New Aldi and Costa drive-through

[OLDMAN]

I'd suggest that the reason so many spaces are empty in Vastern Road is because of the over zealous parking wardens...even people well within the time limit and with receipts are issued tickets and have to argue the toss. It's put quite a few people off shopping there.

Hoped the new Aldi would be bigger...

I think it’s more a case of what time you visit down there

When we go – Saturday afternoon or Sunday late morning / lunchtime - there are only a few places down there and finding one can be difficult


Must say I’ve never seen a parking warden, never mind an overzealous one - did get told (by a councillor) they got warned / have put more control on that as it did get out of hand, plus there where some threats to sue the parking company about it!

[THC]

Aldi now take Amex which is good news for me.

[cnb]

I'd suggest that the reason so many spaces are empty in Vastern Road is because of the over zealous parking wardens...even people well within the time limit and with receipts are issued tickets and have to argue the toss. It's put quite a few people off shopping there.

I can't believe that makes a significant difference. It's a few dozen people out of tens of thousands. You just don't need much parking for a place where people only spend 20-30 minutes. It's not like a mall with multiple competing stores and restaurants etc.

Hoped the new Aldi would be bigger...

It will be slightly bigger than the Vastern Road one, but exactly the same as the Whitley one. All new build Aldi stores are the same size - if there is too much demand and the store gets crowded, they build another.

[OLDMAN]

Thinking back, I think I’ve previously mentioned I cannot see the point in ‘drive-through’s’ in this country

You have 2 choices using them –

Go though / get your food / drink etc
Then find somewhere to park so as to consume it
That could be the car-park or side of the road (unless taking it home)
Now progress to mess up / stink out your vehicle with it!
Then try and get rid of the rubbish left over

Or

Go though / get your food / drink etc
Then drive down the road eating / drinking thus breaking the law as to control of vehicle / undue care and attention
Unless only the passengers eat / drink!

TBH I would much rather park, go in and eat etc.

Although there again I rarely visit those establishments whether they offer drive-through or not

e.g. visits to date -

Costa – 1
BK – 5
KFC – 0
McD – 7

The list would go on - and they are not even ‘by choice’ visits!

[THC]

The whole point of Aldi is it is different to the established supermarkets - rather than stock 10 different varieties of cottage cheese they just stock one. They’ve got lean processes and multi skilled staff which means they can compete on price. No frills and stores aren’t too big so they can flex up and down the number of stores to meet the demand

[chris_j_wood]

I'd suggest that the reason so many spaces are empty in Vastern Road is because of the over zealous parking wardens...even people well within the time limit and with receipts are issued tickets and have to argue the toss. It's put quite a few people off shopping there.

Hoped the new Aldi would be bigger...

I think it’s more a case of what time you visit down there

When we go – Saturday afternoon or Sunday late morning / lunchtime - there are only a few places down there and finding one can be difficult


Must say I’ve never seen a parking warden, never mind an overzealous one - did get told (by a councillor) they got warned / have put more control on that as it did get out of hand, plus there where some threats to sue the parking company about it!

I'd suggest that the location might be something to do with it. It suffers many of the disadvantages of the town centre (especially traffic congestion going anywhere near the IDR) without actually being sufficiently in the town centre to benefit from the advantages (ability to park once and visit multiple shops/venues, accessibility by public transport).

[cnb]

I'd suggest that the location might be something to do with it. It suffers many of the disadvantages of the town centre (especially traffic congestion going anywhere near the IDR) without actually being sufficiently in the town centre to benefit from the advantages (ability to park once and visit multiple shops/venues, accessibility by public transport).

I think that applies to the other shops on the Vastern Road site, not so much to Aldi.

I can't see The Range surviving there for long. It's a vast place selling low value items on a prime site. I've never seen it busy except in the last couple of weeks before Christmas (though it seems busy at the tills due to the constant staff shortages). Mothercare never seems busy either, but I think that's the case in most of their stores.

Aldi, on the other hand, is pretty busy every evening and all weekend. Unlike the other shops which are trying to serve the whole of Reading from that one location, Aldi has plenty of customers in Caversham alone. It doesn't need people to drive round the IDR to get to it - they have, or will build, other stores for those customers. If Aldi get their market share up to the level it is in Germany (12-13%, from about half that now) - which is their goal - they'll need another 5 or 6 stores in and around Reading, even after the Suttons and Wokingham ones open.

