The Great UK Lettuce Crisis of 2017

[Admiral Yi]

Anything is better than kale.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Have any of you experienced problems getting any produce? I've been buying all these things as usual, the broccoli we had on Sunday was actually on special offer 

I'm just wondering if the "shortage" is a complete fabrication or is actually taking place in other parts of the country.

[mongers]

Have any of you experienced problems getting any produce? I've been buying all these things as usual, the broccoli we had on Sunday was actually on special offer 

I'm just wondering if the "shortage" is a complete fabrication or is actually taking place in other parts of the country.

I was very briefly in a supermarket this evening, picking up just onions in the veg area; in my peripheral view did seem a few more emptish sections than normal, but wouldn't swear to it.

To determine the full extend of the disaster or otherwise, I'll need to pop into the Waitrose 200 yards further on. 

[garbon]

Have any of you experienced problems getting any produce? I've been buying all these things as usual, the broccoli we had on Sunday was actually on special offer 

I'm just wondering if the "shortage" is a complete fabrication or is actually taking place in other parts of the country.

Sainsbury's was short on iceburg lettuce / salad mixes with iceburg lettuce but I've noticed my store is often short at random times.  There was plenty of broccoli and cauliflower.

[celedhring]

Have any of you experienced problems getting any produce? I've been buying all these things as usual, the broccoli we had on Sunday was actually on special offer 

I'm just wondering if the "shortage" is a complete fabrication or is actually taking place in other parts of the country.

Certainly there's no shortage or higher prices over here, which is the supposed origin of the scarcity. It's true that the weather's been bad, though.

My bet is that The Sun just took some highly localized problem and just went full The Sun on it.

[mongers]

Have any of you experienced problems getting any produce? I've been buying all these things as usual, the broccoli we had on Sunday was actually on special offer 

I'm just wondering if the "shortage" is a complete fabrication or is actually taking place in other parts of the country.

Sainsbury's was short on iceburg lettuce / salad mixes with iceburg lettuce but I've noticed my store is often short at random times.  There was plenty of broccoli and cauliflower.

Oh, so it's more likely to be a Southern/SE England thing.

My Garbon I didn't realise you shop at Sainsburys.   

[garbon]

But then I would never buy an iceberg lettuce anyway.

Iceburg is pretty critical for a wedge salad!

[garbon]

My Garbon I didn't realise you shop at Sainsburys.   

Don't worry, I do a mix but Sainsbury's is my main one. Tesco Express sometimes as they actually have their wine refrigerated. Less often is the M&S and then least often, when I wanted to deal with snooty clerks, Waitrose.

[alfred russel]

Certainly there's no shortage or higher prices over here, which is the supposed origin of the scarcity. It's true that the weather's been bad, though.

My bet is that The Sun just took some highly localized problem and just went full The Sun on it.

That seems dumb. If you want to create a scare folks and create a panic, don't do it with something they will see is false in the normal daily course of their lives.

[mongers]

My Garbon I didn't realise you shop at Sainsburys.   

Don't worry, I do a mix but Sainsbury's is my main one. Tesco Express sometimes as they actually have their wine refrigerated. Less often is the M&S and then least often, when I wanted to deal with snooty clerks, Waitrose.

Weirdly I don't have that problem with Waitrose here, seems to be mainly chatty sixth formers and students, easy to get along with, but maybe they find someone shopping whilst wearing wellingtons (non-town and country set) engaging/amusing?

[garbon]

For the rest of the board- though obviously a decade old!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/mar/12/foodanddrink.shopping

Tesco, the implication goes, is for commoner people who are slightly more likely to drop their trousers in public than Sainsbury's shoppers. By extension, Waitrose is for those more likely to have second homes in Chiantishire than the first two; Asda for people who aspire to have a second home anywhere but probably never will; Lidl for people who have never heard of Chiantishire; Marks and Spencer for those who affect to have never heard of Lidl. That kind of thing.

...

Given that most Britons buy most of their food from supermarkets, it's a small step from Meades' point to the conclusion that our supermarkets are class-stratified. Verdict Research, for instance, has found that Waitrose has the highest proportion of shoppers from the professional social classes A and B (47%), followed by Sainsbury's (34%), Marks & Spencer (22%), Tesco (21%) and Safeway (17%). At the bottom of the market, 72% of Netto's shoppers are blue-collar Ds or Es, with Kwik Save (66%), Lidl (54%) and Somerfield (50%) close behind.

