isn't it down to the individual to decide, if I go to Harrods I know I will pay a premium, likewise if I go to Waitrose, I expect to pay more than if I go to Morrisons, and if I go to Morrisons I expect to pay more than Liddle?

I don't think it's down to the supplier to reimburse me for decisions, it's down to me to take personal responsibility for my decisions.

But then, personal responsibility isn't popular in the "everybody owes me something" culture that was created in the last 20+ years.

Vote with your feet.

I've done the majority of my shopping at Lidl for the past 5 years now and and I can do a basic weekly shop for about £25 as opposed to £40 previously at Morrisons/ASDA. Once you get accustomed to the different names on their products it becomes second nature.

The big four rely on dumb shoppers who think big brands are everything. The sort who say "they've got to be Heinz baked beans or it's got to be John West tuna". You may not believe this but all those beans grow in the same soil and all that tuna is caught in the same seas whether it's John West, Princess, Morrisons own or imported stuff at Lidl. The sooner people wise up to this the sooner they will see their weekly shopping bills decrease.

I used to work with someone who wouldn't touch own brand products or go anywhere near Lidl or Aldi. A prime example of her was having to buy Old El Passo fajita kits. They cost over £3 but you can get own brand or similar kits at Lidl for half that. I mean, how specialist a product is a flour tortilla that you have to pay double for it?!

Supermarkets own brand is just big brand products in different packaging. Supermarkets don't manufacture anything, they just sell it. Can you imagine if supermarkets did manufacture all their own branded products? Every square inch of the UK would be covered in toothpaste factories, wine bottling plants, food processing plants, bakeries, aerosol manufacturers etc etc etc.

To be fair our local ALDI'S has one or two nice pieces working there but ASDA and Morrisons has superior customer eye candy if that's whats important.
I'm not that fussed about the prices.

Are you responding to a completely different thread?

If not there's a haystack somewhere that would like its straw men back

no, I am responding to the claim that Tesco et al are at fault, they do not FORCE anyone to shop there.

Where would that be then?

implicit criticism, I know the feeling you and others have expressed at anything remotely successful cod'ead.

I like Morrisons compared with the other big 4 but I think their chief executive hasn't got a clue. It will be interesting to see whether a full scale price war ensues. If it does it will cost them all dearly and cost a lot of jobs. Apparently, in 2003 in response to Aldi & Lidl a major Dutch supermarket tried to take them one. Food prices fell by 8%, the supermarket industry lost £700 million of profits in one year and 33,000 jobs were lost. Givewn our population is about 4 times theirs we could see mayhem if the big boys go into a price war. Can't see Aldi and Lidl losing out though as they have more efficient business models. Can see Morrisons going bust though.

Morrisons was advertising 20 Carlsberg for £11 on TV last night. Tried to order some this morning and they claim to be"out of stock". Omnishambles.

You're slipping even further off your trolley.

You appear to be suffering from the internet forum version of hearing voices

I'd call that a lucky escape

ain't me that drinks the shoite though

Some supermarket offers are absolutely ridiculous at times.

My local Morrisons often promotes some things at £2 each or "2 for £3". I bought some stuff that was on short-date reduction and because of the offer, when they scanned, they came out at £0.00p

Hey until a recent software update you could have ended up with ASDA giving you money

Thoughts on Sainsbury's bringing Netto back to the UK market?

Smacks of desperation to me, the big four can compete of the and choice, it is partly their fault this is all about price though.
Netto failed here for a reason, they will fail again. How long before ASDA bring back Farm Stores?

First thought is Asda must have messed up by not keeping them out. But I guess takeover laws may have prevented them from keeping them out after a certain time.

It seems like an admission of failure that Sainsbury's can't do this by themselves. But I guess Netto is an established name in discount shopping and the risks can be shared with them. There's also a separation between Sainsbury's and the new Netto's so that Sainsbury's aren't damaging their brand by going down-market.

Aldi and Lidl maybe small here by comparison but they are huge global brands - they have a simple low cost formula that is easily scalable and has been demonstrated to work in multiple markets - take them on at your peril.

Asda bought Netto for £778m.

They failed, or they were just taken over?

