Andy Hall wrote:
Jerry Built wrote:
Mary Fischer wrote:
I'd like to see the back of Aldi, Lidl, Netto, Sainsbury and
especially Tesco and Asda but Morrison's is OK.

Why? (again, this would be better on uk.food+drink.misc IMO -
shall we go there?)

For the dropping of standards and convincing the public that
price is the only issue in purchasing food.


Well, you'd better report this to the ASA, then:

http://www.aldi.co.uk/about_us/about_nav.htm

Some of their stuff, which I've tried, is downright good. I haven't tried every line they do, as I've only been there once. I nipped
in a while ago to buy a cheap drill, and wandered around buying
samples which I tried, and gave to family to try too. Universal
praise, esp. for the wine and biscuits. So it looks like an
indoor market? So what? So it's frequented by people you're
above? So what? Their money is as good as yours... so it sells
carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No. You put
a pound in (returnable) to use a trolley. Problem? No. Try
putting on some plastic clothes and a false moustache as a
disguise so no-one'll know who you are, an have a look sometime.

I've got to put an order in on Saturday morning, so I might drop
in en passant for some booze and another little experimental spree.
Don't know what the "specials" are this week, though, as few of
the thumbnails on their site seem to match the full details at
the mo. Probably in the middle of an on-line update.


J.B.

On Fri, 7 May 2004 10:51:11 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Built
] wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:
Jerry Built wrote:
Mary Fischer wrote:
I'd like to see the back of Aldi, Lidl, Netto, Sainsbury and
especially Tesco and Asda but Morrison's is OK.

Why? (again, this would be better on uk.food+drink.misc IMO -
shall we go there?)

For the dropping of standards and convincing the public that
price is the only issue in purchasing food.


Well, you'd better report this to the ASA, then:

http://www.aldi.co.uk/about_us/about_nav.htm

Some of their stuff, which I've tried, is downright good. I haven't tried every line they do, as I've only been there once. I nipped
in a while ago to buy a cheap drill, and wandered around buying
samples which I tried, and gave to family to try too. Universal
praise, esp. for the wine and biscuits. So it looks like an
indoor market? So what?

I can't stand markets.

So it's frequented by people you're
above? So what? Their money is as good as yours...

???

so it sells
carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.

Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.

You put
a pound in (returnable) to use a trolley. Problem? No.

Intensely irritating.

Try
putting on some plastic clothes and a false moustache as a
disguise so no-one'll know who you are, an have a look sometime.

I did. Dreadful places.



I've got to put an order in on Saturday morning, so I might drop
in en passant for some booze and another little experimental spree.
Don't know what the "specials" are this week, though, as few of
the thumbnails on their site seem to match the full details at
the mo. Probably in the middle of an on-line update.


J.B.

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote
| so it sells
| carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.
| Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.

So save some Fortnum's bags and take them with you. Social escalation and
helping the environment in one go :-)

Owain

In message , Andy Hall
wrote
On Fri, 7 May 2004 10:51:11 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Built
] wrote:

so it sells
carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.

Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.

There is no such thing as a free carrier bag. Their price is included in
the extra money you pay in other shops.

--
Alan

On Fri, 7 May 2004 20:29:25 +0100, "Owain"
wrote:

"Andy Hall" wrote
| so it sells
| carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.
| Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.

So save some Fortnum's bags and take them with you. Social escalation and
helping the environment in one go :-)

Owain


Well I suppose I could.

The problem is that in Aldi shops there doesn't seem to be anyone to
open the door and bring me a chair to sit on while they present their
wares.

I don't know what retailing is coming to....




..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote
| | so it sells
| | carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.
| | Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.
| So save some Fortnum's bags and take them with you. Social
| escalation and helping the environment in one go :-)
| Well I suppose I could.
| The problem is that in Aldi shops there doesn't seem to be
| anyone to open the door and bring me a chair to sit on while
| they present their wares.

It amuses me slightly when a sweet little old lady on the checkout in Tesco
asks me (a lithe firmly muscled 6 ft specimen of hunkful masculinity[1]) if
I'd like a hand to pack my pint of milk and a newspaper.

| I don't know what retailing is coming to....

One would think they didn't want pne to spend money there.

And as for the waiters in McDonalds ...

Owain



[1] Well, 6 ft and male.

On Fri, 7 May 2004 20:56:33 +0100, Alan
wrote:

In message , Andy Hall
wrote
On Fri, 7 May 2004 10:51:11 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Built
] wrote:

so it sells
carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.

Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.

There is no such thing as a free carrier bag. Their price is included in
the extra money you pay in other shops.

Well obviously.

However, it's impossible to compare prices, because Aldi, and its like
predominantly sell own brand products with low price point rather than
quality in mind.

I'd rather have a known product and the carrier bag included and I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Fri, 7 May 2004 21:27:08 +0100, "Owain"
wrote:

"Andy Hall" wrote
| | so it sells
| | carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.
| | Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.
| So save some Fortnum's bags and take them with you. Social
| escalation and helping the environment in one go :-)
| Well I suppose I could.
| The problem is that in Aldi shops there doesn't seem to be
| anyone to open the door and bring me a chair to sit on while
| they present their wares.

It amuses me slightly when a sweet little old lady on the checkout in Tesco
asks me (a lithe firmly muscled 6 ft specimen of hunkful masculinity[1]) if
I'd like a hand to pack my pint of milk and a newspaper.

She was probably thinking of offering applause...... :-)


| I don't know what retailing is coming to....

One would think they didn't want pne to spend money there.

And as for the waiters in McDonalds ...

With the number of staff they pack into those places, I wonder that
they don't have more industrial accidents.



Owain



[1] Well, 6 ft and male.

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 7 May 2004 20:56:33 +0100, Alan
wrote:

In message , Andy Hall
wrote
On Fri, 7 May 2004 10:51:11 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Built
] wrote:

so it sells
carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.

Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.

There is no such thing as a free carrier bag. Their price is included in
the extra money you pay in other shops.

Well obviously.

However, it's impossible to compare prices, because Aldi, and its like
predominantly sell own brand products with low price point rather than
quality in mind.

I'd rather have a known product and the carrier bag included and I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.


Rules out most of the super markets in London then. good luck.

On Fri, 7 May 2004 21:58:32 +0100, "Scott Mills"
wrote:



Rules out most of the super markets in London then. good luck.


I wouldn't go food shopping in London anyway, with the possible
exceptions of Harrods and Fortnums of course..... :-)





..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Andy Hall wrote:
On Fri, 7 May 2004 20:56:33 +0100, Alan
wrote:

In message , Andy Hall
wrote
On Fri, 7 May 2004 10:51:11 -0700 (PDT), Jerry Built
] wrote:

so it sells
carrier bags instead of giving them away. Problem? No.

Yes. I don't like buying carrier bags.

There is no such thing as a free carrier bag. Their price is included in
the extra money you pay in other shops.

Well obviously.

However, it's impossible to compare prices, because Aldi, and its like
predominantly sell own brand products with low price point rather than
quality in mind.

I'd rather have a known product and the carrier bag included and I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.

For some stuff (fruit and veg) they are dramatically cheaper on many lines.
Known products arn't always much better, if any than alternatives.
For some lines this isn't true.
Noone IMO has gotten cornflakes or baked beans quite right.

But for things like chopped tomatos, or sardines in brine, it doesn't
matter much.

On Fri, 07 May 2004 22:13:25 GMT, Ian Stirling
wrote:



For some stuff (fruit and veg) they are dramatically cheaper on many lines.

I don't buy fruit and veg on price from places like this, preferring
to choose seasonal and organic stuff from farms etc.

Known products arn't always much better, if any than alternatives.
For some lines this isn't true.
Noone IMO has gotten cornflakes or baked beans quite right.

Exactly. Generally they are sugary rubbish,.


But for things like chopped tomatos, or sardines in brine, it doesn't
matter much.

Oh it does. THere are huge differences depending on origin -
especially with tomatoes. Many of these places add sugar to these
products.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

In article 3LSmc.1543$iz2.2@newsfe1-win,
Scott Mills wrote:
I'd rather have a known product and the carrier bag included and I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.


Rules out most of the super markets in London then. good luck.

And sheds.

--
*Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In message , Andy Hall
wrote
On Fri, 07 May 2004 22:13:25 GMT, Ian Stirling
wrote:



For some stuff (fruit and veg) they are dramatically cheaper on many lines.

I don't buy fruit and veg on price from places like this, preferring
to choose seasonal and organic stuff from farms etc.

Most 'farm shops' buy in from wholesalers. People just believe that it
is organic or local because it doesn't come from a supermarket.


Known products arn't always much better, if any than alternatives.
For some lines this isn't true.
Noone IMO has gotten cornflakes or baked beans quite right.

Exactly. Generally they are sugary rubbish,.


