Supermarkets in Shetland - prices, ethics and experiences

[daveh]

Kavi Ugli - it is entirely your choice not to go to Tesco.

Many of us do so.

 

You'll just have to live with it. 

[JayneSue]

I find tesco in general quite expensive and poor quality compared with the choice of supermarkets we have down here in Yorkshire & Lancashire but when i am in Shetland i notice in tesco the lines that are stocked in Lerwick tend to be their more expensive lines and they do not stock many of their own brand lower cost lines, this would to me atleast, appear to be the way they recoup the extra transport costs instead of absorbing the cost into their general country wide costings. Down here they have a chain of smaller village store type places called OneStop and the same is true in these stores only the more expensive lines are stocked. I feel they also play on the virtual monopoly they have too, both in lerwick and with these village store type One Stop's.

 Another thing i find with tesco in general which will be helping to reduce their market share is the uninterested attitude of their staff, this i found a little less of a prevalent in lerwick as it is elsewhere but it is still there. 

[Colin]

 Another thing i find with tesco in general which will be helping to reduce their market share is the uninterested attitude of their staff, this i found a little less of a prevalent in lerwick as it is elsewhere but it is still there. 

I am no fan of Tesco and only go there for certain items but, I have to take issue with this statement.

 

Personally, I have always found the staff to be polite, helpful and, courteous.  On the other hand, some of the customers.....

[JustMe]

In there today and there were lots of shortages in the fruit and veg section including loose carrots and onions.  Like how basic can you get.  Lots of other lines seemed to be a bit low including cooked meats and as this was lunchtime I would have thought the daily delivery would have arrived some time ago.

 

Also several aisles were partly blocked with delivery cages that were not being unloaded.  Some not even in the relevant aisles.  Have to say my experience in Tesco today makes it more likely I will shop in the other place.  If profitability within the Tesco group is down alienating customers does not seem to be the right way to fix the problem.

[paulb]

no potatoes either. 

[mcconnachie]

Shetland would benefit from a discounter like LIDL and ALDI. It's a disgrace that Orkney has a LIDL and we don't.

 

In fact, with a booming economy there's no reason why we shouldn't have a 3rd or 4th supermarket.

[paulb]

it would sure help. not much more expensive to get it here than Orkney.

[MuckleJoannie]

If you google Aldi Shetland there are an awful lot of job adverts that come up. Is there something we should know?

[Hector's House]

Curious, there are Aldi ads on the Indeed job site - however, according to Aldi's website (can't copy the link for some reason) Lerwick isn't on the "opening soon" list of stores. Maybe the job ads are really just nationwide ones posted to come up during specific area searches to look like they are local.

[MuckleJoannie]

It's been on SIBC so it must be true.

[Colin]

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/8993-supermarket-store-managers-trade-places

 

Was he pushed or, did he jump?

Was the other guy pushed as well or, did he jump to?

Less believable but, a possibility, does the move suit(?) both of them?

 

Seems a little bizarre that Tesco would allow it's managers to 'cherry pick' their sites.  I just wonder if the general state of the store (poor stock etc.) might have anything to do with it.

 

example;

I have been to Orkney lately and, the store there is a much better shopping 'experience'. 

Unsurprisingly, with Lidl at one side and the Co-op at the other, the whole operation (in Kirkwall) seems to be very much 'sharper'.

Teabags...  Plenty available with manufacturers 'Price Marked' packets to help you save a few bob.  No 'Price Marked' offers in Lerwick.

In Store Bakery...  Unlike Lerwick, open on a Saturday afternoon.  The Fresh Bread is also properly cooked.

Empty Shelves...  Not in Kirkwall

Range of Products..   Hammered by Kirkwall.

Meat & Poultry and Fish...  With a few exceptions, Tesco meat is expensive and poor quality.  I buy most of my meat elsewhere and only occasionally buy from Tesco.  Most of their fish is 'rank' and, I would starve before I would eat it.

General Pricing Policy...  Seems to me that Kirkwall offers lower prices on a large range of products.

 

The general impression I get is that the Big T are trying to 'soak' Lerwick customers for every penny they can get.

Don't know if this is the managers fault with the stock he orders, or general 'store placement' policy by Tesco.

 

Either way, I bought the Tea Bags (Price Marked), along with a bunch of other stuff, in Scalloway and, for the foreseeable future, will continue to do so.

 

Judging by the relatively small number of shoppers in there yesterday lunch time, I suspect that a lot of others are starting to 'vote with their feet'.

 

Hope the new guy can sort it out.

Edited August 3, 2014 by Colin

[Scorrie]

There's a very simple reason why Kirkwall doesn't run out as often.

 

It is closer to Scotland and easier to truck goods to. Blat up the A9, short crossing on a ferry that doesn't get binned that often. Sorted.

 

But.....Kirkwall can run low, just the same as at the excellent Tesco superstore in Wick. Because it doesn't take much snow to close the A9 at the Ord.......

[Colin]

There's a very simple reason why Kirkwall doesn't run out as often.

 

It is closer to Scotland and easier to truck goods to. Blat up the A9, short crossing on a ferry that doesn't get binned that often. Sorted.

 

But.....Kirkwall can run low, just the same as at the excellent Tesco superstore in Wick. Because it doesn't take much snow to close the A9 at the Ord.......

It would be a simple reason in winter but, heads up, it's summer(?) 

[Ghostrider]

^ But, Tesco never runs out in Shetland in winter. They just hire a cargo plane, we're that special....apparently!

[shetlandpeat]

And folk congratulated the PR event, forgetting the Coop have been doing it for years.