[Closed] Why do people hate Tesco so much?

Where do you start? Illusion of choice, screwing suppliers, screwing the high street, selling crap...

Personally, I don't dislike Tesco any more than I dislike any other vast impersonal space full of sullen, jostling, cud-chewing people hoovering up multi-packs of cheesy wotsits and screaming at their sugar-crazed, insolent children. But I dislike those places intensely, so I don't go.

They are pretty aggressive in terms of buying sites to stop other supermarkets etc.

I'm not sure they are any worse than other supermarkets tbh - just more successful.

I didn't know people did hate them but I'm aware they're ultra ruthless in buying sites. They just buy and then build, stuff the local council when they complain. You want to go to court? Suits us, see you there, bet we can afford better lawyers.

I just dislike tesco because the food doesnt seem as nice, yet costs more than Asda. If I wanted to pay more I'd go to sainburys where the food IS actually nicer.

They arent particularly cheap. Theres no 'responsible/caring business' going on. Its almost like naked Imperialism.

If you look at all the big supermarkets though- none of them are cheap. Gawling as the people who work there also have to eat food like the rest of us.

It's cool to.

I'm amazed at how many times I walk into our local Large Tesco to find, YET AGAIN, that the basket holder is empty, I end up having to find one myself from by the tills, this happens more often than not.

We do our main shop at Asda, who are cheaper, and the staff much more pleasant.

What does "gawling" mean?

BTW - the best food comes from ALDI, or the local butcher, grocer. Much cheaper too.

Do people hate them? Their size and profits suggest that plenty of people are happy enough to shop there.

If you look at all the big supermarkets though- none of them are cheap.

Damn sight cheaper than buying at my local butcher/grocer/corner shop and all in one place.

I've got 8 Tesco stores within a 30 minute ride from my house that I can think of, possibly more and that is far too many. Every time a new one opens there is more congestion on that road, and when they open those stupid little Express stores they don't provide parking, so you have morons blocking the road.

I try to avoid them but hypocritically do occasionally shop there. Pretty much every other time we go there the bill is wrong. 3 for 2 offers are regularly put through as 3 for 3. Just think about how much profit that gives to Tesco when people don't check their bills. Just human error that the tills aren't set up for 3 for 2s?

Again, every other time I buy from Tesco I find that some of the products I buy are just crap. Last week I bought some doughnuts which were completely stale. It isn't worth taking them back so that is another 65p profit from selling rubbish.

I have many other gripes about Tesco, but I'll round it off with their mis-selling. Have a look at the wine section, look at the so-called half price wines and ask who in their right mind would buy cheap Oz wine at £8. It is never sold at £8 so why do they get away with claiming that it was?

You guys who complain about Tesco should move here to NL and see what a REALLY badly run supermarket looks like!!! Dairy shelves full of short-dated milk, bread shelves empty after 10 am, aisles blocked by schoolkids stocking shelves and throwing fruit about without supervision, meat shelves with a few bits of pork and a battery chicken, tasteless veg individually wrapped in cling-film.

When I go back to Blighty one of my special treats is a trip to Tesco !!

But their packs of 4 chocolate muffins are to die for, not found any in any other supermarket that are quiet so soft, moist and chocolatey.

Oh and remember it's ok to buy head torches from Tesco. 😛

Morrisons has a better range of beers and ciders.

I think the point that they're cheaper than the high street is a myth. Fruit & veg is cheaper from greengrocers, which offsets the extra cost of meat from the butcher. And of course you don't end up with a load of rubbish you don't really need, bought just because it was on special offer. I also find that locally bought veg & meat is of superior freshness and quality, but maybe I'm just lucky with the shops we have round here.

As per Smee, I get my dry groceries from Aldi - the quality is often excellent.

[url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/5342914.stm ]this is one reason[/url]

They built a store much bigger than they had planning permission for (apparently an administrative error) and agreed to cordon off 50 % of the illegally built space with Tesco saying

It is highly unusual and a goodwill gesture that proves we[TESCO] are not bullies but a perfectly reasonable organisation trying to work with the council to resolve the issue."

Tesco Stockport Google it if you want more info.

I don't like Dame Shirley Porter.
I also don't like WalMart.

"Tesco created 500 jobs in the area and engaged and trained 120 people previously unemployed, therefore, sincerely hopes that its staff and regular shoppers do not suffer as a result of the decision."

Nicely veiled threat.

The quality of their food has dropped recently. Bread and fruit/veg going off earlier than they should (compared to Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys and..even Aldi).

