Supermarkets in Shetland - prices, ethics and experiences

[Mcdilly-Willy]

^ exactly, well said.

[Guest ShetlandBlue]

Well Tesco are here and I for one am happy about it.

 

For all those against Tesco, get real to the situation that ALL supermarkets, including Co-op screw suppliers on prices, and if you actually look at the fairtrade ranges in the major supermarkets, most are actually better than Co-op!

 

Tesco are here, you don't have to shop there if you don't want too, so put up or shut up.

 

On the other hand you could always move to that nice Yorkshire town of Harrogate, they are still Tesco free, poor souls.

[sheepshagger]

And I have worked for local companies who I know their mark up is a minimum of 65% So personally I think as with most of your post at best speculation !

 

I won't call you a liar because i do suspect that there are local buisnesses with a mark up of 65% but that still falls far short of the 150% and more that is the norm for tesco's. I wil stand by my statement of a 30%+/- mark up for my local shop and many other shops in Shetland, because I know for a fact that is the case.

 

When you spend a £ in a local shop virtually all the money stays in Shetland when you spend a £ in tesco's or the co-op then virtually all the money goes straight out the sooth mooth and Shetland is that bit poorer for it.

 

will you all be happy when Shetland has no money, no oil, no fishing, or any other industry and no way to support our local pensioners and mareel because all money has been siphoned off.

 

A lot of you came here for the lifestyle then promptly start complaining because there are none of the ameities that you were used to when you were south, well that is all part of the lifestyle you chose. I didn't choose to be here but here i am and here I will stay because I have been sooth and quite frankly YOU CAN KEEP IT. but please when you decide to move here stop trying to change it into the place you just left.

[muckleflugga]

Just heard on the news that the co operative group have taken over Somerfields to become the 5th largest food retailer in the UK. Bit of competition for Tesco

 

(*** Mod - merged ***)

[Guest ShetlandBlue]

I won't call you a liar because i do suspect that there are local buisnesses with a mark up of 65% but that still falls far short of the 150% and more that is the norm for tesco's.

 

Having worked in the food business for 11 years and having many dealings with not just Tesco, but all major retailers, I can 100% assure you that 150% mark up is not even close to the mark. The Tesco standard margin on all non loss leader food products is 40%.

 

Can you back up you 150% claim please.

[Skyumpi]

So the CO-OP has purchased Somerfield for £ 1.57 Billion, interesting how they found the money for that, but couldn't be bothered to spend a penny on that pit of a building they call a supermarket over the last how many years? It took Tesco to come here for them to make an effort, regardless what they say.

 

Whits the crack wi aa this "My supermarket is better than your supermarket" thing? Jeezo - it's starting to sound like a Rangers vs Celtic discussion where both sides lose their powers of reasoning.

 

There are now two supermarkets in Lerwick.

If you find that Supermarket A makes you happy and fluffy and Supermarket B makes your waters boil then I don't think it's a difficult decision as to which you should shop in. If you can't stomach either of them, shop somewhere else.

 

As an afterthought, anyone who find that much of their life is consumed by hating supermarkets should consider some therapy or at least a relaxing holiday

[tlady]

^^

Retail therapy?? ...

[JustMe]

sheepshagger wrote

When you spend a £ in a local shop virtually all the money stays in Shetland when you spend a £ in tesco's or the co-op then virtually all the money goes straight out the sooth mooth and Shetland is that bit poorer for it.

Sorry but it is way more complicated than that. Most of what is sold in local shops is sourced from the mainland with a good chance that a bigger slice of the pound goes straight to a mainland supplier than for the same item sold in Tesco. Also the less I spend on groceries and cleaning products in Tesco the more I have available to spend on other things which might include local goods.........not that there are all that many local products available and most of them are made from ingredients sourced from outwith Shetland.

[PJ of Hildisvik]

Skyumpi thinks both sides of the debate here are losing their powers of reasoning, i think it shows debate is alive and well on this subject, it would be boring otherwise!

If you get GOOD quality produce, friendly customer service at a reasonable price it doesn't matter where you shop, it's just that this has been an immotive issue here for years.

