Sainsbury’s and Asda in talks to merge

[Steampunk]

We used to drive less than 10 mins to get to Tesco. Occasionally the same distance to Waitrose, and five mins to Sainsburys. In the last 18 months we've pretty much abandoned Tesco as within five minutes drive they've opened a Lidl, Aldi, B&M and large Asda. The Asda and Sainsburys are within a few minutes walk of each other (they almost face each other). In fact, Sainsburys went to court two or three times to try to get the Asda development stopped, and delayed the project by 6-12 months.

Opening the Asda definitely had big effects on Sainsburys, and their ranges and the store changed significantly after they had to compete with the new stores on the same road. I can't see how they are going to keep both of these large stores (Asda & Sainsburys) open unless they are selling different ranges aiming at different markets.

 

[Puzzled]

The big weekly/monthly grocery shop isn't the norm any more. Hasn't been for years. People are buying a small amount at a time, from the most convenient shop. Food ranges are falling as people are becoming less brand loyal, instead opting for the best value product on the shelf (which, more often than not, is the own brand product). Large stores are seeing increasingly large amounts of floor space being dedicated to clothing, homewares, electricals, and concessions, in order to fill the space left by the shrinking food offering. And even then, for the majority of large stores, takings are down on a decade ago.

Depends on location and family status, living in a city you'll probably pick something up every other day on the way to / from work.

In smaller towns / country or if you have children you are more likely to do a big shop.

I'd say the latter option is still more popular but it's getting closer hence retailers investing more in local convenience stores.

Personally I dislike food shopping so tend to get it over with doing 1 shop a week mainly buying from Aldi but picking a few things up in the Tesco next door that Aldi don't sell.

We do have a huge Asda nearby but it's so big that it takes ages to get around and I just can't be bothered

 

[Monkeynut]

Never had any problems at the checkout in ALDI. If you are then you must be doing it wrong.

At ours if you don't pack fast enough your eggs are going on the floor. It's not a problem as me and my partner do it together. It doesn't actually bother me, I'd rather it was "fast" and as a result I get better prices and the staff get paid more.

 

[Puzzled]

At ours if you don't pack fast enough your eggs are going on the floor. It's not a problem as me and my partner do it together. It doesn't actually bother me, I'd rather it was "fast" and as a result I get better prices and the staff get paid more.

Do you not just put it back in your basket / trolley and then pack properly after paying on the bench by the windows?

 

[Malevolence]

I think most people just go to their closest tbh. I know I go to Asda as its the closest. We have a Sainsbury's in my town but I rarely go there. There's a Lidl and an Aldi too but the closest Tesco is about 8 miles away.

True. My local supermarket is a Sainsburys that's a 5 min. stroll away.

 

[Monkeynut]

Do you not just put it back in your basket / trolley and then pack properly after paying on the bench by the windows?

Yes, But at peak times they still only have 2 people on and the staff go ridiculously fast. Like I say, it's not a problem as I like the prices and the staff get more than ASDA across the road.

 

[Puzzled]

Yes, But at peak times they still only have 2 people on and the staff go ridiculously fast. Like I say, it's not a problem as I like the prices and the staff get more than ASDA across the road.

Yeah they always have the bare minimum staff in, guess they pay more but expect more from their staff for it.

You can tell when people are new to Aldi / Lidl as they'll be frantically trying to pack at the checkout.

 

[Malevolence]

and the staff go ridiculously fast

Then surely the sensible thing would be to ask them to slow it down a bit.

 

[Steampunk]

Do you not just put it back in your basket / trolley and then pack properly after paying on the bench by the windows?

I hate that. I've already put it in my trolley once, then I have to unpack it and put it on the conveyor, then I'm supposed to put it into the trolley again, then take it out a second time and put it into bags again? If it's coming off the conveyor, it's going into my bags, and I'm holding up the line if I have to. It's not like they can start on the next customer until I've paid and cleared the space.

The one thing I really miss from Tesco is the scan as you shop. You take stuff from the shelves, zap it, pack it straight into your bags in the trolley, pay and go. You pack your bags once, and then go home and unpack. Every supermarket should adopt it.

 

[zophiel]

or to pack it on the packing shelf thats behind the checkouts, its not difficult concept its always been the same.

 

[McPhee]

Yes.

Coward

Trying to keep up is half the fun The new store in my town ain't that quick though. I'm starting to wonder if the targets have dropped to try as it does put some people off.

