and my partner and I don't have a car. (Where we lived previously we did most of our shopping at Lidl for the same reason, except when we needed specific ingredients that they didn't sell.)

Bearing in mind that I'm plant-based and like to cook whole foods from scratch wherever possible:

  • Since we don't buy meat I think that keeps the costs down (meat alternatives can be expensive but we see those as an occasional treat, would usually stick to lentils etc. which are really cheap wherever you shop)
  • We also deliberately go shopping fairly late in the day when fruit, veg, bread etc. has been put in the reduced section, plus I'll look online to see what's on offer, stock up on long-life plant milks while they're on 3 for 2 and that sort of thing
  • Waitrose has a large vegan section, dairy-free ice creams etc. for when we do want those, and also a fairly good Asian offering considering no Asian supermarket nearby

Occasionally there's something we can't find, but most of the time we're able to get everything we need in the one shop, which is pretty handy. I was also pretty impressed by how they managed Covid measures - whenever I did manage to get to Morrisons which is further away I felt much less safe in comparison.

Bimblybomeyelash · 04/05/2021 16:07

I pop in for a few bits occasionally as they stock things like gouchang paste! But I only ever get a bags worth. I don’t do a ‘big shop there’. Their ready meals are really nice, I sometimes get their curry’s instead of having a take away. If I had more money, or less time to cook, I’d probably shop there weekly are their convenience food are much nicer.

snowcobra · 04/05/2021 16:09

Sounds like a fair price for four bags of shopping?
I quite like Waitrose, it's local to me and has a very wide range of vegan/veggie options (compared to other stores).

bananapumpkin · 04/05/2021 16:09

It depends what you would normally buy at the other supermarkets. As others have said, Waitrose own brand is good quality, whereas I would mainly buy Tesco Finest or Sainsbury's Taste the Difference if I shopped there, so it isn't any more expensive.

BarbaraofSeville · 04/05/2021 16:10

Our Waitrose has an Aldi opposite. I often go and get a trolley full in Aldi and then spend a similar amount on a small carrier bag of nice bits in Waitrose.

And that’s with me only buying things on special offer, having a voucher that they send to encourage me to shop there, and ignoring –most—all of the ridiculously priced items like £38 a kilo cheese etc. YANBU.

LovingBob · 04/05/2021 16:11

I shop at Waitrose because the floor is clean, other supermarkets floors are often filthy, it isn't crowded, they clean the trolleys, etc. It isn't all about price you know

eurochick · 04/05/2021 16:13

I started shopping there when I lived on the Isle of Dogs. When I first moved there, there was only a giant Asda. It was a soul destroying shopping experience and I hated the people on the tills yelling over my head in a language I didn't speak (a regular occurrence). It was incredibly rude and unwelcoming. When Waitrose opened it genuinely improved my week and I have been loyal ever since, despite moving area. Plus I like eating nice quality food, and most Waitrose food is a notch above that in other supermarkets.

Babysharkdoodoodood · 04/05/2021 16:13

Don't know if it's been mentioned , but Morrison's do the Gochujang paste

JudgeJ · 04/05/2021 16:13

@5zeds

They sell the best sushi AND apricot tarts. I’m hungry.
And let's not forget their cinnamon buns!
LovingBob · 04/05/2021 16:15

The fresh food is also better at Waitrose, I get an online shop from Tesco of the branded stuff and milk each week which is the same everywhere and Tesco online is a very good service but I have found the fresh food better at Waitrose and M&S and don't mind paying extra.

JuicyMcJuiceFace · 04/05/2021 16:15

You'd hate me OP. I spend £200 a week in there! It's not a snobbery thing.. I can afford it and I like the food

nancywhitehead · 04/05/2021 16:16

You've got a lot of meat on that list and dairy stuff, which generally aren't cheap.

Everyone knows Waitrose isn't the cheapest option but the food is (generally) better quality and it's a less stressful shopping experience than most other supermarkets.

I don't know if that's snobby or just paying for something you want if you prioritise quality food and a low stress shop?

Grandbisou · 04/05/2021 16:16

Quality food that I trust is all really. Feel the same with m&s. I’ve had some manky food from other supermarkets and wouldn’t buy meat there but happy to get veg and fruit or other bits.

BingBunnyIsAnnoying · 04/05/2021 16:18

Ppl that shop at Waitrose like to tell ppl they shop at Waitrose

lazylinguist · 04/05/2021 16:18

They've just closed my nearest Booths, it was a sad day

Sad I periodically hear rumours about them closing my nearest one too.

DanglingMod · 04/05/2021 16:18

Just because Nutella is nasty and you can get better quality, healthier chocolate spread cheaper. Waitrose own brand is £1.50 for half that sized jar, so £3 for the same as the Nutella. Other, healthier brands are also cheaper. I don't buy Nutella so no idea what it costs in Asda or elsewhere.

Maddy456 · 04/05/2021 16:19

The quality at Waitrose and M&S is much better than the other supermarkets. Agree it’s much more expensive though 😑

JudgeJ · 04/05/2021 16:19

@Mrsjayy

Didn't you think that's a bit steep and put your £7 chicken down and just buy your fancy chilli paste? Everybody knows Waitrose is a tad more expensive it took you a trolly worth to realise that🙄
I can't understand how someone can be shocked at the checkout, surely it's simple to keep a rough running total. My late mother knew within about 10p what she spent, got really annoyed that I wasn't as precise.
TupilaLilium · 04/05/2021 16:20

I prefer the quality of the fruit, veg, and meat from Waitrose to Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl. (M&S also good)

Once I am there it is easier to do the rest of the shop. I absolutely hate or local morrisons to shop in and the tesco extra is just too big.

When I had more time I did a waitrose/M&S shop and a tesco delivery for basics. I lost the habit in the past year when it was sensible to just do one shop.

We still hardly spend any money post-lockdown, and a bit of extra money on food seems like a nice way to live. It isn't snobbery, it is convenience. But it is a bit silly.