It's the sugar that hides the taste of the vast amount of added salt.

I despair at the amount of salt that professional TV cooks add to their
food. A 'pinch' is often a hand-full. These are the same cooks that the
large supermarkets use for their expensive high quality ready made
meals. Obviously the amount of salt used is to hide the fact that they
must be using low quality ingredients.


--
Alan

Dave Plowman wrote:
In article 3LSmc.1543$iz2.2@newsfe1-win,
Scott Mills wrote:
I'd rather have a known product and the carrier bag included and I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.


Rules out most of the super markets in London then. good luck.

And sheds.

And Northern Ireland.

On Sat, 8 May 2004 01:05:26 +0100, Alan
wrote:

In message , Andy Hall
wrote
On Fri, 07 May 2004 22:13:25 GMT, Ian Stirling
wrote:



For some stuff (fruit and veg) they are dramatically cheaper on many lines.

I don't buy fruit and veg on price from places like this, preferring
to choose seasonal and organic stuff from farms etc.

Most 'farm shops' buy in from wholesalers. People just believe that it
is organic or local because it doesn't come from a supermarket.

I know, which i swhy I'm very careful to check on sourcing.



Known products arn't always much better, if any than alternatives.
For some lines this isn't true.
Noone IMO has gotten cornflakes or baked beans quite right.

Exactly. Generally they are sugary rubbish,.


It's the sugar that hides the taste of the vast amount of added salt.

Exactly. If I want those things, I'll add them myself.



I despair at the amount of salt that professional TV cooks add to their
food. A 'pinch' is often a hand-full. These are the same cooks that the
large supermarkets use for their expensive high quality ready made
meals. Obviously the amount of salt used is to hide the fact that they
must be using low quality ingredients.

As has always been the case. Nothing really changes.



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

snip

For some stuff (fruit and veg) they are dramatically cheaper on many lines.
snip

The ONLY time I ever threw away a complete package of fruit was the time
I got peaches in an Aldi in Dusseldorf. They were utterly inedible, hard
and tasteless.

IMHO the best truism is 'You get what you pay for'



Paul Mc Cann

Paul Mc Cann wrote:
snip

For some stuff (fruit and veg) they are dramatically cheaper on many lines.
snip

The ONLY time I ever threw away a complete package of fruit was the time
I got peaches in an Aldi in Dusseldorf. They were utterly inedible, hard
and tasteless.

IMHO the best truism is 'You get what you pay for'

Not always.
The quality is perhaps a bit variable, but there are useful savings
to be made.

In message , Paul Mc Cann
wrote
snip

For some stuff (fruit and veg) they are dramatically cheaper on many lines.
snip

The ONLY time I ever threw away a complete package of fruit was the time
I got peaches in an Aldi in Dusseldorf. They were utterly inedible, hard
and tasteless.

IMHO the best truism is 'You get what you pay for'

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to matter where you buy fruit. I often
throw out fruit because it unpleasant - unripe (never to ripen),
tasteless or just 'off flavours' not related to the fruit in question.

--
Alan

In message , Andy Hall
writes
I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.

Well, coin release trolleys have worked wonders around here for reducing
the number of trolleys left on the street (and canals and anywhere else
they tend to end up)

--
geoff

I'm a recent convert to Aldi since picking up a few bargain lines. Got
a chainsaw for £50 a couple of weeks back and a satellite receiver
system for £75. I don't buy the food there only because I prefer
organic where I can get it and if food is too cheap I wonder where the
hell it came from. But if Aldi did do organic I'd be there down there
in a shot.
Must try out the alcohol one day.

Oh..and the plastic bag policy is good. People get too lazy (including
myself sometimes) using free carrier bags - bloody things are
littering the country.

In article ,
says...
In message , Paul Mc Cann
wrote
snip

For some stuff (fruit and veg) they are dramatically cheaper on many lines.
snip

The ONLY time I ever threw away a complete package of fruit was the time
I got peaches in an Aldi in Dusseldorf. They were utterly inedible, hard
and tasteless.

IMHO the best truism is 'You get what you pay for'

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to matter where you buy fruit. I often
throw out fruit because it unpleasant - unripe (never to ripen),
tasteless or just 'off flavours' not related to the fruit in question.


I find M & S good for fruit. Expensive but edible, and if it isn't
edible refunds are very forthcoming

In message , Paul Mc Cann
writes

The ONLY time I ever threw away a complete package of fruit was the time
I got peaches in an Aldi in Dusseldorf. They were utterly inedible, hard
and tasteless.