Eventually the landlord will want to clear the site and build something denser. It might take another decade, but it's sure to happen. Aldi and TGI might do a deal to remain on the site in the ground floor of new buildings, but I expect The Range to move out of town. Mothercare will probably have gone bust by then.

[Mayfield]

I'd suggest that the reason so many spaces are empty in Vastern Road is because of the over zealous parking wardens...even people well within the time limit and with receipts are issued tickets and have to argue the toss. It's put quite a few people off shopping there.

I can't believe that makes a significant difference. It's a few dozen people out of tens of thousands. You just don't need much parking for a place where people only spend 20-30 minutes. It's not like a mall with multiple competing stores and restaurants etc.

Hoped the new Aldi would be bigger...

It will be slightly bigger than the Vastern Road one, but exactly the same as the Whitley one. All new build Aldi stores are the same size - if there is too much demand and the store gets crowded, they build another.

The trouble is while it should only be a few people several of the cases have been really stupid and of course the people who feel wronged have posted on social media...CGG and RGG are largish local groups

The parking wardens sit in their own cars, watching...several people have taken them to task....

[ReadingT]

Mothercare sells baby stuff. Can’t see it going bust!

[Mayfield]

Me neither, I've been to two of their 'events' recently and it's difficult to think of anyone who has quite the breadth of range

[bobby1413]

Mothercare sells baby stuff. Can’t see it going bust!

I've heard they're opening a drive through Mothercare

[ReadingT]

Mothercare sells baby stuff. Can’t see it going bust!

I've heard they're opening a drive through Mothercare

A pram-through.

[eddieed]

Mothercare sells baby stuff. Can’t see it going bust!

Mothercare are constantly in and out of financial difficulty. Yes they sell baby stuff but there is a lot of competition in the market and margins are relatively low...they issued a profits warning only a month ago:

https://www.ft.com/content/06be0470-f44 ... 65a6ce1a00

...Unlike the other shops which are trying to serve the whole of Reading from that one location,...

Not picking but

Mothercare has two stores in Reading

Majestic has two (ok one is in Woodley but pretty close)

If you look at how Aldi have built their stores they have covered the 4 main entrance points into Reading!

[OLDMAN]

I'd suggest that the location might be something to do with it. It suffers many of the disadvantages of the town centre (especially traffic congestion going anywhere near the IDR) without actually being sufficiently in the town centre to benefit from the advantages (ability to park once and visit multiple shops/venues, accessibility by public transport).

I think that applies to the other shops on the Vastern Road site, not so much to Aldi.

I can't see The Range surviving there for long. It's a vast place selling low value items on a prime site. I've never seen it busy except in the last couple of weeks before Christmas (though it seems busy at the tills due to the constant staff shortages). Mothercare never seems busy either, but I think that's the case in most of their stores.

Aldi, on the other hand, is pretty busy every evening and all weekend. Unlike the other shops which are trying to serve the whole of Reading from that one location, Aldi has plenty of customers in Caversham alone. It doesn't need people to drive round the IDR to get to it - they have, or will build, other stores for those customers. If Aldi get their market share up to the level it is in Germany (12-13%, from about half that now) - which is their goal - they'll need another 5 or 6 stores in and around Reading, even after the Suttons and Wokingham ones open.

Eventually the landlord will want to clear the site and build something denser. It might take another decade, but it's sure to happen. Aldi and TGI might do a deal to remain on the site in the ground floor of new buildings, but I expect The Range to move out of town. Mothercare will probably have gone bust by then.

I beg to differ

I think its all down to day / time of visits

We often pop down to The Range on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday lunchtime’ish and its quite busy at those times

We also pop into Aldi at the same time and that’s fairly quiet

As I said previously its often hard to park – and I don’t think it’s due to TGI’s as that’s often where the only parking is at that end


And saying about the wine place – I often wonder how they survive as never see anyone in there!

[cnb]

Mothercare sells baby stuff. Can’t see it going bust!

