Well done Waitrose

permajeo said:

My local Waitrose in East Sheen has for some time had loads of bike
parking and I've noticed just before Christmas they were, and still
are, offering free loans of a bike trailer to get your malt loaf and
beer home. I haven't yet enquired as to the process of borrowing one as
I generally walk there.

Is any other supermarket this cycle friendly?

My local Sainsbury's has bike racks close to the entrance, whereas the
local Asda has them way off to the side. This is not a patch on the
trailer hire service that you say Waitrose do, but we don't have a
local Waitrose, AFAIK.

David

"Sirius631" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

permajeo said:

My local Waitrose in East Sheen has for some time had loads of bike
parking and I've noticed just before Christmas they were, and still
are, offering free loans of a bike trailer to get your malt loaf and
beer home. I haven't yet enquired as to the process of borrowing one as
I generally walk there.

Is any other supermarket this cycle friendly?

My local Sainsbury's has bike racks close to the entrance, whereas the
local Asda has them way off to the side. This is not a patch on the
trailer hire service that you say Waitrose do, but we don't have a
local Waitrose, AFAIK.

David

The nearest supermarkets to me are a Morrisons & a Tesco. Morrisons is by
far the more cycle-friendly of the two as it has *a lot* of Sheffield
stands, spaced well apart from each other to make access getting bikes in
and out a doddle and they are under an overhand of the roof of the building
so they have a certain amount of protection from rain. On the other hand,
Tesco cycle stand provision is a piddling effort - a 'toast rack' type of
stand so the metal 'n' bars (four on a taost rack so to speak) are too close
together.

Cheers, helen s

wafflycat said:

"Sirius631" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

permajeo said:

My local Waitrose in East Sheen has for some time had loads of bike
parking and I've noticed just before Christmas they were, and still
are, offering free loans of a bike trailer to get your malt loaf and
beer home. I haven't yet enquired as to the process of borrowing one as
I generally walk there.

Is any other supermarket this cycle friendly?

My local Sainsbury's has bike racks close to the entrance, whereas the
local Asda has them way off to the side. This is not a patch on the
trailer hire service that you say Waitrose do, but we don't have a
local Waitrose, AFAIK.

David

The nearest supermarkets to me are a Morrisons & a Tesco. Morrisons is by
far the more cycle-friendly of the two as it has *a lot* of Sheffield
stands, spaced well apart from each other to make access getting bikes in
and out a doddle and they are under an overhand of the roof of the building
so they have a certain amount of protection from rain. On the other hand,
Tesco cycle stand provision is a piddling effort - a 'toast rack' type of
stand so the metal 'n' bars (four on a taost rack so to speak) are too close
together.

Cheers, helen s

The 'overhand' of the roof? Does the rain not drip off the fingers? :P

The stands at Sainsbury's are substantial and under the extended roof,
whereas those at Asda are bent and without weather protection.

David

Interesting response so far but I think I'll call in tomorrow morning and ask just how it works and maybe post a few pics. Hopefully it's not too good to be true.

p

wafflycat said:

The nearest supermarkets to me are a Morrisons & a Tesco. Morrisons is by
far the more cycle-friendly of the two as it has *a lot* of Sheffield
stands, spaced well apart from each other to make access getting bikes in
and out a doddle and they are under an overhand of the roof of the building
so they have a certain amount of protection from rain. On the other hand,
Tesco cycle stand provision is a piddling effort - a 'toast rack' type of
stand so the metal 'n' bars (four on a taost rack so to speak) are too close
together.

Our Tesco was recently upgraded to a Tesco Extra and they doubled the
number of bike stands. They're under the vast new canopy at the front
and you can see them from the checkouts.
They're not quite Sheffield stands and aren't as good but they're still
fully used most of the day. Tesco must have got one of their bulk
purchasing deals on that type of stand because they seem to be used at
other new stores too
(http://www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/44/article8.html)
I just wish they'd made a decent way for cyclists to get to the stands!

peter

peter

Certainly in Weston-super-Mare, both Morrisons' and Asda's cycle pathing
is woefully inadequate (can't comment on Tescos because I've never
noticed - if I go there I'm walking past anyway!)

At Asda, there are a few of the bent stands, but firstly there are never
enough, and secondly they park the trolleys in such a way that the bikes
are often blocked in, or there is conflict between trolley-pushers and
cyclists. At one of the grid-locked Asda moments (locals will know
exactly what I mean!) I actually got moaned at for not locking my bike
to the non-available stands, and why didn't I just come by car anyway?
(the car park was at a total standstill with traffic unable to get
either in or out without Asda staff directing traffic in the road!)

At Morrisons, again the number of stands is woefully inadequate,
although they are at least out of the way of the trolleys, more or less.
The catch is that cyclists often have to lock bikes up to other parts
of the building, and shoppers seem to have zero tolerance to bikes being
parked anywhere. I actually saw one woman deliberately bash her trolley
against a BSO. When her 10-ish year old daughter told her off(!!), the
response was "It's not my fault it's parked there." I felt inclined to
do the same to her car, but didn't, of course!

Perhaps I just need to move to a better area :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Whoops

Quoted message said:

Certainly in Weston-super-Mare, both Morrisons' and Asda's cycle pathing

"pathing"???? I obviously meant "parking"!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

"Sirius631" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

permajeo said:

My local Waitrose in East Sheen has for some time had loads of bike
parking and I've noticed just before Christmas they were, and still
are, offering free loans of a bike trailer to get your malt loaf and
beer home. I haven't yet enquired as to the process of borrowing one as
I generally walk there.

Is any other supermarket this cycle friendly?

