Supermarkets in Shetland - prices, ethics and experiences

[TeeAyBee]

One of our local electrical shops states on the shetland times website he can not compete with tesco. Looks like i wont have to check his prices against tesco as he admits to being more expensive.

 

In many cases the retailler in question is already way more expensive than internet retaillers, even after you factor in the exhorbitant shipping - TVs for instance are very expensive. But not in all cases - his Dishwashers are cheaper than Tesco Direct which I think will be a suitable benchmark for what the local store will probably charge.

[TeeAyBee]

How much extra are you willing to pay for that control in terms of higher prices vs how much value do you place on things that have more subjective value and may be lost if they do not turn a proffit

 

Thunk! Now that's the nail hit right on the head.

[TeeAyBee]

Not at all. Personally I would say £20 would be about right, but this is nothing to do with what you think is or isnt the value of items, it about having a budget option which currently just doesn't exist on the isles.

 

You seem to be repeatedly ignoring ISOT's claim that kettles are on sale for £10 in a local electrical shop. I'm confused.

 

Maybe with good reason. I had a good look today and couldn't see one for so little. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough or I was in the wrong place. I agree with the point that Spinner made though, the cheaper item is cheaper not only in price but in quality. We bought a cheap kettle in the same way from the Co-op , yes that demon supermarket also sells electrical goods, how dreadful it will be the end of the Street! Sure.

 

Sorry ranted into a digression. Where was I, oh yes the cheap kettle - I couldn't find one I liked so I bought the cheapie low quality one to tide us over until we found one that we liked from *anywhere*. The local electrical retaillers were my *first* port of call, before the supermarkets and then on to the internet. I still haven't found one I like, but will keep looking until I do. Until then the cheapie from the Co-op will do.

[tlady]

Our last kettle was also from the Lk Co-op, cause the one before (bought from Asda) calved on a Sunday.

 

The Town Centre Association also moaned very heavily about Bolts when it was started!

 

If they would put as much effort into their own businesses as they put into blaming everyone else, they would be billionaires!!

[Muppet]

If they would put as much effort into their own businesses as they put into blaming everyone else, they would be billionaires!!

 

You can't argue with that.

 

I also wonder if there is now anyone in shetland who does not know that Tesco are about to open an extension absolutely packed full of all sort of goods which are way cheaper than anyone on the street charges. You just couldn't pay for advertising like this could you?

[Ghostrider]

I used the kettle as it is a 100% real life example of my own experience.

 

The our one broke, cheapest kettle I could find, going around all the Lerwick electrical shops, was £35. I couldn't afford that so gave up, but found Tesco's had one for £5.99.

 

I know it was poorer quality, with only a years warranty, but it meant I could live within my means.

 

As I've asked so often, if you dont have the tesco's option, where do you get the £30?

 

Was Tesco's kettle worth £5.99. Would the £35.00 kettle possibly have been worth £35.00?

 

My take on it is, *if* the Tesco kettle was likely to last just under 1/6 of the time the £35.00 kettle would, and you were prepared to go to Tesco six times to buy a kettle instead of going to another supplier once, there was nothing wrong with the deal.

 

But, what little I've seen of Tesco's electricals I have my doubts if they'd last 1/10 of the time of a decent brand name equivalent. Therefor, if I couldn't afford £35.00 there and then, I'd much rather boil up any water I needed in a pan on the cooker for a few weeks, until I could save up the £35.00, or whatever the cost was of a decent brand name equivalent.

[ISOT]

One of our local electrical shops states on the shetland times website he can not compete with tesco. Looks like i wont have to check his prices against tesco as he admits to being more expensive.

 

In many cases the retailler in question is already way more expensive than internet retaillers, even after you factor in the exhorbitant shipping - TVs for instance are very expensive. But not in all cases - his Dishwashers are cheaper than Tesco Direct which I think will be a suitable benchmark for what the local store will probably charge.

 

I don't agree with this statement at all, I've purchased a lot of goods from the shop in question at very competitive prices. They seem to be more willing to compete with local and internet prices, the same goes for The Camera Centre.

