The ASDA event horizon

SimonAH

In the town where I live there is an ASDA and a Sainsbury's within a thousand yards of each other - and I swear to DuraAce that there is an ugliness event horizon wrapped around ASDA.

If you start walking from ASDA to Sainsbury's you begin with the grossly obese using electric carts instead of walking, the screaming mothers with their sticky uncaring and multiple parented children, the unemployed tottering under the weight of stacks of lager and lambrini and people with innapropriate clothing and facial hair and growths (women that is).

Approximately midway between the two stores the people revert to average for this town.

As you cross the threshold into Sainsbury's the dress, politeness and grooming are definitely above the town average.

As if to exemplify this I had to take a photo of this yesterday. ASDA now sells cheese for people too bloody stupid to cut up cheese. No wonder they flock to the shop.



Does this make me a snob?

jonginge

I shop at waitrose*

The Frost Report on class


* It really is the closest

gtvlusso

Is this the Asda near Malpas? Mates wife works there.....He gets a good discount....

Agreed though - you want to see the "Wal-Mart" in Bristol - Jeez! I drew the line at "Breakfast Pizza".

Good for baby equipment though!

HebdenBiker

SimonAH wrote:

Does this make me a snob?

Well, you look at people in the street and instantly tack onto them a list of attributes based on inaccurate class-based stereotyping.

I don't know if this makes you a snob, but it makes you a bit pitiable.

SimonAH

HebdenBiker wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Does this make me a snob?

Well, you look at people in the street and instantly tack onto them a list of attributes based on inaccurate class-based stereotyping.

I don't know if this makes you a snob, but it makes you a bit pitiable.

This I would accept had I attributed class to any of the people.- and in fact the only two attributes that were not purely an observation were 'unemployed' and 'multiparented' however I suspect that the likelihood of both is high enough to make them relatively safe statements.

I'm afraid that you made the class connection not I. I am merely drawing attention to a link between the attractiveness of the clientele drawn in by a shop that devotes more aisle feet to frozen pizza than fresh vegetables, more to ready meals than anything that could be termed 'an ingredient' and markets the prepackaged crisp sandwich.

Also I shop there for basics as it is more convenient to access than Sainsbury's.

secretsam

HebdenBiker wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Does this make me a snob?

Well, you look at people in the street and instantly tack onto them a list of attributes based on inaccurate class-based stereotyping.

I don't know if this makes you a snob, but it makes you a bit pitiable.

Actually, as someone whose job involves demographic and socio-economic profiles, it sounds spot on:
-There is a higher level of obesity among lower-income groups - FACT
-Ditto teenage pregnancy
-Ditto unemployment (well, durrh)
-Ditto benefits uptake and long-term sickness/invalidity
-Ditto smoking

The above are sometimes inextricably linked, eg low income -> low self-esteem -> higher rates of over-eating, coupled with poorer educational attainment and uptake leads to more clinically-obese.

So put come down off your self-riteous soap box and join the rest of us in the real world.

Merry Christmas :twisted:

PS: I'm as socialist and pro-equality as the next man (for those who know it, I was born in Easton in Bristol - not exactly a privileged area)

PPS: Asda is ace for kids/baby clothes, if you can cast aside any thoughts involving the words "sweat" and "shop" in close proximity...

Zachariah

Our local ASDA is quite nice, it definitely has more aisles for fruit and veg than frozen convenience food. Cheaper than Sainsbury's for identical brand goods as well. I suspect they probably tailor their product range subtly for the location of the store.

suzyb

I was going to disagree until I thought about the street and those you see carrying Sainsbury's bags of shopping and those you see carrying Asda/Tesco bags in.

And pre-cut cheese is a very handy thing for those who cannot cut their own (i.e. those working in an office that doesn't have a decent knife and older people). And not at all reserved for stupid people.

greg66_tri_v2.0

suzyb wrote:

I was going to disagree until I thought about the street and those you see carrying Sainsbury's bags of shopping and those you see carrying Asda/Tesco bags in.

And pre-cut cheese is a very handy thing for those who cannot cut their own (i.e. those working in an office that doesn't have a decent knife and older people). And not at all reserved for stupid people.

Except the Asda ones are labelled "Perfect for parties. Just add cocktail sticks".