It sells overpriced baby stuff. I think it trades on a reputation from 30-40 years ago, and hasn't moved to compete with large supermarkets and online shopping.

Me neither, I've been to two of their 'events' recently and it's difficult to think of anyone who has quite the breadth of range

They have a broad range of all-things baby related, but nobody buys all those things at the same time, and one customer isn't shopping across all the price levels so I don't see how that adds any value for the customer. Everything they sell is available elsewhere for less, and in many cases those places have a better selection within their niche than Mothercare has in any one store. Mothercare has a huge range online, but so does every other - cheaper - online shop.

Mothercare are constantly in and out of financial difficulty. Yes they sell baby stuff but there is a lot of competition in the market and margins are relatively low...they issued a profits warning only a month ago:
https://www.ft.com/content/06be0470-f44 ... 65a6ce1a00

They're managed to turn a business that was loss making for years into a profitable one - just - last year they made a 1% profit. However, the share price - down 80% in the last two years - suggests that few people think it's going to get much better.

Not picking but

Mothercare has two stores in Reading

Majestic has two (ok one is in Woodley but pretty close)

If you look at how Aldi have built their stores they have covered the 4 main entrance points into Reading!

For some reason I thought the Mothercare in town had closed, but apparently not. I was ignoring Majestic - it's a tiny shop compared to the others on the site (less than 1/4 the size of Aldi) and

And saying about the wine place – I often wonder how they survive as never see anyone in there!

I've never seen anyone in there either.

[Mayfield]

Not everyone wants cheap, value for money is key...if they offer that they'll prosper...babies and kids need 'stuff' . The Mothercare in town were much better informed as to Pushchair options and the ins and outs of car seats but it's quite a cramped store.
I wouldn't be surprised to see them have smaller shops for just equipment and put clothes etc online...

[eddieed]

And saying about the wine place – I often wonder how they survive as never see anyone in there!

I've never seen anyone in there either.

There is always 1 or 2 people in there when I go in. They trade on high average transaction value, you used to have a 12 bottle minimum which they reduced to 6 and is now 1 - but you don't get the discounts unless you buy 6. They also have a lot of trade customers who like the way they deliver (for free and as often as they want) which is great if you have limited storage space. They also fulfil web sales from the stores with a cut going to the store.

Majestic isn't for everyone, although they have tried to make it more user friendly.

[cnb]

Not everyone wants cheap, value for money is key...if they offer that they'll prosper...babies and kids need 'stuff' . The Mothercare in town were much better informed as to Pushchair options and the ins and outs of car seats but it's quite a cramped store.

Mothercare doesn't do very cheap, but identical goods are available elsewhere for less. Want a cheap pushchair? Mothercare have them starting from £40, but Asda will have a near-identical model for £35. Want a fancy pushchair? Mothercare has all the expensive brands too, but John Lewis will still beat their prices on £1000 Bugaboos. The people who want cheap would probably be in Asda anyway, and the people who want expensive would probably be in John Lewis anyway - what does a shop covering both ends of the market but with higher prices add, other than the need for a special trip?

Babies need stuff, but so do adults - I don't see any need for a baby-specific shop for most of it. Mothercare sells formula milk, but who buys it there? Everyone I know buys baby food in the supermarket when they're shopping for the rest of the family. If you want clothes for kids, why not get them where you get your own clothes, whether that's Primark, Sainsbury's, Debenhams, John Lewis or Gucci, they all have fairly large kids ranges with quality that fits the price range.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them have smaller shops for just equipment and put clothes etc online...

I agree with the idea of this, though I'm not sure they can shrink the stores that much because the stuff is big. A shop specialising in car seats, pushchairs and high chairs would make more sense to me than the broader range they carry today, but they'd need a very wide range to be able to trade on impartial specialist advice (because the differences are actually very small - a £200 pushchair is 90% as good as a £1000 one in practical terms), and they'd also need low prices to compete with online alternatives, otherwise people will just use them as a free showroom for Amazon.

[cnb]

There is always 1 or 2 people in there when I go in. They trade on high average transaction value, you used to have a 12 bottle minimum which they reduced to 6 and is now 1 - but you don't get the discounts unless you buy 6. They also have a lot of trade customers who like the way they deliver (for free and as often as they want) which is great if you have limited storage space. They also fulfil web sales from the stores with a cut going to the store.

