Supermarkets discussion

[eyebrook1961]

My bank lets me download a CSV (Excel) file of transactions. I am ashamed (?) to say that I have been doing it since 2005, so I have a spreadsheet of everything since then, and boy can I do analysis!! Mostly pointless, but heigh-ho. At least I can see how much I'm spending each month and where. Very handy to know when I bought the telly, or when we went to Perpignan in 2008, that sort of thing.

I did think of ordering my shopping list by location, but my local big Tesco keep changing the layout, so it's alphabetical, and I can just scoot around for things, since I know where everything is. A key thing is to remind myself that the list is there to serve me, and not the other way round. Also, I go to Tesco on Thursdays and M&S on Fridays so alphabetical is better.

I've just completed ten years of keeping very accurate records of household spend via excel spreadsheets and find that using the .csv download very helpful. However, the amount of ribbing I get from my better half is not insignificant(!). It all started when I was regularly being asked "where is all the money going?" and so I thought I'd do a year's worth of record keeping to show her where everything went . . . . ten years later i'm still at it. . (!).

Regarding supermarkets, we live in a large town but (like everywhere else) the amount of empty shops in the town is depressing to see (Farmfoods was the last one to shut up shop and I'm not going 20 miles to the next branch). We have children at university in York and Middlesbrough and so still manage to find Farmfoods (usually the large one on the outskirts of York) or in Middlesbrough. We really miss the Middlesbrough "Fultons" (or rather Fultons in general) since their demise at the hands of Poundland - they had quite an eclectic selection of stuff, and quite a bit of Irish branded food). We have just returned from york with a decent amount from Farmfoods in the car . . . next time we will take a freezer bag too!)

Just like to say that I am really enjoying this thread - very entertaining.

62, likes spreadsheets and manned checkouts . . . .

 

[Peter Sarf]

I often have a shopping list on an empty envelope. I try to order it by weight as I can never be sure what order the supermarket has things in anyway. Exception is bottom of the list is fridge/freezer items so they spend less time in the warm (less significant in the winter but in summer the fifteen minute walk home is a risk so tend to go evening). I finally have a look at the reduced section (last day 75% off) for anything that I fancy.

Excel Spreadsheet. I have one for all my camping stuff and the last page is food etc. This is grouped by camping purpose - Drinks, Snacks, Long-life (eg rice), Short-life (eg bacon) and lastly condiments. I mark up what I took and what I used (so next year I have a handle on what to buy or even take)

From the above spread sheet I developed one for shopping around. It lists the items and calculates price per Kilogram, Litre or what ever. I have over the years added to the list. It is rather busy and cumbersome but for each item in each shop I enter weight and price, then it calculates price per unit and highlights the cheapest. It was populating that spreadsheet that led me to spot things like "Buy One Get One Free" being twice the price of something in Morrisons.

Knowing the price after offers of things by weight/volume is key to ignoring the offers. I see things heavily reduced that are the same/similar price elsewhere anyway.

From that spreadsheet I now have the results of what is cheapest and where on my mobile with the price per unit. When I go shopping I check against my mobile list. Thus I can spot price variances.

Upshot is I more or less have to visit all of Aldi, ASDA, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsburys and Tesco to get the cheapest. So it depends if I can be bothered - Aldi, Lidl and Sainsburys are minutes walk from each other but bus/tram to get there. Tesco is a bus journey away (don't go often), ASDA too far to walk and no easy bus (so very rare I visit). Morrisons is my local.

I also don't keep the spreadsheet up to date so often now (I reckon its overdue) but instead I just spot changes as I drift around. Staples like milk I notice stay in line across most stores.

 

[londonbridge]

Do the majority of the larger supermarkets have a wall-mounted telephone that customers can use to order a taxi to take them and their shopping home?

My local Sainsburys used to have such a phone and a sign that said “customer freephone taxi service”. I clearly remember a customer arguing with the store manager that legally they couldn’t use the word “taxi”, as the phone connected to a local minicab/hire firm, and only licenced black cabs could be described as taxis. Not long afterwards the sign was changed to “customer freephone minicab service”

 

[Magdalia]

Do you shop in the order the store wants you to? I.e. fruit/veg first. Do you shop in the order the list is written in, or do you look at the list and go I'll pick up the crate of beer first and work back towards the veg as that helps my packing?