It is a truly awful experience shopping there, but that can be said for most supermarkets.

I think the point that they're cheaper than the high street is a myth. Fruit & veg is cheaper from greengrocers, which offsets the extra cost of meat from the butcher.

I've spent the last year trying to find the best places to buy good stuff cheaply, they're mutually exclusive and the best trade-off in my area is Asda. Neither F&V nor meat are cheaper on my local highstreet.

all of the above.
except for the "it's cool to" one.

i'm lucky (careful?) enough to live somewhere that has a sufficient quantity of local/small businesses that i can afford to never ever go to/buy from any supermarkets.
so i haven't, for a couple of years now.

They're trying to put one one mile outside of Holmfirth but there's staunch opposition - http://www.keepholmfirthspecial.co.uk/

Think the fact that they account for over 30% of all grocery spending in this country - it just doesn't seem like a healthy thing to me.

This sums it up quite well for me 😉

Damn sight cheaper than buying at my local butcher/grocer/corner shop and all in one place.

were as here in Rossendale, it is slightly cheaper to buy from the local butchers (we have quite a few in the valley too) and so much nicer meat.

bacon, chicken fillets, pork chops that arent pumped with water to appear bigger.

for instance i would have to buy a pack of 4 fillets from Tesco to get the same level of meat as i do from 2 fillets from the butcher.

mince that doesnt just taste of paper like the crap you get from tesco and the others.

Of all the supermarket experiences, Tesco is by far the best of a bad lot.

Each branch of Asda is a gateway to hell.

Drac - Member
It's cool to.

Oh and remember it's ok to buy head torches from Tesco.

Quietly and succinctly put, and hits the nail right on the head. It's a shop, get over yourselves FFS

there's a substantial investment planned for the centre of Prestwich that involves some really good improvements to the facilities and a much-needed dose of TLC for the town centre in general.

It's been postponed however due to objections from guess who?
They've got their own plans to extend the already huge store in prestwich and they feel that these improvements (that will no doubt improve the lives of all who live here) will impede their business.

****ing cocks.

I shop there for two reasons.

1. I can't abide Asda/Walmart. Something about the colour maybe?
2. The greengrocers/butchers are shut when I go to work and shut when I get home leaving me with little alternative. There used to be a greengrocers that opened late and then shut late near where I used to live (11am - 7pm) and they did a roaring trade with people who would otherwise have to go to the supermarket for their veg.

Sorry i find the tesco's food better than Asda and Morrisions (bring back Saveways) but the store bread out of Morrisions is better (rolls/tiger bread etc)

shop online so never have to mix with the masses it's the way forward!!!!

Seems a shame that Tesco are moving into Peebles, it always seemed one of the few places to have a diverse local high steet with very few 'chain stores'. Maybe the locals feel differently.

Hope it doesn't kill off the local shops.

Organic veg box delivered from a local supplier and meat from the butcher in the village. The veg is miles better, seasonal and a nice surprise when it turns up as we don't know what we're going to get. Meat is much better quality but a bit more expensive. The butcher slaughters his own cattle and pork/lamb is from other local farms. His sausages are crap though.

We supplement veg, as and when required, with the local grocers.

This means a trip to Sainsbury's (nearest supermarket) for dry groceries is only needed once every six weeks.

Funny how tastes differ.

It's a shop, get over yourselves FFS

peter, there really is a hell of a lot more to the tesco "story" than this mate...

when it turns up as we don't know what we're going to get.

That doesnt sound good to me. I like to know what I'm going to cook.

he butcher slaughters his own cattle and pork/lamb is from other local farms.

Surely he has to take it to an abbatoire like everyone else, there's laws about it arent there?!

I have just been to tesco and got some chicken for my dinner, it was rubbish all fatty, watery, skin was all soggy. and it is expensive compared to Asda and Sainsburys...

terrahawk - Member
there's a substantial investment planned for the centre of Prestwich that involves some really good improvements to the facilities and a much-needed dose of TLC for the town centre in general.

It's been postponed however due to objections from guess who?
They've got their own plans to extend the already huge store in prestwich and they feel that these improvements (that will no doubt improve the lives of all who live here) will impede their business.

****ing cocks.

the trouble is, in the long term they'll most likely win because as was proved with the chorlton saga, MCC are useless and (as my planning mate told me recently) tesco have a somewhat powerful legal team these days...

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I like them.
Well not so much like, but dislike no less than any other option for food shopping.