Majestic isn't for everyone, although they have tried to make it more user friendly.

I'd assumed that they used it as a delivery hub that's open to the public, and that was what made it viable. Their single bottle prices are silly, but they're competitive once you get the 6-bottle discount. If I didn't drive to France so much I'd probably use them.

[OLDMAN]

There is always 1 or 2 people in there when I go in. They trade on high average transaction value, you used to have a 12 bottle minimum which they reduced to 6 and is now 1 - but you don't get the discounts unless you buy 6. They also have a lot of trade customers who like the way they deliver (for free and as often as they want) which is great if you have limited storage space. They also fulfil web sales from the stores with a cut going to the store.

Majestic isn't for everyone, although they have tried to make it more user friendly.

I'd assumed that they used it as a delivery hub that's open to the public, and that was what made it viable. Their single bottle prices are silly, but they're competitive once you get the 6-bottle discount. If I didn't drive to France so much I'd probably use them.

I've used them in the past, mainly when buyig in bulk - but just not that one as my nearest / easiest is up Shepherds Hill

Also used the one in Wokingham before that

But even then it felt like I was the only customer!

[OLDMAN]

........................

They have a broad range of all-things baby related, but nobody buys all those things at the same time, and one customer isn't shopping across all the price levels so I don't see how that adds any value for the customer. Everything they sell is available elsewhere for less, and in many cases those places have a better selection within their niche than Mothercare has in any one store. Mothercare has a huge range online, but so does every other - cheaper - online shop.
.........................

Strangely enough a work mate and his wife are expected a baby at the end of March

He was telling us last week they went to Mama’s & Papa’s near where they live the weekend before, and bought almost ‘everything’ they needed in one hit – although I don’t think they planned it that way

It was mainly as M&P do a deal on that sort of thing so they saved a huge amount of money

He said they got the cot, car-seat (and buggy wheels for it) full pushchair, high seat, bedding, changing mats / bags, baby slings and lots of other stuff

About the only thing they didn’t get much of was clothing!

[cnb]

Strangely enough a work mate and his wife are expected a baby at the end of March

He was telling us last week they went to Mama’s & Papa’s near where they live the weekend before, and bought almost ‘everything’ they needed in one hit – although I don’t think they planned it that way

It was mainly as M&P do a deal on that sort of thing so they saved a huge amount of money

He said they got the cot, car-seat (and buggy wheels for it) full pushchair, high seat, bedding, changing mats / bags, baby slings and lots of other stuff

About the only thing they didn’t get much of was clothing!

Mamas and Papas is a bit more focused than Mothercare. They only have the mid-to-high end of prices, and they don't stock the things people normally buy in supermarkets like formula and nappies.

I'm amazed anyone needs to buy all that stuff at once though - do they not have any family or friends with kids? Vast amounts of my 18-month-old son's stuff (including almost all of his clothes, but also a high chair, play pen, buggy, and his 'backup' car seat) has been hand-me-downs from family and friends, and much of the baby stuff has already been passed on to friends with younger ones. The high chair was bought new for my eldest niece who's just turned 13, and I think we're the fourth household to use it; one of my brothers has a baby due in the summer, so I expect it'll go there next. Do I have a very odd group of family and friends who share stuff like this?

[Voiceoftreason?]

I have, or had, a very small family. IIRC the Moses basket was bought from a car boot and I made all the bedding for it (new mattress of course), the cot was a present from my mum, I think and it is probably either still in the loft or has been taken to the dump after the junior Voice had their turn in it. That bedding was cut down and re sewn flannelette double bed sheets. As time went on, the Car seat was second hand as was the Fold down buggy was second hand but the main cot/pushchair thingie was a present from the outlaws.

There was no family to hand down to or from, so a lot of the stuff was made, gone without, saved for, bought in sales, or second hand. For a year, I sold baby clothes and equipment at car boot sales with my mum. All washed, pressed and packaged on hangers etc. The equipment was cleaned and if we had any bigger toys and things like changing mats and bags, they were also cleaned and nicely presented (IMHO). We had quite a few repeat buyers that year, as they knew our stuff was good and fairly priced.

