Is it just me hates supermarkets?

I quite enjoy my weekly visits to Waitrose. A free coffee and free Guardian before you get started on the serious stuff. Lovely staff, Quick Check so I don't have to queue to pay. Often have a chat to the regulars we see most weeks. Just have to be careful we don't overstay the 2 hours in the carpark!!!

David

I hate supermarkets, in fact I hate crowds. I don't like having to weave in and out and around people so its quickly in to get what I want and through the quick check out. Probably why I enjoy the countryside

I hear mention of Booths, I like Booths too, we have Williams in Somerton which is a good locally owned small supermarket (too far for me just to pop in.)

Apart from that after being grateful for getting the family shop done fairly quickly when working (and later on line) I don't use them very often.

Only use supermarkets for basic things, eg, milk, butter, cleaning materials.  Otherwise:

Meat:   local market stall

Cat food:  Wilco's (cheaper than supermarket)

Bread:  local market stall

Veg:  grow my own

I understand that many Aldi stores will now take credit cards, so I guess this is something they are 'rolling out'?

We do tend to use Aldi and have found their stuff reasonably good quality.  Carol sometimes uses Asda, but I'll stay in the car with the dog - it always seems manic!  Occasionally I'll go in after 10pm - usually just before Christmas.

Personally I like shopping at the Co-OP.   Small enough to get around without going out for the day!!

David

We don't have Booths in Scotland - sounds good though.

I always find the customer service in Lidl to be very friendly and the checkouts are quick - no self service tills thankfully.

I used to shop only in Waitrose, M&S or Sainsbury but to be honest I think they are just overpriced and very often the quality isn't as good. M&S 28 day matured steak is around £10-12 each - about £40 per kilo, Lidl is a quarter of that and in my view the meat is much better.

As a few people have said, to each their own - I only wish that we could have the option of small independant butchers, bakers, greengrocers and fishmongers, but those days have largely gone. I can access all of those things in the West End of Glasgow (trendy arty bit of town) but the prices are beyond a joke. I really don't mind paying over the odds for good quality and local produce, but it seems the independents are all "artisan" - that's from the Latin artitus meaning instruct in the arts - the art of overcharging methinks

We are lucky in our small town, 3 butchers, 2 wet fish shops, 2 bakers but no green grocers.  

We're much the same, we  have big supermarkets a few miles away, plenty of small shops locally and farm shops too.

Since we both retired we find ourselfs going to the smaller stores especially butchers and veg shops we can buy as little as we need there and of course we have more time 

Most own brand products, and a good many of the branded versions, are produced/prepared in the same place, with different labels applied for different retailers, who of course price at what they think their loyal customers will pay! Aldi and Lidl are possibly an exception. Being German, they will import from German producers who operate a similar system for German produce.