...

Waitrose
Rupert and Felicity, of the "symbols of success" group, which represents 9.6% of UK households, are most likely to shop here. According to Experian: "The air of discretion and understatement that is associated with traditional premium brands appeals more than the flamboyance and conspicuous consumption associated with the nouveau riche."

Sainsbury's
Our friends Rupert and Felicity are quite likely to shop here, too, but the most likely Sainsbury's shoppers are Ben and Chloe, the "urban intelligence" archetypes, who represent 7.2% of UK households. Young, well-educated, cosmopolitan in their tastes, liberal in their outlooks and unlikely to have children, many Bens and Chloes live in inner-city areas and have high levels of disposable income.

Tesco
The second most important shoppers to Tesco, after Rupert and Felicity, are Darren and Joanne, the "happy families" group, who represent 10.8% of UK households. Young couples raising young children, they work in large public or private organisations and live in areas of rapidly expanding employment, such as Northampton, Milton Keynes and Swindon.

Marks & Spencer
Rupert and Felicity, again, are most likely to patronise Marks & Spencer, lured there no doubt by the dearth of piped music, a soothing green and silver livery and a snooty aura. "Interestingly," says Gladding, "Marks' food shoppers are more upmarket than the clothes shoppers." Least likely to visit M&S are Wayne and Leanne (the "municipal dependency" archetypes), who live on large, low-rise estates far from the centre of the city, and represent 6.7% of UK households. The second most likely group to shop at M&S are Darren and Joanne, the happy family.

[garbon]

My Garbon I didn't realise you shop at Sainsburys.   

Don't worry, I do a mix but Sainsbury's is my main one. Tesco Express sometimes as they actually have their wine refrigerated. Less often is the M&S and then least often, when I wanted to deal with snooty clerks, Waitrose.

Weirdly I don't have that problem with Waitrose here, seems to be mainly chatty sixth formers and students, easy to get along with, but maybe they find someone shopping whilst wearing wellingtons (non-town and country set) engaging/amusing?

Yeah, in the city, they have a bit of the smug attitude that you might also get at nicer clothing shops. Which is odd given what they'll be making vs. customers they are judging.

[mongers]

For the rest of the board- though obviously a decade old!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/mar/12/foodanddrink.shopping

Agreed, that's quite useful for most forumites, but it's seems a bit out of date.

Here there seems a real divided between Waitrose and Sainsbury, the wealthy incomers go for waitrose and the older town folk shop at sainsbury.  The clueless go to an Iceland. 

I mainly got to Waitrose because for a lot of things the quality is better than Sainsburys, plus it's often cheaper. 

I'd also say I know a lot of really well-off* people also shop at Aldi and sometimes Lidl.

Tescos just seem, well yuck, quality of goods is a real issue for me, unless it's something bombproof like a bag of breakfast oats.


* people earning 3 / 4 times the national average wage.

[garbon]

The clueless go to an Iceland here.

Major yuck. Even my cheapskate sister was horrified at the notion - though she also turned around and threatened to make me a dinner with products only purchased from there.

I mainly seem to go to Waitrose because for a lot of things the quality is better than Sainsburys, plus there often cheaper. 

Waitrose & M&S are where I'll stop when I want better quality meat and veg. Most of the time though, I'll settle for Sainsbury's.

I'd also say I know a lot of really well-off* people who shop and Aldi and sometimes Lidl.

Well those going to the latter are just cheapskates. Aldi sometimes has products others don't - like I know Aldi has Ruffles chips (well labelled crisps here ) that I love but aren't available elsewhere.

Tescos just seem, well yuck, quality of goods is a real issue for me, unless it's something bombproof like a bag of breakfast oats.

I drop in for branded things or basic cheddar blocks/milk. Agreed Tesco branded stuff isn't so good.

[Barrister]

When we stayed in the cottage in Scotland, we mostly drove into Inverness to get our basic groceries.  We would do our shopping at the Tescos.  There was also a much smaller Tescos in Tain which was only 10 minutes away we stopped at a couple of times.

I thought I was just buying groceries - I had no idea I was making an extended comment on my social standing.