 

I've said this before a couple of months ago on another subject, for me personally there are local shops willing to compete and offer us a good service, I know that because there are probably only 4 or 5 local shops that I can say I use on a regular basis that I believe offer me good value for money when you take everything into consideration, including aftersales.

 

You could take one item from any local shop whether its a consumable or non-consumable product and I'm sure if you look hard enough you'll find it somewhere else cheaper, the same goes for Tescos, so it just depends how much time you want to spend looking.

 

Getting back to the kettle issue if you're looking for a kettle for £5.99 and no more how many do you really expect to find, not many I'm sure.

 

TeeAyBee - I'm heading into town to collect my Humax Freesat HD box from Robertson's today (World Cup final in HD, wayhay ) so I'll see if I can find that kettle for you!

 

Cheers

[owre-weel]

We are supposed to be living in a competitive market place and in my opinion it should come down to each individuals choice of where they choose to shop, whether it be "cheap goods" or more pricey. There has to be choices to suit everyone budget and I dont believe a few local retailers have handled this very well by shouting foul, before the first whistle has been blown. It does remind you of the Hodge sinario. How often have you heard people saying things like "it wid be fine tae hiv a woolworths or other shop, just to follow up with, but the local retailers wouldnt let them in"!

 

I think a few local retailers need to get thier act together before going in fir da tackle.

 

I completely agree that the planning rules are there for obvious reasons and if Tescos are in breach of any such rules this will need to be addressed, and I hope they get it sorted so they will be able to sell a much wider range of goods. It is gratifying to hear that shops like George Robertsons have seen that some of thier customers are looking for "cheaper" goods and have done something about it. This is a obvious sign of them competing in a competitive market place. Its a shop I have used for years and will continue to do so, but I wid still like the choice of the odd bargian at Tescos.

[TeeAyBee]

TeeAyBee - I'm heading into town to collect my Humax Freesat HD box from Robertson's today (World Cup final in HD, wayhay ) so I'll see if I can find that kettle for you!

 

Thanks very much. I agree with some of what you said previously - big retaillers and internet retaillers don't tend to install an uplift the old gear, the local guys do which offers a better level of service. However, I think Carlos in this thread something about how much is the service actually worth to you and what are you prepared to pay for it? (please excuse any paraphrasing). I was pointing out the dishwashers as a positive point and the TV pricing was from my own direct experience.

[TeeAyBee]

I used the kettle as it is a 100% real life example of my own experience.

 

The our one broke, cheapest kettle I could find, going around all the Lerwick electrical shops, was £35. I couldn't afford that so gave up, but found Tesco's had one for £5.99.

 

I know it was poorer quality, with only a years warranty, but it meant I could live within my means.

 

As I've asked so often, if you dont have the tesco's option, where do you get the £30?

 

Was Tesco's kettle worth £5.99. Would the £35.00 kettle possibly have been worth £35.00?

 

My take on it is, *if* the Tesco kettle was likely to last just under 1/6 of the time the £35.00 kettle would, and you were prepared to go to Tesco six times to buy a kettle instead of going to another supplier once, there was nothing wrong with the deal.

 

But, what little I've seen of Tesco's electricals I have my doubts if they'd last 1/10 of the time of a decent brand name equivalent. Therefor, if I couldn't afford £35.00 there and then, I'd much rather boil up any water I needed in a pan on the cooker for a few weeks, until I could save up the £35.00, or whatever the cost was of a decent brand name equivalent.

 

An interesting point and something that has plagued society since trading began. One of the best examples of explaining this is in Terry Pratchett's books - boots with cheap cardboard soles are AM$5 and leather good quality ones are AM$100. The good ones last near enough a lifetime and the cheap ones last a season, but with the low wages the Guardsmen can't afford to save up the AM$100 and go without boots until they have enough money and so they throw away their boots once a season and so in 20 years the good boots are still going strong and the poor Guardsmen have spent AM$100 and still don't have any boots.

