Tesco's gonna get ya

[taras]

(from comments on a YouTube video)

I know someone who is a manager at Tesco HQ in hertfordshire. He's told me that tesco plan to wipe out ALL companies in britain by 2025.

They're already giving services for free such as eyetests (to put opticians out of business) And they can afford to do this; they have more money and power than government.

visit: www.boycottesco.com for more info - research the UFID chips - this is what tesco are investing in. A slave population with "tesco villages" everywhere.

:shock:

 

[Mythopoeika]

All companies, eh?
What, including all those specialist companies selling stuff Tesco won't stock?

I remember having a conversation with an art shop proprietor a few years ago. He was closing the shop down after 50 years in the business.
I asked if he was retiring - he said no, he was closing because he'd heard that Tesco was going to get into the business of art supplies.
At the time I thought this was silly, as in each Tesco store there is limited space for such goods, and they don't sell the same high quality goods as the specialist stores.

I think the only type of stores that face real trouble from Tesco are other supermarkets.

 

[Yithian]

Tesco Value Porn.
The Mk II TESCO Surface-to-Air Missile System.
Flyesco: the budget airline.
Tes-kill-co: pest control solutions - I can't see it...

 

[Cultjunky]

MacTescos anyone?

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

It may not be a million miles from the truth.....

The rather-big-already Tescos in Lewes has an ongoing battle over a planning application to expand by 50% floor space - to sell products "not normally stocked by a supermarket".

 

[_Lizard23_]

I hope they start selling pills and pot : I just got a Clubcard.

 

[OneWingedBird]

Presumably they're in Aisle E! :lol:

Tesco seems like an odd choice for this conspiracy. Morrisons seem more like the ones taking over in Leeds, that or maybe Walmart since they now own Asda and Nettos, and probably a bunch of other stuff.

 

[Quake42]

Whilst the idea of Tesco buying out all other private business in the UK is clearly absurd, they are far too powerful even by supermarket standards. I would like to see competition authorities making it more difficult for Tesco and some of the others to move into the provision of non-grocery products and services.

 

[Mythopoeika]

The really big problem with supermarkets taking over a business niche once occupied by specialists is that there will be considerably less choice available to buyers.
Once that happens, Tescos will determine what we buy, not the other way round.

This is already evident in certain foodstuffs - it is now no longer possible to buy some tasty items that were once abundantly available. They've used statistics to edge out various products and suppliers.

If we reach a future where only bland, value-engineered food is available in the shops, then I shall move to France or Italy, where they still defend tasty food as a human right.

 

[Quake42]

This is already evident in certain foodstuffs - it is now no longer possible to buy some tasty items that were once abundantly available.

Out of interest, what were you thinking of?

 

[ramonmercado]

This is already evident in certain foodstuffs - it is now no longer possible to buy some tasty items that were once abundantly available.

Out of interest, what were you thinking of?

Tesco doesn't have some brands - eg Bewleys & Cafe Hag coffee anymore.

 

[Mythopoeika]

This is already evident in certain foodstuffs - it is now no longer possible to buy some tasty items that were once abundantly available.

Out of interest, what were you thinking of?

A couple of examples:

Black Farmer sausage rolls - they were actually tasty. No longer available anywhere, although other Black Farmer products are still available.
Hammond's tomato sauce. Hammond's were forced out by the big supermarkets. The last Hammond's sauce I saw was in some sachets in a greasy spoon diner some years ago. I think they may still be in business, but I haven't seen a bottle of their sauce for years now.

 

[Quake42]

Black Farmer sausage rolls - they were actually tasty. No longer available anywhere, although other Black Farmer products are still available.

My local Sainsbury sells Black Farmer sausages, although I've never come across the sausage rolls. I've never heard of Hammond's ketchup. Do we know for certain that both were forced out by the supermarkets? Maybe sales had just declined to a point where it wasn't economical to produce them.

I have mixed feelings on supermarkets: they are too powerful but at the same time they provide a wide range of (relatively) cheap and decent food. A much greater range than you would typically see in an independent grocer.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Black Farmer sausage rolls - they were actually tasty. No longer available anywhere, although other Black Farmer products are still available.

My local Sainsbury sells Black Farmer sausages, although I've never come across the sausage rolls. I've never heard of Hammond's ketchup. Do we know for certain that both were forced out by the supermarkets? Maybe sales had just declined to a point where it wasn't economical to produce them.

The sausage rolls were available in Tescos and Sainsbury's for a while, then suddenly were no longer available. Shortly after that, Black Farmer stopped making them.
Hammonds sauce was available in many supermarkets back when I was young.
It was the tastiest tomato sauce I've ever had.
Fewer and fewer supermarkets sold it as the years went by.
I believe the brand is still alive, but they only sell catering sizes to the trade. The brand is now owned by McCormick, who don't really seem to advertise it at all. There's no Hammond's website or anything.
Yes, I know it's possible that they were forced out by factors other than the supermarkets - but I think that it may have been a key factor at least.
Another sauce that was really good (but now sadly defunct) was Beetop Sauce. It was the tastiest brown sauce on the planet, so I haven't a clue why the producers discontinued it. I don't know if that one was down to the supermarket buying policy either...

