Forum Topic

Plants - bit unfair

M & S had a big display of bedding plants and vegetable plants outside today. Many people buying but it does seem a bit unfair on local garden centres who can’t open.Wheelers are doing a fantastic job delivering locally, probably to keep their heads above water.

Susan Jacques ● 2379d17 Comments

“a bit unfair”...Far too kind of you Susan...M&S selling vegetable plants I can just about understand if I give them the benefit of the doubt...  but selling bedding plants...!!!Tell me you're pulling my leg...Talk about grabbing an opportunity in the current market..They should be prosecuted..

Stuart Kerr ● 2379d

Sounds like a W4 boycott comingPS. Did they have any quails eggs in stock

Julian Pavey ● 2379d

Waitrose also sell bedding and vegetable plants

Loraine Pemberton ● 2379d

Huh!!!Just what you'd expect from a shop that kicks out fresh fish and meat to make space for sushi..

Stuart Kerr ● 2379d

pretty sure they've always carried this sort of thing and suspect they have suppliers with these ready to go.Would you have them go to waste and the supplier not get any income?

Chris Jenkins ● 2379d

It’s a good result for the growers though. At least it provides them with an outlet for their products so they don’t go to waste.

James Carter ● 2379d

Of course I wouldn't.But that's a completely separate argument.Bedding plants are NOT essential.  And not edible.And if anyone round here should be selling bedding plants it's Wheelers and NOT a bloody supermarket..

Stuart Kerr ● 2379d

This is a storm in a tea cup.Bedding plant producers have made it clear how desperate they were to sell their stock before it was too late and with the garden centres closed, many of them stood to go out of business.This is a mutual arrangement between the growers and the supermarkets albeit to the disadvantage of the garden centres and, in all likelihood is temporary.  I see it as the supermarkets giving a much needed helping hand to the growers and not as opportunistic thieves as they are being portrayed.

Elizabeth Ross ● 2379d

Yes Elizabeth..Supermarkets are like that.  Always have been.  Never purposely looking to push the margin to make a few pence more.  Generous to a fault they are and always looking to help someone out..Look what they did for our milk producing dairy farmers....  Kindness itself..

Stuart Kerr ● 2379d

On the other side of the argument.  What about all the small independents now doing their own home deliveries and depriving the supermarkets of their business.I deduce from your specious comments that you never ever shop at M&S and Waitrose or are you a hypocrite?

Elizabeth Ross ● 2379d

Don't know about M&S, but Waitrose always have plants for sale, they have racks of them out the front of the shop. Have done for years.

Bob Guyett ● 2379d

Just a hypocrite Elizabeth.  Of course I use local supermarkets. But that doesn't mean I like their game.They've always been in the business of killing-off the small trader.  Grabbing whatever market someone else develops.  Why d'you imagine they suddenly went into the sushi business.. a secret love for Japanese food OR casting a covetous eye on profits being made around the corner in TGT and Devonshire Road...

Stuart Kerr ● 2379d

Well I just hope Garden centres will be allowed to open soon. Be a shame if we lost any of our small business to the big boys

Susan Jacques ● 2379d

Sainsbury’s also sell  plants. These are retail businesses, if they see an opportunity they take it. That’s how it works

Tim English ● 2379d

I'm sure everyone complaining about our supermarkets selling plants traipse up/down the High Road to get their wine from an off licence, meat from the butcher, veg from the greengrocer and so on. And they'd never use Amazon...

Gordon McDonald ● 2379d

If you’re looking to support a “local” I ordered plants last night and they were delivered at 10am this morning from Kew Gardeners: and even though I ticked pay cash on delivery and didn’t have cash (as didn’t expect the order so quickly) they left the plants and trusted that I’d pay online later. https://kewgardener.com/shop

Kim Ouzman ● 2378d

I generally do all of the above but yes, I use Amazon.

Carl Wynne ● 2378d