What your supermarket says about you

Published on Wednesday 10 October 2007 01:17

SO MUCH for a classless society. Social snobbery remains one of the main reasons for selecting a supermarket, according to research, despite retailers spending millions on advertising the quality of their food.

Choosing between Waitrose, Tesco and Lidl has become a modern-day status symbol equivalent to attending the "right" school.

More than half of shoppers believe the choice of supermarket reflects their social status, according to the poll of more than 1,600 consumers, while a quarter feel they are judged by their chosen store.

One in ten admitted they were embarrassed to be seen shopping in some supermarkets, while a similar number thought frequenting upmarket stores would make them seem richer. Almost half believed being seen with the right carrier bag was another way of looking "flash".

But are these attitudes out of date in an age where Tesco champagne has beaten Bollinger in a taste test and celebrity chef Nick Nairn can endorse Lidl?

"Something like 78 per cent of shoppers don't switch their main choice of supermarket every year," says Leigh Sparks, professor of retail studies at the University of Stirling. "But that might be just because customers are familiar with their most frequent choice. Most weekly shopping is done by rote, so knowing where everything is can be just as important as brand image."

He added: "Usually it takes some kind of trigger to make a customer switch to a different brand - perhaps a bad experience or a new store from a rival that is more convenient.

"It is only at the very top end that shoppers choose a brand entirely because of public perception."

But public relations consultant Fiona Duff said brand image was still a significant factor. "Some people would never contemplate shopping somewhere like Asda and would only get their stuff from the likes of M&S. They think this makes them seem more affluent but in reality they look like idiots because they've just paid double the price for the same basics they could have got elsewhere.

"A lot of people don't like to be seen stocking up on three-for-two offers and so on because they are worried that they look cheap. The only way around the image problem for these big companies is to rely on reverse snobbery such as when people pile into Primark to get cheap clothes because it becomes the trendy thing to do."

Patricia Lopes, public relations manager for German chain Lidl, said: "The British market is very different to Germany and it is fair to say it took some adjustment when Lidl first opened in Britain. There isn't really anything like M&S in Germany.

"I think consumers have become aware that they end up paying for all the fancy shelving in higher prices. Ultimately, if the quality and price of what you are selling is right then that speaks for itself."

A spokesman for Ginsters, which commissioned the poll, said: "You would be forgiven for thinking that Brits' shopping habits have become more sophisticated with developments such as organic shopping or recycling. The truth is we are doing it to improve our image, opting for posher recipes to keep up with the Olivers or Ramsays."

MICHAEL KEENAN, 29

WAITROSE developed a reputation for high-quality food and drink in its southern England heartland before expanding into Scotland with the opening of two stores in Edinburgh's middle-class suburbs of Morningside and Comely Bank.

But do you have to be posh to shop there? Could anyone else afford it?

"I just about collapsed when I found out how much it all cost," says Michael, who lives in Tollcross in the capital. "You do notice how much more expensive it is compared to other places.

"I'm not a snob about supermarkets, though. I don't shop at Waitrose all the time. I just came by here today and it was easy to get a parking space. I normally just choose whichever place is most convenient when I am on the way somewhere.

"I do like the things in Waitrose; everything looks very nice and well-presented, especially the fruit and vegetables. You can get almost everything you want, but I think the same is true of somewhere like Sainsbury's. I think possibly Asda isn't somewhere I'd choose, unless it was very convenient.

"I wouldn't have anything against shopping in Lidl or Aldi or somewhere like that."

Michael went on: "Farmfoods is very good if you want frozen desserts, although I don't know if you'd leave the box lying around when serving them at a dinner party."

Waitrose was taken over by the John Lewis Partnership in 1937, and its employees have remained co-owners of the business ever since.

In the 1980s, it became the first major chain to begin selling organic food, a move since emulated by Tesco and Sainsbury's among others.

SHONA URQUHART, 51

IT IS vilified by campaigners for its dominance of Britain's spending habits, accounting for more than 1 in every 7 spent on the high street.

But is its reputation enough to put off potential customers?

"I don't see a problem with shopping here at all," says Shona, who works for the Blood Transfusion Service. "I do find things in here are cheaper than elsewhere and I find it a convenient place in which to get all the everyday items that I need as well as the things I buy for my mother.

"The rest of my shopping I get in M&S because of the quality. I'm quite happy to mix and match and get the better things in M&S and the rest in Tesco.

