Malted milk biscuits…2 litre water bottle (x2)…the 3 for £1.20 deal of chunky kit-kat, smarties and…no actually, water first, then down the crisps aisle…Doritos if they’re only a £1 and I’m planning to revise that night…okay no it’s actually the 3 for £1.20 deal of chocolate ‘cos that’s right there as soon as you walk in…then walk round the side and pick up the red grapes to make myself feel better…couple of red onions to give the illusion I cook properly on a regular basi…okay no okay final one, it’s chocolate first, forget the onions ‘cos I forgot to pick up a basket and don’t want to juggle them, the packet of gingerbread men or the flapjacks, then pick up the biscuits, stare at the crème eggs but walk away then water last ‘cos that’s the heaviest but actually back to the front of the shop to swap the kit-kat fingers for the chunky bar (there’s a difference), stare at the crème eggs again…okay put the gingerbread men down and get the crème eggs…

Every time guys. Every time without fail, this is the process. Oh and I don’t mean, once a month during my monthly shop, I’m talking several times a day, before every lecture, during every revision break, after every trip back from town having just done my monthly shop. This isn’t even generic for how I behave at general supermarkets. This is for Tesco specifically. These items, this knowledge of their locations, this thought process, it’s only at Tesco. I mean every other supermarket, I’ve got my predetermined list (it’s either that or walking in aimlessly and coming out with random ingredients that don’t actually make a meal), walk into Sainsburys, get the apples(Pink Ladys or nothing), the mini cheddar crisps, stock up on my Cheerios andddd I’m out. Holland and Barretts? (yes, I live that type of life), pick up my Zinc tablets, some honey and the gluten-free biscuits (I’m not even allerg…) and it’s over. Farmfoods? Pick up my usual 3 for £10 deal of assorted meats, the £3 prawns, some mixed veg and peppers and I’m walking back. But Tesco? Tesco gets me. I could be in there for a good 30 minutes, leave having paid for just one fudge bar, start walking home and then turn back to fulfil the empty void that is consuming me with every step I’m taking in the opposite direction of the store.

Okay, there’s a point to this. Tesco is the largest supermarket retailer in the UK. Think of all the main ones, Morrison’s…Sains…Asda…Tesco dominates them all. Like why? Before coming to uni I’d only ever been to Tesco like…twice? That’s even just an assumption that perhaps during my childhood years my parents had driven me there at a point in time and dragged me around in the trolley. Now it’s my everyday place. Forget lectures, I’m at Tesco more than I’m in my university main building. It is the 3^rd largest supermarket in the World and has stores spanning over 12 countries.

Its success is mainly due to one word: diversification. It sees what consumers want and how their buying habits are changing and bam- it adapts. During the recession when everyone was hanging onto every penny, Tesco understood this and in 1993 introduced their ‘Value’ range(the much cheaper and plainer packaged stuff that you buy when the Kellogg’s and Heinz’s prices just aren’t cutting it.). This was so successful that estimated annual turnover skyrocketed to more than £1bn and the company continued to diversify further with the introduction of buying luxury items on credit. These days you walk in to buy butter and milk and walk out with a new phone and TV.
Okay, I sound like they’re sponsoring me to big them up but…they’re not. (Firstly, who am I that they’d use me to spread awareness) I’m simply explaining how to be successful in…life really. When starting something up for yourself, especially a service which others will hopefully interact with, it’s all about looking for gaps in the market, adapting to consumer trends and flying ahead of the competition.

These days, Tesco is everywhere, like the one located on my campus. (It’s closer to me than my university- clever). There’s a dynamic over here where you will forget your student I.D at home before you forget that Tesco Clubcard. They just knowww how to catch our eye with the good deals. Off the top of my head? Party rings, Rocky chocolate bars, the big packet of Skittles, the big packet of Starbursts, the big packet of Minstrels, all suddenly dropping to £1 when you least expect it. Mr Kipling’s Angel Slices, only 95p for a pack of 6 (my ultimate weakness). They’re taking over! Times have even occurred where Tesco have wanted to open up new stores in local areas and residents have protested against it. This did actually work on one occasion although Tesco said it was due to planning permission difficulties and not the protests at all (sure, whatever helps you stack the bread at night).

So there you have it, reasons into how a successful supermarket came to be and what we can learn from this (or maybe I’m just trying to force a helpful message from I’ve written, I’m not actually too sure what the point of…)
I just wanted to express my daily anxiety when picking revision snacks because it’s getting to 4am over here, I can’t sleep and I’m hungry because I was too lazy to get up and walk to Tesco before they closed. (11pm though, why?)

I did say this would be a more uplifting post than the last one so by daily anxiety I actually meant…something else.I do feel I need to plug in more economics into my blogs though so… next post. Happy thoughts and maybe something about inflation.

Stay Tuned! (And in the meantime, let’s ask ourselves why our eyebrows only grow on those 2 particular lines above our eyes and nowhere else.)