Save me from the Cauldron of Hate

I'd like to nominate my Sainsbury's Local as the worst shop in the country. OK, I can't really substantiate that …. the worst shop that I find myself often standing in even though I and everyone I know locally loathes it with a passion.

It has virtually no loose fruit or veg, and what there is is just shoddy. It stocks the most expensive line possible in whatever you might commonly want. And every day it runs out of a selection of essentials by about 5pm – just when its rush-hour begins and harried straight-out-of-work shoppers fill the claustrophobic aisles. Soon we're all barging moodily past each other, tutting and tersely muttering 'no ******* tinned tomatoes again!?'

My housemate and I have cheerfully christened it the Cauldron of Hate.

It's the one on Battersea Park Rd (south-west London) by the way, just in case the area manager is reading – although I doubt it: he or she is probably busy conducting experiments with monkeys to devise new ways of making grocery shopping more unpleasant.

And you think I'm joking ... well maybe a bit, and only because I suspect every other Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express provides the same 'quality of shopping'.

I put it to you: when was the last time you bought a punnet of 'ripen-at-home' nectarines and actually had one ripen on you? Did you manage to catch the six-hour window of insipid squelchyness between the three days of 'woodlike' and the onset of mould?

Could it be that they are trying to tempt us towards their wonderful 'Taste the Difference' range of nectarines? – a steal at 70p each? (Or more like 'a steel' if the last one I shelled out for is anything to go by.)

Why would a store cease stocking 500g bags of pasta (the not-very-big ones) in order to stock 250g bags (the laughably small), other than to extract more money? They look like those dinky bags of exotic pulses you see in the world foods aisle. In the world of Milky Ways, they'd be called 'Fun-size'. What marvellous fun I was having, paying over the odds for rubbish.

The most delicious thing about it all (for it is not the food), is that they are no longer cheap. That's the one thing supermarkets were good for, economy, and they’re not even that anymore! Well, not the 'convenience' ones anyway.

You see, I enjoy cooking. And I enjoy going and finding good ingredients to cook with. This is not possible in my immediate locale because we just have Tesco and Sainsbury's. Oh, and Spar. But I live and work in centralish London, so if I have the time and inclination and I remember, then I can go around to a few different shops and pick up stuff that actually tastes like what it's meant to and isn't covered in three layers of foam and plastic.

I know it sounds like such a chattering-class thing to quack on about but the supermarkets really have sucked the enjoyment out of food-shopping for me – and also created the conditions whereby small retailers can't compete or even afford premises.

I can't help looking abroad for comparisons and whether it's France, Spain or Italy, they all seem to get a better deal than us in this, as in so much else. No wonder a thousand years after the Dark Ages we're still the binge-drinking barbarians of Europe: we're better at it than food; and it helps us forget the Cauldron of Hate.

- Adrian Lowery, News editor, This is Money

Comments

[Colin McNulty]

> I put it to you: when was the last time you bought a punnet of 'ripen-at-home' nectarines and actually had one ripen on you?

Gah, that's my pet hate! Every time I buy a 'punnet' of whatever, the story is always the same. Of 8 nectarines (or peaches or plums etc) there is always this mix:

- 2 are already bruised and rotting from the inside out and get thrown.
- 2 go mouldy over the first night.
- 1 is ready to eat in about 3 days.
- 3 go mouldy on the 4th day.

I hate those punnets with a passion, but being the eternal optimist, I always find myself buying another one... maybe this time will be different...

[Mike Waite]

THE ABOVE STORY HAS HIT A NERVE. I shop at Morrisons and find the so called fresh fruit a joke. I have stopped buying oranges as it was almost certain to have a stringy none juicy items in my shopping bag. Peaches why do they turn mouldy the day after I buy them.
I once complained with regard to oranges being awful. The fruit managers reply was "You are the first to complain" I asked him if he tastes the fruit? He replied he did not like oranges so did not taste them.
No wonder children wont eat so called fresh fruit. Mike

[keith]

We get what we deserve in this country - our patronage of supermarkets and passive acceptance of their sub standard fare have led to this situation. Start complaining and take back the fungal cultures they have sold you. Fresh ripe fruit is available to consumers as anyone who travels to France Italy or Spain will confirm....and the reason for that is that the sellers are independent traders who go out of business if they don't care for their customers.

[Dave Swift]

Earlier this year we were in New Zealand for six weeks touring the north and south islands. Even relatively small towns had supermarkets which outshone any we have seen in this country. The fresh food areas were quite amazing. The quality was top class and many sections were cooled with sprays of cold water to keep the fruit an veg fresh. The prices were surprisingly low but this of course must be put in the context of the local cost of living. So much for savings of scale!

[Elizabeth Godfrey]

I agree wholeheartedly.When I moved to Southport twenty odd years ago the Market Hall was still worth shopping in for fresh vegetables, there was a wonderful deli selling cheeses,cured meats and coffee beans etc,a shop selling handmade chocolates. Each one had its own character and shopping for food was fun! Outrageous rents have forced all of them out of business. Now my local Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco etc are places I dread visiting. I find myself sourcing more and more foods on the internet, meat from Scotland, fish from Cornwall but there's still no fun in that.

[Susan]

Supermarkets/superstores may not be ideal for purchasing fruit & veg, but I find they are still FAR superior to any of my local market stalls. I can guarantee that I will be disappointed with the results any time I'm silly enough to try their wares.

[Steve]

I wholeheartedly agree with the Sainsbury's comment. In my area (Chippenham) Sainsbury's is the largest supermarket and the proprietors realise this. Due to the lack of choice of supermarket they basically have a captive consumer base and thus know people will shop there regardless of the quality of produce. They are grossly overpriced and the quality is pathetically poor, especially the so-called fruit and veg.

The range of choice is scarce and they have an annoying habit of changing brands after a few months so you cannot guarantee a particular brand that you have become used to and heaven forbid actually like will be displayed beyond 2-3 months and generally the replacement brands that are stocked are more expensive.

Sainsbury's are manipulative and reduce package sizes but increase cost leaving you with little option but to buy 2 of the same item. There is no real consumer protection in this country and the large corporate businesses realise this. Unfortunately, they have us over a barrel.