Waitrose or M&S TYPE supermarket - do we want one on LL?

[louisiana]

coopsy76 Wrote:

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> That far down the lane even qualify as East

> Dulwich? WTF

+1.

We are SE22 mate, unlike some at the north end of ED.

And LL continues some way beyond us, going southbound.

[louisiana]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> >

> This!!!

Brilliant mashed with celeriac! :) [burps]

But good for chips, for roasting, for boiling... A really well-behaved potato with lovely colour and great flavour. Good keeper too.

[Mick Mac]

Another BIG yes to Waitrose or M and S.

[sedgewick]

I don't really care, I doubt I would use either as Sainsbury's are good enough for me and probably the best supermarket ever.

I worked for Sainsbury's in the warehouse, unloading lorries and managing the stock. They were quite nice to work for really.

What's the CO-OP like? I have not tried it yet.

[grogtanian]

This topic clearly gets people excited in one way or the other. Interesting that the original post also put forward the idea of a People's Supermarket and we're still banging on about Waitrose over a week later.

[Keef]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> Not sure exactly how long Iceland has been there.

> But quite a while now.

>

> This would suggest it is Successful and Popular.

>

> and therefor deserves a place in E.D.

>

> People that post on this Forum is a very small

> proportion of the people that live in E.D.

>

> And not every one that posts here thinks

> Iceland's should go.

Exactly bloody right! I am sure the head of Iceland is reading this and thinking "gosh, a handfull of jumped up people on the East Dulwich Forum feel that their area deserves better than us. I think we'd best close down and step aside for a better class of shop, even though we're doing perfectly good business". I think these people should move to Croydon, there is a big M&S, and a Waitrose, you'd all be very happy.

[JenniferClaire]

I think it's a brilliant idea for a small, nice, supermarket in the area. I sat down with a large group of friends the other day and everyone said how much they'd love to have an M&S nearby - there's a distinct lack of them in South East London!!!!

An M&S simply food would be SO popular. I agree it would be awful if the rent increased or if it pushed independent shops away, but when the alternative choice is ICELAND or CO-OP.... I'd opt for an M&S any day.

To be honest I think quite a few of the shops down the lane needs improving.

The local shops are amazing but there's plenty of room for improvement.

[Keef]

Why do people even like M&S so much? Fine, they're great for grabbing a sandwich and a fruit salad for lunch, but they dont sell any ingredients for preparing a meal, just ready meals, which frankly puts it below iceland in terms of usefulness.

[SeanMacGabhann]

^^

This

[Siduhe]

Keef Wrote:

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> Why do people even like M&S so much? Fine, they're

> great for grabbing a sandwich and a fruit salad

> for lunch, but they dont sell any ingredients for

> preparing a meal, just ready meals, which frankly

> puts it below iceland in terms of usefulness.

Maybe it depends which M&S Food you go to? The one I occasionally use in the City definitely sells fresh (unprepared) meat and fish and veg, along with rice, pasta and other staples, not just ready meals. Granted it's not the biggest selection, but does come in handy.

[Tibbs]

I think a small M&S would be extremely beneficial to the residents of East Dulwich. From my original port on the "should we close down Iceland and open a Waitrose" thread I noticed from the responses that many people in the area stated that they do not have time to cook so their ready meals, fresh pastas and pesto would be doing many people a favour no? I do agree with many of the comments that M&s has far too much sugar in and on everything but one could go crazy any buy some say carrots, new potatoes, red peppers, onions, garlic and I don't know maybe a steak or fresh fish and.... Chop all veg to roughly same size chunks, place in a roasting tin 190 for 35/40 mins, while that is in poor some nice vino and drink it while responding to all relevant messages on the forum and pan fry steak or fish. Serve and think about time saved buying all this in one place.... Whilst troffing down some lovely sugar laden cheesecake or wonder if you should have spent the time supporting all the local grocers, fish mongers/ butchers. Vow to maybe do both! M&s could draw more people to use the local highstreet rather than driving up the hill to sainsburys or further afield to beckenham. Where I grew up we have a waitrose, 2 butchers 1 fishmonger and 2 grocers all living in perfect harmony along with a farmers market. It is NOT people shopping at M&S that close local shops down it is people not shopping at the local shops surely we have the population density to keep everyone happy no? Note: did anyone watch save our highstreet I believe it tried to prove this point!

[jimmyay]

People bang on about waitrose because they are the best supermarket for quality food, a great shopping experience, pleasant staff etc. I was in the Beckenham one at the weekend and it is just streets ahead of Dog Kennel Sainsbury.

Quality produce from their own farms, often, plenty of lovely stuff and they are owned by their staff - as ethical as the co-op i'd say.

[paulipedia]

I think what we need are the smaller indpendents to open late on a couple of nights a week. God knows why they don't do this as currently the only time I can shop in a lot of them is Saturday (I'm always busy on a Saturday) and then some on Friday. Unless I leave work early!!!

[paulipedia]

I think what we need are the smaller indpendents to open late on a couple of nights a week. God knows why they don't do this as currently the only time I can shop in a lot of them is Saturday (I'm always busy on a Saturday) and then some on Sunday. Unless I leave work early!!!