We stood out in all weathers that year, but I made enough money to buy my first car. That enabled me to get a cleaning job, which enabled me to run the car, eventually leading me to get a better job to pay for a childminder I needed so I could do the job in the first place!

I appear to have gone sorry. Bottom line is, it just wasn’t possible to have the money to go to any shop and get all of the stuff you needed, in one shot. Good for though if they were able to do that.

[cnb]

Bottom line is, it just wasn’t possible to have the money to go to any shop and get all of the stuff you needed, in one shot. Good for though if they were able to do that.

I understand that there are many people who can't afford fancy new stuff for their baby, but that's not the case for me, or most of the people we've been sharing stuff with. I could have gone and bought a £500 pushchair if I really wanted to, but it seems rather pointless and wasteful when there's a perfectly functional no-brand one sitting idle in my sister's attic. I'd rather spend the money on things that actually benefit the children.

[OLDMAN]

TBH I gather my w'mate doesn't have anyone to get hand-me downs as no siblings nor friends with kids
From what's been said they are the first of 'their' group to do so

His wife has a good job and both sets of parents are 'well to do' and they do tend to lead a slightly higher lifestyle than the norm

And I think its a bit of - ''we want the best and are happy to pay for it'' - and some of its being paid for by the parents / in-laws

He did say the pushchair should have been about £700 but in the deal it was half-price

But he also mentioned they had some in the £1000+ bracket?

[Pooneil]

A thousand quid for a pushcahir? For that price I'd be expecting it to have it's own wi-fi hotspot with bluetooth and USB ports. And probably a drinks chiller. Or some sort of high spec off-road racing suspension.

[OLDMAN]

Just asked

This is what they looked at first, then saw the price - https://www.mamasandpapas.com/en-gb/bug ... /6081u7700 - £1148, and no deal...and not the most expensive!

They went for this and as part of the deal with all the rest it was £325 instead of £699 - https://www.mamasandpapas.com/en-gb/oca ... /p/5775as4

Everting the bought came to about £1300'ish

[Voiceoftreason?]

I understand that there are many people who can't afford fancy new stuff for their baby, but that's not the case for me, or most of the people we've been sharing stuff with. I could have gone and bought a £500 pushchair if I really wanted to, but it seems rather pointless and wasteful when there's a perfectly functional no-brand one sitting idle in my sister's attic. I'd rather spend the money on things that actually benefit the children.

I was buying and selling shares for a well known national operator then, so I wasn’t exactly short of a quid or two either. That said, interest rates were nearly 18 percent, I only had the right to return to work on the same basis as I left it I.e. full time, and as there were virtually NO childminders in this area then, I wasn’t able to go back.

So rather like you, I bought the best I could afford at the time, spending the most on what the baby would use the most and less on or made, what would quickly be used or outgrown. I don’t understand people spending a grand on pushchairs - that’s more than my first car! Are they really THAT much more comfy for the child x especially those massive 4 x 4 jobs you see squeezing on to the buses, or is it “look at me and my purchasing power”......?

[Voiceoftreason?]

A thousand quid for a pushcahir? For that price I'd be expecting it to have it's own wi-fi hotspot with bluetooth and USB ports. And probably a drinks chiller. Or some sort of high spec off-road racing suspension.

Erm..... they do, Poo

[cnb]

Are they really THAT much more comfy for the child x especially those massive 4 x 4 jobs you see squeezing on to the buses, or is it “look at me and my purchasing power”......?

My son's first pushchair was £30 from Aldi. We put blankets under him to make it more comfortable when he was very small, but that didn't last long. He never complained. Bigger ones are a little more padded but I don't think the kids really notice. That pushchair wore out in about a year but it was a bit mistreated - lots of cobbled streets and a fair bit of off-road use. I'm sure it would have lasted ages in normal conditions. The final straw was when we walked to Shiplake along the Thames and it got bogged down in the mud - the wheels never recovered and eventually one fell off.

