We’ve just had a new Tesco built near us and I must say I do like it. It’s a big new store and has a huge range of stock.

The construction of this new store caused some controversy locally as the old cattle market which has been part of the town for many years had to be demolished , which as you can guess caused a great deal of anger from the older residents of the town. The battle raged for months but eventually, as you would expect big business won out in the end and part of the towns heritage was lost forever. There was a lot of talk locally about boycotting the new store when it arrived, but I think that may have been a lot of local passion spilling over, because every time I’ve been in there its been pretty full, with customers.

I don’t know if Tesco have adopted this steamroller approach else where in expanding their empire but I don’t think they will be very popular for long if they continue this policy all over the land.

The trouble is its one of those big hypermarket type of stores designed for, out of town shopping usually located on a shopping park, or on the edge of town, and they have built it slap, bang in the middle of town. There are a lot of small villages in the surrounding area, and I am sure that there will be a lot of people coming in to use the store causing a lot of congestion in the town.

Was the sacrifice worth it. I suppose is the only question we need to ask, was it worth all the trouble. Well I think it probably was. It was a shame about losing the old market, but I’m not sure how much business or money it was actually bringing in to the town, despite the sentimental reasons, for keeping it.

The new store has a huge car park which seems far larger than is needed for the store itself, its got huge acreage of parking space. I think one of the concessions that Tesco had to make when they built the store was that they had to build a car park for the whole town to use in the centre of town, and that it was not exclusively for Tesco customers, I think this explains the huge size of the car park. The car park is also the site for the only bottle bank, and newspaper bank in the town centre which is good, it is well used and always looks over flowing with stuff for recycling. So full marks for that one.

There is also a small bus stop for the local mini bus service for people on the out lying parts of the town to travel to the store, this good be seen as a handy service, or Tesco’s attempt to squeeze every last customer they can out of the surrounding area.

Also in the car park there is a small bunker type building with 2 ATM machines doling out money to customers, which is handy and a common feature at most new superstores.

Moving inside the store it is very spacious and airy, the aisles are wide and the tills numerous, I’ve never seen so many checkouts, for a store this size. There is a café, a kiosk selling newspapers, tobacco, sweets, lottery tickets, and then the main store itself.

The range of products in the store is very comprehensive, I remember when Tesco was almost exclusively a food and hardware store, but they have expanded, as have ASDA into electrical goods, and clothes, but as you would expect, this “jack of all trades”, approach does not inspire confidence, in some of the product lines. I’m not sure I would want to buy a loaf of bread, a pint of milk and a television set, all in one go, it doesn’t convince me somehow. If I’m going out to buy something which represents a considerable investment, like a television, video recorder, I think I would want to go to a specialist store with considerable range and experience, which the shop assistants in this kind of store can not be expected to have. I can see the correlation between some consumer products, in a primarily food orientated store like this. A microwave oven perhaps, of which my local store sells several, that makes sense, you’re buying food, you need to cook it, but even then you need to know what your going in for, and have done your research before hand, it’s the last port of call for buying something rather than the first. At a specialist shop you can go in seeking information, here you can only go in seeking a purchase.

When I go in to my local Tesco, I have a vague idea of what I want, but I must confess I am willing to be led by the promotions and offer that happen to be on that particular week. Am I being conned? , I don’t think so. There are so many different offers on every week I simply adjust my requirements as to what is the cheapest, that day. You still get a good variety of choice over a month, for example, you just have to have it in a different order, to what you might have had, if you were choosing it yourself. My favourite offer is the Buy One Get One Free offer. Branded products at genuinely half price. You know exactly what you are getting , you were going to buy it any way, and they are giving you another one, gratis. Where’s the problem with that. I agree it’s a marketing ploy to get you in there in the first place, spending money, but if you play them at there own game and be resistant to what you don’t really want you can come out the winner!

