Your shopping habits?

[wangi]

All this talk about shops and damage to the high st if a (small) supermarket were to be built on the old SP site (, ) got me thinking... Just what are the shopping habits of people here in Portobello (or at least people on Talk Porty)?

Please share some details - some suggested themes:

Where do you do your weekly grocery shop: Scotmid, Tesco (Musselburgh), ASDA (Jewel), Morrisons, M&S (Fort Kinnaird), other? Mix it up depending on price and offers?

What shops on Portobello High St do you routinely, occasionally or never use? What about in Fisherrow or Musselburgh - is there anything special there that's missing here?

And clothes, electrical items and the like - Edinburgh City Centre, Ocean Terminal, Fort Kinnaird, ... Glasgow, Gyle?

I'll get the ball rolling in a minute...

[wangi]

Ok, so shopping isn't really something I enjoy... It's a task!

More often than not the big weekly shop is done at Tesco at Musselburgh and occasionally at ASDA. Tesco is much more manageable than the oversized ASDA - wonder what impact the big new Tesco will have on that? Morrisons gets a very infrequent visit - probably as often as Aldi & Lidl. Scotmid is only ever in passing, Sunday morning or a "cycle along to get the missing recipe ingredient" sort of place - it's infuriating.

Fort Kinnaird is probably visited weekly - be it M&S for a few food items or B&Q, or (pulling teeth) just more general shopping.

The local High St shops I use the most are both owned by the same guy - one in Fisherrow and the other in Portobello... The wine shop, for beer. The sort of shopping I can enjoy. The butcher is probably a monthly visit, but would be more frequent if the opening hours were better.

Add in a random pick of the takeaways... And newsagents, and Blockbuster.

L/

[Bob Jefferson]

Our shopping habits haven't changed much over the years. Pick up the essentials on a daily basis from Scotmid. Most of our meat comes from Findlay's and our fish from Williamson's. Dislike the big chain stores both in principle and in practice but, as a foodie, have a weakness for the more upmarket offerings of Waitrose and M&S. Otherwise, much of our shopping is online. I value our local shops and am prepared to defend them, warts and all, against the soulless, identikit high street experience that is so prevalent elsewhere.

[philip myerscough]

[Pal of Porty]

Similarly to Wangi, we do one big supermarket shop at either Tesco's or Sainsbury's (unless I am feeling low on self-esteem and need cheering up in which case I use ASDA). The only big shop I really enjoy going to is Costco. During the week we use Porty High Street for the rest of our bits and pieces. The local shops I regularly use are:

Home Hardware
Williamsons the fish man
Alan's the Chemist
Scotmid - usually a reluctant cycle along the Prom for something I have forgotten!

If we ever fancy a bag of chips we use Carlo's, Baguette Express for a lunchtime baked potato or Tiger Tiger at Eastfield for a family takeaway.

And finally........ do the Ormelie and the Espy count as shopping?

[bearcub]

We do most of our "big" shopping in Morrisons or Asda - Morrison the most because it's handy on the way home from work. Scotmid as well for when we just can't be bothered traipsing round Morrisons/Asda, but they just don't have the variety of the other supermarkets. Of all the shops we use though, Asda depresses me the most...I'm often close to slitting my wrists halfway through a big shop in there.

However, after slating Scotmid's lack of variety, I do have to praise their wine selection, don't know who their buyer is but they've got a much better and more interesting selection than all the "big 4".

Findlays, Kitcheners and Fine Wine all get frequent patronage from us though, as did Borders before it closed. I wish some of them (and Williamsons which I can hardly ever visit) would open longer hours 1 day a week, or open Sundays if even just from 10-4 or so...

And, like Bob, we just can't resist the occasional foodie visit to Waitrose or M&S!

[allaboardtheskylark]

OK the big shop is usually chavzda, but the big shop is not an attempt at the week's provisions. Sometimes Sainsbury's, or .... Waitrose on-line has had the odd visit for the big shop. Not TESCO for some reason.

Then I would say money spent in High Street everyday on the sundry stuff like milk bread etc. The Co-op gets very regular visits plus Williamsons, Findlay's and the butchers at Joppa. Others in the High Street get regular visits, quite a reasonable spread.

Electrical goods, usually on-line. Books charity shop and give them back again, perversly always to a different charity shop.

Snacks if we get lazy bagex etc. Treats at home? M&S and you guessed it, Waitrose.

[Franck]

[rapunzell]

[Mark Cameron]

[Sandra]

[Epykat]

[Makaveli]

[Sandra]

[Makaveli]

[Maria]

[Bob Jefferson]

This was my shopping experience today. Findlay's deli for honey roast ham and rolls for our usual Saturday packed lunch (entire day spent ferrying daughter from one class to another). Scotmid for a few essentials. Into Williamson's and spent some 10 minutes chatting to owner on various fish-related topics, including the live lobsters he is selling (bargain price but I just can't bring myself to kill the poor things, delicious as they are) and the before buying mackerel, mussels and hot-smoked salmon. Headed home, having stopped to speak to various friends and neighbours I met on the way.

Back to Scotmid later on for wine and a few other things I realised I needed for tonight's dinner.

[philip myerscough]

[Bob Jefferson]

[allaboardtheskylark]

[Maria]

[Bob Jefferson]

[Pal of Porty]

[Porty]

[Maria]

[Bob Jefferson]

[Bob Jefferson]

[Puerto bella]

[Pal of Porty]

[Bazza]

We do almost all our shopping in Scotmid. I would get more fruit and veg from Banana Republic if they were open in the evenings after I get home.

I get the occasional thing from the specialist Indian and Chinese shops on Leith Walk.

We use Micas a lot, and we do the rounds of the charity shops every now and then. Fine Wines gets the odd visit, but again, they close a bit early.

And of course we go to Findlays for sausages and haggis every now and then.