What has happened to the UK??

I get really irritated by “living in a third world country”.

Do you really have no idea of the poverty and want that some people live in?

Just because you couldn’t get an out of season courgette or whatever.

By all means have a moan about Brexit but don’t even think of comparing your life to there’s ?

I always think people are mad to shop for meat in TESCO, so EXPENSIVE!

Aldi and Lidl excellent choice at a fair price. Also plenty of fruit and veg - your shopping in the wrong shop. Lol

Have your shopping delivered from Tesco, we had a delivery from them this morning, only one missing item ( but that happened before Brexit.)
Send your relatives an Amazon voucher or any voucher for online, we do, much simpler.
You are making heavy weather of your Christmas prep and it’s getting you down, so next year change things.
Getting older, so makes sense to do things differently, and no I don’t feel we are living in a third world country, not at all.

Poppyred

I always think people are mad to shop for meat in TESCO, so EXPENSIVE!

Aldi and Lidl excellent choice at a fair price. Also plenty of fruit and veg - your shopping in the wrong shop. Lol

It depends whether Aldi or Lidl are accessible.

Well said Peasblossom. We have so much to be thankful for.

OK, so I'm just a grumpy old bugger!
It just brought it home to me doing things that I only do once a year, like posting xmas presents and parcels, that things have got worse over the last couple of years. I know I can use Amazon etc,. but I do like to buy little, personal gifts.

I don't think Brexit or covid has anything to do with the general downward spiral in everything because it's been going on for some years. You had better service, choice and quality 20 years or more ago.

Do you not have a local butcher or vegetable shop anymore?

kircubbin2000

Do you not have a local butcher or vegetable shop anymore?

Yes I do thanks, and I use them. I also use various supermarkets. By the size of my local Tesco, I'm not the only person who shops there! My point is that, compared to last year, and certainly the year before, the choice, service and quality has deteriorated!

We order all our meat from a local butcher who delivers in cool boxes
I get fruit and veg from local market stalls who have an abundance of choice
Tesco has been delivering as usual the only thing that is proving hard to get are plain crisps Only need these as my grandson loves them and he is dairy intolerant so have to be careful
Do not post abroad so can't comment

Try another shop - I use Sainsburys (other stores are available!) and even through the "shortages" never had problems getting fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. The only shortages seemed to be in snacks and drinks!

Shopping in Tesco must be depressing at the best of times. Right now, the idiots around here are buying twice their usual trolley load - just because it's December and they're in Christmas panic mode. They fling it out next week in their rubbish (when they haven't been able to eat it all) and do it all over again.

Why send parcels and cards abroad? Do it the easy way and order online, gift wrapped, for delivery there to cut out the middle man (you).

I went to Co-op for a few bits, it was useless (expensive and empty shelves) but then went to Lidl (well stocked and more reasonable prices!) I ended up with a trolley full that I didn't know I needed

It is very Bah Humbug to compare the UK to a third world country. We don't know we're born, here.

If you are struggling with gifts, why not agree to make this the last year you exchange them with adults? I can tell you, it's very freeing to not have to plod around seeking the perfect gift or pretend to love the not-ideal gift you may recieve! Most of us as we get older don't need more clutter anyway.

I went to Sainsbury's yesterday after work and noticed how there was loads of chicken too and not much other meat. The fruit and veg aisle did look pretty sparse though.

It most probably wasn't wise to compare the UK to a third world country but I do appreciate the concern we appear to have inflicted some sort of punishment on ourselves (or had inflicted upon on us- whatever your persuasion) I'm really concerned about lack of staff in places, especially care.

having to pay more and spend more time with bureaucracy to send stuff to relatives in Europe must really bloody annoying as well

I would be ordering from Amazon in the appropriate countries.

A packet of 1 large and two small cards to Germany, no customs label, 1.70. Both I and post worker agreed that was very good value. .
As said previously through post office parcel to Netherlands £6.00, again good value , yes customs label, but no problems, my grandaughter is a grown up. Tesco’s here, full of fruit and veg, from Spain, Netherlands and Belgium. Prefer home grown seasonal myself, but if not available plenty of choice. Your post seems full of self pity and woe is me. We are still alive, thank goodness , many haven’t survived Covid, we are warm, go without nothing of importance, personally I count my blessings that I do live in the UK.

growstuff

Poppyred

I always think people are mad to shop for meat in TESCO, so EXPENSIVE!

