Bit of a Rant

I sympathise auntyflo
I dislike half fat stuff too (except for single cream which I like for pouring over puddings) and I also dislike Tesco for a variety of reasons.
Is there anywhere else you can shop? My local supermarkets are Waitrose and the Co-op both of which are good in different ways. And I've recently become a Lidl convert, initially for the wine, but their other things are good too.

Sainsbury's keep doing this too. I asked my DH to buy me some lentils. He asked for them as they were not on the usual shelf. The assistant told him that they had discontinued several items, and that some are regarded as seasonal and they only stock them at certain times. He came back with a rather small bag of lentils btw.

I guess they are responding to sales figures - if something was selling well I am sure that they would not withdraw it.

We have a notepad at checkouts just for jotting down any items that are no longer available that customers ask about.

So yes, I think if many customers complain they probably will do a rethink.

Don't hold your breath. A few years ago I asked in M&S why a certain food product was no longer available, " there is no demand for it here " I thought that M&S stocked the same products nationwide, not true, we are considered down market in our city and can not get the range that more upmarket city shops get.

'No demand for it' was quoted to me years ago in a very well known and not inexpensive shoe shop when fitting out 3 girls with school shoes. My answer was, 'well I am demanding it so what are you going to do about it?' No reply, just a shrug, so I had my Pretty Woman moment and took three pairs of feet elsewhere where the demand was obviously greater and got them kitted out in the required footwear.

Yep, the 'no demand' argument is a favourite rolled out by M&S when we mention various larger sizes are conspicuously absent. Come sale time their racks are filled with the tiny sizes so go figure...

They do tell whoppers. For a long time DH couldn't get his favourite cereal and Tesco told him it was being re-branded and unavailable temporarily (that was about 5 years ago). They just refused to get it in - but it was available in other supermarkets.

I think the staff and customer service department are given standard excuses to trot out to customers. Tesco have aways been the worst offenders in the 'suddenly unavailable' stakes in my experience.

There have been several items that were favourite standbys for us, things we always kept, like jars of instant custard mix (now only available in packets so you have to make up more than you really want). Salsa sauces used to do a wonderful creamy pesto sauce and it seemed as soon as I'd got hooked on it, it disappeared. Then there was the jerk chicken mix, which we regularly used, which has now been discontinued. These are not the stores discontinuing them, but the suppliers. So frustrating.
And I've tried and failed for ages to source a supplier of shredded coconut, not the usual desiccated variety that is freely available. Shredded coconut was always on the shelves of my local co-op when I was a child, but you can't get it anywhere now. Except in the US .

You might be able to get shredded coconut in health food shops Indiana?
I'll have a look in my local (independent) one next time I'm in town.

I'm beginning to think you may need to ferret out an Asian supermarket. No wonder I couldn't find any.

loopy I've tried all our local health food shops - we have a fabulous independent one about 5 miles away and I really really thought if anyone would have it they would, but no joy. And stillhere I've tried Asian supermarkets too - we have a couple in the town centre, but neither of them sell it, only desiccated coconut. I've searched online too, and have always come up with a big fat zero . But maybe I should start looking again, as it's at least a year since I last searched. You never know.

I wonder if I could grate fresh coconut and freeze it?

It is quite true that all stores do not sell the same things, it depends where you live.They know the kinds of things that people buy in any given town centre.

I have become an internet shopper because of the lack of choice in our area and to be fair I can understand our small shops not being able to stock a vast range. It is most frustrating when you see an advert for something in a national chain and go to the nearest big town to buy it and then are told they don't stock it and even more frustrating when the staff won't even order it in for you when you ask them to.

We are having to resort to internet shopping because of the lack of choice in our town centre, there is no provision for better quality clothes. I have to travel twelve miles to buy clothes.

Indinana-I just had a lovely mango and lime rice pudding served with shredded coconut in a Chinese restaurant on Saturday. Wonder where they get it?? Chinese wholesaler??