IMHO the best truism is 'You get what you pay for'

The only supermarket I've been utterly disappointed by the quality of
the vegetables in has been the local Waitrose. Both potatoes & onions
were squishy, and none of the apples were firm.

--
dave @ stejonda

"To materialist eyes, India is a developing country;
to spiritual eyes, the United States is a developing country."
Ram Dass

On Sat, 8 May 2004 19:16:08 +0100, geoff wrote:

In message , Andy Hall
writes
I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.

Well, coin release trolleys have worked wonders around here for reducing
the number of trolleys left on the street (and canals and anywhere else
they tend to end up)


Fair enough, but it would be more customer friendly to employ somebody
to round them up from drop areas in the car park and return them to
the entrance, and to chain them up at the end of the day.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Dave Plowman" wrote in message
...
In article 3LSmc.1543$iz2.2@newsfe1-win,
Scott Mills wrote:
I'd rather have a known product and the carrier bag included and I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.


Rules out most of the super markets in London then. good luck.

And sheds.

You kidding ? Why would B&Q need to use coins in their trolleys ? Never
understood it anyway other than to stop the odd tramp setting up home in
one.

"G&M" wrote in message
...

"Dave Plowman" wrote in message
...
In article 3LSmc.1543$iz2.2@newsfe1-win,
Scott Mills wrote:
snip

Rules out most of the super markets in London then. good luck.

And sheds.

You kidding ? Why would B&Q need to use coins in their trolleys ?
Never
understood it anyway other than to stop the odd tramp setting up home in
one.


It stops some people taking the trolley home and then dumping it onto the
nearest railway embankment or highway verge, you must live in one sure quite
utopia if you've never seen dumped trolleys !...

"Jerry." wrote in message
...
Rules out most of the super markets in London then. good luck.

And sheds.

You kidding ? Why would B&Q need to use coins in their trolleys ?
Never
understood it anyway other than to stop the odd tramp setting up home in
one.


It stops some people taking the trolley home and then dumping it onto the
nearest railway embankment or highway verge, you must live in one sure
quite
utopia if you've never seen dumped trolleys !...

There was quite a famous one in the River Mersey under Stockport for about
five years but the local B&Q is raised so high above the rest of the area it
would be impossible to even get there without a car let alone head home with
a trolley. I thought most other sheds used trolley collectors to stop
people nicking them, though to me obvious solution for all these places is
"no car - no entry". Would keep the thieving crap you see in the Trafford
Centre out.

On Sat, 8 May 2004 23:05:58 +0100, "Jerry." wrote:


"G&M" wrote in message
...

"Dave Plowman" wrote in message
...
In article 3LSmc.1543$iz2.2@newsfe1-win,
Scott Mills wrote:
snip

Rules out most of the super markets in London then. good luck.

And sheds.

You kidding ? Why would B&Q need to use coins in their trolleys ?
Never
understood it anyway other than to stop the odd tramp setting up home in
one.


It stops some people taking the trolley home and then dumping it onto the
nearest railway embankment or highway verge, you must live in one sure quite
utopia if you've never seen dumped trolleys !...

Why on earth anybody would want to take a supermarket trolley home I
have no idea.

If they are untended in a car park, I can appreciate that in some
areas, yobs might run off with them.and dump them.

The solution of putting coin deposits and inconveniencing customers is
a poor substitute for doing the job properly and employing somebody to
collect up the trollies and returning them to their rightful place.

Spread across the customer base, the cost of doing that is buttons,
which returns me to my original point that it's indicative of a place
selling on price and not quality or customer service.



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Sat, 8 May 2004 22:33:49 UTC, Andy Hall wrote:

Why on earth anybody would want to take a supermarket trolley home I
have no idea.

The local Netto do this. I don't often shop there, but there is one
particular product that happens to be difficult to find elsewhere.

The catchment area for that store is largely one of low-income families
who don't have cars, and can't afford/don't have a bus service. Taking
the trolley home is a good option in their case, especially when the
journey is some distance.

The solution of putting coin deposits and inconveniencing customers is
a poor substitute for doing the job properly and employing somebody to
collect up the trollies and returning them to their rightful place.

But it isn't a substitute, you see. It complements it. Most trolleys
either (a) don't leave the (small) car park, or they travel a long, long
way. The coin deposit is not a major inconvenience. As it happens, if
you *do* take a car, you also need a car park deposit as it's located in
an area where the car park would otherwise be misused by others.

