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Supermarkets in Shetland - prices, ethics and experiences


breeksy
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In the meantime - some nice bargains to be had :wink:

 

Like what? If you can tell me they have Sony/Hitachi/Sharp etc current models at 50% of RRP (and are "retail" standard stock), I'll believe you. But if we're talking Bush/Alba/Murphy quality and worse badged or unbranded at 50% of the Sony/Hitachi/Sharp etc equivalent RRP, then nope, that's still overpriced tat.

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T-Shirts for £3, Jeans for £8, and I didnt pay that much attention to the electricals other than that most of the TV's and DVD playes seem to be Panasonic (which they have always stocked) with some Sony and Toshiba, and the hoovers were, well, hoovers :D

 

What may appear to be "Overpriced Tat" to you, may be the very best many families can afford, and if nothing counts as a bargain unless it's 50% of RRP, I feel you're going to be very unlikely ever to find one.

 

Different subject I know, but personally, I will never pay for a brandname if I can avoid it. Why pay for something in a branded case if you can find it unbranded for less? That just makes no sense.

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In the meantime - some nice bargains to be had :wink:

 

Like what? If you can tell me they have Sony/Hitachi/Sharp etc current models at 50% of RRP (and are "retail" standard stock), I'll believe you. But if we're talking Bush/Alba/Murphy quality and worse badged or unbranded at 50% of the Sony/Hitachi/Sharp etc equivalent RRP, then nope, that's still overpriced tat.

 

 

Lol..... do a search and see who owns Bush/Alba and Murphy.

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What may appear to be "Overpriced Tat" to you, may be the very best many families can afford, and if nothing counts as a bargain unless it's 50% of RRP, I feel you're going to be very unlikely ever to find one.

 

Different subject I know, but personally, I will never pay for a brandname if I can avoid it. Why pay for something in a branded case if you can find it unbranded for less? That just makes no sense.

 

If the "Overpriced Tat" is all that anyone can afford they'd be much better off researching up on their product of choice, and buying a decent brand model second-hand. Very likely they'll pick one up for half or less of the cost of the new "Overpriced Tat", and it'll do the job considerably better, and last longer.

 

I object to paying just for a "name", but experience has taught me that brand names at least have a certain consistency of quality and longevity, whereas unbranded inevitably aspires to a much lower level of quality than branded, and longevity is extremely variable.

 

When you by a second-hand brand name, you can pick it up at a fraction of new price. If the brand doesn't have the level of quality you expect from a brand name, and consequently doesn't last long, its no big loss, and you are educated not to buy that brand again. But if you get good and long service from it, you've certainly gotten a bargain, and can be reasonably sure anything else of the same brand you buy will also give reasonably good VFM.

 

Back in the day when I had any interest in watching TV I bought a very well worn second hand Sony TV off someone for £20.00, the new equivalent would have set me back nearer £200.00 at that time. They were selling it as "they'd had it for more than 10 years, and it probably wouldn't last much longer". It was used 7+ hours daily for more than another 6 years before it finally died. Had it only lasted 18 months I'd not have lost by it, as it was it was in my eyes an absolute bargain. I've had a number of other second-hand Sony electricals since, and all have returned similar longevity, its just a shame that the Beko TV someone else bought new for 10 times the price to replace the Sony, because they'd been convinced "new was the only way to go", had only 1/10th of the longevity of the Sony, and build quality you'd expect from a cheap child's toy.

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trouble is most of your 'tat' as you call it is the same stuff just produced under licence.

 

old man just bought a new lawn mower some brand i never heard of with a honda engine but its excatly the same as the Honda one only built on licence and £400 cheaper! and trust me its identical just diff name tag.

he did his research before buying!

 

although iam somtimes weary of cheaper strange branded items, i just bought a tesco 20" telly and its superb quality how long it lasts remains too be seen but my sony dvd player broke after 18mths!

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We have countless petition's out for wind farms etc, why doesen't the town centre associaition put one out for this or will it not read what they want to hear!!!!!!

 

I for one buy most of my meat locally as the stuff in Tesco's is pretty crap, but I shop in Tesco's for most of my other stuff, can't see what the fuss is all about!!

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I bought a number of flat screen telly's about 8 year ago on a shopping spree sooth. I could not afford the big name brands at the time as they were very overpriced. but got a 14" Lodos for the kitchen a 17" Sharp for one bedroom and a Tiny for the other. Guess what! all three tellys still work perfectly today and I have never had any problems with any of them. When digital came in I got a small scart freeview box for each off ebay, which plugs in the back and cant be seen.

 

The picture and features on each telly is comparable with any Ive seen today (with the exception of HD) and I feel I got a great deal at a price I could afford at the time. I was told the Tiny telly was a samsung with their branding!

 

So it just goes to show that it is somtimes worth considering lesser known brands.

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^^ I can't help but wonder that given the approach to "branding", whether you hold the same opinion to Top Shop selling Fair Isle jumpers ... (runs away very rapidly and hides) :wink:

 

LOL - Noo come tae think about it, mabey that would be a way forward for our knitting industry. It wid help pay for knitting lessons in schools and all the things the bairns could make, could be sold to Top Shop under licence (just joking)

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@ Ghostrider - I understand where you're coming from, and once held the same views, but when personal circumstances led me down the road of "lesser" brands, I found that there really was no difference, other than perhaps slightly less shiny packaging, and a substatial saving in cost.

 

My personal choice was to try to buy cheaper brand new rather than second hand so that I had peace of mind of a warranty. Again, its a personal choice, which is what this is really all about at the end of the day, giving people a choice.

 

Anyway, main reason I wanted to post is that I just got a text from a friend saying the extension is now open and that the Tesco Saver Kettle is indeed in stock! :lol:

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More to do with cheap electrical goods than supermarkets, I'm afraid, but I bought a Matsui telly over 20 years ago because it was the cheapest of that size screen in the shop and all I could afford; it's still going strong and has never had a repair! So cheap doesn't always mean nasty.

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Exactly. There are unquestionable differences when you get to the really high end systems, like Denon, Bose and Tevion etc, but the common names like Panasonic, Alba, LG, Goodmans, Bush, Sharp, Grundig etc and all interchangeable, indeed in most cases it depends where you go in the world as to which is the "best".

 

So, to get back to the supermarkets topic - the bit I've already mentioned and there seems to be no answer for (and I admit I haven't looked for a month or two) but why don't the LTCA shops who are complaining simply stock such items as well? Nobody's stopping them, or are they?

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