Sainsbury's is coming to Stroud Green Road - Woody's is going!

David

My first London gig was there. No idea who it was now. A bit New Model Army like if I remember rightly, but at pub level. All I really remember was the front man waggling the mic around his crotch like it was his dick.

val

Price Comparisons: Sugar
Silverspoon Light 1Kg Tesco £1.18 Sains £1.30
Caster 1Kg Tesco £1.14 Sains None
" 500g Tesco 72p Sains 79p
Granulated 1Kg Tesco 68p Sains 98p
Demerara 1Kg Tesco £1.45 Sains None
" 500g Tesco 79p Sains 89p

krappyrubsnif

Hah! For all those who used to enjoy a good whine about the change given at Woody's, let me put on record that it was the Sainsbury Local that did its best to overcharge me last night...... Their EPOS computer isn't working. It didn't correctly identify either a product or a two-for-one, so every time I put the second guacamole through, it racked up nearly another £2. It identified a loaf of bread as two packs of butter. I was at the self service till. If I hadn't just been buying those two items I would probably never have noticed and it would have charged me nearly £2 extra. The manager was perfectly helpful and sorted me out, but I didn't notice him rushing to call the IT people to do anything about it. I wonder how manyt other people got overcharged. Keep on checking your change, I'd say.

kreuzkav

Thanks for the tip about overcharging. This happened to me at Tesco last week though. My shopping total seemed high, but didn't check the items until I paid and got my receipt. A packet of veggie sausages was charged as lingerie (which I don't use). The manager was very helpful and gave me a refund. Infact my shopping ended up about £2 less than it should have been as a result.

These are technical problems, although the manager should correct them as soon as possible. However, I think at Woodys there was institutional overcharging. Prices were not labelled on more expensive items or were wrong. It happened to me too many times and I stopped going to it. I do miss their breads and halumi etc. though, but the Convience Store has some of those. However, I don't miss the ambience that everyone raves on about. Lots of men hanging around watching while one person (usually a woman during the day) was on the till. And it was generally a long queue too!

I think Sainsburys is quite a handy addition to the road. Apart from Tesco I can't think of any other chains on SGR from the Tollington Park Road junction up to the Crouch Hill junction. Nandos is on the other side and I think that's the only chain apart from a chicken place on the stretch down to the tube station. Both of the places on the upper stretch are supermarkets and I don't think they deflect from the independent nature of the road. Supermarkets are a neccessary part of our lives too.

Woodys was a small chain I think anyway. While I don't know much about the workings of Woodys and its treatment of workers, I do know of many small stores that employ people at very low wages (even in comparison to major supermarket chains). I've met at least two people and have heard of many more that work for £30 a day. First they're told that they will work just 8 hours then they end up working ten. The owner then comes around in his expensive jeep to collect the money from the store after collecting it from many of his other businesses. I'm not saying that Woodys was guilty of this but I think at least Sainsburys pays holiday pay, a better wage and other benefits. They have a bit of job security.

P.s I forgot that the White Lion is part of a chain but it doesn't have a huge corporate logo (the weatherspoon sign is less visible than its name) . Although I have to say it's like an airport lounge. The old White Lion (pre-2000) had character though..

kreuzkav

@Arklady. It's a pity about the Robey but it was of its time. Finsbury Park was a place I passed through then on the 253 bus or to use the tube station from Soke Newington and Hackney . I was only in London a few years when it closed in the mid 90s. I went to a few gigs there and met with some friends at the bar part once. The clientelle were a bit crusty but the bar while looking downbeat was clean I think. The Mean Fiddler organisation opened a bar on its site about 1996 and I went to one gig there. It was more polished and similiar to their other venues but it didn't have much character. It closed down within a year.

We could do with a small gig venue here. Soundproofed and respectful of its neighbours, of course!

sincers

@kreuzkaz - your post reminds me of the "what have the Romans ever done for us" speech.

miss annie

@kreukaz
The World's End is a gig venue as is the Silver Bullet. Both a short stroll away. I can't speak for their soundproofing.

ADGS

Miso is a chain, and Porchetta - though when it opened here that wasn't yet the case, so how do the 'clone town' bores count that?

ADGS

Re: venues - the World's End and Silver Bullet do technically qualify, but neither has yet put on a gig I want to see (which is impressive considering how many small North London gigs I attend), and in the World's End the music mainly just seems to annoy people trying to use the place as a pub.

