Checking in - Head Count! LOL! (Los Angeles, London: sale, department store, automobile)
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<Maybe not carry the same items as here, but when I walk into a store here I expect to see a generic brand, a store brand, and multiple name brands.
These are really just pricing strategies, in particular price discrimination, and European companies are just as aware of them as those in the US. The variety in American stores is deceptive though, in the US there are a handful of food companies that control the majority of brands you see in US stores. Usually all the different products are just small various of the other products.
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Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE
From what I am reading that would not be the case in the UK or Europe for that matter. You would have a single choice or if you were lucky a second choice.
In the case of ice cream, perhaps, but not in the case of products that Europeans care more about (of course it differs from country to country). Americans tend to have tunnel vision though, if a store doesn't have their cheese puffs, etc then it has a bad selection, despite the fact that it may have a wonderful selection of cheese, breads, sausage, etc. You only see what you're looking for.
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Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE
I have been in many stated in the USA and have seen Supermarkets that resemble what I am used to here in California.
You can find supermarkets throughout the US, but the average size of them, what they sale, etc differs from region to region. Generally speaking, large supermarkets are a suburban thing, rural towns have few if any large supermarkets and big cities usually have smaller stores.
didn't Great Britain go back to using the British Pound last year? I read somewhere that up untill 1970 maps showed Great Britiain as seperate from Europe, but in 1973 Great Britain joined the European Union and things changed from there. Most of what I read had the British people as claiming to be seperate from Europe. As a land mass perhaps you have us there, but as a people, from those that I know and those that I read about they claim to be British and not European.
These are really just pricing strategies, in particular price discrimination, and European companies are just as aware of them as those in the US. The variety in American stores is deceptive though, in the US there are a handful of food companies that control the majority of brands you see in US stores. Usually all the different products are just small various of the other products.
In the case of ice cream, perhaps, but not in the case of products that Europeans care more about (of course it differs from country to country). Americans tend to have tunnel vision though, if a store doesn't have their cheese puffs, etc then it has a bad selection, despite the fact that it may have a wonderful selection of cheese, breads, sausage, etc. You only see what you're looking for.
You can find supermarkets throughout the US, but the average size of them, what they sale, etc differs from region to region. Generally speaking, large supermarkets are a suburban thing, rural towns have few if any large supermarkets and big cities usually have smaller stores.
Deceptive variety, Lets see I can find Coke, Pepsi, DrPepper, and several other brands selling cola here in about any supermarket in the USA, any C store in the USA as well. From what I am reading in Great Britain I would have a single brand that I can purchase. I can also find similar sized stored in Iowa that are in large communities. When I lived in Iowa a store called Eagle, very similar to a Vons was in many communities.
Just curious, which area does your friend live in? I lived in Newcastle, my American friend lived just outside of Sheffield and my best UK friend was born and raised in the Essex area of London. My husband and his family also lived in Croydon, London for a few years.
I am not sure where she lives other then England. I know someone from London though too. Does it vary from area to area in England or it's similar everywhere?
Yes, I know they have "big" stores in the UK. Lived there for 8 years and used to shop at the Kingston Park Tesco you have cited. I was able to get my American-style chocolate cakes there But, when compared with American stores they are still small in comparison and have nowhere near the amount of food items that we have. My in-laws are from Newcastle, which is over twice the size on Simi Valley, where the Kingston Park shop is located. Kingston Park (aka Kinky Park) is an estate within the boundaries of Newcastle upon Tyne. Furthermore, unlike Albertsons, Tesco is a full-service shop which would best be compared with Wal-Mart or Target. Incidently, the ASDA stores in the UK are owned by Wal-Mart. Neither ASDA nor Tesco are just grocery stores like Albertsons. On the other hand, the Fresh & Easy stores opening up all over California are a UK owned company, which operate in conjunction with Tesco. In other words, Fresh & Easy is a popular food product line sold through Tesco stores in the UK. Only about 1/3 of the floor space in Tesco is dedicated to grocery items.
So, you are wrong. The UK does NOT have GROCERY stores which are as large as American ones. My in-laws have also lived in London, where larger grocery stores would be expected if they exist. They do not.
So things are going well with the family. Yes, I noticed, the couple of times we visited London they didn't have the same style grocery stores we have in America. by style, I mean size and choices. Every country is different. Our daughter lived in Poland for 2 years, the same thing there: few large grocery stores, but awesome open air markets.
If you replaced "American stores", with "stores in the greater Los Angeles", I would agree, but most of the US is not like the LA metro area. The sort of variety we have here is not available in much of the country. Also, Simi Valley is not an isolated city, rather its part of the greater Los Angeles, on the other hand Newcastle is part of a metro area that is around 20 times smaller. There is no comparison.
But they do exist, there are numerous supermarket chains throughout the UK, including the London area:
Why would supermarkets only exist in the US? It would be particularly odd considering the supply-chain methods that make them possible were largely developed in the UK, not the US.
Just a couple of corrections here 1-I don't know how many places you have lived or shopped, but almost every major city has grocery stores just like those in Los Angeles and 2-Aldis is in Europe, but whether Europe or here, they are very tiny with very little selection. Super Markets and large markets are not the same. There are many chain stores, whether grocery or other types that are not large.
Both Pepsi co and Coke operate in the UK, most of the "brands" in the us are owned by these two companies.
But I give up, I really don't care about defending the UK.
I haven't heard how you were defending the UK. Anyway this is getting old. I would prefer to hear about it from those with an actual connection to the area.
I am not sure where she lives other then England. I know someone from London though too. Does it vary from area to area in England or it's similar everywhere?
Certain areas of London tend to have a larger selection in foods and goods due to their "tourist city" status. I believe they still have Crispy Creme donuts, but no longer offer Taco Bell, which was only available in London. Although so places, like Plymouth, cater to ex-pat Americans with a huge Thanksgiving feast you would be hard pressed to find pumpkin pie anywhere in the UK. I found one once in London, but it cost the equivalent of $45 American dollars and they wouldn't ship one up to Newcastle.
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But, when compared with American stores they are still small in comparison and have nowhere near the amount of food items that we have. My in-laws are from Newcastle, which is over twice the size on Simi Valley, where the Kingston Park shop is located. Kingston Park (aka Kinky Park) is an estate within the boundaries of Newcastle upon Tyne. Furthermore, unlike Albertsons, Tesco is a full-service shop which would best be compared with Wal-Mart or Target. Incidently, the ASDA stores in the UK are owned by Wal-Mart. Neither ASDA nor Tesco are just grocery stores like Albertsons. On the other hand, the Fresh & Easy stores opening up all over California are a UK owned company, which operate in conjunction with Tesco. In other words, Fresh & Easy is a popular food product line sold through Tesco stores in the UK. Only about 1/3 of the floor space in Tesco is dedicated to grocery items.
