There’s always been that classic argument as to which supermarket is the best today. It depends upon what the customer is looking for. If its cheap food that you know will cause you some long-term damage, may I suggest Iceland or Aldi. Maybe you’d prefer to go middle of the road and visit Asda or Sainsburys. Just make sure you enjoy green and orange like its going out of fashion. There is always the argument that Tescos is the best supermarket available today but then again its stores look like they were built on a budget of about the same as its Everday Value ‘Mac N Cheese’ meals. I recently visited Waitrose, for what can only be described as a different supermarket experience than ever before.
This was the first time I’d been to this particular Waitrose since it infamously burnt down in 2009. Its re-opening a year later had made it both smaller and more modern but it didn’t seem any different to what it used to be, nor different to a modern £4.99 building of Tescos. Waitrose have always had a reputation for being “over-priced” and “middle class” with its products and prices. This simply isn’t the case. Waitrose, when it comes to regular purchases such as baked beans, were as good as if not better value than mainstream shops. It has deals and a deli and a delightful check-out girl and for that reason I just couldn’t see why it was any different from Tescos.
It’s the little things that matter though. Maybe because I was wearing a t-shirt that had the word ‘peasant’ on it but the whole shop looked like it was judging me. Waitrose try to portray themselves as a regular supermarket but the whole experience left me feeling ashamed. The staff wear ridiculous shirt and tie uniforms that I wouldn’t wear to lunch with the Queen. I tried to find a toilet there to which the response from a staff member was “Not for customers”. Charming. At the end, I was given a little token to vote on which local charity Waitrose should be supporting. This annoyed me lots and I even asked a manager for two more tokens just so I could vote for all 3 as they should be supporting all charities.
This may be coming across as petty and childish. I agree that their staff should be well presented and that they should be supporting charities but its the fact that the whole shop looked like it was showing off in my face. I get it Waitrose. You’re very impressive and generally better than everything else out there. When I can afford it I will shop with you more regularly.
For now, I’ll stick with Morrisons!
#1 by Michael Cargill on April 23, 2012 - 2:45 pm
Pah, away with your dismissal of Waitrose! You must live quite close to me – I often pop into the Waitrose in Coulsdon, just down the road from Banstead.
I find the staff in Waitrose fair friendlier and stuff than the Tesco just down the road. I only go in there for certain things though – the Davidstow cheddar for instance.
It’s fab.
#2 by Adam Jackson on April 23, 2012 - 4:43 pm
The Asda I work in part time has the green tokens as well… though I cringe whenever I notice that one of the boxes is for the local chapter of “Help the Hero’s” [sic].
My first experience of Waitrose was a very tatty ex Safeway supermarket in the cheap end of Durham City. It closed soon after opening and moved lock stock and barrel to a smaller site in Newcastle which is much nicer – the site has a lot to do with it. One of Tesco’s oldest supermarkets, based in the Trinity Square complex round the corner from me, closed yesterday and was the perfect example of grime, unhelpful layout and underinvestment.
I don’t often visit Tesco as I find them overpriced and poor quality compared to Asda, but whenever I have had to get anything more than a pint of milk from there, rather than taking the 5 min stroll round the corner; I’ve taken a 15 minute drive to the Tesco Extra store at the other end of Newcastle. It makes the world of difference because it’s clean, has wider aisles, a comprehensible layout and staff who while not exactly happy to be there, are at least polite and do not begrudge someone asking where something is. Hopefully the replacement Tesco in Gateshead which opens in a year will improve in the same way – though a dose of common sense in their workforce might help too.