General Chat

Well I still do my weekly shop online and will do for the foreseeable !

When we both worked ,way way back , we went shopping on a Saturday starting out by having coffee and cake first then downstairs to do the weekly shop

Shopping patterns though have done a huge about turn since then

£100 in 1991??. Depends I suppose what lifestyle you have! Dont think so. I didnt have my children then so for 2 of us, it was around £50-60 max. When my kids were in their teens in 2014 onwards, it went up over the £100 then maybe.

We only have a small coffee shop in our co-op. Years ago it had great homemade lunches etc and very reasonable but now its coffees, sandwiches and a few pastries. Since Covid though we stopped going and now not at all.

Florence in the hebrides

One that does surprise me is the one at Taunton just off the M5 we always used to stop there when travelling south West down the M5 and it was always very busy and very good.

When Sainsburys wanted to build a new store in a local town, permission was granted on condition that no tearoom / restaurant was included.
This was to safeguard the income of local established businesses.

2 more of their stores in the next town have never had a cafe either.

When we had a static caravan on the hill above Hastings, we did sometimes buy a meal at a nearby Sainsburys on a Friday evening, as this saved us cooking for ourselves after travelling there.
Customers seemed to be quite a mix of young families and older couples, but I don't know how the store has fared in recent times, although I see it is to remain open.

I think that is a good reason Shirley, since Covid I rarely go to the stores as I have an on line shop and I realise that I spend less a week by not making several trips to the stores so I don't see all those 'attractive' offers.

That’s a shame

The one in our local shopping centre is closing down

It occupied almost the complete first floor of Sainsbury and did meals as well as teas coffee sandwiches cakes etc

Probably lost too much business with covid that hasn’t recovered

£100 a week! There were four of us then I don't reckon to have been spending that much. Plus it had to be a fairly 'big' shop as I didn't live within walking distance or particularly close to another shop.

When I was a younger person (circa 1991) I would use the JS restaurant/Cafe (with the kids), as an older person (retired)I don't go anymore because JS changed it and ruined it years ago.

It seems that Sainsbury’s are going to introduce more takeaway services and delivery. With several names mentioned.

Not that long ago Tesco cafes were run by Costa. All our cafes are closing three stores.but two of the three have other better cafes nearby so obviously they have not performed well against the competition.

I read that online yesterday Ann. Our local is staying open as it is but some are becoming Starbucks and ….. another chain which I can’t recall.

I could not make out which would be wholly closed.

There is a list published today of all the Sainsbury's cafes that are remaining open. A lot of their in store cafes are closing.

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/each-of-the-sainsburys-cafes-remaining-open/