Which supermarket

[ChilwellWhite]

Tesco for our main shop and treats from M&S or Waitrose. Could literally spend a fortune in either of those 2 shops, hence its for treats only. Never been inside a Aldi or Lidl really should give them a go I suppose, when the daughter was at uni she bought a tin of baked beans from one of them and there was no more than a dozen beans in the tin put me off big time.

[mapperleywhite]

Sainsburys for me - they strike the right balance between quality and price.

We spend more at Lidl per month, but that’s only because Mrs MW walks through their car park every day coming back from work.

Also get specific items from Morrisons, Asda and Aldi, occasionally Waitrose.

Tesco is a no-no; had a delivery from them and the food was really poor and not especially cheap.

[Deleted User 728]

I've got strong links with Sainsbury's having worked for them on more than one occasion in the past. I also have several lifelong friendships from my time with the firm, but I very rarely shop there for two reasons : I think they fall between two stools in that they're neither cheap nor the best quality.

I like ASDA but there isn't one that near to me.

I use Tesco's smaller stores for the convenience when shopping for top-ups but no longer do a "big shop" there as I don't want to give them too much of my money because I dislike their working practises.

Waitrose can go and take a long, hard look in the mirror; ditto M & S. I only ever use them if I'm in out and about in a city during the day and would like something healthy for lunch rather than fast food. The deli at Waitrose is gorgeous and decent value, surprisingly, but the rest of the stuff in both stores is over-priced and I never, ever eat ready meals. I'm not a food snob or anything, I just prefer to make something simple myself and know what's in it, partly through being diabetic and partly because it generally tastes better and is better for you. I dislike using microwaves to cook any kind of actual "meal". They're fine for soup and stuff like that, but I wouldn't buy a lasagna and cook it that way - I would rather make a bigger one myself and make it last a couple of days.

There are no Morrisons anywhere near me whatsoever.

Which leaves Aldi and Lidl, both of which I love.
Southampton is a Lidl city though and they actively buy up any suitable real estate in the area to stop Aldi opening another store here. There's only one in the city limits - in a place called St.Denys, which is pretty run down, kind of a mix between student town and the Asian/Afro-Caribbean area near St.Mary's stadium. The next closest branch is in a small market town about six or seven miles out called Romsey where there's a Lidl, and Aldi and - bizarrely - a Waitrose all on the same street, with 100 yards separating the three shops.
I love Lidl.
The fruit and veg selection is excellent.
Their range of world foods - like sausages and cheeses and the occasional "Iberian" range and other seasonal lines - are also really good.
But the thing for me is the stuff like ground coffee, breakfast cereals, the meat and fish and non-food lines that both they and Aldi excel at.
The buyers for both companies do a fantastic job sourcing (seemingly) random household items, clothing, stationery, gadgets, hardware, etc.
Also, their cleaning products and stuff like deodorant, washing powder, bleach and the like are good quality and they offer real value for money.
Now they've installed bakeries I'm made up.
I love their cheeky copycat products like the lager that looks - and tastes - just like Stella
Things like a 2ltr bottle of orange juice for about £1.30 just can't be beaten.

Nor can their eggs

[johnh]

Rigger, agree about Lidl. We have all the stores in the poll in Maidenhead, though not 100% sure about Morrisons. Lidl is excellent. Having said that, we have a 'Budgens' about half-a-mile away and tend to shop there for convenience. Its a lot more expensive (but saves on petrol and car parking). The quality is reasonable and they have a very good wine and beer section.

[Sniffer]

If I can be arsed I'll walk down Blackboy Hill/Whiteladies Road (only mentioned to get the fact that it's a hill in to the conversation) to do a big shop at Sainsbury's but that means a 20 minute walk, with shopping, back up the hill to get home. There's both a Sainsbury's and a Tesco's at the top of the hill that I sometimes use but they are the small Express/Metro versions which don't have the range or the value of the bigger shops. There are also some independent shops there too so if I'm looking for something quirky like a vegetarian jumper or artisanal bread (and I've just won the Lottery) I might combine all the shops up there. If I need something on the way to or from work I'll pop into the 24hr Asdawl (as a Bristolian would call it) which is handy for a shift worker at half 5 of a morning. But 9 times out of 10 I'll drive to a nearby Tesco and shop there.
When I lived in Basingstoke I was almost next door to a Morrison's so used that all the time, when I lived in Salisbury Waitrose was the nearest and meant I didn't have to use the city centre car park.
So, basically, I'm not drawn to any particular shop out of brand loyalty but rather by ease of use.

