To think Waitrose is a rip off?

[RoxyMoosic]

I do often pop into my local Waitrose, namely because it is the closest supermarket to my house, and on my route home from work. However I don’t really see what it’s selling point is.

I tend to buy branded things, and these are almost always more expensive than the usual supermarkets, unless on offer which admittedly does make it worth a visit.

My local Waitrose is a former Somerfield, so it’s a convenience store layout trying to be a full blown supermarket. The aisles are too narrow, and it’s full of mums with big buggies and elderly people dawdling with trollies.

Theres almost always a queue at the checkout, again because there’s not enough room for a proper sized self checkout area.

The fresh produce and own brand items don’t seem to be noticeably nicer than say Sainsburys, whereas M&S is most certainly a cut above the regular supermarket.

If I want nice or ‘posh’ my go-to is M&S. I just don’t see why it seems to be so revered as the epitome of middle-classness. Seems to be a rip-off to me.

I like the experience of shopping there. Ours is lovely! However I find it very expensive and not sure the difference in quality warrants the massive difference in price. If I want to buy really high quality food I think M and S is much better. There I really notice a difference in quality.

I am one of the "elderly people dawdling with trollies"

I normally shop at Sainsbury's, Tesco's or Lidl but whenever I go into the distant parts of my city I love to have a look at either M&S or Waitrose and buy a few things I wouldn't normally buy. It's a bit of a treat for me to go to a different supermarket and I love looking for products which I can't get in my local supermarkets, hence the dawdling!

Sorry to have caused you issues . . . 🤔

My local Waitrose is lovely , I don't shop anywhere else

‘elderly people dawdling with trollies. ’

The horror! They should just stay at home and starve to death. As for the mothers with children in buggies, well, that’s worse, because their children will be cluttering up the aisles in a few years time.

Love Waitrose, we have a partnership card.

‘elderly people dawdling with trollies. ’
and I do my dawdling on a Saturday just to compound the crime 🤭!

Not my experience at all. I love our local Waitrose and the staff are always polite and helpful.

Shop somewhere different then.

I've been shopping at Waitrose for a good few months now as well as Lidl, Aldi, Tesco and Morrisons.

The nearest Waitrose may be going in 2025 as I believe the lease is up. The next nearest one is about 25 minutes away, so if I ever do go there I get my car valeted at the same time.

They are more expensive for a lot of things but I do love their staff, they are just so nice and their pork and mozzarella meatballs in tomato and pesto sauce are my favourite.

Ours is lovely. Not everything’s more expensive. Their fruit and veg is much better quality and keeps better so less waste. I shop at Aldi and Waitrose, flirt with Lidl for the WTF aisle. Asda and Tesco are dead to me.

If I've ever had a problem with things I've bought at Waitrose there had never been an issue in getting a refund, customer service (in mine) is great, staff are lovely and it's a really nice place to shop my only bugbear in the one I got to is performance parenting done loudly by one man and his three children and that's nothing to do with Waitrose the guys just a twat.

I find Waitrose is cheaper than my local coop. A much pleasanter experience too.

I like my local Waitrose and not just because it's only 5 minutes walk. Staff are always helpful, fresh stuff tends to last better. You can get soft fruit (e.g. gooseberries, blackcurrants,) which you often can't at other supermarkets. And back in the last millennium, the beef my father farmed was sold there. I like the business model with all staff being partners.

I usually go to big Sainsbury's for stuff like shampoo and washing powder. I might also go to M&S, Tesco, Morrison's or Lidl, and much more rarely to Aldi, Asda or Co-op - I used the Co-op quite often where I used to live, as there was one close. Proximity to home or routes to work or other activities plays quite a large part in my supermarket use.

I think Waitrose is a bit of a ripoff, for nothing special, so I use the usual supermarkets for bog standard stuff, and M&S for treats.🤷‍♀️

I was always being told not to dawdle as a child!
My 88 years old dad still thinks I'm dawdling if I stop to take a photo while on a walk!
Great word!
Sorry, didn't mean to go off at a tangent, @RoxyMoosic !

Our Waitrose is different to what you describe.

It's not compulsory to shop there. I assume you have alternatives.
If your local one isn't up to par, then simply go elsewhere if you prefer.

We have a fairly big M&S food shop. It's like a normal supermarket, though not as big as some. Has plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, etc.

Not just their ready meal options. Though really don't like this whole UPF mania that is currently rife in places like Mumsnet anyway.

If you don't want something, just don't have it. Let others do what they like without all the faux 'UPF concerns' that we see constantly right now.

Our Waitrose is lovely. I’ll pay extra for things just for the better and less jarring lighting alone! The staff are always better and a lot of the products aren’t really that expensive - but I don’t buy a lot of brands so perhaps that’s why.

Don't by the brands

You’ve done it now op, you can’t insult the shop of choice of all the very middle class mumsnetters like that! Some of the responses here are embarrassing!

Who are they embarrassing? not the posters who've said they like Waitrose and shop there, surely? nothing to be embarrassed about there.

Themselves. Someone called op a ‘miserable bloody fun sponge’ over a discussion about a supermarket. Someone else has decided she’s ‘airing her reverse snobbery.’ Such silly overreactions!

We only have a choice of Tesco, Aldi or Waitrose. I buy almost all my fresh stuff at Waitrose. Fresh stuff always seems to have a longer shelf life than the stuff in Tesco and is far better quality. For some things (eg farmhouse mature cheddar, bacon, fish), Waitrose Essentials is cheaper and nicer than Tesco's posher range .

For branded stuff, and things like bog roll, it's Tesco every time: cheaper by quite a bit, usually.

I freaking LOVE my local Waitrose. The staff are polite and lovely and it’s a newly built store so everything is clean and new. I returned my trolley to the trolley park yesterday and the man in his 60s working there said ‘thank you, that’s very kind! In my nearest Tesco you get some miserable cow on the checkout who is pained to even smile.

It is without a doubt more expensive but their produce is better. If you’re buying brands, it’s pretty pointless going there. Heinz Baked Beans, Kelloggs cereal, Birdseye fish fingers will all be inflated prices. But their meat and fruit and veg is nicer quality. I’d never buy stuff like loo roll or bleach there, I get all that from Aldi but their seasonal BBQ stuff and summer editions are delicious.

Yep.onion rings £1.50 more expensive than Iceland...please don't say quality. It's onion rings covered in batter/breadcrumbs!