Doubt they're sold year round to needy pensioners and H&S conscious office workers.

asprilla

JonGinge wrote:

I shop at waitrose*

The Frost Report on class


* It really is the closest

Best thing about Sainsbury's is that it keeps the riff-raff out of Waitrose.

I shop at Waitrose because being in Sainsbury's makes me want to hurt kittens, and no-one wants that.

Pity Sainsbury's bread is so much better than Waitrose.

suzyb

Greg66 wrote:

suzyb wrote:

I was going to disagree until I thought about the street and those you see carrying Sainsbury's bags of shopping and those you see carrying Asda/Tesco bags in.

And pre-cut cheese is a very handy thing for those who cannot cut their own (i.e. those working in an office that doesn't have a decent knife and older people). And not at all reserved for stupid people.

Except the Asda ones are labelled "Perfect for parties. Just add cocktail sticks".

Doubt they're sold year round to needy pensioners and H&S conscious office workers.

The ones in the first post. But you get pre-sliced cheese all year round.

jonginge

Asprilla wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

I shop at waitrose*

The Frost Report on class


* It really is the closest

Best thing about Sainsbury's is that it keeps the riff-raff out of Waitrose.

I shop at Waitrose because being in Sainsbury's makes me want to hurt kittens, and no-one wants that.

Pity Sainsbury's bread is so much better than Waitrose.

That's a quote from someone... *googles... finds this thread, googles some more.* Alan Coren.

Jay dubbleU

I went to Waitrose at the weekend, Sainsburys at lunchtime and Asda this evening - what does that make me ?

jonginge

Jay dubbleU wrote:

I went to Waitrose at the weekend, Sainsburys at lunchtime and Asda this evening - what does that make me ?

Poorer as the month has gone on?

...or in different bits of swinetown at various times.

Tonymufc

Anyone ever been to Asda, Eastlands, Manchester. Its our local one and to the best of my knowledge its the biggest in Europe. If you can't find what you're looking for in there then it probably doesn't exist. Food choice is second to none.

jonny_trousers

Converesly, anyone ever been to the big Sainsos at the bottom of Sydenham? Trolleys piled high with Cheesy Whatsits, turkey twizzlers and crack cocaine.

fnegroni

I share the roads with people who's IQ is in the single digits.
I use the toilets used by hundred's of people, picking up their germs.
And you think where I do my shopping is actually important?

Tonymufc

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Converesly, anyone ever been to the big Sainsos at the bottom of Sydenham? Trolleys piled high with Cheesy Whatsits, turkey twizzlers and crack cocaine.

jonny_trousers

I'm not kidding Tony (apart from the crack bit) scumbags the lot of 'em!

That said, I do love Lidl down the road.

Agent57

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

That said, I do love Lidl down the road.

Conversation between my wife and I yesterday:

Wife: I want some of those German Christmas biscuits, Lidl sell them
Me: I'm sure ASDA do as well
Wife: They don't, I've looked. But Lidl definitely do
Me: I'm not going to Lidl!

True story.

deptfordmarmoset

There's a big ASDA in Charlton. I've vetoed it for a year now. It's not because of the very fat and pasty purchasers of trolley-sized crisp packets (and these fatties really haunt the store), it's not because the staff don't know what they're dong (I flummoxed a cashier by buying a grapefruit. The poor girl spent ages mouthing the words ''big lemon'' and vainly looking for them on the price list ).

The real reason I have vetoed the store for a year is that, not only are their bike-locking facilities pitiable (3 or 4 wheel-benders signed by a motorbike and hidden out of view) but because I was threatened with arrest for refusing to erase a photograph I'd taken of them.

As a slim, fruit-eating cyclist with a hatred of petty officiousness, I decided they didn't really want my custom.

Fireblade96

JonGinge wrote:

I shop at waitrose

Me too. Except on Thursday afternoon which appears to be pension day in Caversham.

Zachariah

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

The real reason I have vetoed the store for a year is that, not only are their bike-locking facilities pitiable (3 or 4 wheel-benders signed by a motorbike and hidden out of view) but because I was threatened with arrest for refusing to erase a photograph I'd taken of them.

