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If all of the supermarket chains in the UK except for Aldi and Lidl disappeared, would you care?

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175mph

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Morrisons used to be a firm favorite with my grandparents, and occasionally they still do go to Morrisons for some of their food shopping, but do most of their shopping for food at Aldi. They said to me they wouldn't really care if ever all the traditional supermarket chains disappeared leaving us with just Aldi and Lidl.
 
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Xenophon PCDGS

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That would leave those two companies with no competition and who is to say that finding themselves in such a situation, especially if Britain had left its membership of the EU, they would not become totally different organizations in marketing to what they are at present.
 

krus_aragon

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With two members of my family having an intolerance to cows' milk, I have to say yes. Aldi and Lidl don't carry any soy or goats' milk-based products that I've seen.

(We shop at Aldi regularly, but have to combine it with a visit to another supermarket.)
 

yorksrob

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Yes. In spite of how everyone raves about them, I don't find the choice to be anywhere as good as Sainsbury's.
 

yorksrob

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That's the whole point - they carry a limited range which makes it cheaper for them and so cheaper for us.

But for that reason, we need others too.

Yes indeed. I like the choice. And sainsbury does some very good cheap products in its 'basics' range.
 

175mph

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Yes indeed. I like the choice. And sainsbury does some very good cheap products in its 'basics' range.
I go to Tesco often, and find their food cheap, just so as long as I don't go for their 'finest' range.
 

yorksrob

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I go to Tesco often, and find their food cheap, just so as long as I don't go for their 'finest' range.

I haven't done Tesco's for years, but in their glory days, they did well by being all things to all people.
 

AM9

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I voted yes, but i wasn't sure what was meant by "traditional supermarket chains" as in would that include Waitrose which satisfies almost all of my grocery needs.
 

Bletchleyite

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I voted yes, but i wasn't sure what was meant by "traditional supermarket chains" as in would that include Waitrose which satisfies almost all of my grocery needs.

You must have money to burn. I'm not badly off, but I wouldn't do my entire shop at Waitrose (or even the absolutely excellent Booths which is without doubt the best supermarket chain this side of Fortnum and Mason). It would just feel like setting fire to tenners for no good reason. To me it's the place to go for a top-up of premium stuff.
 

thejuggler

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In the last 5 years we have had an Aldi open half a mile from home and a Lidl about a mile. We haven't done a main shop in the larger supermarkets since. Very occasionally we may go to M&S or Waitrose (usually to spend vouchers I get through my credit card).

A couple of weeks ago clearing out paperwork I found a Morrisons voucher I must have had 3-4 years - I think we complained about something so they sent it to us as a goodwill gesture. We visited just to get rid of it.

It was far too big, there was far too much choice and it was expensive.

For branded bulk items such as loo roll, washing powder, dishwasher tabs etc we use Makro a couple of times a year.
 

Pyreneenguy

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Glad to hear that someone has mentioned Booths. They have an excellent reputation. A pity that more areas are not served by them.

On my last visit to the UK ( Merseyside, but a very posh part of it !) we had a pub meal in Burscough, just so that we could do a little shopping at Booths. Unfortunately I miscalculated the distance between the supermarket and the pub, it turned out to be a 20 minute walk ! Worth it though, The Hop Vine does great food and beer ( from their micro-brewery).
 

underbank

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No, we alternate between Asda, Sainsbury, Tesco and Morrison and are happy with that, as we go weekly, so we cover all four over a 4 week period.

We buy the bogof/6 pack style of offers on the main brands at whichever or the main supermarkets have the offers on (there'll always be one of them with offers for all the main brands we buy) and so we usually have a few weeks' of all the main staples in our cupboards. If say tesco don't have the 6 packs of Heinz beans on offer, we don't buy any and wait for next week to see if Asda are doing that offer, etc etc. You soon get into the routine/habit.

