Re: Result!

[Fran]

On what basis do you make that selection? See, if you read this:

makes interesting reading.

[Andy Hall]

Not really. It's from the Guardian, so can be immediately discounted.

Nonetheless.....

Lidl and Aldi can be ignored unless one is buying on the basis of price. It doesn't surprise me that they score above Tesco, Sainsbury, Morrisons or Asda. All four companies are confused about positioning between price and service and in trying to achieve both, fall short.

It doesn't surprise me that John Lewis companies and M&S lead in terms of customer satisfaction. Discerning customers understand that that is not about price.

[Spacker]

That would be because Lidl markets itself at scum, and scum aren't really that fussy. They are used to being treated like scum, so if they don't get strip searched on the way out they will see that as good customer service. Whereas someone who shops where the toffs shop will have a fit if the till monkey doesn't pack their bags for them.

[Fran]

>>> It makes interesting reading.

The original research was not done by the Guardian.

Wrong on that. Much of their stock is of very high quality: very often beats the big boys. Demographic research suggests that AB1s are increasingly buying at a mix of Waitrose and Lidl.

John Lewis are a very specific proposition, which I wish more would copy. And interestingly, very often the cheapest. M&S are very variable. Watchdog's take on their Internet shopping was very accurate indeed, in my very recent experience.

You've not answered the original question, of course.

[Frank Erskine]

>>>>> It makes interesting reading.

I think I mentioned on here a while ago that I ventured into an Aldi store just to see what the arguments are all about, and made a token purchase of a packet of digestive biscuits :-) In all honesty, I found them to be the best of any that I've tried in any food store! The downside seemed to be at the checkouts. Although in that store there were around six checkouts, only two were active. The extremely long conveyor belt gives you the impression that you're about to be servèd, but it did (or seemed to) take about ten minutes to effect my purchase :-(( I'm not too sure whether that's reasonable - my waiting-to-be-served time at Waitrose is about 2 or 3 minutes, and at my 'local' Sainsbury some 4 or 5 minutes (at JS I usually use the basket-only checkouts).

I occasionally use Asda, too, because they seem to be the only one locally who sell green-coloured lavatory paper and locally produced free-range large eggs :-)

Really it's a case of shopping around for what you want, which I suppose defeats the whole concept of 'supermarkets'...

[wessie]

Frank Erskine wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Agreed. Much like all retailers, it's a case of suck & see. IMV there are a number of things sold by my local Lidl that are excellent e.g. peanut butter, marmalade, Black Forest ham & English blue cheeses.

Waiting at the checkout is not the only time you need to measure. I find that if I shop in one of the top 4 supermarkets I am distracted by the numerous special offers, tastings etc. Not only that, the size of the shop often means that popping in for a top-up shop of 4 items means walking a couple of miles in store. Of course, this is exactly the experience the marketing department want you to have.

Conversely, in Aldi/Lidl the spartan milieu means that I go in, grab what I want and go back to my car. Even if it takes 5-10 mins to get through the checkout I'm guessing that the time spent shopping is less than doing a similar shop in the Top4.

Indeed.

[platypus]

My local Tesco had a reorganise/rebuild a few months ago. The aisles are longer, and the things I want are hidden in plain sight. All the windows have gone too, so it's a much less pleasant place to be in. The new tills are crap. I'm using local High Street shops more now, and I can't wait till the new Aldi store opens.

So there's another brilliant plan that's differently succeeded.

[:Jerry:]

>>>>> It makes interesting reading.

As can all news media sources, is there any 'news paper' that doesn't put their own spin of a story, even the FT has a tendency to do so... :~(

So link to the original research...

[Fran]

Don't forget their chocolate, either.

And you probably also spend less, not simply because the prices are lower.

[Fran]

I have to ask. Why green coloured loo paper? (I think I may regret this question.)

[Frank Erskine]

It suits the décor.

[Man at B&Q]

Sorted out your quoting at last.

[Andy Hall]

>>

That doesn't make it any more trustworthy if they printed it.

For small values of "increasingly". Lidl and the rest of them have minuscule market share.

About disappointments?

Buying on the basis of customer service is overall less expensive than buying on price when all factors are taken into account.

[Andy Hall]

That's unacceptable. Any possible saving in the paid price has been more than wiped out by the waiting time.

Waitrose waiting time I would consider acceptable. Sainsbury would be boredering on the unacceptable.

... and costs even more because of the time taken.

[Dr Ivan D. Reid]

On Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:21:44 +0000, Frank Erskine

wrote in :

I'm a bit worried about the effects on the staff, too. At our local there are never more than two (of 4 IIRC) checkouts open at once and the girls put things through at a prodigious pace (most of the stuff has oversized barcodes to help). Though to be fair, their throughput is about what I remember from before barcode readers, when the girls had to input the price into a numeric pad. Most supermarket checkout guys these days are fairly lackadaisical about scanning stuff in. And at least one local Tesco seems to have a local myth that the article must be moving for it to scan -- if the scanner doesn't beep they pull the item back and sweep it towards the scanner again.

[Fran]

That would be why Tesco are spending a large amount of money analysing them, then.

No.

[Fran]

Buying on the basis of speed is a piss poor way of ensuring that you buy quality. Especially for food.

[Pete M]

Lidl do fabulous Bratwurst, and seems to be the only place I can find a certain type of Kinder bar that is the greatest "Munchies" invention ever.

Oh, Aldi pizzas are great too.

[Andy Hall]

That's up to them. I don't think that they have anyhing to be concerned about.

Which original question? There have been several.

[Fran]

Tesco would not spend money on anything they considered of no concern. I suspect they may know slightly more about retail than you do.