 

Sheepshagger brings up the Sooth Moother interfering and changing Shetland for ever thing, i think Sooth Moothers are the ones who like the islands enviroment, history and culture as much as anyone, christ the islands have been full of immigrants since the STONE AGE, but thats another debate.

[Roachmill]

Tesco are here, you don't have to shop there if you don't want too, so put up or shut up.

Welcome to the debate ShetlandBlue

[sheepshagger]

If you had read the whole post Shetlandblue all the figures are there for your perusal, without showing you invoices there is no way I can prove that what I say is true and I doubt very much that the wholesaler is going to show invoices to just anyone.

I can't prove that tesco gets their item for 60p but I am fairly confidant that their buying power is much greater than the wholesalers so I am also fairly confidant that they don't pay as much as that.

 

I have over 30 years experiance of retail trade SB and I can tell you that the profits posted by tesco were not made on a 40% markup

[ianboy1]

And I have worked for local companies who I know their mark up is a minimum of 65% So personally I think as with most of your post at best speculation !

 

I won't call you a liar because i do suspect that there are local buisnesses with a mark up of 65% but that still falls far short of the 150% and more that is the norm for tesco's. I wil stand by my statement of a 30%+/- mark up for my local shop and many other shops in Shetland, because I know for a fact that is the case.

 

Maybe your local shop does have a 30% mark up on some goods but I dont realistically believe Tesco or the Coop have a 150% mark up either ?

 

When you spend a £ in a local shop virtually all the money stays in Shetland when you spend a £ in tesco's or the co-op then virtually all the money goes straight out the sooth mooth and Shetland is that bit poorer for it.

 

So are you saying that you never ever darken the doors of either supermarket in Lerwick ?

 

will you all be happy when Shetland has no money, no oil, no fishing, or any other industry and no way to support our local pensioners and mareel because all money has been siphoned off.

 

Well the fishing has been getting S**gg*d for years by many people mostly from Brussels of late and having spent many a hour on deck many years ago I directly know that consequence,, The oil well I now work in that industry and they are finding new oil all the time the north sea has been extended for another 20 years and it was supposed to run out 10 years ago the only difference now is the Oil companies want more and more for bringing it out so we get had in the huge big circle thats going round in. " Like the dig at mareel though"

 

A lot of you came here for the lifestyle then promptly start complaining because there are none of the ameities that you were used to when you were south, well that is all part of the lifestyle you chose. I didn't choose to be here but here i am and here I will stay because I have been sooth and quite frankly YOU CAN KEEP IT. but please when you decide to move here stop trying to change it into the place you just left.

 

And I personally am very proud to be a born and bred Sheltie I maybe worked away for years but I cam hom, I might go again but all I can say is things like Tesco are commonly known as progress and for wir communities to get on in this world they also must progress and keep up with the outside world and be given the same opportunities as a man in London or any other town or city in the world or mark my words somebody here will raise an action in the european courts of justice saying they are being discriminated against kis they dinna have the same opportunities as every where else ?

[PJ of Hildisvik]

Just to go back to the price of milk, for those interested.

Shetland milk....1 ltr =£1.04

Shetland milk.....1 pint cartons=44 pence.

so buy two, save 16p and get more milk than if you bought a litre!!!

cheapest milk in there today is Robert Wiseman dairys £1.00 for two litres.on special offer.

[Medziotojas]

So consumers star buying Robert Wiseman Dairies milk and Shetland Farm Dairies feels the pinch. Robert Wiseman Dairies are more than likely aware of the pinch as I'm sure they will have already been forced into the position of selling milk at a lower rate.

 

Shetland Farm Dairies are then forced back to the negotiating table with Tesco where they come to a new arrangement, which is beneficial to guess who?

 

Okay, you may argue over the answer. Some will say the customer and some will say Tesco, but it's not much consolation for the farmers, is it?

 

 

 

...and so it begins!

[PJ of Hildisvik]

Think i heard yesterday that Dairy farmers were looking for supermarkets to pay them 3pence per litre more, dont know what Shetland farm dairies get compared with other dairies.