[Deleted User 728]

Rigger, agree about Lidl. We have all the stores in the poll in Maidenhead, though not 100% sure about Morrisons. Lidl is excellent. Having said that, we have a 'Budgens' about half-a-mile away and tend to shop there for convenience. Its a lot more expensive (but saves on petrol and car parking). The quality is reasonable and they have a very good wine and beer section.

Actually, I forgot about the Aldi / Lidl alcohol thing, apart from the Stella clone I mentioned.
Their spirits and wines are also great and have garnered a few awards this year alone - an Aldi whiskey and a Lidl gin I think, both being placed in the top 3 in the world or something ridiculous like that
.. both for about £14 !

[Deleted User 728]

If I can be arsed I'll walk down Blackboy Hill/Whiteladies Road (only mentioned to get the fact that it's a hill in to the conversation) to do a big shop at Sainsbury's but that means a 20 minute walk, with shopping, back up the hill to get home. There's both a Sainsbury's and a Tesco's at the top of the hill that I sometimes use but they are the small Express/Metro versions which don't have the range or the value of the bigger shops. There are also some independent shops there too so if I'm looking for something quirky like a vegetarian jumper or artisanal bread (and I've just won the Lottery) I might combine all the shops up there. If I need something on the way to or from work I'll pop into the 24hr Asdawl (as a Bristolian would call it) which is handy for a shift worker at half 5 of a morning. But 9 times out of 10 I'll drive to a nearby Tesco and shop there.
When I lived in Basingstoke I was almost next door to a Morrison's so used that all the time, when I lived in Salisbury Waitrose was the nearest and meant I didn't have to use the city centre car park.
So, basically, I'm not drawn to any particular shop out of brand loyalty but rather by ease of use.

There's a couple of cracking independents in/near St Pauls.
We used to walk to a big corner shop with a groovy coffee/deli in-store - all vegan friendly, worldy, hippy kinda stuff but actually bloody amazing at the same time. It's on the corner of Mina Road and Sandbed Road and is called Sonni's. They have tables outside so you can enjoy a coffee in the sunshine and there's a small but lovely park on the other side of the street. Their food selection is utterly brilliant, especially if you like funky breads and anything imported
The other one was a bit more "worthy" - I always think of the "Modern Parents" strip in Viz when I go in there, where you're liable to bump into children called Focaccia and Chorizo as buy food with those names. You probably know it : Better Food on York Street, about five minutes walk from Sonni's.

On a different tack but still in St Pauls, have you tried the pan-Asian restaurant, Teohs ?? It's amazing, food-wise. Really comprehensive menu and very good value. Decent range of Asian bottled beers and the kind of big table, sit anywhere ethos that is similar to a German bier kellar. We used to sit on high stools at a kind of bar along one wall and watch the kitchen staff, as it's also got a big open prep area where they cook everything in front of you. Wonderful staff, lovely food and a great experience .. right in the middle of what's supposedly a run-down area. It's on Lower Ashley Road, just off the motorway

[Sniffer]

I don't tend to get much further than Gloucester/Cheltenham Road when I'm down that way, and that - as I'm sure you're aware - is chock full of indy shops. I didn't know those 2 shops but I looked them up on Google maps and they're in St Werburgh's which has always had a hippy vibe to it. Well, at least since the 80s when I had friends living there and that was probably the last time I had a walk around there. Long overdue another visit.
Teohs I do know of as it's on the rat run to or over the M32. I've never been in it though and it may take a lot of persuading to get my other half to come with me. St Paul's still has a bit of an edgy reputation for many Bristolians. Whilst I'm fairly blasé about where I go, my girlfriend makes sure all the car doors are locked in some areas of the city - and that's when she's driving through them. Her mum even refuses to go to Gloucester Road due it's reputation in the 50s!

Actually there's a Better Foods on Whiteladies Rd and I know what you mean about being "worthy". Bloody expensive too.

[ilkley62]

M&S after work if I've no time - esp the yellow stickers near closing time!!!, Tesco for the "Big shop" & we've just had an Aldi open ....some reet bargains by the look of it

[90 miles a hour]

Only 19 votes you guys must live on takeaways