I don't load my own bag as I go, I put the items in a standard trolley, and after it has been paid for, it all goes into my stylish black Rolser 'pull-along' trolley

Shopping in the order of how heavy things are also sounds pretty chaotic.

I go to and from the supermarket by e-bike. Everything has to fit into 2 big panniers.

The left side pannier is usually all of the fresh and frozen items that go in the fridge/freezer. When I get home this is unpacked first. The right side pannier is usually all of the items that don't go in the fridge/freezer. In both cases the heavy items go in first, with the lighter and more fragile items on top.

The fresh/frozen shopping is done first, because that's at the front of the store. But I get the milk and yoghurt first, then the fruit and vegetables. Things for the freezer are usually only purchased when on offer, so vary from week to week. I'm constrained by how much space there is left in the pannier after loading the the milk and yoghurt, and the fruit and vegetables.

I then do the non fridge/freezer items. I usually do this by going to the back of the store and then working my way back towards the middle. The priority is things on offer: cereal, biscuits, most drinks, cleaning materials etc are only purchased when on offer. After I've done that I'll use any remaining space for items that are non-perishable but never get discounted, like tea, sugar and flour.

I always get a professional to do my scanning. A key part of this is loading the shopping out of the trolley onto the conveyor, where the goods are reordered for packing. They then go straight from scanning into the panniers, which is a bit like doing a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. After paying, the panniers are wheeled out by trolley for reattachment to the e-bike.

Back here we have trolleys for communal use so the panniers can be wheeled from e-bike to apartment without needing to be carried.

Finally, I do lots of things in spreadsheets and I'm impressed by some of the spreadsheet stories here. The best I can offer is a spreadsheet of all of my current account transactions, going back more than 20 years, which now has more than 7000 rows.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I go to and from the supermarket by e-bike. Everything has to fit into 2 big panniers.

The left side pannier is usually all of the fresh and frozen items that go in the fridge/freezer. When I get home this is unpacked first. The right side pannier is usually all of the items that don't go in the fridge/freezer. In both cases the heavy items go in first, with the lighter and more fragile items on top.

The fresh/frozen shopping is done first, because that's at the front of the store. But I get the milk and yoghurt first, then the fruit and vegetables. Things for the freezer are usually only purchased when on offer, so vary from week to week. I'm constrained by how much space there is left in the pannier after loading the the milk and yoghurt, and the fruit and vegetables.

I then do the non fridge/freezer items. I usually do this by going to the back of the store and then working my way back towards the middle. The priority is things on offer: cereal, biscuits, most drinks, cleaning materials etc are only purchased when on offer. After I've done that I'll use any remaining space for items that are non-perishable but never get discounted, like tea, sugar and flour.

I always get a professional to do my scanning. A key part of this is loading the shopping out of the trolley onto the conveyor, where the goods are reordered for packing. They then go straight from scanning into the panniers, which is a bit like doing a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. After paying, the panniers are wheeled out by trolley for reattachment to the e-bike.

Back here we have trolleys for communal use so the panniers can be wheeled from e-bike to apartment without needing to be carried.

Finally, I do lots of things in spreadsheets and I'm impressed by some of the spreadsheet stories here. The best I can offer is a spreadsheet of all of my current account transactions, going back more than 20 years, which now has more than 7000 rows.

I like you do not have to seriously worry about how I load the supermarket trolley because I am only getting enough for a medium rucsac and two carrier bags. Sometimes more than that but that is when there is a special trip for something specific that is heavy and/or bulky and a car then gets relied upon !. It is then likely that I will be taking time to do a thorough update of my price research if the supermarket is further afield.

Really getting overdue on that research for ASDA and Tesco !.

 

[contrex]

Finally, I do lots of things in spreadsheets and I'm impressed by some of the spreadsheet stories here. The best I can offer is a spreadsheet of all of my current account transactions, going back more than 20 years, which now has more than 7000 rows.

