IT ASDA BE ASDA - MY LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP (Asda)

Member Name: Laluhen

Product:	Asda
Date:	25/05/09 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: GREAT PRICES, GOOD VALUE, GREAT PRODUCTS

Disadvantages: LAYOUT, INTERIOR, EXTERIOR, ETC

I am a supermarket floozy, I have had liaisons with them all, Sainsbury, Tesco, Waitrose/Ocado and now Asda.

Asda's chief marketing officer states that Asda stands for straightforward, honest and committed to saving their customers money every day, this is true as the product choice is straightforward, there are no hidden agendas and their prices are the cheapest of the major supermarkets, however I cannot help but feel that the stores themselves let Asda down. But saying that, I do shop at Asda and I will continue to do so, I feel that I am torn between the supermarkets and that I have had to compromise on the aesthetics and the superficial aspects of the stores that I go to, in order to make savings that other supermarkets just are not competing with.

If money were no object then I would happily shop at waitrose/ocado without any hesitation, Sainsbury's would be my next choice, followed by Tesco and then Asda coming in last.
I am not a snob by know means, I just like my supermarkets to be user friendly, calm, organised, tidy, friendly and to look nice. The Asda that I go to is the complete opposite of this.
However needs must, the recession has hit, credit card bills need paying, so the belts have had to be tightened - but not to tight as I could do without a muffin top.

So I have now become an unwilling Asda convert. Every Saturday I do my weekly shopping at Asda, but not before I do a check at my supermarket.com, this website compares the supermarkets Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Ocado, and every week so far Asda comes out on top for what I need to buy, this includes all vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy, frozen food, snacks, drinks, nappies plus other household goods, they are always between £12-£17 (give or take), cheaper than Tesco and Sainsbury's and £20+ cheaper than Ocado.
Over a month that is a saving of at least £48, but on most occasions it is a fair bit more than this.

Rather than giving this money to the other supermarkets to boost their profits, I would much prefer it to be in my purse at the end of the month.

***What I dislike about Asda***

The Asda that I go to is in Chelmsford, Essex, it seems like it arks back to the 70's or 80's in design, it is like a concrete jungle, it is situated near to an estate with various other local shops, all of these look run down, so before I even get out of the car i am already dreading the shopping experience, the car park to Asda is of a good size although it was not thought out properly and is not trolley friendly, this weekend we had to physically lift the full trolley over the bumps in the carpark.

Once in the store I just keep my head down, and get in the zone, shop and get out as fast as I can.

The store layout is a mishmash, ok all the fruit and vegetables are together, and all the non grocery/household items such as clothes are together, but the rest is just a case of where can we put them, oh lets just stick one here and one there and one everywhere. You have freezer cabinets at one end of the store, and then sporadic freezer cabinets popping up on the end of the washing powder aisle, and various other aisles. You also have the fridges that house the meat, dairy etc split up all over the store. I know this sounds slightly trivial but I like some organisation, I have my shopping list and I write it in order, fruit and vegetables all together, fridge items all together and so on, so I like to check them off as I go, the other major supermarkets all seem to manage this.

I would like the whole store to have a complete makeover, a new layout, new building, new carpark, new this, new that, I want I want I want (but I want never gets), this is not going to happen, as the shop serves its purpose, people still shop there (it is always extremely busy) I still shop there, and I still will - why? Because they are great value for money and they continually keep their prices low, and if they did the whole makeover to the store, then the prices are likely to be increased and that would defeat Asda's whole outlook and premise of being a shop that sells great products at great prices, I do realise this I would just like to have my cake and eat it to.
***Why I like Asda***

The reason I like Asda is simple, I have previously mentioned it, they sell great products, either Asda own brand or all well known brands at great value prices. There are always fantastic offers, they are always rolling back their prices, everything I have bought has been of good quality and just the same as the other major supermarkets, no other stores can compete.

This is why I am not stopping shopping at Asda, I can survive everything that I dislike about the store for 1 hour out of my weekend, if it means that I get good food and other products, I don't compromise on quality and it is all good value for money, I cannot fault the prices.


***Summary***

So to sum it all up, Asda's for me is a traumatic shopping experience, but it is one that I am prepared and willing to endure in order to get everyday groceries and products at great prices and have extra money in my purse at the end of the month. For all the things that I hate about Asda, the reason that I love it, far outweigh these.

All the time Asda is the cheapest, I will continue my shopping experience there, so for everyone who is like me and sees Asda as an inferior shopping experience when compared to the other supermarkets, give it a try, I guarantee that you will come out with more more money left in your purse/wallet and that you wil not be able to fault the value of the products that they sell or the quality. Just keep your head down and give it a go.

Summary: IF YOU WANT MORE MONEY IN YOUR PURSE BUT DO NOT WANT TO COMPROMISE, THEN GIVE ASDA A GO