"I am a regular shopper here, but I didn't really choose Tesco out of any kind of loyalty or because of its brand.

"There are people who are a bit conscious of what kind of supermarket they shop in. There is a girl at work who chooses Sainsbury's because she says you get a better clientele, but I'm not sure that is always the case. It really depends on the area where the supermarket is, I suppose.

"I do think some places have more fresh food and better quality items, but Tesco has a lot of choice and I don't have any complaints about it. The staff are always fine and I never have a problem."

As of the end of 2006, Tesco was the fourth-largest retailer in the world behind Wal-Mart and Home Depot of the US and Carrefour of France. It operates just under 2,000 stores in the UK, has a total market value of about 36 billion and is the largest private sector employer in Britain.

PHILIP McINNES, 73

IT IS represented by the television chef Jamie Oliver and has long been the shop of choice for Britain's middle-classes. But is Sainsbury's still an exclusive store?

"You do get a lot of young professional couples in here at the weekend," says Philip, who lives in Edinburgh's Marionville. "It is noticeably different from other supermarkets and that is partly because of the sort of area it is in.

"I don't think of myself as a Sainsbury's person particularly, but people tend to shop in places out of habit, so maybe that is why they don't like to change.

"I once went into Waitrose and you could really tell that you were in a store full of yuppies, so different supermarkets do attract a different class of people.

"We live in a triangle between a Sainsbury's, Morrisons and a Co-op, and find that they are much the same for most things. I just go into whichever shop happens to be the most convenient.

"Sainsbury's has a nice range and their fresh food is very good - possibly too good. I have just spent 11 on salmon, which I didn't intend to do when I walked in. I had to use my own account to pay for it or I would have been in trouble when I got home.

"There is one supermarket I would try and avoid and that is Tesco. I think they are very aggressive and I don't like what they do to other shops. There isn't really a Tesco anywhere near us, so I don't have to avoid it particularly, but I wouldn't choose to shop there.

"I would support the Co-op more if I could, but the staff are often better elsewhere."

NATALIE SHAH, 25

SHE may not be a loyal shopper, but Natalie is already hooked on Lidl.

"This is my very first time in Lidl and I can't believe how good it is," says Natalie, who works at Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel and is shopping with 17-month-old Peter. "My mum and my gran have been going on about how good it is, raving about the food, so I thought I would give it a try.

"I'm an M&S person, really. I usually get all my stuff at the M&S in the middle of town. The food is really good there and you know what you are getting.

"I suppose people are a bit snobby about their choice of supermarket. I have always been an M&S person and I usually wouldn't be seen dead anywhere else.

"When I first got here I was checking around me to see if there was anyone I recognised. I thought 'what if someone sees me shopping in Lidl?' But actually it turned out to be really good.

"I was on the phone to my mum from inside the shop because I couldn't get over how cheap it was. If it tastes as good when I get it home then I will definitely be coming back.

"Quality does matter and I wouldn't just go anywhere that was cheapest, but it seems as if you end up paying more than you need to in some places.

"The fresh fruit and vegetables are important, especially nowadays when people are cooking more at home.

"The only thing I did notice about Lidl is that there aren't the same brands that you see advertised everywhere else.

"A lot of the products I didn't recognise and that would take a bit of getting used to."

KIRSTY ANDERSON, 29

BEING seen in the "right" supermarket isn't an issue for recruitment adviser Kirsty, who does a weekly shop at Asda for her family, along with her children, four-year-old Jamie and Ritchie, who is six weeks old.

"I come here because of the low prices, basically. I have shopped elsewhere, but I know I can get everything here in one go and that it is cheaper than it would be in other places. Simple as that.

"Perhaps when I was single I would have shopped elsewhere or chosen a supermarket because of the brand, but that isn't the case now.

"I would shop anywhere as long as it offered the best value. The only thing I wouldn't consider is buying meat or fish from somewhere like Lidl, because a lot of it is imported from foreign countries and you can't really tell what you're getting very easily.

"I don't really see myself as being an Asda shopper just because of where my friends or family shop - it is just a convenience issue. I don't think I would say I am a Tesco person or an Asda person.

"Asda is easy to get to for me, and because I have a lot to get, it is easy to come to the same place because you know where things are."

Asda gained a reputation for lower prices during the 1990s with a constant stream of campaigns against what it claimed were monopolies working against the consumer interest, such as the Net Book Agreement or the high price of vitamin pills and over-the-counter drugs.

However, it has since been challenged by a revitalised Sainsbury's.