That doesn't sound good to me. I like to know what I'm going to cook.

We get all sorts of veg that we wouldn't have otherwise bought. Also means our diet is much more varied as we cook meals to use the variety of veg. We've been doing this for about a year now and it's really good. Plus the kids are fascinated by some of the veg we get and can't wait to try it.

Surely he has to take it to an abbatoire like everyone else, there's laws about it arent there?!

Yep. It's his.

Think Drac hit the nail on the head. "Because it's cool"

I dislike them because I can go round the whole shop and find scarcely anything I actually want to eat. Over packaged, chemical laden, tasteless, carbon intensive, expensive... I could stand on this soapbox for ages. Fortunately I don't have to.

We eat organic with 90% bulk purchase of dry goods from Infinity foods wholesaler, Riverford for all our vegetables and fruit (or otherwise grown at home). Saves a load of dosh too. Not a lot left for Tesco (or any other supermarket) after that. Good thing I say.

Hope it doesn't kill off the local shops.

People choosing to shop there will kill off the local shops.

man o man o man.....

i'd die for a tescos here. no sod it, even an asda would do.

i think zimbawean supermarkets have more to offer than those here. the selection on the shelves is crap. do you want cheap (like cardboard)or a bit more expensive?
how much mould do you want on your peppers/brocolli? how soft/black do you want your banannas?
which queue do you want to stand in? the long one with approx. 15 people waiting (patiently)? yes, considering it is the only till open out of a maximum of four.
want a basket? no you can't have one. only trollies where you have to fiddle and put a euro in and then fight your way through narrow aisles full of stock/pallets that has been left by the caring, considerate staff.
do you want to go shopping after 8pm? tough luck. been away on the weekend? need to pick something up on your way home on a sunday? tough luck. and it is not as though you can pre-buy on the friday because most of it will be old and manky by then.

number of times you pick up a bit of fruit or veg and your finger goes straight through it, yuck!

even the 'posh' supermarkets pale in comparison to your local asda/sainbury's/tesco.

all the staff are unhelpful. the most you'll get is 'Hallo'. no small talk about the weather, what is in your basket etc etc.(joke if you will but it is the small things in life that have the most value)
shopping in germany really is a depressing experience.

lots of small [s]supermarkets[/s] dwellings selling goods. when i was in munich i had the choice of three Tenglemann's with 400m - and this was not in the centre, out in the suburbs. each was crap. why not bulk them together reducing costs, deliveries, storage etc etc.

we try and shop at Aldi whenever possible because the quality is 'just' that little bit better....

read an article from the telegraph online about asda and my eyes were welling up with tears representing the near lost memory of customer service, fresh produce and value for money.

and 24 hour tescos are the best thing since suspension forks when you are stoned and in need of refreshments...

[i]shopping in germany really is a depressing experience[/i]

Hey - people drive to Germany from Holland to shop !! 🙂

the thing about planning as well that Tesco abuse (and presumably others) the system as they can grind a council down with applications appeals, hearings appeals resubmissions etc.
Once approved (even if at the 50th attempt) there is no right to appeal to acceptance unlike a refusal.
Those with financial clout use this to their advantage and negotiate favoural terms to save councils (all of us that pay tax) money.

that is REALLY depressing! you have my sympathy.

*Around our way, not indictive of all Tesco's*

1 - Full of stinky fat people wearing stained tracksuit bottoms.

2 - Full of chavs buying cheap beer

3 - Crap own brand food

4 - Just a crap shopping experience on the whole

Our local ASDA is not much better but has a good fish counter and deli...

But you cannot beat Sainsburys, lots more eye candy, own brand stuff is much better, has lots more 'buy one get one free offers' and contrary to popular belief is not more expensive that ASDA or Tesco if you look properly, also has loads more 'world wide beers' and they continually change them.

I don't really hate Tesco. I hate shopping. So I hate Tesco by default because that is where I shop.

The point made by Mt Terrahawk who lives just up the road from me makes my piss boil though. Basically Tesco have tried to stop regeneration of the town centre because Bury Council won't let them knock down their massive supermarket and move it 75m closer to the main road.

