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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Waitrose is an obscene rip-off

198 replies

SomeGuy · 07/09/2009 15:09

I know they have lovely food, and you have to pay more for better-quality meat, etc., but surely there is no excuse for this:

Lindemans Framboise 375ml (raspberry beer)
Asda price: £1.64
Waitrose price: £2.19

Chimay bleu (trappist beer)
Asda price: £1.74
Waitrose price: £2.39

These are just bottles on a shelf.

Similarly canned food:

Heinz Spaghetti bolognese 400g
Asda 70p
Waitrose 98p

Toilet paper:

Andrex toilet quilts 9
Asda £4.76
Waitrose £5.35

and I could go on.

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 07/09/2009 20:28

Raspberry beer?!

I stopped right there.

Even in my hard-drinking days, BOAK at the thought of that!

We don't have a Waitrose but there was one near enough to our old home in Edinburgh and I used to like to go in there from time to time and buy sundries.

Oh, and flowers! They always had lovely flowers!

LovelyTinOfSpam · 07/09/2009 20:29

raspberry beer is alcopops for older males. IME.

expatinscotland · 07/09/2009 20:34

I didn't even know there was such a thing, Lovely! I didn't know you could do that to perfectly good beer and then call it a beverage.

I loved the salads in Waitrose. And the seafood. Om nom nom!

I would take the girls into the bath section and we'd sniff everything.

Ooooo. Even the Waitrose own brand bath smellies are grand!

DD1 aspires to see her grandparents in Edinburgh and buy all her 'smellies' from there.

We'd use all the lotion testers, too.

Oh, and they sold Price's candles in there.

Good stuff indeed.

I heart Waitrose.

If I could afford to shop there and there was one near, I'd happily be ripped off for the privilege.

josette · 07/09/2009 20:36

Usually shop at Sainsburys but Waitrose in Lichfield is my 'Tiffanys'. When you are feeling the mean reds, to linger in the aisles makes me feel that everything is all right with the world. They also have a little John Lewis coffee shop in there.

Where as Asda makes me hate the world and everyone in it and that the human race is going to hell in a hand cart and pretty much deserves it. But they are cheap on loo roll/ kitchen roll etc

ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 07/09/2009 20:40

Who says you can't see celebs in asda? I saw super hans in mine!

expatinscotland · 07/09/2009 20:41

See, the trick to shopping in ASDA is to do it at 11PM.

At any other time it borders on the intolerable.

ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 07/09/2009 20:41

superhans

Original poster
SomeGuy · 07/09/2009 20:44

Raspberry beer is lambic beer, which is produced using spontaneous fermentation from wild yeasts and bacteria. This produces a very sour beer, which is tempered by the sweetness of the fruit, traditionally sour cherries, but more recently raspberries.

It is nothing like alcopops!

OP posts:
misspollysdolly · 07/09/2009 20:48

I love Waitrose but I always feel a bit out of place when I shop there - esp if I am forced to take all three of my kids - we always look like the Beano has invaded!! Still, it is my favourite place to shop and funnily enough I often do not spend any more than if I shop at Tesco or Sainsburys. I may well buy a little less, but I buy a lot more selctively and get nice quality meat, fish and veg. If you time it right their stickered 'almost out of date' reductions are the best ever!

expatinscotland · 07/09/2009 20:51

It sounds like something I'd use to unblock the drain, SomeGuy.

Jazzicatz · 07/09/2009 20:56

Scoobius - there is a Waitrose in Saltash!

Original poster
SomeGuy · 07/09/2009 20:59

Devon is practically like living in Poland anyway.

OP posts:
Ronaldinhio · 07/09/2009 21:01

yabu

waitrose is lovely

LovelyTinOfSpam · 07/09/2009 21:06

ROFL. I have drunk it many times in poncy specialist beer type pubs. It is alcopops for middle aged men. Sorry.