 

Your argument that the cheap goods from Tesco won't last very long is I think a little exaggerated but on the whole it is probably the reason why local retailers will survive. Tesco won't be stacking high expensive items (if visiting the larger stores South is anything to go by) and so the market niche opens.

[ISOT]

Okay just been and picked up my Freesat box . They had 26 kettles on the shelf, I counted, cheapest £9.99, dearest, £31.99!!

 

They said they could get a cheaper kettle but the last one they had sat on the shelf for over a year but the £9.99 is quite a regular seller, Igenix....I think!

 

Cheers

[ISOT]

We are supposed to be living in a competitive market place and in my opinion it should come down to each individuals choice of where they choose to shop, whether it be "cheap goods" or more pricey. There has to be choices to suit everyone budget and I dont believe a few local retailers have handled this very well by shouting foul, before the first whistle has been blown. It does remind you of the Hodge sinario. How often have you heard people saying things like "it wid be fine tae hiv a woolworths or other shop, just to follow up with, but the local retailers wouldnt let them in"!

 

I think a few local retailers need to get thier act together before going in fir da tackle.

 

I completely agree that the planning rules are there for obvious reasons and if Tescos are in breach of any such rules this will need to be addressed, and I hope they get it sorted so they will be able to sell a much wider range of goods. It is gratifying to hear that shops like George Robertsons have seen that some of thier customers are looking for "cheaper" goods and have done something about it. This is a obvious sign of them competing in a competitive market place. Its a shop I have used for years and will continue to do so, but I wid still like the choice of the odd bargian at Tescos.

 

Totally agree with that point of view which is why I think 3 or 4 local shops have no fears.

 

Cheers

[Ghostrider]

One of the best examples of explaining this is in Terry Pratchett's books - boots with cheap cardboard soles are AM$5 and leather good quality ones are AM$100. The good ones last near enough a lifetime and the cheap ones last a season, but with the low wages the Guardsmen can't afford to save up the AM$100 and go without boots until they have enough money and so they throw away their boots once a season and so in 20 years the good boots are still going strong and the poor Guardsmen have spent AM$100 and still don't have any boots.

 

Then its time to aspire to buying the part used $100.00 boots of someone who's lifetime has unfortunately been unusually short.

 

The average joe cannot realistically expect to own a new Rolls Royce, but can have the option of choosing between a new Kia, Hyundai etc or a pre-owned Merc, Jag etc.

[filskadacat]

boots with cheap cardboard soles are AM$5 and leather good quality ones are AM$100. The good ones last near enough a lifetime and the cheap ones last a season, but with the low wages the Guardsmen can't afford to save up the AM$100 and go without boots until they have enough money and so they throw away their boots once a season and so in 20 years the good boots are still going strong and the poor Guardsmen have spent AM$100 and still don't have any boots.

In a previous discussion I mentioned that we had had a Miele dishwasher for 23½ years so when it finally conked out we promptly bought another of the same make. For the same reason, when the inexpensive washing machine we had at that time died containing a full load, 20 years ago, we replaced that with a Miele which has seen off two sons from nappies to rugby kit and never coughed once (fingers crossed). Given that most people have a credit card – first purchase I ever made on one was a washing machine, over 30 years ago – it might seem that the answer is to buy the better item and as you pay it off, benefit (you hope) from it continuing to give good service. As mother, born on the Burgh Road in 1911, always said, ‘buy cheap, buy dear’.

 

But last time I said all that I was attacked by someone on Shetlink for possessing old electrical equipment – apparently they thought it would be greener to keep buying new ‘more efficient‘ items every few years, although how the resulting redundant heaps of metal were then going to contribute to the environment was not made clear. My tumble drier is now 27½…

[lerwick]

Who cares if you buy from tesco the street or online let all the shops sell what they want give the service and prices they want. The customers will buy from the shops that suits them the best. I am not in favour of the street getting a monopoly over sales of non food items as this can only lead to higher prices for the public in Shetland. In a small community we cannot have street traders dictating who can have a shop and who can not.