Mine has as of today 9754 rows of data, first one 18/03/2005, last one 12/08/2024, which reminds me - time for a download. I used to deal with monthly spreadsheets bigger than that in my Civil Service finance job (which is a bad idea, but that's another story!) Boy did the aggregated year-to-date sheet get slow near the end of the finance year, especially as it was hosted on a shared drive on a server 120 miles away! Lots of fun if more than one person had it open. At least mine is on an NVME SSD on the same machine with 32 GB of RAM.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Mine has as of today 9754 rows of data, first one 18/03/2005, last one 12/08/2024, which reminds me - time for a download. I used to deal with monthly spreadsheets bigger than that in my Civil Service finance job (which is a bad idea, but that's another story!) Boy did the aggregated year-to-date sheet get slow near the end of the finance year, especially as it was hosted on a shared drive on a server 120 miles away! Lots of fun if more than one person had it open. At least mine is on an NVME SSD on the same machine with 32 GB of RAM.

I used to have a spreadsheet I invented with lots of VBA (Code - Visual Basic for Applications) in it. A lot of cross referencing and collating once a month. I used to leave it running overnight and it was occasionally flagged up as a possible virus !. Used to usually be finished by midday !. /off-topic.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It was supposedly a 'share of the profits' when the membership scheme was relaunched in the 2000s. Points were awarded for spend across the 'family of businesses' witht he value of a point depending on the profit made. The scheme then moved onto the 'fixed rate' loyalty scheme.

A dividend is a share of the profits and historically was paid out by the Co-op based on the amount of trade carried out by each member. Historically purchases would be recorded in ledgers (when I was a co-op store manager if I had a pound for everyone who told me they could remember their granny's divi number I'd be a rich man!). In the 1970s it moved to dividend stamps prior to the dividend being withdrawn altogether in the 1980s. In 1997 the Dividend scheme was relaunched as a loyalty card scheme prior to moving to the points based system I mentioned above.

When was the last year that the Co-op paid out a dividend? Two large purchases made by me in the last five years were the Co-op Gold Funeral Plans, that costs over £4,000.00 each. The first of these was used in November 2021 when my wife died and the other one is for my death.

 

[Buzby]

I believe it was 2014-5, as points were offered as part of the incentive. From memory, the points were worth around £250 but there was some dubiety when the benefit was paid that I wasn’t clear on. In the end I found a no frills supplier who were 75% cheaper, so didn’t pursue it further.

 

[GusB]

When was the last year that the Co-op paid out a dividend? Two large purchases made by me in the last five years were the Co-op Gold Funeral Plans, that costs over £4,000.00 each. The first of these was used in November 2021 when my wife died and the other one is for my death.

I was rather disappointed when the Co-op stopped giving money back for stuff that I'd purchased. I earned quite a few points when I worked there, but since then I've not been a regular shopper. I had about £4 on my card and spent it a few weeks ago, knowing that there was a time limit to redeem any accrued points.

I was also supposed to gain points from money saved in my Co-operative Bank savings account, but that scheme also seems to have disappeared. I'm aware that the bank is no longer part of the Co-operative Group, but I don't remember receiving any communications saying that my savings were no longer gathering points.

When they re-booted the membership scheme a couple of years ago I found out that I no longer had a vote (presumably because I hadn't spent enough); this year, however, I received a letter inviting me to take part.

 

[Busaholic]

My local Sainsburys used to have such a phone and a sign that said “customer freephone taxi service”. I clearly remember a customer arguing with the store manager that legally they couldn’t use the word “taxi”, as the phone connected to a local minicab/hire firm, and only licenced black cabs could be described as taxis. Not long afterwards the sign was changed to “customer freephone minicab service”

My local Sainsburys still has one, though I've never noticed anyone using it. We don't have black cabs in Cornwall, so there's no-one to argue the toss.

 

[Mojo]

I've noticed the meal deal in Sainsbury's has increased to £3,75. I wonder how long before the other supermarkets follow suit with price increases for meal deals?

Tesco have just increased the price of their meal deal to £3.60 for Clubcard users and £4 for others (formerly £3.40/£3.90). I had a feeling this was going to happen, as they redesigned all their sandwich packaging in early July and increased the individual price of the sandwiches.

 

[takno]

Tesco have just increased the price of their meal deal to £3.60 for Clubcard users and £4 for others (formerly £3.40/£3.90). I had a feeling this was going to happen, as they redesigned all their sandwich packaging in early July and increased the individual price of the sandwiches.