We like Sainsbury as they have a wider range of "branded" stock items like MrKipling cakes, so we buy things there that we can't buy in the others. They also have a far superior "bakery" than the abysmal attempts of Morrisons and Tesco! We also like the main stores as we sometimes buy a few items of clothing when we do our weekly shop (i.e. utility jeans, t-shirts, etc) so it saves us having to go into the town centre.

We also, maybe once a month, go to B&M Bargains or Home Bargains for more unusual things that the main supermarkets don't sell, such as less popular flavours of soft drinks, different brands of crisps, better ranges of sweets, etc., and also the "homeware" type of goods like diy bits & pieces, car accessories, etc.

We go to Aldi or Lidl maybe once or twice per year, never really impressed as there's no consistency as to what they have - we've found you can't go in with a shopping list and expect to get even half of what you need for the weekly shop. We've found it's all about what they want to sell you that day, rather than what you want to buy. That's OK for people who don't plan meals or happy to go to another shop for everything else, but for us, we don't like shopping and don't have time to go more than we need to, so we want the shop to have everything we need for the week. As far as our local Aldi and Lidl go, they can't do that for us. It's also why we like the "everything in one store" philosophy of the main supermarkets, i.e. fresh fruit/veg, clothes, fish, butchery, bakery, medicines, magazines etc.
 

HOOVER29

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Don’t care much for Aldi or Lidl.
Think I last went in an Aldi store was 5 yrs ago in Newquay opposite the station. Never again.
Call me a snob as it’s your breath & waste it as you see fit but to coin an old phrase you get what you pay for.

I’m kind of lucky as I’ve got a Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, Waitrose, & Marks & Spencer’s not to mention 3 yes 3 Sommerfields & an Aldi all within a spit of my house & I live in the countryside not a city.
However when I work for an online supermarket which gives its staff free delivery & a healthy discount the only time I visit a supermarket is probably once a month.
I can get £150 worth of shopping for between £90-£100.
Milk, bread & other bits & bobs come from the local garage.
 

AM9

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You must have money to burn. I'm not badly off, but I wouldn't do my entire shop at Waitrose (or even the absolutely excellent Booths which is without doubt the best supermarket chain this side of Fortnum and Mason). It would just feel like setting fire to tenners for no good reason. To me it's the place to go for a top-up of premium stuff.
I have heard much here about Booths and one day I hope to visit a store, - but the nearest store (Knutsford) is a bit far to make a special journey. :) Their tie-up with Amazon might not be as wonderful as some think (think of Asda) but I wish them luck. I also like Wholefoods, the 'US Waitrose' and often seek local stores when in the US. It appears that Amazon's takeover there is causing some disquiet, - further warnings for Booths?

It's a myth that everything in Waitrose is a lot more expensive, if you shop wisely there's very little difference from the better mainstream supermarkets, e.g. Sainsburys and Tesco. What you must do is check that you are comparing like with like. Most of our commodity food items are from the Waitrose 'Essential' range. The mistake is to compare that with Sainsbury's 'Basics' and Tesco's 'Value' ranges, - those two ranges are rock bottom priced minimum quality that they can get away with. I've tried their ranges of price engineered food where baked beans are a tin of tomato juice in which to play 'hunt the bean', or sausages that have more bread/rusk than a cheap loaf. When Waitrose had to broaden their sights during the credit crunch 10 years ago, their standard range of products was repackaged as 'Essential' and the price dropped. Since then they have introduced premium ranges (the Waitrose 1 range and Dutchy Organic items) both of which sell well. Their wine is similar to other supermarket prices (when exact likeness can be determined) and often matches Majestic's prices after taking in to consideration any bulk discounts.
I have other reasons for wanting Waitrose to survive in St Albans:
1) I live a few minutes walk from the St Albans branch, in fact it is near enough to act as an extension to the pantry and if necessary, I can take a trolley home. In 26 years in St Albans I've only driven into their car park about half a dozen times
2) As I'm retired, I can shop there three or four times per week, collecting a free coffee each time and a free newspaper when I spend over £10, which is easy to manage by phasing purchase of long-dated commodity items like butter, cereals and yogurts
3) I can pick up John Lewis orders using 'click and collect' there - usually next day
4) As a frequent visiting customer, I often know when goods are to be discounted so I can get perishables between 20% and 50% reduced
5) Most of the staff there recognise the local customers which gives a much more pleasant shopping experience. That is even though I normally self-scan and can complete a basic shop with coffee and newspaper in under 15 minutes.
 