Arkady

ADGS, I think that might be an unfair characterisation of the WE's music scene - have you seen the Lester Clayton band who are resident there? Very talented guys, and they have some good guest bands too. I have seen some shockers there though to be fair.

WillM

I used to go to the WE for the music, but experience was a swift teacher...

Ali

@kreuzkaz If you have been over charged at Tesco’s they will give you back twice the difference. There is a little sign on the door of the secure room next to the tills at the baccie counter that explains this. Every time I have done this they have to get the on duty manager who is usually not so happy at handing over the dosh but the less well of of us a nice little bonus ! Also watch out for the complete lack of knowledge with the check out staff when you by turnips or Swedes they always get the two mixed up and charge the higher priced one which is the Swede in England ie the small white one. Of course in Scotland it is the opposite way around. See here for a sort of explanation http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jan/25/neeps-swede-or-turnip Confused Could be an interesting conversation to be had with the drunken Scottish contingent in WLM

miss annie

The little rascals on the checkout at the Sainsburys near my office always try putting my perfectly ordinary Jaffas through as Clementines - which are double the price.

That's not as bad as the checkout guy in Tesco at SG who had to call someone over to identify an avocado for him though.

kreuzkav

On the walk back from work I realised there are more chains than I thought on the street like Miso and Porchetta, to a certain extent. And the funeral directors up from me too!

But I gues when we're talking chains we're generally talking about the big boys like McDonalds, Subway, Starbucks etc. I wouldn't like to see them on the road as they're crap!

As regards the Worlds End I've always found the music to be jazz fusion, bad folk etc. I'm sure there are exceptions. Just don't know about the music before I go there, so it's pot luck and usually a bad experience. Basically, they don't put on stuff I like!

I haven't checked out Silver Bullet yet! I forgot about it! According to its website it's been going since May! Does anyone know what it's like? I don't think it's soundproofed as when I walked past it last Friday night the music was blasting out. The music seemed OK though!

checkski

Too many exclamation marks, kreuzkav. I find them hard to resist as well (!)

kreuzkav

You're so right, Mr. Checklist! Do you have anything to add to the coversation? You remind me of the anal retentive people I met in Germany when I lived there!

WillM

oh good, another pointless flame war gets started...

kreuzkav

Exactly, but what a twat! Sorry! This guy has nothing to add to the conversation but grammar correction! To me the lowest of conversation!

checkski

What a loutish response, kreuzkav. I think I might even treat myself to an exclamation mark or two, to stress my indignation. !!!

But since the gloves are off, let me remind you that there are readers as well as writers on these boards. I haven't so far got anything to say about this topic, but I follow the thread with interest. I wouldn't normally have commented on your prose style, and exclamation marks ARE tempting, but personally I find them irritating, and a distraction.

Furthermore, your rudeness goads me to tell you that I find your style prolix, repetitious, and insufficiently edited. I sympathise greatly with your noise problems, on another thread, and strongly agree that you are entitled to peaceful nights, wherever you live, but I think your posts would more effective if written with more care.

checkski

...would BE more effective...

Pots and kettles? I think I'd better shut up now.

!!!

kreuzkav

I'm not writing for a newspaper, it's a forum! I didn't receive a public school education!

miss annie

Oh lord, don't open that can of worms.

kreuzkav

I agree that my prose leaves a lot to be desired but I write about things I feel passionate about and I feel passionate about my life, Stroud Green and London. I just write straight from my head and sometimes I edit and sometimes I don't. To me it's more about thoughts than prose on this forum.

I take your point, but a forum is about getting stuck in, whether it's about your views or information and not about nit-picking over grammar and spelling. I'm not a journalist. I do often edit my posts but I often write late at night, over breakfeast and as I said before I'm not a paid journalist and I often don't have the time to look back at them. I'm about to leave for work as I write this. I will be more careful in future but I think comments on topics would be more welcome than criticism on style from you. It does smack of a school teacher scolding a child. And I will not use exclamation marks in this posting.

checkski

Well done!

kreuzkav

Thanks for the patronising response!

andy

Easy kids. It's the internet, let's be big enough not to rise to people calling each other names.

ADGS

So hang on, when are !!! playing the World's End?

kreuzkav

!!!! are great, they're going to transform the World's End from a run of the mill venue that features jazz fusion into a cutting edge live one. Checkski will be there with his pen and paper to make sure we all speak properly.

kreuzkav

Could be a her though!

sincers

I wonder if Sainsbury's is still open!?!