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Day: 19 September 2014

Supermarket Sweep

People hold the supermarket they shop in as close to their heart as their favorite band. A reasoned discussion about the pros and cons of different supermarkets is impossible and will undoubtedly turn into an exchange of vicious personal insults.

We decided to save you the hassle and compare three commonly visited supermarkets by students: Sainsbury’s in Fallowfield, Lidl on Oxford Road and Worldwide Foods on the Curry Mile.

 

Price

Winner: Lidl

You often find yourself spending more money than in any other supermarket when you go to Lidl because you have to buy everything as it’s so cheap. You can pick up a bottle of wine that doesn’t clean coffee stains from mugs for as little as £4 and they have a just as tasty rip off of every branded product you can think of. Worldwide might just inch it for price of fruit and veg, but you make up for it on branded stuff. Sainsbury’s is cheap if you shop solely in the reduced to clear racks.

 

Service

Winner: Sainsbury’s

The staff at Sainsbury’s make you feel so good that it should be recommended as a budget alternative to therapy. If you think that’s an exaggeration, it is a bit, but in Lidl you get shouted at if you take your basket past the till point so when someone asks if you need help packing it feels like you’ve got a personal shopper.

 

Range of Products

Winner: Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s is by far the biggest and nowhere else can you pick up some eggs, a toaster, your prescription and your friend’s birthday card in a single trip. That said the fruit and veg section of Worldwide has the funkiest looking and sounding edible things that you’ve never tasted, such as Dudhi: a slender butternut squash shaped green vegetable which is great in curries. Lidl has the most expansive changing weekly offers on everything from kilts to musical instruments.

 

Quality

Winner: Lidl

Lidl edges into first place in this despite the fact that if you stop by in the evening it usually looks like an episode of Supermarket Sweep has just taken place. Most of the time the rip off brands taste better than the real thing and the fruit and veg doesn’t look like it has just come off a factory’s production line. Worldwide’s stuff probably tastes the best, yet you’ve got to delegate around the occasional rotting piece of fruit.

 

Conclusion

It’s a tie between Lidl and Sainsbury’s. If you want good quality at an affordable price it’s Lidl, but be prepared for a less than welcoming experience and a limited choice of your favourite products. If you need something desperately or you’re just in need of a pick-me-up then Sainsbury’s is the place to be. Worldwide is great if you’re feeling adventurous, but probably not for your weekly shop.