There is also the fresh produce aisles which have been introduced, to these big superstores, I think we have a delicatessen counter, which has cheese, cooked meat, various coleslaw concoctions, fresh olives etc. Opposite this, the fishmonger counter, which I do not use as I am a vegetarian, so I can’t comment on that. The main, and best of these is the in store bakery, I think that is probably the most popular of these innovative marketing tools. I must say though that I have found the quality of the bread in my local store is a bit inconsistent. Some of the French breads they do are very good, you can relay tell the difference, and worth the money, a notable quality. There are however other loaves f the more traditional split tin variety which have not been up to par at all, and I have been rather disappointed, not being any better than some of the pre packed loaves they sell on the next aisle. The trouble is that sometimes they taste undercooked and doughy. I think all the bread comes in a par baked condition, or at least pre prepared, and is just finished in the store ovens. About 7/10 for the bakery, which is a shame because it could be a much bigger asset. Tesco can not afford to rest on their laurels as there are at least four bakeries within ten minutes walking distance of our store including a Skeltons and a Cooplands, and their bread is far superior

These big superstores never quite reproduce the wares available under one roof that you would once get by walking the length of your local town centre, picking up different items from say the butcher, the baker, and if you want the candlestick maker, it all seems a bit synthetic. we still have two open air markets twice a week, which Tesco have not managed to build over, and they can’t really match them in terms of atmosphere or produce, but the maybe I’m a bit biased. Our local markets carry a lot of local produce, and I am glad to see that despite the opening of Tesco not two minutes away, they are still both doing well, as well as ever in fact as far as I can see. So perhaps there is room for the new along side the old, or am I being nieve. There’s nothing quite like foraging through the market for your groceries, and picking you own fruit and veg, and if it’s market day I always go there first, sorry Tesco but you can’t hold a candle to the old traditional market.

The ‘fresh’ fruit and veg in my Tesco is of a good quality, and I suppose you do get the exotics you just can’t get at the local market. I haven’t seen many kiwi fruit, mango, star fruit, sweet potatoes, and the rest, you will need if your following a recipe from “Ready, Steady, Cook,” (that’s if anyone ever does), down at the local Saturday market. Here I have to concede the point, and even if you could get these at the local market the price would probably be prohibitive. Also there is often a lot of this stuff on a half price or reduced table if you go at the right time of day.

Tesco have their own brand products as do most of the big food retailers, Kwiksave, ASDA, Safeway, which stand up to any of these others. You get what you pay for of course but I often buy these, on say a half and half basis so I get some branded products and the rest the cheapo stuff, generally baked beans, I don’t care what you say I can’t tell the difference between Heinz and Tesco baked beans,

though that’s probably blasphemy to a baked bean afficionado. I’ll probably be the target of a fatwa , by the baked bean appreciation society for saying that. Also tins of plum tomatoes for 15p, I don’t see the point of the more expensive brands, unless you’ve got someone coming to dinner, or something.

I bought Tesco own brand toothpaste the other day for 21p 100g, I’ll let you know if all my teeth fall out!

If your having a budget week you could really clean up in Tesco if you play your cards right. Firstly buy all your basics, from the own brand line ( white containers with a blue stripe), beans, pasta, bread, etc. Second seen what’s going on the half price veg table and adjust your recipes and menu accordingly. Then check out the buy one get one free lines, and get half of next weeks shopping this week with your free stuff, pay for it and scarper before they realise you’ve turned them over! Great stuff.

As for the rest of the stock, well its just the same as you get in any other superstore, branded products after all are all the same no matter where you get them from. Tesco are competitive and that’s about all I can say.

I’ve never been into the café, but it looks a pretty miserable affair, full of miserable looking people, but I suppose they’ve had a hard day shopping, and they’re just about had enough. The trouble is the café is glass walled and looks straight on to the street, and you can see right in of course. May be it’s just me but all these miserable looking people look as they’ve being held hostage, and are looking longingly out in to the street in order to effect an escape. Maybe they have. Either way it’s not a very good advert for the store.

There is one thing I’ve never taken up with Tesco and that is the Clubcard. I never really rate these things. I think they just encourage you to spend money to get a few more points on your card, and it takes for ever and you don’t get that much of a reward. Maybe you know different but I never got around to getting one.

In terms of disabled access, there are some disabled parking bays, at the rear or the store, near the back entrance. On entering the store there are several ranks of trolleys, including the 'clip on' type that fixes to a wheelchair. The main corridor that links the front store entrance to the back store entrance, is wide and straight, at least 12 feet wide to allow for a lot of trolly traffic, and can easily accommodate a wheel chair with a trolley attatched. The main store can be accessed from either end of the building, and the checkout aisles are built doulble width, back to back , so there is not a dedicated wheelchair aisle, as all of them give good access. All the aisles around the store are very wide and spacious, allowing for both conventional and wheelchair trolleys.

If you have a Tesco near you and have never been in, I would give it a try, if you don’t maybe they’ll build one near you soon, I just hope they don’t have to knock half your town down to do it!