Here is an extract from the blog of the local LibDem councillor (and soon to be Bury North MP once that thieving bastard Chaytor gets sent down for claiming for a mortgage that he'd already paid off)

[i][b]We also heard some disappointing news about the Prestwich regeneration plans. Whilst response to the consultation was significant (over 450 responses) and positive (over 70% in favour generally), there will be a delay of a couple of months now before the strategy can be formally adopted. This is because Tesco have raised some formal objections and, whilst we’re confident that we will be able to proceed, we need to make absolutely sure that everything is watertight. The strategy doesn’t give Tesco what they want, which is a mammoth store fronting onto the main road. We like Tesco in Prestwich, but the general view is that it’s quite big enough, and anything bigger might impact on the town centre. Tesco disagree, so we need to find a way out of this and proceed as soon as possible turning Prestwich back into what it needs to be – a thriving urban village making the most of all its strengths. Hopefully it won’t take long.[/b][/i]

If Tesco manage to block the regeneration of the entire town centre then I will hate them properly.

But you cannot beat Sainsburys, lots more eye candy, own brand stuff is much better, has lots more 'buy one get one free offers' and contrary to popular belief is not more expensive that ASDA or Tesco if you look properly,

It is, it's only cheap if you buy larger quantities. My local asda wasn't open when I could do my weekly shop amonth or two ago, so I went to sainsburys instead. My "usual items" veg, fruit, bottle of cheap red wine came to 50% more than usual, literally. I was so amazed I even showed my other half the receipts in an old-man fashion. The problem is their offers are often buy one get one free, which is all well and good if you can use/store them, but as someone living on their own it's hard to do so and not waste stuff.

I shop at Waitrose!

Better class of MILF

*Around our way, not indictive of all Tesco's*

1 - Full of stinky fat people wearing stained tracksuit bottoms.

2 - Full of chavs buying cheap beer

3 - Crap own brand food

4 - Just a crap shopping experience on the whole

The massive Tesco closest to me is surprisingly ok when it comes to the people that shop there, despite being next to one of the worst housing estates in Glasgow.

Asda on the other hand, is grim. There seems to a constant throng of disfigured trogladytes standing outside the front doors. The aisles are clogged with shellsuit wearing families screeching and wailing at each other.

The problem with Tesco is the temptation to overspend. Not so much on food, more on the non food section that you "just have a quick look" at and end up coming away with a combined foot spa/ toastie maker that you really don't need and costs more than all the food contents of your trolley.

Whatever you are buying in Tesco, don't buy anything organic or FairTrade there. If Fairtrade and organic exist today, it's because those supermarkets. It is soo ironic.

I remember seeing a TV programme a few years back about farmers in Africa growing peas. They were meeting the rep from Tesco and the entire village turned out to greet him, with the small children at the front saying "Thank you Tesco". These people were being paid 3p an hour!

Yes I know other supermarkets do it too, but when the only thing on offer is rubbish food, sourced at rock bottom prices, with cheap goods like £6 jeans to drag you in the door so they can fleece you on other stuff, no thanks.

1 - Full of stinky fat people wearing stained tracksuit bottoms.

2 - Full of chavs buying cheap beer

3 - Crap own brand food

4 - Just a crap shopping experience on the whole

As far as I am concerned, this pretty well describes ASDA

I know of people who have worked within a certain company who have actually left their profession due to working at a 'certain company'. Enough to be worrying.

Where I'm living at present, I only have a Sainsbury's. Unless I want to drive 15 miles to the next town then I can get locally produced veg or 10 miles in the opposite direction to an abitior for meat. We would rather buy locally produced food stuff but sometimes that isn't possible. We now make our own breads, grow some veg and herbs and cure our own meats.

These people were being paid 3p an hour!

And if Tesco weren't there, they'd be getting paid 0p an hour!

The Tesco built in my home town completely revitalised the place. In the 80s the council pedestrianised the two streets and started charging for parking, no decent supermarket meant people went to the next town to shop. Tesco built a food only supermarket on the old cattle market site (long disused) right in the town centre, the parking is free so people now visit Tescos and the Butchers/Bakery/Market on the high street at the same time. Despite being 'competition' it's actually increased business for these shops.

I like Tesco 'coz you don't need a quid for the trolleys 🙂

BoardinBob - Member

These people were being paid 3p an hour!

And if Tesco weren't there, they'd be getting paid 0p an hour!

They would be claiming £500 a week in benefits

And if Tesco weren't there, they'd be getting paid 0p an hour!

Tesco are taking advantage of a bad situation, not alleviating it.

I agree, but if the stuff was made here, the retail cost would be a lot higher than it is just now!

Are British fruit and vegetables more expensive than imported ones then?