Spread across the customer base, the cost of doing that is buttons,
which returns me to my original point that it's indicative of a place
selling on price and not quality or customer service.

No, it's impractical....a large area for collection (of the order of
square miles).
--
Bob Eager
begin a new life...dump Windows!

"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...

Spread across the customer base, the cost of doing that is buttons,
which returns me to my original point that it's indicative of a place
selling on price and not quality or customer service.

No, it's impractical....a large area for collection (of the order of
square miles).

Then again - modify your customer base. Surely those nicking the trolleys
don't contribute much to the bottom line of the quality places anyway -
Sainsbury's, B&Q, M&S, etc so persaude them to go to Netto, Aldi and other
grot-merchants by raising prices a little more if necessary.

But DON'T charge for car parks or trolleys. I never have the right change
and don't want to shop at places that don't trust me anyway.

In message , Andy Hall
writes

It stops some people taking the trolley home and then dumping it onto the
nearest railway embankment or highway verge, you must live in one sure quite
utopia if you've never seen dumped trolleys !...

Why on earth anybody would want to take a supermarket trolley home I
have no idea.

They don't, they take them to where their car is parked, or home, push
it a few yards and away they go


If they are untended in a car park, I can appreciate that in some
areas, yobs might run off with them.and dump them.

That too


--
geoff

G&M wrote:

"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...

Spread across the customer base, the cost of doing that is buttons,
which returns me to my original point that it's indicative of a place
selling on price and not quality or customer service.

No, it's impractical....a large area for collection (of the order of
square miles).

Then again - modify your customer base. Surely those nicking the trolleys
don't contribute much to the bottom line of the quality places anyway -
Sainsbury's, B&Q, M&S, etc so persaude them to go to Netto, Aldi and other
grot-merchants by raising prices a little more if necessary.

Naah.
Ravening dogs are much more effective.
Or maybe just a peon shoot.

On 8 May 2004 22:43:07 GMT, "Bob Eager" wrote:

On Sat, 8 May 2004 22:33:49 UTC, Andy Hall wrote:

Why on earth anybody would want to take a supermarket trolley home I
have no idea.

The local Netto do this. I don't often shop there, but there is one
particular product that happens to be difficult to find elsewhere.

The catchment area for that store is largely one of low-income families
who don't have cars, and can't afford/don't have a bus service. Taking
the trolley home is a good option in their case, especially when the
journey is some distance.

Well, OK, then make a feature of it and charge those that do want to
take them home a returnable deposit of a tenner or something that is
enough to encourage return.

The neighbourhood store would be a good solution as well


The solution of putting coin deposits and inconveniencing customers is
a poor substitute for doing the job properly and employing somebody to
collect up the trollies and returning them to their rightful place.

But it isn't a substitute, you see. It complements it. Most trolleys
either (a) don't leave the (small) car park, or they travel a long, long
way.

So I don't see how a coin deposit helps.

The coin deposit is not a major inconvenience.

I find it really annoying to go somewhere, park the car, walk over to
the store, discover that the trollies are tethered with coin locking.
I don't typically carry pound coins in my pocket.


As it happens, if
you *do* take a car, you also need a car park deposit as it's located in
an area where the car park would otherwise be misused by others.

Oh crikey....


Spread across the customer base, the cost of doing that is buttons,
which returns me to my original point that it's indicative of a place
selling on price and not quality or customer service.

No, it's impractical....a large area for collection (of the order of
square miles).

Oh, well, by doing that, the store would not get my business.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Sat, 8 May 2004 23:52:10 +0100, geoff wrote:

In message , Andy Hall
writes

It stops some people taking the trolley home and then dumping it onto the
nearest railway embankment or highway verge, you must live in one sure quite
utopia if you've never seen dumped trolleys !...

Why on earth anybody would want to take a supermarket trolley home I
have no idea.

They don't, they take them to where their car is parked, or home, push
it a few yards and away they go


If they are untended in a car park, I can appreciate that in some
areas, yobs might run off with them.and dump them.

That too



There are other ways though such as magnetic brakes which activate if
someone attempts to wheel the trolley out of the authorised area.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Andy Hall wrote:
Why on earth anybody would want to take a supermarket trolley home I
have no idea.

Did you never ride down a steep hill in one as a child?
(Worth a pound of anybody's money IMO)

Quite fancy one of those garden centre trolleys... bit of a long trek home
and it couldn't fit in the car either :-(

--
Toby.

