[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.