I hope it works out: the return of Netto's familiar carrier bags means I'd be able to use my "What's black and yellow and hangs from a count" joke again

If Netto was so successful why didn't ASDA keep the name (note Sainburys are using the name so ASDA didn't buy it) and keep the style of operation?

They bought cart loads of ready to go stores, many in places they didn't operate or had a small market share. They converted those stores as quickly as they could to the ASDA brand. Netto was seen as the poor relation to Aldi and Lidl even then.

Quote ="Big Graeme"If Netto was so successful why didn't ASDA keep the name (note Sainburys are using the name so ASDA didn't buy it) and keep the style of operation? They bought cart loads of ready to go stores, many in places they didn't operate or had a small market share. They converted those stores as quickly as they could to the ASDA brand. Netto was seen as the poor relation to Aldi and Lidl even then.'" I don't know whether Netto were a success or a failure. If they spent 1bn on building up their UK operations they were a massive failure, if they however spent 500m then they were a pretty good success. Without knowing how much they invested it is ridiculous to conclude whether they were a success or a failure. The end of Netto in the UK was mainly an expansion strategy by Asda. Sainsbury's clearly don't agree with your characterization of Netto as a failed brand or concept. The Grocer magazine's take on the joint venture. www.thegrocer.co.uk/channels/sup ... 10.article

Quote ="Big Graeme"If Netto was so successful why didn't ASDA keep the name (note Sainburys are using the name so ASDA didn't buy it) and keep the style of operation? They bought cart loads of ready to go stores, many in places they didn't operate or had a small market share. They converted those stores as quickly as they could to the ASDA brand. Netto was seen as the poor relation to Aldi and Lidl even then.'" I don't know whether Netto were a success or a failure. If they spent 1bn on building up their UK operations they were a massive failure, if they however spent 500m then they were a pretty good success. Without knowing how much they invested it is ridiculous to conclude whether they were a success or a failure. The end of Netto in the UK was mainly an expansion strategy by Asda. Sainsbury's clearly don't agree with your characterization of Netto as a failed brand or concept. The Grocer magazine's take on the joint venture. www.thegrocer.co.uk/channels/sup ... 10.article

Quote ="Lord God Jose Mourinho"I don't know whether Netto were a success or a failure. If they spent 1bn on building up their UK operations they were a massive failure, if they however spent 500m then they were a pretty good success. Without knowing how much they invested it is ridiculous to conclude whether they were a success or a failure. The end of Netto in the UK was mainly an expansion strategy by Asda. Sainsbury's clearly don't agree with your characterization of Netto as a failed brand or concept. The Grocer magazine's take on the joint venture. www.thegrocer.co.uk/channels/sup ... 10.article'" The question was about the brand, not the property portfolio, as ASDA didn't but either the whole brand or the rights to trade on the Netto name they must have thought the brand wasn't up to much. The concept has proved to be right by Aldi and Lidl, Netto were maybe a few years early and gave up too soon.

Quote ="Lord God Jose Mourinho"I don't know whether Netto were a success or a failure. If they spent 1bn on building up their UK operations they were a massive failure, if they however spent 500m then they were a pretty good success. Without knowing how much they invested it is ridiculous to conclude whether they were a success or a failure. The end of Netto in the UK was mainly an expansion strategy by Asda. Sainsbury's clearly don't agree with your characterization of Netto as a failed brand or concept. The Grocer magazine's take on the joint venture. www.thegrocer.co.uk/channels/sup ... 10.article'" The question was about the brand, not the property portfolio, as ASDA didn't but either the whole brand or the rights to trade on the Netto name they must have thought the brand wasn't up to much. The concept has proved to be right by Aldi and Lidl, Netto were maybe a few years early and gave up too soon.

Aldi in particular focused on quality rather than absolute rock bottom pricing in their publicity whereas Netto were always about cheap, cheap, cheap, but not always good-cheap, pre-recession there was always a line in the sand beyond which was "dirt poor" and shopping in Netto was almost a badge of shame - Aldi and Lidl played it a bit cleverer, hit Netto where it hurt and are now doing the same to all the others, their PR companies should be on a profit share.

100% of the supermarket jokes and mickey takes when I was at school were Netto based.