'One day son, all this will be finished'

On Sun, 9 May 2004 02:32:27 +0100, "Toby"
wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:
Why on earth anybody would want to take a supermarket trolley home I
have no idea.

Did you never ride down a steep hill in one as a child?
(Worth a pound of anybody's money IMO)

When I was a child, supermarket trollies were a little way (not too
far) in the future.

Groceries came from the ... grocers; vegetables from the.....
greengrocers, meat from the ...... butchers, and fish from the...
fishmongers. They all delivered.....



Quite fancy one of those garden centre trolleys... bit of a long trek home
and it couldn't fit in the car either :-(

You mean the flat bed deals?


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

In message , StealthUK
wrote

if food is too cheap I wonder where the
hell it came from.

Have you considered why other outlets are so expensive? The major stores
make a big deal of rolling back their prices but they are at least 30
percent more expensive for comparable items than their 'down market'
competitors.

Why does a bottle of Coke cost pounds whereas an own brand cost 15p a
litre. Quality or just the customer paying for all the advertising?

I shop at Tescos, Aldi, Lidl and they all sell rubbish as well as having
good quality goods at reasonable or cheap prices. Cherry pick the items
you want from each store.

--
Alan

On Sat, 08 May 2004 20:41:29 +-0100, Andy Hall
wrote:

On Sat, 8 May 2004 19:16:08 +-0100, geoff wrote:

In message , Andy Hall
writes
I
will not shop in stores where a coin is required to release the
trolley.

Well, coin release trolleys have worked wonders around here for reducing
the number of trolleys left on the street (and canals and anywhere else
they tend to end up)


Fair enough, but it would be more customer friendly to employ somebody
to round them up from drop areas in the car park and return them to
the entrance, and to chain them up at the end of the day.

Round here (Norf Londin) they have to do both (chain and recover).

Locals often push the trolley the 1/4 a mile home (no parking / loads
of traffic / no car) and *some* push them back again. Some allow kids
to take them back which means they get 50 yards round the corner and
smash up a +AKM-200 (?) trolley for the pound coin (I have often offered
the 'kids' a pound and to let me take the trolley back as I can't bare
to watch it and no-one else seems to care)?

I did ask one pair (who had the trolley upside down on the pavement
outside their own house (with the parents indoors!) and were in the
process of smashing it up) who they thought paid for the trolleys?
"The government" was the reply from one?

I then briefly explained that it was in fact their parents and me and
everyone else that buys their food there ... and if they carried on
smashing them up they would simply stop providing them and they what
would they play in .. ?

Personally I'd modify all the coin holders that when attacked would
explosively release a indelible die and stun gas ...

T i m

In message , G&M
writes
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
andy. wrote,

Spread across the customer base, the cost of doing that is buttons,
which returns me to my original point that it's indicative of a place
selling on price and not quality or customer service.

No, it's impractical....a large area for collection (of the order of
square miles).

Then again - modify your customer base. Surely those nicking the trolleys
don't contribute much to the bottom line of the quality places anyway -
Sainsbury's, B&Q, M&S, etc so persaude them to go to Netto, Aldi and other
grot-merchants by raising prices a little more if necessary.

great - so disadvantage the disadvantaged a bit more!

But DON'T charge for car parks or trolleys. I never have the right change
and don't want to shop at places that don't trust me anyway.

As the ppl in Homebase told me when I protested at their new coin-slot
policy - it isn't that much of an inconvenience to just keep a pound
coin in the car at all times?

--
dave @ stejonda

"To materialist eyes, India is a developing country;
to spiritual eyes, the United States is a developing country."
Ram Dass

On Sun, 9 May 2004 10:08:46 +0100, Alan
wrote:

In message , StealthUK
wrote

if food is too cheap I wonder where the
hell it came from.

Have you considered why other outlets are so expensive? The major stores
make a big deal of rolling back their prices but they are at least 30
percent more expensive for comparable items than their 'down market'
competitors.

Why does a bottle of Coke cost pounds whereas an own brand cost 15p a
litre. Quality or just the customer paying for all the advertising?

Some of both. Mostly the former.


I shop at Tescos, Aldi, Lidl and they all sell rubbish as well as having
good quality goods at reasonable or cheap prices.

I avoid the own brand items because generally they are rubbish, with
the exception of Tescos Finest, and equivalents which generally are
good.

Cherry pick the items
you want from each store.

Do Aldi and Lidl have major brand products? When I last looked in
one, some while ago, they only had cheap own brands.
..andy

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