How come this stuff never happens to me? I'm SO up for confrontations like this. I should take more pictures. Seriously, some kind of guard 'threatened' you with arrest? For what? Next time, demand they call the police if they think you've committed an arrestable offence. Dare them to try and touch you or your camera if you leave (the guard, not the police, who will not be called).

deptfordmarmoset

Zachariah wrote:

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

The real reason I have vetoed the store for a year is that, not only are their bike-locking facilities pitiable (3 or 4 wheel-benders signed by a motorbike and hidden out of view) but because I was threatened with arrest for refusing to erase a photograph I'd taken of them.

How come this stuff never happens to me? I'm SO up for confrontations like this. I should take more pictures. Seriously, some kind of guard 'threatened' you with arrest? For what? Next time, demand they call the police if they think you've committed an arrestable offence. Dare them to try and touch you or your camera if you leave (the guard, not the police, who will not be called).

I wasn't even in a confrontational mood - the security guard was having a crafty fag in the smoking shed alongside (better than the bike facilities). Because he might have been identifiable from the photo I erased that one but refused to erase the one below. At this point he took his phone out and pretended to phone the police. I thought about waiting to see whether he could get done for wasting police time and for wrongful arrest but, not having the patience, I asked him whether he had any intention of using physical force to restrain me. When he answered no I decided that, as I had kept a photo and had erased any photo in which he figured, I might as well exercise my rights as a free man and simply cycled off.

You'll note that they aren't really up to scratch with their signage - the trolley park has no trolleys, the bike sign is a motor bike, and the handicapped parking has a ''strictly no parking'' sign attached. Doesn't seem to have stopped the red ''emergency'' Audi from parking there, though.

rjsterry

Agent57 wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

That said, I do love Lidl down the road.

Conversation between my wife and I yesterday:

Wife: I want some of those German Christmas biscuits, Lidl sell them
Me: I'm sure ASDA do as well
Wife: They don't, I've looked. But Lidl definitely do
Me: I'm not going to Lidl!

True story.

Nürnburger Lebküchen. I could live on them, but also have 'issues with Lidl'. Must find an alternative supplier.

cjcp

The German biscuits are very moorish. No issues with Lidl, but Asda...

Jay dubbleU

JonGinge wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

I went to Waitrose at the weekend, Sainsburys at lunchtime and Asda this evening - what does that make me ?

Poorer as the month has gone on?

...or in different bits of swinetown at various times.

Ask a silly question........................

iPete

Forget the knuckle dragger's. As one of the 'cheaper' supermarkets you can be sure that ASDA will source very little from sustainable sources and simply source whatever it can from wherever it can for the cheapest price*. [/hippy]


*I want some cheese squares...

Jay dubbleU

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

There's a big ASDA in Charlton. I've vetoed it for a year now. It's not because of the very fat and pasty purchasers of trolley-sized crisp packets (and these fatties really haunt the store), it's not because the staff don't know what they're dong (I flummoxed a cashier by buying a grapefruit. The poor girl spent ages mouthing the words ''big lemon'' and vainly looking for them on the price list ).

The real reason I have vetoed the store for a year is that, not only are their bike-locking facilities pitiable (3 or 4 wheel-benders signed by a motorbike and hidden out of view) but because I was threatened with arrest for refusing to erase a photograph I'd taken of them.

As a slim, fruit-eating cyclist with a hatred of petty officiousness, I decided they didn't really want my custom.

If you want to completely baffle them try buying a yam :twisted:

Dan_K

I think there's a definite difference with customer type across different supermarket chains, dictated by income.
The simple fact is that some can't afford to shop elsewhere and ASDA is the cheapest around.
I can buy the same generic goods across the stores with little difference in quality and pay £100 a week in ASDA, £110 in Tesco or £120 in Sansbury's.
Why spend an extra £80-£100 a month just to shop in Sainsbury's when I can choose a quiet hour and shop in ASDA?
I'm not hard up so could afford to shop in any supermarket. It's just common sense. Why waste money?!

I agree with the OP though that at times it can be hell on earth and it won't be long until Jeremy Kyle opens a concession.....

If you're ever feeling depressed and suffer from low self esteem, visit ASDA on a Saturday afternoon, you'll immediately feel better about the person you are.

rolf_f

I've not been in a supermarket in two years (though I don't count Co-ops which are small enough not to be abominations and Lidl/Aldi as I use those for my commuter clobber fix). I have never missed the experience; shopping takes far less time without them.