 

[Duke]

I can see a bit of saving in terms of logistics but they'll never be able to combine the brands as they are at aimed at two very different ends of the market. Personally I don't consume a huge amount so get a fortnightly delivery from Ocado then top up from the small Tesco express on my road. Sometimes I'll go to the medium sized Sainsburys or Tesco extra if want to browse house hold stuff but not very often as I really hate going into supermarkets. Would probably do more often if had the opportunity to go during the day when quiet though.

The one thing I really miss from Tesco is the scan as you shop. You take stuff from the shelves, zap it, pack it straight into your bags in the trolley, pay and go. You pack your bags once, and then go home and unpack. Every supermarket should adopt it.

How does the payment work for that & them knowing you've scanned everything you've bagged up?

 

[Glaucus]

How does the payment work for that & them knowing you've scanned everything you've bagged up?

you take the scanner to a special self service checkout and pay. a certain amount of trust you scan everything. Then they select at random for you to scan all items through checkout (or at least thats what used to happen).

still got it at my local tesco, don't use it as rarely do large shops in supermarkets.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Yeah they always have the bare minimum staff in, guess they pay more but expect more from their staff for it.

To be honest this actually something that really annoys me about the 'big 4', they have so many more staff on yet you still get poor service and see poorly merchandised shelves. You see members of staff standing around having a chat all the time when there is quite clearly work that needs to be done or people to help. The checkouts are just glacial sometimes.

Aldi staff get paid more but Aldi sure get their moneys worth unlike at the main supermarkets.

 

[Steampunk]

How does the payment work for that & them knowing you've scanned everything you've bagged up?

There's a special area like the self-service checkouts. You press a button on the touch screen, and your hand scanner dumps your shopping list to the till. You pay and wheel your trolley to the car, pick up your bags and put them in the boot. They occasionally do a spot check where a member of staff zaps a few things from your bags, usually takes twenty or thirty seconds.

It's just faster because you pack your bags once, there's no queuing while you wait for other people at the tills or unpacking/repacking your shop for the checkout. You zap the product's barcode as you pick it up, so you add a second or two every time you do that, but you circumvent all the other time wasting activities and interaction with staff/customers.

 

[McPhee]

To be honest this actually something that really annoys me about the 'big 4', they have so many more staff on yet you still get poor service and see poorly merchandised shelves. You see members of staff standing around having a chat all the time when there is quite clearly work that needs to be done or people to help. The checkouts are just glacial sometimes.

Aldi staff get paid more but Aldi sure get their moneys worth unlike at the main supermarkets.

Sainsbury's colleagues are currently undergoing a contract review that will change this. They'll be paid more than Aldi colleagues from September, with the expectations to match.

I'm against it as its unlikley to be a merger given Walmart who own Asda are probably at least 5-6 times larger than Sainsbury's so its a takeover. Main reason I'm against it as I had a look on the FTSE for Asda and don't see it so (and I stand to be corrected), Asda's profits are part of Walmarts profits and they're taxed in the US so yet another big loss for government revenues and the UK in general.

I'm getting tired of seeing long standing British companies being swallowed up by foreign companies/investors and I would guess much of the time, any subsequent profits they then make fail to be taxed in the UK. This is more important to me and should be to others too as £5 here or there on average shopping basket isn't a big deal when you have competition and can visit Morrisons, Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys or the german cheapo supermarkets according to your tastes and budget.

Wal-Mart aren't buying Sainsbury's. There's a high chance they will be a major shareholder going forward, but owner? No.

 

[antijoke]

The big weekly/monthly grocery shop isn't the norm any more. Hasn't been for years. People are buying a small amount at a time, from the most convenient shop. Food ranges are falling as people are becoming less brand loyal, instead opting for the best value product on the shelf (which, more often than not, is the own brand product). Large stores are seeing increasingly large amounts of floor space being dedicated to clothing, homewares, electricals, and concessions, in order to fill the space left by the shrinking food offering. And even then, for the majority of large stores, takings are down on a decade ago.

Tell me about it! Our local Morrison’s is dropping branded stuff and going big on own range stuff. You can’t buy small Nescafé Gold there any more, the only option is £7 large jars, own brand gold blend? Three different options starting at around £1.90 or so, which one do you think people will choose?

 

[antijoke]

Don’t forget Argos will fall under it as well in all likelihood