[bil]

I would love to have an M&S simply food closer by, even if it was in a petrol station. We tend to drive to brixton or lewisham ( I have never been to the Walworth road branch)when they have the "?10 meal for two" offers. If there was one in ED there would need to be a little car park e.g. like tesco express near peckham rye. There are so few Waitrose branches in is South east London. Only in Beckenham and Canary wharf, I believe. why is that?

anyway i would welcome either but pref M&S.

[Louisa]

Keef Wrote:

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> Why do people even like M&S so much? Fine, they're

> great for grabbing a sandwich and a fruit salad

> for lunch, but they dont sell any ingredients for

> preparing a meal, just ready meals, which frankly

> puts it below iceland in terms of usefulness.

Hear, Hear Keef! Iceland source their food from just as reputable farms as the other higher market brands, they just happen to sell them in less flashy surroundings and at more affordable prices, fundamentally the food is the same! It is incredibly useful to a large number of families in the area who cannot afford to pay over the odds for things, and most importantly for me at least, they are very convenient with decent extended opening hours. If some of these people on here had their way, the lowest earners would be forced to travel far and wide for value and convenience just to suit the snobbish attitudes of some supposedly liberal minded organic carrot eaters who secretly dont mind giving to charity but turn their noses up at having to look at poor people in the area they live in because it in some way 'lower's the tone'. That is the REAL agenda behind wanting Waitrose, M&S et al to replace Iceland!

Louisa.

[zeban]

Louisa just for reference, not everyone is saying replace the Iceland. I'm not. I'd prefer everywhere in the area stepped up their game- locals staying open later, co-op sorting itself out. I think you're generalising this argument too much and making it a class thing. I'm a poor, working class person myself but I'd like Waitrose just for the occasional thing because I've found things there that are not stocked in other supermarkets and their end of day reductions on fresh food are great. As for m & s, I think it's overpriced overpackaged and not very good.

This argument is going round in circles- you want to see this argument as a class/snobbery thing that's up to you but I shop everywhere for different/certain things- from Lidl/Aldi, to Tesco, to Morrisons, to Sainsburys, to Waitrose etc- don't think I go anywhere apart from M & S- maybe for lunch but not grocery shopping, and Iceland- not because I'm a 'snob' but because I don't think it's value for money- eg. buy a pack of peas there for their famous pound and find it in Sains for 87p.

[James Barber]

I believe Iceland was the first supermarket chain to commit to organic food.

As others have rightly pointed out it appears successful.

[Louisa]

zeban Wrote:

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> Iceland- not because I'm a 'snob' but because I

> don't think it's value for money- eg. buy a pack

> of peas there for their famous pound and find it

> in Sains for 87p.

I have just looked on the website for both Sainsbury's and Iceland and I fail to see much of a difference.

Sainsbury's cheapest option on frozen peas appear to be the 'Basic British Garden Peas' range at ?1.52 per unit (1.81kg)

Iceland's appear to offer their own brand 'Freshly Frozen Garden Peas' range at ?1 per unit

(1kg)

My argument was that Iceland is a smaller scale, predominantly frozen food based supermarket which sells at reasonable prices and is within convenient walking distance for everyone (unlike Sainsbury's). I am not saying Waitrose do not give decent offer's, but across the board I highly doubt they would be as cheap or as specifically targetted as Iceland, which in turn would put them in direct competition with the much treasured 'local shop' - something that so many people on here talk so highly of! Iceland and it's predecessor Bejam have been in this area for 25 years or more, they have never been in direct competition with local independent retailers and clearly fill a gap in the market for many people, why should we change that?

Louisa.

[zeban]

Oh dear lord I'm not saying change it. Besides, a lot of poor people don't even have the internet to compare prices online!

Help this thread is driving me mad. Enough already!

[Louisa]

zeban Wrote:

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> Oh dear lord I'm not saying change it. Besides, a

> lot of poor people don't even have the internet to

> compare prices online!

But you previously used the argument that you choose not to shop at Iceland because you find them more expensive on certain items compared to other supermarkets, but previous to that you said you shop everywhere else because they all offer bargains on certain items. I could price comparison on a number of supermarket websites and I could come back with certain items cheaper at Iceland and others more expensive. My point was that Iceland is specifically targetted at the frozen food shopper and has not in any way dented the local nature of the retail mix in East Dulwich one jot! So why do you choose not to shop there?

Louisa.

[sedgewick]

I shop at Netto and Lidl, both good enough for me.

Cheap Cheap.

[silverfox]

Louisa, on the example you gave Sainsbury's is cheaper. Maybe Iceland isn't necessarily the friend of the poor you'd like to think.

Edited for typo

[Louisa]

silverfox Wrote:

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> Louisa, on the example you gave Sainsbury's is

> cheaper. Maybe Iceland isn't necessarily the

> friend of the poor you'd like to think.

>

I already made the point that they will be cheaper on some items, and more expensive on others. Anyhow, Iceland were cheaper on the above example, Sainsbury's offered more per kg, both very different things. If I am a poorer person I may not drive lets say, so getting a bus to Sainsbury's or taxi would increase my costs either way. By my reckoning a quid is cheaper by 52p :-S

Louisa.

[silverfox]

Louisa, Iceland wasn't cheaper on the example you gave. Iceland's cutomers are paying more per gram for less. If they both sold the same weight of package, eg 1.81 kg, then Iceland's peas @ 10 grams for a penny work out over 28p more expensive. That's a hell of a difference on one item of a weekly shop.