Interesting that they've clearly identified £4 as a ceiling price, but still wanted to increase by more for Clubcard users (who I assume are the majority of their business). Either way, it's quite an ambitious price for some desperately un-noteworthy sandwiches

 

[Kite159]

..

Tesco have just increased the price of their meal deal to £3.60 for Clubcard users and £4 for others (formerly £3.40/£3.90). I had a feeling this was going to happen, as they redesigned all their sandwich packaging in early July and increased the individual price of the sandwiches.

No doubt Morrisons/Co-Op/Boots* will soon be following suit

(*outside London and stations)

 

[Blindtraveler]

Can't help. Wondering if it's time for meal deals to undergo a bit of a refresh and reorganisation, effectively creating a separate one which only contains supermarket own label items such as an own label, snack or side, piece of fruit, etc. And an own label bottled or carton drink and then the full price option, discounted should you so wish by a loyalty scheme with the full bells and whistles selection of items. Both branded and otherwise available to you
I'm still pretty annoyed that I, in so many cases need to be part of a loyalty scheme to get a discount on an increasingly large range of items, okay, so mobile wallet technology is pretty seamless and means you're no longer caring about 50 million cards with you all the time, but there are some brands such as boots or Tesco that I'm simply not loyal enough to to want to join the program

 

[Buzby]

Co-op has been £4 for months, but you get 50p with their loyalty card (which I don’t have). I went to Tesco instead!

 

[Mojo]

Can't help. Wondering if it's time for meal deals to undergo a bit of a refresh and reorganisation, effectively creating a separate one which only contains supermarket own label items such as an own label, snack or side, piece of fruit, etc. And an own label bottled or carton drink and then the full price option, discounted should you so wish by a loyalty scheme with the full bells and whistles selection of items. Both branded and otherwise available to you

Tesco and Sainsburys at least have already had higher end meal deals for a few years now. lt isn't quite as strict as you're suggesting though. Tesco's is £5 (£5.50 no Clubcard) and Sainsburys' is £5.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Has anyone else noticed how Tesco's 'small' trollies get bigger and bigger? They started off little larger than a basket; what gives their game away is when they don't replace all the smaller ones at a shop, so the newer ones won't nestle into the older ones. I have noticed at least three generations.
Presumably it's marketing psychology to make customers guilty about only buying enough to hardly cover the base of the trolley, and buy more stuff. That doesn't worry me though!

 

[Gloster]

I have long felt, and may previously have mentioned, that the wheeled baskets that you pull along behind you are deliberately intended to make you buy more. It is much easier to drop a couple of extra items in a basket that is on the ground without thinking than it is to put them in one hanging on your arm. In the latter case you notice the extra weight and the increasing pile of shopping, making it more likely that you will change your mind and put the item(s) back, something that is easier with the basket at arm’s length, rather than down on the ground.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Years ago, I remember my wife saying that the local Sainsburys supermarket had new trolleys, which meant the end of those that had faulty wheels that tried to take you in all directions.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Tesco and Sainsburys at least have already had higher end meal deals for a few years now. lt isn't quite as strict as you're suggesting though. Tesco's is £5 (£5.50 no Clubcard) and Sainsburys' is £5.

Indeed, I still think there might be a gap in the market for this budget. Conscious option though, it would make life so much more straightforward for those either with a less substantial budget. Or indeed those claiming expenses where every last tarnished penny is audited, questioned and scrutinised within an inch of its life

 

[takno]

I have long felt, and may previously have mentioned, that the wheeled baskets that you pull along behind you are deliberately intended to make you buy more. It is much easier to drop a couple of extra items in a basket that is on the ground without thinking than it is to put them in one hanging on your arm. In the latter case you notice the extra weight and the increasing pile of shopping, making it more likely that you will change your mind and put the item(s) back, something that is easier with the basket at arm’s length, rather than down on the ground.

The only shop where I don't seem to have a choice about using those is Lidl, and between that and a couple of recent staff interactions I've come quite strongly to the conclusion that I *do* have a choice about using Lidl, so problem solved.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I have long felt, and may previously have mentioned, that the wheeled baskets that you pull along behind you are deliberately intended to make you buy more. It is much easier to drop a couple of extra items in a basket that is on the ground without thinking than it is to put them in one hanging on your arm. In the latter case you notice the extra weight and the increasing pile of shopping, making it more likely that you will change your mind and put the item(s) back, something that is easier with the basket at arm’s length, rather than down on the ground.

