explain to me the way uk supermarkets work, esp m&s

surely m&s don't have mini-factories to produce each and every item on their shelves?

It's a massive company, I wouldn't be surprised. You don't have to build your own factories anyway, I'm sure lots of manufacturers do stuff on spec.

Things that are lightweight (like cornflakes) are typically produced in many regional factories, because it is expensive to ship them. While companies like Kellogs might produce generic products, it isn't "quality" that determines what makes it generic, but the recipe (additives, type of sugar, what temperature it's baked at, what size the flakes are cut to, what type of corn is used for the feedstock). More typically, a brand name company will contract with a regional producer (whose company name isn't a recognizable brand of any kind), providing them with their proprietary recipe of raw materials, which the regional producer then makes up to a proprietary recipe, then boxes and overpacks for regional distribution.

Things that are lightweight but bulky, that should say

made by elves in the basement

That's only Keebler, and they started using offshore elves 2 years ago.

Years ago I worked in a biscuit factory (my sister still works there) that produced biscuits for big name supermarkets. The same biscuits would be packaged as "economy" or in regular packaging and then sold in the shops with a price differential. Presumaby M&S products are made by sub-contractors too.

Marks and Spencers tortillas are exactly the same ones that Aldi sell, I know that, from having worked in a tortilla factory for 2 days.

This is why you always buy the economy brands, people.

IF YOU DON'T MIND LOOKING LIKE A POOR PERSON

Didn't Kellogs have a motto, "we don't make cereal for anyone else"? Implies they don't go any for any generic brand shenanigans.

This is why you always buy the economy brands, people.

http://photos7.flickr.com/10829895_ff66da27b4_m.jpg

^^^ Exactly the same as Peroni.

A few weeks ago I discovered, to my surprise, that Morrisons version of All-Bran was not, as I assumed, more or less the same thing, but something quite unpalatable.

Yeah sometimes this strategy definitely does not work.

cf. pokey cola

I want to find out where Aldi source all their stuff from, cause nary a brand was recognisable, but I am also of the opinion that in a lot of cases it's just rebranded known brand stuff. Except when its imported (I found jaffa cakes at aldi - JAFFA CAKES! Cant get McVities here anymore).

I'm not convinced that generic versions are merely rebrandings of brand-name versions, certainly not in all cases anyway, because I for one can tell a definite difference.

Stuff that doesn't have a strong brand name representation, such as pasta or tinned tomatoes say, seems pretty indistinguishable across the range (brand name -> supermarket own -> supermarket value), but things that do have a well-known brand name version, for example cereals e.g. Kellogg's Corn Flakes etc., have definite differences between the brand name versions and the various supermarket incarnations, particularly the 'value/saver' lines.

Generic versions of Weetabix are identical to Weetabix. Apart from the Value versions, which are not.

I used to think (when I was very small) that Weetabix were called Weetapigs. THere's a marketing concept for you.

You may be onto something there, deep fry them in bacon grease and they may just become edible.

Only if you then smother them in chocolate.

> Generic versions of Weetabix are identical to Weetabix.

they are not, the sainsbury's ones aren't anyway. i find them noticeably different, slightly rougher, slightly preferable. (always puzzles me though, if you're trying to provide a cheaper alternative to a brand name project for people on a budget, why do you bother embossing the box?)

but yes about the value versions, which are a lot lower quality, approaching the consistency of scouring pads. and they don't bother rounding the corners.

They're not made by Kelloggs or whoever, most of the time. They're made by big food companies who produce 'white label' goods for most of the big supermarkets.

Em prefers Sainsburys Choco Snaps to proper Coco Pops, because apparently Choco Snaps taste like Coco Pops used to taste.

In the uni shop there are packs of biscuits called "Dunkables" which are clearly 'seconds' of proper luxry biscuits that the factory boxes up and sells themselves. Bargainous!

http://home.blarg.net/~wayule/graphics/lost_dharma_cookies.jpg

I bought the 5p Sainsbury's curry sauce the other day. I'll find a use for that jar at least.

> I bought the 5p Sainsbury's curry sauce the other day. I'll find a use for that jar at least.

ha. never seen the 5p curry sauce BUT the 69p 'be good to yourself' balti sauce is half the price of the branded stuff and i use that all the time.

the 24p chickpeas (on the immigrant aisle) are also nicer (bigger, fluffier) than the 42p chickpeas stacked with the other tinned veg.

seriously, this thread is gold dust. please to continue telling us what is/isn't as good or better than the brand name shit.

search: tinned toms
destroy: cornflakes, cola

M&S cola is OK

Stuff that doesn't have a strong brand name representation, such as pasta or tinned tomatoes say, seems pretty indistinguishable across the range (brand name -> supermarket own -> supermarket value)

-- krakow, Wednesday, 7 May 2008 09:34 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

Buitoni is _clearly_ superior to any poundstore ish.

Own brand teabags tend to be pretty rank as well.

Asda single malt whiskey is IMO better than Bells/Teachers/whatever blended shit that costs the same amount.

Economy tinned peaches: taste the same, but more likely to contain chunks of peach stone

I used to walk to Tesco even though it was much further than Sainsbury's just because Tesco Value choc chip cookies were about 6000x nicer than Sainsbury's Economy (i.e. were actually choc chip cookies instead of plain biscuits with occasional flecks of fake chocolate).

Asda single malt whiskey is IMO better than Bells/Teachers/whatever blended shit that costs the same amount.

Yeah Lidl do one that's I think £8.99 and it's pretty good if you're an impoverished angry guy

> seriously, this thread is gold dust.

Cheap economy own brand foods
Tesco Value, Sainsburys Economy Ect Ect

(am sure there's a newer thread than those two even)

Tesco Value is how I survive, so I say it's time for a revive...

Sainsburys Economy bacon is fine; as mentioned on another thread, it's the same quality as regular stuff, just not perfect sizes.

Yeah Lidl do one that's I think £8.99 and it's pretty good if you're an impoverished angry guy

haha SCORE!

I picked the Tesco Value, Sainsburys Economy Ect Ect to try and bring back to life.