Could Asda be the first of the big four to fall?

[Workingman]

Its current sales drop of 5.8% means that it has lost nearly 20% over the past 15 months, and with it only having 15% share of the market that is a big hit.

If my local one is anything to go by it would be no big surprise.

Its meat is not particularly good and it is pricey. Its fresh veg quality is all over the place with some items only lasting a few days. The same is true with the fruit, it is either under ripe or nearly on the turn. However, one of its biggest mistakes has been with its own brand products. Some of the recipe changes are a bit baffling with their 'chosen by you' or 'new and improved' titles. It used to do some nice pies, quiches, pasties and things, but now they are tasteless and the quality of the ingredients seems to have dropped. It also used to do some rather good 'Smart Price' items but they have largely disappeared.

I do not know how things will go in the long term, but if it disappears it will not be that much missed. It needs a damned good shake up.

[JoM]

The one here is ridiculously busy. I avoid it, mostly because of this, unless I have no other choice so can't really comment on the change in foods. All I know is that they stopped stocking several items that I'd sometimes pop into there to buy if I was in town.

[TheOstrich]

Its current sales drop of 5.8% means that it has lost nearly 20% over the past 15 months ......

... a decline that will only accelerate now we've moved to Dorset! There is an Asda in town but it's small, and now we prefer to use Waitrose. I have a MyWaitrose card, and if you spend £10 minimum, you can pick up a daily newspaper for free, so instead of one large weekly shop, I now make 5 smaller daily ones!

Waitrose is pricey overall - but you can find bargains if you look. Waitrose Essentials actually aren't bad, quality-wise, and we do buy their teabags. Grant's Haggis tins were actually on offer at just £1 for a spell and even at full price, they were still 20p or so less that Asda. Needless to say, I've started stockpiling Haggis tins (well, you've got to hit £10 a day somehow!!). There will be a shortage on Burns Night, and much wailin' and gnashin' of the teethies in the Glens will ensue once they've realised I've cornered the market ....

We also have a Lidl but I refuse to use them on political grounds; also a lot of the stuff they sell is pretty weird. A former work colleague of mine married a Romanian lass, and she told us she won't use Lidl either as, since the EU, German supermarkets have taken over and decimated all the local shops selling quality and fresh products back in her home country.

[Suff]

I must admit the Asda stores local to me in FIFE were pretty good. OK Sainsbury's was poor but the Asda stores were really fairly OK.

However the Asda local to me sucks and is fairly representative of most of the other Asda I've been to in England. So either I'm too Scottish or the managers in England suck. Because a lot of the quality of the store goes down to the quality of the manager.

[Workingman]

I am fairly lucky where I live. Asda is local, but I also have Morrison's, Sainsbury's and Aldi only a few minutes drive away. I can't do a full shop in Aldi so it is just a stand-by place. Sainsbury's I can take or leave, but my favourite has become Morrison's. Its range of products beats all the rest.

Suff, my sister used to work in Asda HQ in Leeds and said that when WalMart took over everything became management by 'group think' and the culture changed. Gone went the days where any employee spotting a problem could approach a supervisor or manager and in came 'huddles' where supervisors or managers told staff told staff what 'best practice' was and how to do it. She was good and she left.

[Suff]

I've shopped in WalMart in the US. This is no surprise.

[cruiser2]

Only go to Asda for certain things, such as milk, Greek yogurt, cream beans.
Would never buy vegetables from them.
Many years ago they had a counter selling meat which was cooked on the premises. It was deliciuos and there was always a queue at that counter. Then they revamped the store and that went.
There is a stall in the market which sells meat cooked in ovens at the back of the stall. This is always busy as they also sell cold meats and freshly made sandwiches. You can decide what filling you want. Much better and cheaper than the mass produced ones.
Regarding veg, we buy from a small stall were you can help your self. I refuse to buy fruit or veg which is pre-packed,

[Suff]

When I was at college, second time round, I worked at Kettle Produce.

We prepared and bagged veg for a variety of shops including M&S, Tesco, Asda and the cheaper shops too.

Carrots was a good instance of how this works. A new box of carrots would be put on the belt and the M&S bags would go out. We picked the very best of the carrots and bagged x number of bags. Then the Tesco bags came out and we bagged the next best. After about 75% of the box (1 tonne), was bagged, we would then bring out the Asda bags and the budget shops bags.

I'm sure this is not very different for other Asda products. They do not go for the best or even close to the best. They go for the cheapest which "could" look like the best. I look specifically because of my years preparing veg for the different shops and it applies to many other products too.

[saundra]

Years ago I did an afternoon shift at a large bakery I hated it but needed the money and hubby was able to look after the boys he worked nights but anyway
We did orders for loads of stores
And when m&s where due to visit the bakery everything was mega clean we all wore new work gear and had to put extra filling in the cakes
I like morrisons here but they don't do home delivery I do that at Tesco
I like Iceland for alot of stuff we don't have a asda here and I don't do an online shop with them don't like there website
And we expect m&s to close here

[TheOstrich]

Carrots was a good instance of how this works. A new box of carrots would be put on the belt and the M&S bags would go out. We picked the very best of the carrots and bagged x number of bags. Then the Tesco bags came out and we bagged the next best. After about 75% of the box (1 tonne), was bagged, we would then bring out the Asda bags and the budget shops bags

.

That's very interesting, Suff!

I suppose any carrots left over after the budget brand bags these days would go into one of Asda's "Wonky Veg" boxes ....