Are these the same that I saw in Poundland when I called in to see their new shop in the Merseyway Precinct in Stockport town centre?

 

[davehsug]

Indeed, I still think there might be a gap in the market for this budget. Conscious option though, it would make life so much more straightforward for those either with a less substantial budget. Or indeed those claiming expenses where every last tarnished penny is audited, questioned and scrutinised within an inch of its life

Smaller trolleys are like gold dust in Festival Park Stoke Morrisons. You never have to return them there's usually someone waiting at the car to take it off your hands. Of course, it might also be that they're scattered in the most distant trolley parks, since collecting them seems to be a thing of the past.

 

[skyhigh]

Indeed, I still think there might be a gap in the market for this budget. Conscious option though, it would make life so much more straightforward for those either with a less substantial budget.

Surely those on a tight budget wouldn't be buying meal deals anyway? It's much cheaper to buy a loaf of bread, a filling or two, multipack of crisps and cans of drink.

 

[londonbridge]

Last time I shopped in Tesco I found my clubcard wasn’t working and gave a “we don’t recognise this clubcard” type error message. When I asked the staff member about getting the clubcard prices he said “Phone em up and get a new one”. I asked why I should pay full price when I’ve got the card, not my fault it wouldn’t work, he said there was nothing he could do, and would not reduce the items to the clubcard price, so I left them on the till and walked out.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Surely those on a tight budget wouldn't be buying meal deals anyway? It's much cheaper to buy a loaf of bread, a filling or two, multipack of crisps and cans of drink.

There is 101 reasons why people might choose to buy one and simply want to keep the overall cost down and be happy to compromise. As I've suggested above, bringing your own food is sometimes impractical regardless of your budget and those of us who claim expenses on a regular basis as part of our work are increasingly under the microscope about every penny we attempt to claim back, that isn't something like a train fare or similar, and even on those, there's encouragement to you cheaper routes or slower services to again keep the overheads down. Like I say, it's just an idea

Last time I shopped in Tesco I found my clubcard wasn’t working and gave a “we don’t recognise this clubcard” type error message. When I asked the staff member about getting the clubcard prices he said “Phone em up and get a new one”. I asked why I should pay full price when I’ve got the card, not my fault it wouldn’t work, he said there was nothing he could do, and would not reduce the items to the clubcard price, so I left them on the till and walked out.

That's the sort of rubbish service. I've come to expect much of the time these days and one of the reasons why this club card or whatever loyalty scheme prices idea simply doesn't work for me

 

[takno]

Last time I shopped in Tesco I found my clubcard wasn’t working and gave a “we don’t recognise this clubcard” type error message. When I asked the staff member about getting the clubcard prices he said “Phone em up and get a new one”. I asked why I should pay full price when I’ve got the card, not my fault it wouldn’t work, he said there was nothing he could do, and would not reduce the items to the clubcard price, so I left them on the till and walked out.

I did the same with Boots, except that it's never going to be worth me sorting out an advantage card, so I've not even gone in a branch since.

 

[Buzby]

I have long felt, and may previously have mentioned, that the wheeled baskets that you pull along behind you are deliberately intended to make you buy more

It is the opposite for me, as I dislike how I’m supposed to bend down to almost floor level to place my items in the basket… every time. True, there is a handle that permits carrying, however when you add the weight of the (empty) basket it becomes a weight-lifting exercise. With no standard baskets, I need to find a trolley and a £ coin to unlock it.

I actually find it discourages me, especially as I have to do the whole thing in reverse at the till at the conveyor belt, then load up after scanning. Too much hard work!

 

[Tester]

It is the opposite for me, as I dislike how I’m supposed to bend down to almost floor level to place my items in the basket… every time. True, there is a bangle that permits carrying, however when you add the weight of the (empty) basket it becomes a weight-lifting exercise. With no standard baskets, I need to find a trolley and a £ coin to unlock it.

I actually find it discourages me, especially as I have to do the whole thing in reverse at the till at the conveyor belt, then load up after scanning. Too much hard work!

What is needed is what is absolutely normal in Japan - small trolleys which hold a standard basket (and optionally a second basket underneath).

Very handy!

(Image shows such a trolley)