supermarket rant

[devonwoody]

Quality and freshness at our well known local supermarket over the past few months as deteriorated, the veg & fruit choice is not what it used to be. So we have changed over to that northern well known chain.

But I am wondering if it as got anything to do with home deliveries.
Perhaps the staff who select the goods for those home deliveries take out the best produce knowing that any rubbish sent out would mean a telphone call to the store complaining and requesting a return pick up.

What do members of the forum think.
Or am I getting paranoid?

 

[Gary]

Not really our local one is poor on quality and how long its stays fresh once you get it home and I don't even think they do local delivery. For the very same reason we have switched to home delivery.

 

[Matt_S]

I don't want to sound rude or be awkward but to be honest what do you expect from a supermarket!

I know it is more difficult in some areas than others and here in Kent it is very easy but BUY LOCAL :shock:

 

[Dave S]

We buy almost all of our fruit and veg either from the Friday market or from a local farm shop. Quality can be affected by the weather conditions, but it's always fresh.

Bread comes usually from the bakers.

Although our local supermarket (Waitrose) sources a high proportion their fruit and veg from local suppliers, you can't beat the market or the farm shop in our book.

Dave

 

[devonwoody]

Agree with the comments re local produce.

But I am asking the question, does the forum think that home deliveries might be distorting the supply to those who use supermarkets?

 

[Paul Chapman]

But I am asking the question, does the forum think that home deliveries might be distorting the supply to those who use supermarkets?

I think, DW, the problem is more to do with supermarkets selling so-called "fresh" fruit and vegetables all the year round, irrespective of whether they are in season or not. It means that they have to source them from all over the place; they are picked before they are ripe; force-ripened; pumped full of chemicals and stuffed in a plastic bag.

Probably better to buy locally grown stuff or grow it yourself :wink:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[devonwoody]

Agree with you Paul.

But our supermarket was selling fresh but now they do deliveries I'm wondering if my original question is valid or not?

 

[Paul Chapman]

While home deliveries are increasing, I think most people still go to the shops so I doubt that it's had a significant effect.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[ByronBlack]

no effect in my opinion as often the stuff that comes from home delivery is usually the shrink wrap variety and is not the loose fresh stuff in the store. Also, home delivery stuff isn't always the best quality - they pack for speed, so it's whatever is it hand at the time. I have a mate who's a factory manager.

I'd say stick with local if you can afford to, or go one better and grow your own Since SMWBO has been growing veg in our garden, I have something with every meal and look forward to it as it's very tasty and i'm not normally a veggie fan.

 

[Gill]

I know some people who use a particular large supermarket's home delivery service regularly and refuse to buy fresh produce. They have found that the fresh produce is usually right at the expiration of its 'sell-by' date. If you're in the supermarket, you can at least choose whether or not you are prepared to make a purchase. Although supermarkets are convenient and usually stock a wider range of fresh produce than elsewhere, I've found that local retailers, especially farm shops, often sell better quality produce cheaper. It's certainly true of eggs, which I refuse to buy in supermarkets.

Gill

 

[DomValente]

Staff seem to evaporate from our local supermarket(is supermarket an oxymoron) whenever I walk in, apparently they haven't got over the time when I was telling the area manager, well actually shouting , that I defied him to blind taste the melons, bananas and pears and tell which was which.
He made the mistake of suggesting that I was being silly.
Area managers look funny when they're trying to stroll nonchalantly away from a Whirling Dervish. :twisted:

Dom

 

[devonwoody]

you cant buy local grown bananas in the uk so you go to a supermarket etc.

Interesting replies above, no I wouldn't want any prepacked fruit either.

Dom my daughter is around the Hertfordshire way and the staff know her name (or dissappear) so the pair of you must be giving them some stick.

It would be nice if we had had a nice list of replies I could have forwarded it to BBC news, they always seem to start the news with a topic these days.

Think of it "Public enquiry into why food at supermarkets are not up to previous standards"

I seem to only get sour oranges these days, never had them years ago?

 

[ByronBlack]

Devonwoody - have you made your findings available to the manager of the store?

 

[devonwoody]

Not yet Byron, (although he knows me well as well )
I was hoping that there would be hundreds of replies to the thread of support :wink: and then he wouldn't think, Oh its him again.
I think he already knows he wont make divisional manager after the report I sent to head office last year.

 

[tim]

I know some people who use a particular large supermarket's home delivery service regularly and refuse to buy fresh produce. They have found that the fresh produce is usually right at the expiration of its 'sell-by' date. If you're in the supermarket, you can at least choose whether or not you are prepared to make a purchase. Although supermarkets are convenient and usually stock a wider range of fresh produce than elsewhere, I've found that local retailers, especially farm shops, often sell better quality produce cheaper. It's certainly true of eggs, which I refuse to buy in supermarkets.

Gill

We get most of our groceries delivered but also try to avoid 'fresh' from them for exactly the reason above. We have also found that you have to be careful which farm shops to use - some good some not. My worst veggie experiences though were the times we used organic veg box schemes - really poor quality and what does one do with one carrot and one parsnip anyway. We tried about four or five different suppliers and gave up in the end.

Given that we live in one of the most rural counties in the Uk I find the state of locally grown stuff generally very poor. Discussing this with local producers, the problem is that their main customers (supermarkets) insist on the best stuff and then insist on driving it round the country to various packing and washing plants until the delivered in store stuff is about 4 days older than it should be.

See this for a more topical example: the case of the duchy carrots

We buy most of our meat from a local grower - only drawback is that you need to buy by the half animal. The beef takes up a lot of space in the freezer.

I also have a client that gives me eggs

Cheers

Tim

 

[woodbloke]

Staff seem to evaporate from our local supermarket(is supermarket an oxymoron) whenever I walk in, apparently they haven't got over the time when I was telling the area manager, well actually shouting , that I defied him to blind taste the melons, bananas and pears and tell which was which.
He made the mistake of suggesting that I was being silly.
Area managers look funny when they're trying to stroll nonchalantly away from a Whirling Dervish. :twisted:

Dom

.....with a Tommy gun tucked under his arm. Sorry Dom, couldn't resist - Rob

 

[devonwoody]

Ive started taking photographs of mucky stuff ( not displaying the one with the dead mouse in the loaf of bread though)

I beleive some of the supermarkets have forums so a posting or bombarding them with their poor stuff might gradually change their attitude.
Obviously I have found a national problem.

 

[RogerS]

Staff seem to evaporate from our local supermarket(is supermarket an oxymoron) whenever I walk in, apparently they haven't got over the time when I was telling the area manager, well actually shouting , that I defied him to blind taste the melons, bananas and pears and tell which was which.
He made the mistake of suggesting that I was being silly.
Area managers look funny when they're trying to stroll nonchalantly away from a Whirling Dervish. :twisted:

Dom

Oh I wish I was there My pet peeve is Waitrose where they charge you extra for the privilege of buying fruit that is 'perfectly ripe'. I asked the manager if the rest of the fruit could also be perfectly ripe rather than be rock hard and tasteless but he didn't really get the point.

 

[devonwoody]

did a google on a supermarket forum and the rules do not seem to object to complaints only misbehaviour.

Copy of forum rules.


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So IO am going to join up and start posting my pics. :twisted:

 

[DomValente]

Great, JJ, get your daughter to get in touch with me she can go in the back door while I go in the front, there will be no escape.

Roberto, that issa howwa yu spella it ? yousa gotta special placea inna my book. :twisted:

Dom