Tesco Aaarg

[lobeydosser]

Well we have had one helluva day!

Last night I went online and checked that Tesco had all the items we were looking for.
A cheapy microwave oven for the camper. They had a manual (not digital) which was what we wanted. Less to go wrong.

We also wanted a hand held Dyson for doing the stairs in the house and the carpet in the camper.

And finally I wanted a stand-alone burglar alarm that I could rig up in the camper if we were away for the day.

Well the website said they had them all, so off we tootled to Tesco in Milngavie, 35 miles away.

Gets there and I went to the Customer Service desk and asked the manageress where I would get these items, showing her the pages I had printed off their website.

Oh, we don’t stock these she says. You will only get these in a Tesco Superstore.
I said to her that on the website, the Milngavie Tesco Store is a Superstore.
Much argument took place back and forward until an assistant pointed out to the manageress that the Milngavie store is indeed a Superstore but these items are only available in a Tesco Extra Store.
How the hell are customers supposed to know which kind of store sells what when even their manageress’s do not know what kind of store they are actually working in????

We walked out in disgust and came down the road.
Went into Asda in Dumbarton and in their electrical department picked up the exact same microwave at 6 quid cheaper than the Tesco one.
Well at least that paid for the fuel of a wasted journey.

Came home and went onto Amazon and got the Dyson at £17 cheaper than Tesco and a better Alarm with 2 key fobs instead of the Tesco 1 key fob for £3 cheaper.  


I am forever hearing about shops bemoaning the fact that the internet is taking away all their business.
No bloody wonder when they advertise things online and then don’t stock these items when we have driven a 120 mile round trip. It is just so much less hassle to order them online and have them delivered to your door.

Carry on like this and 20 years from now all shopping will be done online and it will not be because of the internet but because of shops that just do not understand what Customer Service really is.

[djs]

Tesco aren't cheap on anything, and they are one of the worst for not stocking stuff. I don't bother going there any more.
They seem to be taking over the world anyway.

Tesco decided America was "right for them" at this (that) time and it's cost them 1.2 billion quid or something.
Another faceless big business where the people at the top pay themselves footballers wages and celebrate how clever they are.

They might employ lots of local people, but I can't help thinking those people (and the customers) would all be much happier (and still employed) if we went back to a butchers, and bakers and a greengrocers.

[lobeydosser]

Totally agree DJS.

Indeed our first trip in the camper this year will be down to Melrose, early next month.

It is a small town with no supermarkets and within walking distance of the campsite is 3 old fashioned type shops. A Butcher, a Greengrocer and a Baker.

All we need for a laid back holiday.

After today I am looking forward to some decent shopping and some fresh home cooked food.

[Blownupdolly]

I just hate Tesco with a passion.
When I first returned from Australia I couldn't get a job as I had no Uk work history for 10yrs, so ended up taking a part time job there as they weren't bothered. I figured any job was better than nothing.
After 3mths I left. The way management treated and behaved towards shop floor staff was appalling. Typical case of untalented drongos who wouldn't get in the door of management anywhere else, going power crazy and would make sure they trod all over subordinates. Made me sick, especially when they bullied learning disabled staff that they knew wouldnt stand up for themselves.

Added to all that, these days I find their stores grubby in comparison to others. Wouldn't shop there if I was paid to.

[collie2011]

I would much rather go back to the old Butcher, Greengrocer, Baker arrangement. In fact our local shops were great when I was a kid. There is a small row of shops next to the high school.

When I was a kid you had cafe, pet shop, video shop/sweet shop, butchers, doctors surgery, chinese take away, chemist, greengrocers, co-op, bakers, off licence, newsagents, library. All of them were independent shops that were family run.

Now the Cafe, pet shop and video shop have been knocked through into a hairdressers/tanning salon/beauty place. The butchers has been turned into a garage for the house next door. The doctors is still there and so is the Chinese. The chemist were bought out by the Co-op so is no longer independent. The greengrocers is now a bookies, the co-op is still there. The bakery has been bought out by waterfields, the off licence is part of a chain too and the newsagents was bought out by Martins. Then as if we needed it, Ladbrokes built another bookies across the car park from the other shops, we have no butcher, but 2 bookies!

I'm only 27 so this isn't that long ago. All of those shops, except the Chinese take out have lost that friendliness that made me enjoy going to them as a kid with my mum. The Butcher would always answer my questions and was always nice to me, he always threw a bone in for the dog too. The green grocer had lollipops on the counter and if you were good while you were in there you got a lollipop. The baker made the best iced buns i've ever had light, soft and fluffy with loads of icing.

I would much rather have that sort of relationship with the people I buy my food off.

[dannyw14]

i live right next to a tesco..... all my shopping is done at asda

[esmecullen]

Last time I went into Tesco was 5yrs ago, bought fresh chicken and in the hour it took me to get home it had gone green Went back and asked if it could be replaced and the gum chewing Eastender wannabe manager informed me that "its obviously been left out for days whatcher want me to do about it????" He refused to replace or refund so I toldhim he could have it with my compliments and walked out................never been in a Tesco since

[Jen]

We use Sainsburys online to get basics, dry goods and drinks sorta stuff, then for fresh stuff go to either the farm shop near OH's work or one of the rather splendid butchers near the two greengrocers in Sale Moor village, where there are also two (chain) bakers. I hate buying supermarket meat, it's all mass-produced stuff I can't be sure is in any way ethical or good.

The takeaways OTOH are rubbish round here

When I were a lass, the fish n chip shop always used to give me a single chip wrapped in paper for me to eat on the way home. Always looked forward to that

[chrisjw]

I use Waitrose..........................but it's full of oldies........

[lobeydosser]

Thinking about our trip next month to Melrose and the small shops there, we are too used to going into supermarkets for specific items and then ofcourse buying far more than we need because the shelves are laid out in such a way as to attract you to buy more.

Whereas when we shop in small dedicated shops, we tend to go in because we need some Butcher Meat, Veggies, Bread, whatever but, have no idea what exactly we want. We only decide once we look in the window or get to the counter and browse the delights as it were.

Although the small specialised shops are probably more expensive, because you are not buying the other attractions that you are tempted with in supermarkets, it ends up cheaper as you are only getting what you are actually going to use.

Our own village still retains an old fashioned Butcher and we have a small Co-op, but the Jenny Aw' shop closed last year and the Chippy has not been opened for over 3 years now. The next village along has the Bank (opened twice a week) and the Chemist. Their Jenny Aw' shop is also closed now.