Waitrose

[Dumdidums]

What are your thoughts on shopping there. It's the only supermarket with a black female ceo who is retiring but compared with the other supermarkets there don't seem to be many black female shoppers in it.

Waitrose is a really nice place to shop but can be expensive. Their niche is rare or obscure ingredients but going there for a routine shop can be expensive. I’ve shopped there for many years and it would be where I would find things like mirin, palm sugar, gochugang, miso, sushi ginger, wild rice mixes, sushi rice, oxtail and beef short ribs - I’ve noticed now other supermarkets now offer many of these things these days. Their Essentials range is good but other own brands are better. However I would encourage all to go - the staff (at least in my local Waitrose) are always friendly and helpful to me.

(Also M&S is a great place to food shop for similar reasons - fruit and veg in M&S is top notch)

Hi OP.

I find your OP really weird. I'm mixed race. Why would it matter if the CEO of Lidl was too? It doesn't make it better/worse. I shop there like everyone else because of the products and the low prices.

I use a combo of Lidl, Aldi and Waitrose. And absolutely no recollection whether the people there look like me or not. Or find any relevance in the colour of the CEO. Because I'm simply buying food. As is everyone else. Why would that even be a consideration? Use whatever supermarket you want because you like the products. Because it's the closest one too you. Because you like the layout. Or don't. Choose what you like.

Marks and Sparks is my personal preference, but my nearest one is 15 miles away. So whilst their products are lovely, the 30 mile round trip isn't.

I do most of my shopping in Sainsburys, and M&S, as they are the stores that I prefer to shop in. There is a Waitrose where I live, but it is not as near as the other stores. When I have been there, the ambience is really nice, and calm. Their prices are rather high, but their fish counter is superb.🦞🐟

I am a regular at my local Waitrose and plenty black woman shop there. I’m not sure if there was something deeper to the question. However, it all comes down to personal preference. I love Waitrose as well as M&S and Sainsbury’s. But, Waitrose is my closest supermarket.

What are your thoughts on shopping there OP?

@CurlyKD - the OP has disappeared having made an observation and inviting people’s thoughts.

Is that what she was suggesting?

You mean black people, I take it.

I was suggesting that out of all the major supermarkets waitrose is the one in which i see the least black people in which is odd considering it was run by a black woman. I get the feeling it has a lower market share compared with other supermarkets and perhaps if they targeted black people more then they would increase their share of the market

Who are these 'Blacks' you speak of? Is that from the Reform manual? Or are you a paid actor?

What do you think your Waitrose is missing OP that would attract more black shoppers?

In my experience people choose their major supermarket based on:

1. Budget
2. Quality
3. Locality
4. Product Range (esp if specific)

… in whatever order is a priority for them. I can see why you might choose or ignore a local or speciality store based on your background but not one of this size.

Waitrose is a business that was managed by a black woman, not owned by it. So it's not where people would head to support black businesses in my opinion. Their stores also don't tend to be in the most ethnically diverse areas. I like it and do shop in there but never for a full shop. In part because of the selection ,its like a nicer Sainsburys in that respect, in part price. Although it isn't always more expensive. The areas near me with the highest density of black people are serviced by Asda Tescos, Aldi, Poundland/B&M type shops and lots of independent where you can get normal food or products you can't get in the larger supermarkets or at a more reasonable price. These independent stores are not also not typically owned by black people either not even the hair shops. There are black owned businesses' groups on Facebook which does make it easier to support them.

I only buy my hair care supplies from black owned businesses, although I know that this thread is not about that. I support black owned as much as I am able to.

This sounds very much like someone attempting market research on "Where Black Women Shop", and doing it very badly.

1. Sharon White was not CEO of Waitrose, she was Chairperson of John Lewis Partnership, of which Waitrose is about 50%.

1. Chairperson brings ideas at a strategic level, CEO executes them.

1. Her 5 years at JLP exemplifies the "glass cliff effect" that women/people of colour are often set up for; she had absolutely no experience of retail/FMCG, and she had been a lifelong civil servant and economist. Her day job immediately prior to JLP was as CEO at Ofcom

I adore Waitrose, have for donkeys now.
Fair point not a lot of black people. I had no idea about the CEO.

They had an advert on instagram with a black couple and we absolutely loved it. Lots of racist comments on it but made no difference, seeing us represented there was lovely.

Unless you are doing MR, I find this a really peculiar question to ask, OP.

But I will begin by asking you why YOU think shoppers (who happen to be black) don't shop there?