By that time he was getting big (he's 18 months now but wearing clothes for 3-year-olds), so we bought a bigger pushchair. With a heavy kid big wheels make it much easier to go up and down kerbs etc, as well as the off-road stuff. We paid £130 including delivery from Germany. It's 80% as good as the £1000 ones. Anything above £300 or so you're just paying for the show-off value of the brand name; even the Bugaboo £1000 ones are made in China.

[Voiceoftreason?]

Blimey. That Aldi one looks a bargain doesn’t it. I only ever had two I think. A big carrycot and convertible stroller job, and a cheap as chips all fabric folding Maclaten, as back in the day you had to take the child out and fold the stroller to get on the bus. You needed about six hands to do that with!

[cnb]

Blimey. That Aldi one looks a bargain doesn’t it. I only ever had two I think. A big carrycot and convertible stroller job, and a cheap as chips all fabric folding Maclaten, as back in the day you had to take the child out and fold the stroller to get on the bus. You needed about six hands to do that with!

The one we have that's a hand-me-down is a fully folding one for holidays, as the big one is too big to fit in the car with much other luggage, and much too big to take on planes. It's a nightmare to fold on your own, as you have to balance on one leg and use your foot to release the safety catch. Who thought it'd be a good idea to make people stand on one leg while carrying a baby? Fortunately on holidays we're normally all together.

[Mayfield]

Are they really THAT much more comfy for the child x especially those massive 4 x 4 jobs you see squeezing on to the buses, or is it “look at me and my purchasing power”......?

My son's first pushchair was £30 from Aldi. We put blankets under him to make it more comfortable when he was very small, but that didn't last long. He never complained. Bigger ones are a little more padded but I don't think the kids really notice. That pushchair wore out in about a year but it was a bit mistreated - lots of cobbled streets and a fair bit of off-road use. I'm sure it would have lasted ages in normal conditions. The final straw was when we walked to Shiplake along the Thames and it got bogged down in the mud - the wheels never recovered and eventually one fell off.

By that time he was getting big (he's 18 months now but wearing clothes for 3-year-olds), so we bought a bigger pushchair. With a heavy kid big wheels make it much easier to go up and down kerbs etc, as well as the off-road stuff. We paid £130 including delivery from Germany. It's 80% as good as the £1000 ones. Anything above £300 or so you're just paying for the show-off value of the brand name; even the Bugaboo £1000 ones are made in China.

I think this 'it's 80% as good' is a bit misleading...everyone has their own circumstances the pushchair has to fit, if the 20% is something really useful to you and it's missing it may as well be 80% worse ie both my daughter and I are a decent height and adjustable handles are a must, no matter how cheap a pushchair if it didn't have that it would pretty useless and cursed up hill and down dale when our backs ached. Like wise for some people the ability to fold it with one hand would be key...etc...

My daughter was fortunate in so far as colleagues have been keen to pass on stuff...one girl said 'oh I've got a few things you can have' it turned out a 'few' things was 5 bin liners of clothes all washed and clean and sorted into sizes !! Terrific

[cnb]

I think this 'it's 80% as good' is a bit misleading...everyone has their own circumstances the pushchair has to fit, if the 20% is something really useful to you and it's missing it may as well be 80% worse ie both my daughter and I are a decent height and adjustable handles are a must, no matter how cheap a pushchair if it didn't have that it would pretty useless and cursed up hill and down dale when our backs ached. Like wise for some people the ability to fold it with one hand would be key...etc...

Most pushchairs around the £300 mark have every feature I've ever seen anyone actually use. The only extras you get with a Bugaboo for the extra £700 - apart from the name - are adjustable spring suspension (babies really aren't that sensitive, it's a gimmick), and a special wheel position for pushing it through deep snow (which in southern England is something we only see for a couple of days every 5 years or so).

[Voiceoftreason?]

Ok, so,off topic I know but...

What would YOU consider must haves? For me, it’s foldability, one handed. Then in descending order, weight, size, manoeuvrability, flexibility (to convert from pram style, car seat style through to stroller style). Then the more ‘would be nice to haves’ - adjustable handles, some kind of tray or net sling to carry a few essentials, and a rain cover.

Obviously in foldability it takes into account that most people don’t need to fold down their push chairs to go on public transport, the tray means they don’t do a weeks shop on foot in one go, and size that they don’t live ten miles up a rutted farm track!

Anything else?