My girlfriend and I did our first proper London food shop the other day. We chose ASDA as our first food market destination. In my previous university-summer-break-working-holidays to the UK I did all my food shopping at ASDA. Why? Because they had a bottom shelf dedicated to us cheap Saffa students. All the no name brand food items are on the bottom shelf at half the price of the branded items. Baked beans, pasta sauces, and Cobra beer.
Nothing much has changed, the cheap pasta sauces are still on the bottom shelf.
This being our first food shop with very little pounds in our pocket, we kept with my tradition. Needless to say we have stiff backs from all the bending over.
There is something that has changed at ASDA though. And it’s caused quite a dilema in Mark’s head. The 2 for 1 promotions, and the “Buy one for 1.24 quid, Buy two for 2 quid” or the “Buy 1 for 1.18 quid, Buy three for 2.80 quid” deals.
Where I used to focus all my attention to the bottom shelf, I now focus most of my attention on all the “fantastic” promotions. A constant battle is going on in my head, the little red-skinned Mark, with devil horns coming out his forehead, is saying to me, “Wow, Awesome, Thanks ASDA, I’ll take one of those!”. The other little Mark, the angelic Mark, with fairy wings, is saying “Don’t do it Mark! ASDA is just sucking you into their black hole, leaving your wallet empty, tricking you with clever promotions!”
I caught the bus home with twice as heavy ASDA bags as they should have been, with even less money in my wallet than I could have ever expected.
I have two jars of Branston pickle, three cartons of orange juice (It was 3 for 2 quid!), two packets of salami, and about 6 jars of pasta sauces.
You won this war ASDA, but I’ll have the last laugh!
(Apologies for the out-of-focus, camera phone, photo. You can make out all the promotions though. The yellow tag is the price, the red tag is the “promotion” tag)
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