My local Sainsbury's has bike racks close to the entrance, whereas the
local Asda has them way off to the side. This is not a patch on the
trailer hire service that you say Waitrose do, but we don't have a
local Waitrose, AFAIK.

By the time you've done your shopping at Waitrose for a month, you could
have bought a cycle trailer with the cash you'd have saved by shopping
elsewhere...

permajeo said:

Is any other supermarket this cycle friendly?

Waitrose in Sudbury isnt.

Their bike rack consists of 3 of those awful things you are supposed to
wedge your front tyre in, and they usually dump their seat near it so
that its quite difficult to get into.

Plus its on the pathway in front of the shop near the disabled bays. I'd
hate to think of the abuse I'd get if I ever tried to park my
bike+trailer there.

Its one of the reasons I shop at the Tesco instead, even though its
about a mile further away from where I live. If they cant be bothered to
provide proper parking, I cant be bothered to use their store

Quoted message said:

Is any other supermarket this cycle friendly?

And you can spend an entertaining time watching the Chelsea tractors
trying to maneouvre in the little choked car park round the back so
they can drive the 400yds back home.

Last time I was in they had no german wine.A local said this was
because no-one in that area would want to be seen near such
unfashionable stuff.
TerryJ

On 03/01/2007 18:20, [email hidden] said,

Quoted message said:

Last time I was in they had no german wine.A local said this was
because no-one in that area would want to be seen near such
unfashionable stuff.

Weston-super-Mare isn't posh or rich enough to have a Waitrose, and
we'll drink any old rubbish :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Sirius631 said:

The stands at Sainsbury's are substantial and under the extended roof,
whereas those at Asda are bent and without weather protection.

My local Asda used to have substantial Sheffield stands under the
overhang of the roof and visible from the checkouts, until they were
replaced by a locked bike shed for staff use. Which is a good thing,
and it's always full, but it was such a good place for customer parking.

The current customer parking still consists of substantial Sheffield
stands, but not in such a good location.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

permajeo said:

Interesting response so far but I think I'll call in tomorrow morning
and ask just how it works and maybe post a few pics. Hopefully it's not
too good to be true.

Ealing Waitrose does it, but you need one of their store cards

http://www.ealingcycling.org.uk/SubjectPages/NewsLetter/NewsOct05.html

permajeo said:

My local Waitrose in East Sheen has for some time had loads of bike
parking and I've noticed just before Christmas they were, and still
are, offering free loans of a bike trailer to get your malt loaf and
beer home. I haven't yet enquired as to the process of borrowing one
as I generally walk there.

Is any other supermarket this cycle friendly?

P

The asda nearest my work has a greeter. I just smile at him and ask if he
can keep an eye on my bike in the (large) foyer.

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/

--
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naked_draughtsman said:

Our Tesco was recently upgraded to a Tesco Extra and they doubled the
number of bike stands. They're under the vast new canopy at the front
and you can see them from the checkouts.
They're not quite Sheffield stands and aren't as good but they're still
fully used most of the day. Tesco must have got one of their bulk
purchasing deals on that type of stand because they seem to be used at
other new stores too
(http://www.camcycle.org.uk/newsletters/44/article8.html)
I just wish they'd made a decent way for cyclists to get to the stands!

peter

Looks like the're being used the wrong way round - IMHO they'd work
better with the high bit next to the seat post / rear triangle?

In news:[email hidden],
Sirius631 <[email hidden]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:

Quoted message said:

My local Sainsbury's has bike racks close to the entrance, whereas the
local Asda has them way off to the side. This is not a patch on the
trailer hire service that you say Waitrose do, but we don't have a
local Waitrose, AFAIK.

My local aSnibsruy's has a sufficient quantity of Sheffield stands which,
while a fair hike from the entrance, were handily located close to an exit.

That is, until the exit was permanently closed.

Twonks.

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Funny... You don't /look/ like Martha and the Vandellas!

Dave Larrington wrote on 04/01/2007 09:39 +0100:

Quoted message said:

My local aSnibsruy's has a sufficient quantity of Sheffield stands which,
while a fair hike from the entrance, were handily located close to an exit.

That's unusual. My experience of Sainsbury's is they have nearly always
run out of anything I might want.

--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

In news:[email hidden],
Tony Raven <[email hidden]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:

Quoted message said:

Dave Larrington wrote on 04/01/2007 09:39 +0100:

Quoted message said:

My local aSnibsruy's has a sufficient quantity of Sheffield stands
which, while a fair hike from the entrance, were handily located
close to an exit.

That's unusual. My experience of Sainsbury's is they have nearly
always run out of anything I might want.

I think that's what they use the loyalty card for.

Sainsbury's Munchkin 1: Look! Mr. Larrington has been buying those Things
which resemble pancetta, but are wrought from chorizo!
Sainsbury's Munchkin 2: So he has! We'd better stop selling them in the
Chingford branch! And the same goes for those mushrooms he likes!

But Morrisons is further away and Tesco is even further away than that /and/
full of pikeys.

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Better hide the pork scratchings...

[email hidden said:

"]

Quoted message said:

Is any other supermarket this cycle friendly?

And you can spend an entertaining time watching the Chelsea tractors
trying to maneouvre in the little choked car park round the back so
they can drive the 400yds back home.

Last time I was in they had no german wine.A local said this was
because no-one in that area would want to be seen near such
unfashionable stuff.
TerryJ

Even funnier about the ChelseaTractors (CT) is that they haven't realised that Waitrose also own the car park next door that used to be Somerfields and big enough for at least a dozen CTs or a million cycles.

Waitrose own the whole site now and wanted to build a two storey car park there but luckily the application was squashed by residents and the planners.

P