HOOVER29

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I agree about Waitrose being quality. I work in a freezer where it’s stuffed with 95% Waitrose products & the quality tells.
Not just in the goods but the packaging.
Who wants a bag of peas from the local cheapy supermarket if it’s going to split & fill your freezer.
Trust me on this, I undo & empty over 200 boxes of peas a shift from various suppliers & I soon find out which companies have saved a few pence on packaging.
I occasionally go in the other freezer at work where the cheaper ranges are kept. Cheaper means cheaper packaging. Frozen peas & sweetcorn are like mini ball bearings on the floor & I’ll happily challenge anyone to stay on their feet whilst standing on them.
The sweeping brush & pan are kept busy in there.
 

alxndr

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If Aldi was 24hr then I'd be content with just that. The only time I go to a traditional supermarket is Tesco or ASDA during the night or if I want something obscure.
 

DarloRich

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Morrisons used to be a firm favorite with my grandparents, and occasionally they still do go to Morrisons for some of their food shopping, but do most of their shopping for food at Aldi. They said to me they wouldn't really care if ever all the traditional supermarket chains disappeared leaving us with just Aldi and Lidl.

Supermarkets compete on price and rely on brand loyalty. Removing the competition removes the need to compete! I shop around and use all of the supermarkets depending on urgency, price and requirement.

That would leave those two companies with no competition and who is to say that finding themselves in such a situation, especially if Britain had left its membership of the EU, they would not become totally different organizations in marketing to what they are at present.

Forgetting Brexit for a moment it would leave them dominant and not required to complete leading to atrophy

Yes. In spite of how everyone raves about them, I don't find the choice to be anywhere as good as Sainsbury's.

Sainsburys - hark at you! ;)

Of course the range at Aldi isnt as good as Sainsbury - Aldi run on a different model and rely on bulk sales of staples that they shift quickly. Sainsbury attract a different "class" of patron who might make an impulsive purchase of sun dried tomatoes or such like. Aldi customers want value and bulk. The quality at Aldi isnt bad mind so for companies like Sainsbury they cant just trade on the old " you pay for quality" line.

That said i have found that the fresh veg at Aldi doesn't last as long as the big 4 super markets. Perhaps they don't treat it the same, perhaps their supply chain is longer or less managed, perhaps the quality is lower. I don't know but it doesn't last.

Who wants a bag of peas from the local cheapy supermarket if it’s going to split & fill your freezer.

I take the peas out of the bag and into a clip box. No spillage and means all my freezer goods are in the same shaped package. I don't care what the bag is like ;)

I always find it noticeably cheaper if I do a typical "big shop" at Aldi or Asda vs Tesco.

If I had to choose between Aldi or Asda, for me, it'd be Asda every time.

AS LONG AS you only want staples ( or a blow up canoe/chainsaw) Aldi is cheaper. If you want more than that Asda is a better option.

I voted yes, but i wasn't sure what was meant by "traditional supermarket chains" as in would that include Waitrose which satisfies almost all of my grocery needs.

fancy metropolitan elite ;)
 

PeterC

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I agree with AM9 about Waitrose.

Without a massive branch opening programme restricting myself to Aldi / Lidl would require a sixteen mile round trip rather than 3 for my local Waitrose or Sainsburys. Apart from frozen food I could get by buying locally without a supermarket, apart from bread, eggs and milk it wouldn't cost much more either.
 