"Tesco are taking advantage of a bad situation, not alleviating it."

don't blame tesco neccessarily. blame the capitalist system and shareholder law. capitalism (in the UK) essentially = exploitation to maximise profits. shareholder law requires PLCs to maximise shareholder return. therefore PLCs have to make decisions that maximise their profits.
tesco [i]could[/i] get everything 'fair trade' (as in they could substitute all the products they sell which aren't with fairtrade, if there were those products available fair trade), but that would result in higher prices for consumers. not everyone who shops in tesco is middle classed.

tesco aren't great, but imo they aren't much worse than others. fortunately i live closer to aldi and morrisons than tesco, so for bit shops i use them. but day to day i use tesco, cos its on my way into town (well, its in the center)

[i]1 - Full of stinky fat people wearing stained tracksuit bottoms.[/i]

Obligatory Repo Man quote:

"Ordinary fvcking people. I hate 'em"

I can't speak for Tesco as the nearest store is over an hour away but to cooment on the local butchers vs supermarkets argument, We've switched to buying all of our meet where possible from the butchers now ans the quality is supremely better than Morrisons. Prices seem slightly better at the butchers too although we've not done a like for like comparison.

Same goes for the greengrocers although we do love the bread from Morrisons. Still searching for a local baker who can match them.

tesco could get everything 'fair trade' (as in they could substitute all the products they sell which aren't with fairtrade, if there were those products available fair trade), but that would result in higher prices for consumers. not everyone who shops in tesco is middle classed.

I would be interested to know what the average "middle class" and "working class" family's food bill is per week. I bet there's a lot less difference than you think.

We now make our own breads, grow some veg and herbs and cure our own meats.

You don't live off chocolate then? 😉

i'm not sure why people hate tesco, but i know why i shop there.

it's open.

i live on a small shopping-high-street, with 'local' shops like butchers and greengrocers, i'd love to shop there, but as far as i can tell, they're never open. but they do have little 'save our high street' flyers in the window.

i go to work at 7.30, i get home at 5.30. the local shops aren't open, but tesco is. so that's where i shop.

it's not a complicated business model, is it? - matching opening hours to suit your customers.

*skips to end*

I like Tesco as they have the easiest to use website and deliveries are always on time with few substitutions. If i had to go instore then i would probably go to Sainsburys as my local Tesco is hooooge and i would get tired just walking around it 😉

because the veg from my farm shop or F&V shop(even imported veg) lasts roughly 4 times longer in the fridge and with my lifestyle this saves me spending half my time scraping unused bags of soggy spinach and yellow broccoli out of my fridge, because they sell NO locally derived produce. because they pervert the notion of choice, because of loss leaders, because of what it has done to the experience of shopping, because of their business strategies around suppliers, land procurement and dealing with local councils and communities, because it is full of miserable fat people and MOST OF ALL because I am forced to use them by their effect on smaller traders

there's probably more

did i mention the fat miserable people

oh i did

my tele went "pop" and stopped working the other day so we went 200 yards down the road to tesco and got their "smart price" or whatever tele, 32" widescreen, only 280 quid and its magic!!!

At last I'm cool, as have dis-liked Tesco for many years.

In a Village near us ( Poynton) the locals got together and had a huge protest meeting and have succesfully kept Tesco at bay.
If they came to our village I would fight.
I prefer 'Booths', who use the local farmers and our local 'co-op' isn't too bad, their packaging has improved, less or even no cardboard around alot of stuff. This year we bought the childrens Easter eggs wrapped just in the foil.
I just shop in all the local butcher, baker and greengrocers as much as possible.

I just hate being asked if i have a clubcard all the time,, why so you can monitor what i am buying and then send me vouchers for items that i never buy & would never want to buy. Then you can also send me marketing junk for loans that i don't need, home insurance that is crap, credit cards which are expensive, mobile phones (don't go there), internet etc etc.
The list just goes on and on and on and thats my problem with Tescos, fingers in too many pies gives them too much power over the economy and is bad for the small business.

Viva La Reveloution 😯

I hate the fact that I don't want to shop there but do, for much the same reasons as ahwiles.

Plus they keep trying to I.D. all 26 bearded years of me when i try to buy a bottle of Deuchars. Its 4% and sedative ffs, how many bus stop fights am i going to start on one bottle of Deuchars??

Lidl is the way forward!

It's open when you need it.

They don't let long queues form.

They haven't fined my wife for parking while spending too long in the shop (Morrisons, and we've never been back).

Their cheap stuff is just that, but their good stuff is ok.