Tesco's losses

Ariadne, I am forever in mourning for the Morrisons in Bideford, I so wish we had one here.You have a new Tesco now at East-The -Water, and an Asda somewhere I hear.Never been a fan of Asda, but it may be because the stores are so vast.

I expect the wood lice are grateful.

That sounds like the pieces of wood that Mr Roses likes to hang onto and stores in the garage. He has vast mounds of wood of all types and sizes, just in case he needs a bit here and there.

I wish I had a pound for every tool I have bought "just in case" and then couldn't find it when I did want ti.

Our Asda is awful (isn't it, Phoenix?) but I know other quite pleasant ones. I do all my basic grocery shopping online (Sainsburys / Waitrose) so only need to pop on and out of local supermarkets to get everything what I've forgotten. And Morrisons vary too - the one in Chatham was dreadful, the one here isn't bad but very busy.

Wish we had an Aldi or Lidl nearby for the popping in bit..

That is so true, and I wish I had a £1 coin for every time I have heard it.

But you never know when you will want a 2ft long 3/4" masonry drill.

At least, Mr Roses tells me that about handbags.

You know you don't need any more.

I don't go in with Mrs. P, need plenty of time to browse the tools.

In that case, Mrs, Pompa should tether you outside while she does the shopping!

Glad we don't have lidl/aldi, every time I do go there, I buy tools etc that I don't really need .

Sorry loopylou I didn't make that very clear. I do actually shop in Lidl and there are only a few items I don't manage to get there.

People complain about the negative effect of supermarkets on the high street. However in our village Tesco has had the opposite effect. It has provided parking, which we did not have, and brings shoppers into the village that would have gone to more major towns nearby. No shops have closed as a result of Tesco, in fact the butchers, right opposite has expanded and is busier than ever, as is the bakers. Tesco do not try to compete with existing stores, their butchery is minimal, but as we do not have a wet fish shop, their fish counter is excellent. Many new businesses have started due to the extra footfall, we now have 5 cafes. Tesco also support many local groups and events. I worked for Age Concern in the village day centre, Tesco helped us out at Christmas by providing staff to serve and all the food at no charge. They allow local groups to use their meeting room when it is available and of course provide valuable employment for local people. I'm not suggesting that other companies would not have done the same, we had Tesco (we also have an ASDA, they do nothing.) Because they employ local people, visiting the store is a pleasant experience meeting friends and shopping.

You're very lucky to have smaller shops with less choice gangy!
Certainly I'd struggle, especially as starting a new full time job next week, to do a full shop in any of the towns near me, without visiting a supermarket.
I suspect it would be an expensive and frustrating experience sadly.

Even in Bath you'd struggle big time as no greengrocer other than periodic stall, no fish shop other than Waitrose and certainly no small grocers shops that I can think of. Traipsing from one side of the city to the other is a non starter.

The large supermarkets have reaped their just desserts. If the competition as in Aldi and Lidl hadn't rolled in, they would not have been challenged. The arrival of this competition has been to the advantage of the consumer.
Tesco appears to have been the dirtiest dealer in the ways it has put the screws on it's suppliers and mislead it's customers.
I do feel sorry for the many suppliers who will be seriously affected by this downturn in turnover - many could go out of business.
Give me smaller shops with less choice anyday. I've no wish to use my precious energy traversing the miles of shopping aisles.

(and it's certainly cheaper than Tesco on the whole)

I love Asda, and I'm not ashamed of it!

I wish we had a Morrisons here, but am happy with Sainsbury anyway.

Yes, Merlotgran, I know it was a joke, but being Stephen Fry he probably did mean it.I know one or two people that would go along with it as well.

I like Sainsbury's too, I have just come back from there. However I do a monthly basics shop from Tesco, which I have delivered, because as crun said, Tesco is the cheapest.

I went around our new Lidl (which used to be exactly the same as Aldi) and found that it too is trying to go upmarket and failing. It's far more expensive, although it does have a few things that I would like to go back and try one day. I prefer our Aldi. As the Lidl has been plonked right opposite our Sainsbury's, I can't see it working, but if it had only stayed as it was when once it was my main shop, it would have been a serious threat.

Every time I do an online Tesco shop, something else gets discontinued or becomes unavailable. It loses out because I just go to Sainsbury's and buy their equivalent, rather than go up a notch.

It was a joke, roses, hence the

I like Sainsbury the best.

I wouldn't put much credence in anything that Stepehen Fry says, especially as he seems like a terrific snob anyway.Tesco do a job, just like all the other supermarkets, although it has become fashionable to slag them off.All the supermarkets are there to make a profit, not for altruistic reasons.It just comes down to which you prefer to shop in.

crun! What a wonderful image I have of you flitting...