You want to get some of this down you. It is delicious, although a touch strong.

ilovemydogandmrobama · 07/09/2009 21:14

Love raspberry beer. And cherry beer

Drew the line at banana beer . That was really weird.

Original poster
SomeGuy · 07/09/2009 21:15

I've drank that many times - why do you think I mentioned the Chimay Bleu (which is stronger)?

I harbour ambitions of doing a pilgrimage to the Westvleteren monastery to pick up crates of their stuff, which is supposed to be the best beer in the world, as the monks are too pious to make more than enough to maintain their monastery, so you can't get it anywhere else

For the time being I'll stick with Chimay Bleu, which is the best beer you can find in British supermarkets.

Although I do pick up a case or two from here:

www.beermerchants.com/A1040

The Rochefort 10 is particularly good.

OP posts:
Original poster
SomeGuy · 07/09/2009 21:16

Fruli, which is strawberry beer, is not bad, although not one of the best. The Cassis is also worth trying.

OP posts:
ilovemydogandmrobama · 07/09/2009 21:36

Thanks for tip Someguy. DP loves Rochefort 10.

scaryteacher · 07/09/2009 22:06

Scroobiuspirate - Okehampton has a relatively large Waitrose which always seems quiet. Should you venture over the border, then Saltash also has a Waitrose, which has been extended and now has a cafe.

I love Waitrose. I live in Brussels, and the first shop I want to go in when I go back to UK is Waitrose, as it is fab.

LovelyTinOfSpam · 07/09/2009 22:10

Oooh fruli...

That twatrose cider is very nice though, and excellent value.

scaryteacher · 07/09/2009 22:15

Kriek is fab beer (Liefmanns being the best), and I really like the Blue Leffe and the Radius(?) as well. Had a gueze with grenadine one day which was interesting. I do miss Old speckled Hen and the Shepard Neame beers being here though.

Someguy - living in Devon is nearly as good as living in Cornwall (as long as you are Tavistock and Dartmoor way).

lisianthus · 08/09/2009 08:11

I tend to find the Belgian fruit beers a bit sweet (although DH loves them and they are nice in summer). However Waitrose and Ocado also have a great selection of bottled English ales and bitters, such as the Meantime beers (not the coffee one, unfortunately). We are currently trying out a different one each week. This week we tried a Hook Norton beer, which I thought was pretty good.

Eve4Walle · 08/09/2009 08:24

The only really decent thing Waitrose sell is theIr Baby Bottom Butter, which really is the best thing ever for nappy rash.

Sainsburys is perfectly acceptable. Besides, we don't have a Waitrose in our town, it's considered too 'chav' which is why the Asda here is so huge and always heaving. Best avoided IMO.

gagamama · 08/09/2009 10:10

Waitrose and Asda are my two favourite supermarkets! You have to time it right though. Waitrose needs to be visted about 7pm. My DP used to work there and this is when they mark everything down to stupid prices, especially the Deli, meat and bakery sections. Cakes for 20p, pack of chicken wings for 70p, a generous helping of chorizo for 80p, that kind of thing. Needs eating sharpish, but it's good stuff. Supplemented with some other purchases to avoid the time/cost of having to go somewhere else, it is cheap and good value. Steer clear of non-food items though.

Asda is fantastic for things which cost £1 or those bizarre offers where buying three items is cheaper than buying one or two. Again, you have to time this right, and first thing in the morning is best - it will be quiet and well-stocked.

Tesco and Sainsbury's are a total farce, IMO. Rubbish offers (2 for £3 instead of £1 each in Asda, for example) and very variable quality. These are the truly overpriced, awful supermarkets, IMO.

OrmIrian · 08/09/2009 11:16

I have to admit that I have no problem with Asda. You have to pick and choose what you buy I suppose. And the staff at ours are so lovely. I buy meat from a butcher in the next village now - really good - and atm am being supplied with lovely home-grown veg and fruit