The Tesco & other non-Morrisons supermarket thread

[Zimba]

Don't believe so. Redcar was never a Safeway. It was built as a Morrison's in the 90's I believe. I can remember my local store (Tynemouth) definitely used to have a system back in the 90's so I believe all the stores had them at some point.

Do you recall the replacement Preston Grange Presto that was around for about two years? That was an odd decision.

For reference the original Preston Grange shopping arcade (supposedly from which the name Presto was coined) was demolished and Argylle made the odd decision to build a replacement Presto on the edge of the site.

At the time, Morrisons were building a megastore (by 90s standards) with a new row of shops alongside (there's like a small street that juts out from the edge with a chemist, post office, vet, and a dominos).

Argyll themselves had a largeish Safeway in Whitley Bay and smaller one in North Shields either side of this.

Presto then closed shortly after Morrisons opened.


At least that's how I remember it...

Ah I was too young to remember Presto's, I believe Morrison's opened the same year I was born or the year after (1994 I think). Can just remember the demolition of Preston Grange though, my family used to always shop there so they naturally just moved to the Morrison's there before they moved to the old Killingworth store (now Matalan). That store must hold the record for one of the shortest lived new build 1980/1990's stores.

Never realised the Wilkinsons in North Shields used to be a supermarket aswell but makes sense thinking about it now, guessing that shut at the same time as Preston Grange as it's always been Wilkinson's in my life time.

[Pete]

Never realised the Wilkinsons in North Shields used to be a supermarket aswell but makes sense thinking about it now, guessing that shut at the same time as Preston Grange as it's always been Wilkinson's in my life time.

Yeah Safeway in the Beacon Centre closed in 1995. That nightmare of a cafe has not changed one bit since those days.

Basically because it was increasingly expensive to park in North Shields town centre people tended to go to the Safeway in Whitley Bay instead, which was also bigger. Or Morrisons, or Sainsburys in Monkseaton.

The co-op that is away to be demolished also used to be the entire building rather than the rump of a store that existed until recently. It was food at the top end near bedford street, with checkouts down the wider part of the building that ran parallel to McDonalds. Then the narrower part along station road was homeware, electricals etc. You could exit either to bedford street or at the corner and cross straight over to the Metro.

[Zimba]

Never realised the Wilkinsons in North Shields used to be a supermarket aswell but makes sense thinking about it now, guessing that shut at the same time as Preston Grange as it's always been Wilkinson's in my life time.

Yeah Safeway in the Beacon Centre closed in 1995. That nightmare of a cafe has not changed one bit since those days.

Basically because it was increasingly expensive to park in North Shields town centre people tended to go to the Safeway in Whitley Bay instead, which was also bigger. Or Morrisons, or Sainsburys in Monkseaton.

The co-op that is away to be demolished also used to be the entire building rather than the rump of a store that existed until recently. It was food at the top end near bedford street, with checkouts down the wider part of the building that ran parallel to McDonalds. Then the narrower part along station road was homeware, electricals etc. You could exit either to bedford street or at the corner and cross straight over to the Metro.

Not surprised tbh, ironic because half of the Wilko store is abandoned aswell now. Very surprised that one survived the latest culls with the new store at Silverlink. The cafe is one hell of dump aswell. Was outdated in the 90's and as you said it's never changed.

Can remember the big Co-op though back in the day, was in a sad state that by the end, killed by the ASDA in Netto imo. Surprised it lasted as long as it did really.

[Jacket]

Do you recall the replacement Preston Grange Presto that was around for about two years? That was an odd decision.

For reference the original Preston Grange shopping arcade (supposedly from which the name Presto was coined) was demolished and Argylle made the odd decision to build a replacement Presto on the edge of the site.

That Presto was already there, having originally been a branch of Hintons, which Argyll took over in the mid-'80s. It was converted to Presto and coexisted with the original Presto, a 30-second walk away, for years. Very odd.

You can faintly see "welcome to Hintons" on the sign to the left here.



(Pic from this thread, which has lots more of the shopping centre in various states of demolition.) https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/ ... 85/page-92

[Philip]

I notice in Tesco that we’ve gone from good, free to take, plastic fresh produce bags > rubbish, free to take, paper fresh produce bags > 30p plastic fresh produce bags. I’m not impressed.

[Pete]

That Presto was already there, having originally been a branch of Hintons, which Argyll took over in the mid-'80s. It was converted to Presto and coexisted with the original Presto, a 30-second walk away, for years. Very odd.

You can faintly see "welcome to Hintons" on the sign to the left here.

ah! I see. I was about 5 when all this was happening hence the foggy memories. Didn't realise the two coexisted together.

I have a distinct memory of that weird square Presto sign though. Having read a few other posts on there I forgot the space where Morrisons is used to be a field where the ponies for Tynemouth beach lived.

[Joe]

I notice in Tesco that we’ve gone from good, free to take, plastic fresh produce bags > rubbish, free to take, paper fresh produce bags > 30p plastic fresh produce bags. I’m not impressed.

I'm cynical enough to think it's not about saving the planet at all, but more about good PR and, mostly, cost-cutting.

Whatever the motivation, however, I can't disagree with getting rid of wasteful free plastic. We've got to shake off this desire of convenience above all else.

[Charlie Wells]

I notice in Tesco that we’ve gone from good, free to take, plastic fresh produce bags > rubbish, free to take, paper fresh produce bags > 30p plastic fresh produce bags. I’m not impressed.

Our Tesco Extra still has the paper bags, though they do seem to be promoting the 30p bags more prominently. They also seem to be replenishing the paper bags less often based on local fb group comments, so sometimes only the 30p bags are available.

[WillPS]

Heron have won in the long running war with Fultons: https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/fult ... ms-3565316

[Philip]

I notice in Tesco that we’ve gone from good, free to take, plastic fresh produce bags > rubbish, free to take, paper fresh produce bags > 30p plastic fresh produce bags. I’m not impressed.

I'm cynical enough to think it's not about saving the planet at all, but more about good PR and, mostly, cost-cutting.

Whatever the motivation, however, I can't disagree with getting rid of wasteful free plastic. We've got to shake off this desire of convenience above all else.

I don't know, it's just the principle to me of making the free option rubbish so the paid option looks so much better in comparison.

Their desperation sometimes to latch onto the whole plastic thing annoys me a bit. Things like a packet of pork pies having a big label on the front crowing "We got rid of the plastic tray". Great, except the plastic tray was the part that was recyclable, and the cellophane wrap that remains is not.

[BBC TV Centre]

I don't find the paper bags particularly awful. What is it that you do to these that makes them worse than plastic?

The problem with recycling in the UK is that there is no joined up policy.

Venture from one part of the country to the other, and the materials and method in which they are collected vary.

Cellophane wrap can be recycled at larger supermarkets. I would think the idea behind the removal of the plastic trays is also cost saving, both in terms of acquisition and transport, as well as environmental. After all, it is better to have less packaging than more.

I'm surprised it has taken so long for some companies to realise this.