 

[Stormkhan]

Any supermarket appeals to the "basic lazyiness" of the consumer. "Can't be bothered to move from one shop to another? Come to us ... it's all under one roof!" This, combined with low prices - the supermarket can purchase bulk on a scale unfeasible for small stores, thereby able to sell cheap.

What sticks in my craw with Tesco is their rapacious land-grabbing. It's almost like they'll buy any plot of land available before getting planning permission. Not only to "land block" any rival firm but just to add square meters to their possessions. Living in Earl's Court I was surprised that they had an Express Branch ... a mere couple of hundred yards from their Gloucester Road superstore. I think they just go by the ambition of having a Tesco on every road!

They're not cheap, the staff are - in general and in my experience - poorly trained, and the range may be wide of coverage but narrow of choice. Their online delivery service is inefficient (again in my personal experience). Frankly, I'd more suspect that their land ownership is the only thing that's keeping their profits high.

 

[Analogue Boy]

Since the demise of my local music and DVD shop, I particularly enjoy Tesco's provision of all my World Cinema film needs. As bookshops close and Waterstone's is sold on, maybe FT could run reviews of Fortean movies and books that are only available through Tesco?

Mind you, my local WH Smith NEVER put FT in the same place twice. One month, you'll find it behind Nexus, the next it's behind a Doctor Who comic or poking out from behind True Detective.

And while I'm ranting, I grew to hate Smith's as they allowed some cold salesmen a spot just inside the shop hassling customers to buy phones and shit. And at the till. 'Do I want some cheap chocolate? No I came into a newsagents to buy a paper but you don't seem to stock them'.

I'm not going to make it to 2025 I reckon and I'll be pretty glad that I won't have to take advantage of their inevitable Soylent Green Value Funeral Plan.

 

[Mythopoeika]

I'm not going to make it to 2025 I reckon and I'll be pretty glad that I won't have to take advantage of their inevitable Soylent Green Value Funeral Plan.

What makes you say that? I'm sure life in 2025 will be wonderful.

...Actually, no, I'm not so sure now.

 

[Mythopoeika]

I popped into Tescos on my way back from work today.
I went to look for some Chinese chilli sauce that I particularly like (Flying Goose brand).
I've been waiting several weeks for them to restock after running out. Again, today I was frustrated - no sauce, but an 'Out of Stock' sign was still there. I asked an assistant for help, and she went off to look it up.
The assistant said there was no 'forward purchasing plan' for that line. Basically, they'd got some in to see how it had sold, then decided not to restock after selling off all stock. Obviously, it hadn't flown off the shelves as they would have liked.

Now I will have to find an Internet supplier that sells it.

With it being chilli sauce, I know the shops will always stock close equivalents - but I actually think this particular sauce is among the best I've ever tasted.

This is how it begins - the slide towards blandness and reduced choice. Eventually we will only be able to buy a few products in the supermarkets, because that's all they will stock. Remember supermarkets in Soviet Russia? That could happen here if we're not careful.

 

[Quake42]

The assistant said there was no 'forward purchasing plan' for that line. Basically, they'd got some in to see how it had sold, then decided not to restock after selling off all stock.

[...]

This is how it begins - the slide towards blandness and reduced choice.

To be honest Mytho, there's nothing remotely sinister about that story. Nor is it peculiar to Teco or supermarkets in general.

It's simply how a market works. If not enough people buy a product then it will stop being made and/or sold. Products which are more popular will be made/stocked instead. Why would anyone do otherwise?

 

[rynner2]

But when a big store makes a mistake, it can be a big one!

Tesco mistake leads to beer rush

An error which slashed the price of beer and cider led to a stampede of customers at a number of Tesco supermarkets in Scotland.
A deal offering three boxes of various alcoholic drinks for £20 was going through the tills at three for £11.

Police were called to Tesco in Greenock after heavy congestion was reported in the car park as customers rushed to get the deal.
A spokesman for Tesco said the pricing error was quickly spotted.
He said till operators changed the prices manually until the system was corrected.

It is understood the offer was supposed to be "buy three boxes of beer and save £11".
Instead customers were able to purchase up to 45 small bottles of lager or 36 cans for £11.

News of the error spread quickly from about 1900 BST, with many people posting messages on social networking sites.

There were also problems at a store at the Silverburn shopping centre in Glasgow and in Bellshill.
One customer said the situation was "bedlam" as people phoned their friends and some went home to change clothing to come back and buy more beer.

