Update 28 April 2008: I would like to add that with one point to me it appears I am not alone in my thoughts regarding price fixing: OFT in new supermarket crackdown
It's been pointed out to me that I have been very angry recently so excuse the tone in this little
write up rant. But it's not really surprising with the state of this country. You're not even allowed to be proud to be a white heterosexual male. It's ok to have gay days or black music only clubs. Banks have been ripping me off for years. Go to prison and you have a great time. If you're foreign, commit crime and then get a threat of deportation then you get human fucking rights lawyers sort it out. This labour government has been screwing the country over for the last 10 years. I didn't vote these lunatics in. But I digress.
My recent bout of anger has come from the fact that not only are foreigners, banks and the government ripping me off, so are supermarkets. It's obvious the cost of living has increased over the last year or two, quite dramatically. Petrol prices are up and food prices are up. So, along with many people at the moment, I re-assessed where our finances are being hit. Apart from the usual petrol, electric, gas, water and council tax it seems the culprit is actually food. For the last 7 years or so my
partner and I have been shopping at Tesco. We bought into the idea of earning points on that little card so we could get more deals and points towards shopping, or indeed a 'free' shop later on. But that has pretty much ended.
I was a supporter of Tesco. It is one of the few British success stories. I'm a patriotic Brit, no that doesn't mean I am racist. I was proud of a British company actually being successful. But having looked at where our money is going it seems a lot is on our food budget. I'm not fat although I eat more than I should. We survived on a quarter of what our combined income was 7 years ago. See a pattern in there anywhere?
Tesco recently announced a
£2.8 billion profit. If they can have a profit when my finances are being battered then it leaves me no choice but to look elsewhere. So we decided to try some other places to see the difference. I didn't want to go to the big supermarkets. I am of the same opinion of them as Tesco. If any of them were in the same position as Tesco they would act the same way. Business is all about the shareholder nowadays who are, to put it quite frankly, Wankers. Sorry rich Wankers. So I'm not giving them my money. I wouldn't be surprised if they were price fixing anyway. Sainsbury's is so busy I can't stand shopping there. Many a time have I dumped my shopping because of their appalling checkout management. I can't stand Asda. It should be called Chav Central. Morrison's just looks cheap and I wasn't keen on some of their own brand food. We normally don't buy into brand named foods.
So we came to the conclusion that we should try out Lidl and Aldi. Locally we only have a small Aldi so can't really compare. It was small and claustrophobic and we only left with a few items. What we bought was good quality though. So after our disappointing shop we went to a larger Lidl which is a bit further away but not much. Now this is what we are talking about. Now I am guessing it was quiet because it is not as popular as the large supermarkets. The Tesco car park next door was full. Now the thing with Aldi and Lidl is they don't put effort into looks. Personally I don't care about how the shelf looks. I just want to grab stuff and go. There didn't seem to be as many staff. This is great because there's nothing worse than trying to shop with staff getting in your way and chatting about some girl called Tracy who had a problem with her big toe and is claiming disability allowance, aah what a fucking shame, whilst you're trying to reach some pickles!!!
So initially we are doing taste tests. So far things have been positive. This week I have eaten frozen haddock in bread crumbs, onion rings, burgers and a selection of cheeses and salamis and pepperoni. We also picked up some weird pizza dough rolled up with a jar of sauce. So far I've not had a problem with the food. In fact the burgers are the best I have had from a supermarket in ages. The pizza was ok. You just roll it out on to a baking tray and spread the sauce on. I added some onions and cheese on top. I'm not an imaginative cook. Also I make my own dough these days and supermarket pizza tastes like it has been dipped in toilet water first. Don't even talk to me about Dominos. In fact my pizza tastes really good, fresh and a fraction of the price.
So I can only say good things about the quality. It's not really any different. The biggest shock though was the bill. We spent just about 50% less on a similar shop. Now that is what I call taking the piss. That is the big supermarkets are taking the piss out of their customers.
We also went back to a local Chinese supermarket. We went their a few times before and were impressed. But due to a change in circumstances we hadn't been back. But we went again and again were impressed with the quality. You can get chilli sauce twice the size for the same prices as something from Tesco. Plenty of weird and wonderful foods can be found here.
It seems as consumers we all have a part to play and can also be blamed for being ripped off. You don't have to keep going to your chosen supermarket. I remember when I was a boy my mum would drag us around the local shopping centre from shop to shop to get the shopping. These days it isn't as easy with our busy working lives but it can still work. Other things to try are picking your own fruit and veg. There are lots of places to try this. Last year we spend a couple of hours picking strawberries, raspberries, peas, spinach, broad beans, etc. It was good fun, good exercise and very cheap.
Now we also have an allotment. Obviously these are limited but I have planted enough to give us some fresh vegetables. It won't replace a trip to the supermarket but it will help. Even if you cant get an allotment their are still things you can grow in containers, such as potatoes and carrots.
Now I would say to most people is drop your stupid snobby attitude, open your mind and try somewhere else. Even if it's for a couple of things. But don't base your opinion on just those few items. Some things will be alright and some not. Personally I never buy brand names when I can help it. Nestle and Coca Cola are on my banned list.
So there you go. A quick change in shopping habbit saved us 50% on our food bill. That could potentially be £1500 a year saving. That's a lot. It's early days yet to make a quick evaluation
Rant over. But I am still angry!!!
)))