Bletchleyite

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Of course the range at Aldi isnt as good as Sainsbury - Aldi run on a different model and rely on bulk sales of staples that they shift quickly. Sainsbury attract a different "class" of patron who might make an impulsive purchase of sun dried tomatoes or such like. Aldi customers want value and bulk. The quality at Aldi isnt bad mind so for companies like Sainsbury they cant just trade on the old " you pay for quality" line.

IME Sainsbury's is no better than Tesco but has higher prices. To add to that they seem in my experience to have very poor stock control at both the MK stores (and long did, even when it was up at the food centre). Not great at all.
 

DarloRich

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IME Sainsbury's is no better than Tesco but has higher prices. To add to that they seem in my experience to have very poor stock control at both the MK stores (and long did, even when it was up at the food centre). Not great at all.

agreed - for me Sainsbury in MK is inaccessible so isnt really on the list. When I have been in I find it uninspiring.
 

Bletchleyite

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agreed - for me Sainsbury in MK is inaccessible so isnt really on the list. When I have been in I find it uninspiring.

The one that got me was when Waitrose moved from a smaller unit in CMK to a larger one in Oakgrove they did nothing with the (rather small) range - they just spread the shelves out more.

The one in Bletchley is a longish walk for you - but it's really not worth it, Tesco is nearer :)
 

trentside

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We always used to go to Lidl, but would find the need to go to Tesco or Sainsbury’s afterwards for certain items. In the weeks when we just went to one of the traditional supermarkets we found our spend was about the same, so gave up using Lidl.

We recently tried going back but found it significantly more expensive than we remembered, and we still had to go to Sainsbury’s for low fat items (my wife prefers these, Lidl don’t offer them), baby formula and nappies (despite the hype, Lidl and Aldi nappies are awful).
 

Bletchleyite

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We always used to go to Lidl, but would find the need to go to Tesco or Sainsbury’s afterwards for certain items. In the weeks when we just went to one of the traditional supermarkets we found our spend was about the same, so
gave up using Lidl.

There's a Morrisons and Aldi in the same complex near me. I often go to Aldi for bulk stuff then Morrisons for more specialist things. Aldi and Waitrose/Booths probably make an even better pairing.
 

yorksrob

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Supermarkets compete on price and rely on brand loyalty. Removing the competition removes the need to compete! I shop around and use all of the supermarkets depending on urgency, price and requirement.



Forgetting Brexit for a moment it would leave them dominant and not required to complete leading to atrophy



Sainsburys - hark at you! ;)

Of course the range at Aldi isnt as good as Sainsbury - Aldi run on a different model and rely on bulk sales of staples that they shift quickly. Sainsbury attract a different "class" of patron who might make an impulsive purchase of sun dried tomatoes or such like. Aldi customers want value and bulk. The quality at Aldi isnt bad mind so for companies like Sainsbury they cant just trade on the old " you pay for quality" line.

That said i have found that the fresh veg at Aldi doesn't last as long as the big 4 super markets. Perhaps they don't treat it the same, perhaps their supply chain is longer or less managed, perhaps the quality is lower. I don't know but it doesn't last.



I take the peas out of the bag and into a clip box. No spillage and means all my freezer goods are in the same shaped package. I don't care what the bag is like ;)





AS LONG AS you only want staples ( or a blow up canoe/chainsaw) Aldi is cheaper. If you want more than that Asda is a better option.



fancy metropolitan elite ;)

I find Sainsburys basics bog roll better than many premium brands !
 

yorksrob

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IME Sainsbury's is no better than Tesco but has higher prices. To add to that they seem in my experience to have very poor stock control at both the MK stores (and long did, even when it was up at the food centre). Not great at all.

I've been in Tescos a couple of times recently and been dissappointed by the lack of choice. I think its gone off the boil a bit recently.
 
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