Aldi and Lidl excellent choice at a fair price. Also plenty of fruit and veg - your shopping in the wrong shop. Lol

It depends whether Aldi or Lidl are accessible.

There are also shops in (most) high streets called Butchers who might be glad of our custom!
Fish is another matter if you live just about as far from the sea as possible as I do, but that said, 10 miles from me in Bedford there is one of the best fish shops I have seen in years.
Big supermarkets have for years encouraged us customers to prioritise price above quality with the result that many smaller producers have found themselves squeezed out.
I would not shop in Tesco unless it was really the only option, but that’s just my opinion.
When I am feeling flush, I like farmers’ markets and when I am counting the pennies I find shopping at a regular weekly market in a nearby small town at about 2.30 or 3.00.(just before they pack up for the day) there are usually amazing bargains to be had in fresh vegetables.
Distribution problems have been exacerbated by both Brexit and Covid- nothing is “normal” it seems, but OP has clearly never had to live in a Third World country or indeed Eastern Europe before the fall (rise?) of the Iron Curtain

I see KT's point of view. Buying, wrapping and sending parcels can be a pleasure to some even if a chore for others.
Deliveries to supermarket are more erratic than they used to be, and that is undoubtedly a by-product of Brexit.
I could point to other things that have gone downhill in the last 10 years of Tory government. The way the frail elderly are treated for one - with care home owners paying themselves hefty sums but keeping care workers barely above the minimum wage.
The state of the public utilities generally. Owned by private companies with no investment in infrastructure - hence villages in County Durham left without power for weeks.
Raw sewage pumped into rivers. These are obvious examples.
Cutting welfare benefits for the poor and promising tax cuts to the rich.
Third world may conjure up the wrong image, I agree, but is the above a state of civilisation of which we are proud?

We lost our fish deli and butchers counters in all apart from one supermarket. Where a lot of the stock is out of date or the shelves are empty. There is only one fish shop open and that is miles away. Its not covid or Brexit it's simply we are limited in choice. I am not interested in eating cheap chickens jam packed on shelves. Boring limited choices of packaged fish I would like the choices we used to have. I shop on line for free range or specialist produce of my choice but the postage is becoming ridiculous.

I post small presents overseas and won’t stop I make allowances for the prices of postage

We use Lidl, Waitrose and Aldi. No shortages in our area whatsoever. Plenty of meat in Lidl plus poultry and fruit and veg of every kind.
Fresh water from taps, hot baths, a real third world country…..

MayBeMaw

growstuff

Poppyred

I always think people are mad to shop for meat in TESCO, so EXPENSIVE!

Aldi and Lidl excellent choice at a fair price. Also plenty of fruit and veg - your shopping in the wrong shop. Lol

It depends whether Aldi or Lidl are accessible.

There are also shops in (most) high streets called Butchers who might be glad of our custom!
Fish is another matter if you live just about as far from the sea as possible as I do, but that said, 10 miles from me in Bedford there is one of the best fish shops I have seen in years.
Big supermarkets have for years encouraged us customers to prioritise price above quality with the result that many smaller producers have found themselves squeezed out.
I would not shop in Tesco unless it was really the only option, but that’s just my opinion.
When I am feeling flush, I like farmers’ markets and when I am counting the pennies I find shopping at a regular weekly market in a nearby small town at about 2.30 or 3.00.(just before they pack up for the day) there are usually amazing bargains to be had in fresh vegetables.
Distribution problems have been exacerbated by both Brexit and Covid- nothing is “normal” it seems, but OP has clearly never had to live in a Third World country or indeed Eastern Europe before the fall (rise?) of the Iron Curtain

Tesco and Waitrose are my only options for local supermarkets - and I can't afford Waitrose.

I really hate shopping for food in person, so I've been doing online shopping for years. Don't get all sniffy with me! I buy meat from a local farm and most of my vegetables are grown by me (hence my username) or supplied by a friend, who is a professional gardener.

No, I don't think the UK is like a third world country, but I still don't see why anybody with any sense would want to make life more difficult.

Forsythia

We use Lidl, Waitrose and Aldi. No shortages in our area whatsoever. Plenty of meat in Lidl plus poultry and fruit and veg of every kind.
Fresh water from taps, hot baths, a real third world country…..

Wow! Maybe we could all move to this Utopian area!