Twitter user Graham McKenzie tweeted: "Price glitch for beer has literally caused a stampede at the local Tesco. Tempers are flying in car park."
Rebecca Macdougall tweeted: "Was casually chatting to my dad about the beer situation at Tesco mention 3 crates for 11 quid and he sprints to the car."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13621315

And I think it was Tesco, some while ago, that had an offer on bananas with extra loyalty points - one customer realised that this was an error, bought the whole stock, gave away most of the bananas, and still made a 'profit'!

 

[Mythopoeika]

The assistant said there was no 'forward purchasing plan' for that line. Basically, they'd got some in to see how it had sold, then decided not to restock after selling off all stock.

[...]

This is how it begins - the slide towards blandness and reduced choice.

To be honest Mytho, there's nothing remotely sinister about that story. Nor is it peculiar to Teco or supermarkets in general.

It's simply how a market works. If not enough people buy a product then it will stop being made and/or sold. Products which are more popular will be made/stocked instead. Why would anyone do otherwise?

Yes, yes, I hear what you say...but I think supermarkets can sometimes be too draconian in their policies. I guess that's why Tescos is doing so well - they actually don't care what it is they are selling, they only care if it sells at a prodigious rate.

 

[rynner2]

Tesco used to sell Orchard Mill Cider, produced by Gaymers in Somerset (good cider country). But recently they seem to have replaced it with something called Crofters (same price and ABV) produced by a brewery in Birmingham!

I looked it up on the web:

Aston Manor Brewery

Aston Manor Brewery is a brewery and beer bottling company in Aston, Birmingham, England. The company produces beer, cider and perry. It is the third largest cider company in the UK by market share, and the fourth largest in the world.
...
By 1998, Aston Manor was reporting profits of over £1million, with 70% of its sales being cider. However, because of a slump in the market and strong competition, by 2001 profits had fallen to £740,500.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Manor_Brewery

Well, I'd never heard of it, but it sounds like a major player, even if apple orchards had never figured in my image of Birmingham!

But then came a story of skullduggery to match anything from the crimes of the prohibition era:

Industrial sabotage plot

In 2001, Michael Hancocks, a major shareholder (12% of the shares) whose family owns 44% of Aston Manor, organized a conspiracy to contaminate the cider products of the company's rival, H. P. Bulmer. He recruited a former Aston Manor employee, chemist Richard Gay, to produce a yeast that he planned to introduce into Bulmer's production line, recruited his daughter's partner, Paul Harris, to transport the contaminant, and paid a Bulmer's employee, Russell Jordan, £16,000 to introduce the contaminant. Jordan did not introduce the contaminant, but reported the plot to Bulmers and to the police, and the plot was foiled. If the plot had succeeded, anyone drinking the contaminated cider would have suffered diarrhoea and nausea.
:shock:

I never expected the label on a bottle of booze to lead to so much entertainment!

Of course, I'm sure that all that hanky-panky is behind them now Tesco is selling their wares...

 

[Stormkhan]

My one concern - not fear; that's too strong - is that any one retailer becomes so wealthy that they can dictate to the consumer what they buy, rather than they supply what the consumer wants.

 

[rynner2]

It's interesting to read the links in that Wiki piece - the beeb came up with a good headline:
Bad apple brewed cider plot 8)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/here ... 131391.stm

I note that Crofters describes itself as Apple Cider - well, yes, who'd want to drink, say, pomegranate cider?

 

[Analogue Boy]

For those with short memories, i suggest you look at (Dame) Shirley Porter, the former Conservative MP of Westminster and Tesco heiress who ran off to Israel after a political sleaze scandal involing gerrymandering and 'homes for votes'.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

It's interesting to read the links in that Wiki piece - the beeb came up with a good headline:
Bad apple brewed cider plot 8)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/here ... 131391.stm

I note that Crofters describes itself as Apple Cider - well, yes, who'd want to drink, say, pomegranate cider?

Pear cider is quite the modern drink for the modern lady to be drinking modernly nowadays.

 

[rynner2]

I note that Crofters describes itself as Apple Cider - well, yes, who'd want to drink, say, pomegranate cider?

Pear cider is quite the modern drink for the modern lady to be drinking modernly nowadays.

'Modern' ladies drank it way back before I even started boozing - but it was called Perry. (Remember Babycham - champagne perry?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babycham
I note it also comes from Shepton Mallet, Somerset, like Orchard Mill cider.)

Calling Perry 'Pear cider' is just dumbing down, and has resulted in the previously redundant term 'apple cider' being needed to distinguish the two.

What next? Grape wine? Sheep mutton? Pig Pork?

 

[Pete Younger]

Pig Pork as opposed to long Pork?

 

[rynner2]

Pig Pork as opposed to long Pork?

Are you thinking of Long Pig?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Pig

 

[Pete Younger]

Only before it's cooked.
http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Long_pork