Asda

Halal meat in unmarked packs! I work round the corner and I’ll never go in there again.

Having such a pantagruelian retailer just in front of my house is a blessing. Apart from food, it offers many other things: clothes, tools for the house… However, it is obviously focused mainly on food, whose selection is noticeably rich, including a wide range of world food. Most importantly, on weekdays it is usually open to 6am until midnight, and because of this I have recently taken the habit of going there in the evening cause it’s not crowded at all; indeed it’s not getting more than 4 stars just because at peak hours it gets unbearably busy. There’s a huge parking just in front of it, and it’s easily reachable by car or bus (several bus lines have stops in the proximities).

This is a very large ASDA situated on Princess Parkway. It is massive and occupies 2 floors. I don’t often do my shopping at ASDA but I sometimes pop in here on the way to work if I have forgotten to bring something with me. I’m not a fan of any of the prepared buttys or snacks though as they are a little like cardboard in my opinion but this isn’t the fault of the actual store… Overall a decent store especially for homeware.

So much to love, so much to hate, all wrapped up in one (in)convenient giant package.
Pro:
+ Lots of variety, especially in international foods that you can’t find conveniently elsewhere
+ In general, prices are fairly low
+ On-​site bakery means you can get fresh bagels, breads, or cakes
+ Fishmonger in the back of the store seems to know their stuff, along with the butcher
+ A handful of wonderful employees that go out of their way to be friendly (I’m looking at you, always-​talkative-​register-​dude; that’s some awesome service)
Con:
— Prices fluctuate, and aren’t always as low as you’d expect for a big-​name store
— Fruit is hit or miss — sometimes delicious, sometimes half-​rotten. I’m getting my fruit from now on from Have A Banana because their stall is on my walk to work, and they have great prices and good produce
— Aisles are *constantly* full of people moving slowly or just plain stopped and don’t know how to move even after repeated «excuse me“s. One of the few stores you can find unattended children laying on the ground clogging everything up with no parental repercussion
— Some employees don’t give a crap, or don’t understand simple questions
Overall, I actually like this Asda. It has its bad sides, but it’s still convenient and is my go-​to for buying my groceries.

This huge ASDA provides a huge range of food products on the massive ground floor and a number of household items and other items on the upper floor which is almost as big.
Due to it being in a student area, not far from the University, it makes it a very busy shopping area for students and is definitely busy at all times even if it is 24 hours.
Incorporated with this is a McDonalds, a sandwich meal perfect for a quick bite and a pharmacy on site.
There is a huge car park, petrol station and taxi rank meaning it is perfect for many ways of travel to get here.
Definitely worth it for their cheap prices compared to those of other stores on the Oxford Road. Ideal and handy for a weekly shop.

I AM OUTRAGED.
I LOVE MY LOCAL ASDA.
But you’re all pretty correct, it is a bit shite.
They even have a mobile Police station dedicated to them. Brilliant…
The main thing (by which I mean the largest, rather than suggesting that there’s only one thing wrong with it…) that they struggle with is organisation. As is the case with almost all establishments, the staff and the management thereof create the problems. HOWEVER, I have to say, and I’m going to sound like a huge fascist — the customers could do with switching on too!
Range of stock is pretty good, and I really enjoy the ethnic foods isle, as it stocks some things I can just pop over and get if I can’t get into china-​town.
The self-​service checkouts are always a debacle, but that, again, is half the customer’s fault.
When it’s busy, it’s a killer, and they don’t do much to relieve the strain. On our brains.
On a side note, I once went into ASDA first thing in the morning, it was still, and quiet, and they’d just started putting stock on top of the shelves to save space and time. the fullness and pristine look of the shelves was truly beautiful.
I went in again that day, about two hours later. Hell.
Necessary.
⁴⁄₁₀

Argh! No matter what time of day you go, this Asda is always heaving. I’m not famed for my patience with shopping, and this store really tests my ability to remain calm.
On the plus side, if you do get overly stressed out by trolley-​riding children and numerous rude folks who don’t appear to have ‘excuse me’ or ‘sorry’ in their vocabulary (can you tell I was only there an hour ago?!) there is a Mc Donalds branch in-​store, so you can grab a burger and a milkshake to steady your nerves and chill your beans.
There is a George section upstairs for home ware and clothing, and of course the great bargains that Asda is famed for — everything on special offer seems to be £1 or £2. It seems the staff can’t keep the shelves filled to keep up with demand of some items, but I can hardly blame them as the onslaught of customers seems to be never ending, they have just one constant ‘peak time’ which lasts all day long.
As an experience, I much preferred my old local Sainsbury’s. But for lightness on the purse-​strings, Asda wins everytime.

Asda Hulme, Asda Hulme, Asda Hulme. I’d heard people refer to this mythical place ever since I moved to Manchester, their reviews were less than glowing. I visited for the first time yesterday and I now know why.
My soul now aches and I feel a bit dirty, I’ll never get my Asda Hulme virginity back.
This branch of Asda seems to have shoved in at least 6 times the amount of stuff that can logically fit into an already pretty large space and then narrowed the aisles so everyone has to move at a snails pace because the aisles are jam packed with shoppers and their trolley.
If you like to go to the supermarket in your underwear of pyjamas this is the supermarket for you, I was the only person not wearing slippers and almost see through pyjama bottoms.
Avoid.

you have two choices: 1.) allocate 10 minutes for your trip in and out of the store. 2.) spend well over an hour browsing.
there is a LOT of stuff in this store. I’m going to list things off the top of my head.
–huge liquor selection (there are some scotch brands that are a lot cheaper than in the states)
–fresh baked goods
–halal meats
–ready to eat meals, including smoked pork knuckles, meat pies, etc
–lots of random food items that made me happy (rendered duck fat)
–exotic (to me anyway) foods (british back bacon, british streaky bacon, clotted cream, pork bangers, etc)
–electronics section where you can top off your temporary SIM card because the employees in that section are really helpful
–extensive selection in the meat freezers
–good produce selection
and that’s just the first floor. the second floor (you get there by taking these moving sidewalk kind of escalators that magnetically lock your shopping cart wheels into place) is where the clothes and home items are.
i realize that a lot of my fascination with asda stems from the fact that i am a foreigner and so the foods do seem novel, but i do think if i were to live in manchester for a prolonged period of time i would find this store very useful. the prices are good, they’re open 24 hours, and the selection is extensive.

This Asda like fossil fuels is a necessary evil. I wish I had the money to buy all my food from Marks & Spencer Food but alas I’m a long way off having the funds to even buy my ‘bits’ from there so I must endure Smart Price. The great thing about eating Smart Price food though is that it’ll make you lose weight. How? Well, the reasons are twofold — reason the first; because the food is made with the most budget of ingredients they frequently have a lower calorific content than even the healthy eating range. Reason the second; they taste so bad that you will almost never be able to make it through an entire meal.
The best way to treat Asda Hulme is as a mad dash; give yourself a set shopping time — fifteen minutes say — and, if it helps, create an imaginary reason for storming through so quickly. Imagine that you are being chased around the supermarket by a grizzly bear or that your car is being eyed up by thieves and will be broken into and joyridden off at any moment (that’s probably not far off round here).
There are a number of real advantages to coming here though — the extensive world foods section, the fresh pizza counter and the halal butcher counter. It is also very, very cheap here though with constant offers rolling out on a weekly basis. Warning though — if you see an advertised offer come and pick it up sooner rather than later as you can find yourself popping in the next week only for the item to have gone up to double the offer price again.

I’m really mixed about Asda. Heading to Hulme itself, Asda is truly a big superstore with two floors of food, electricals, home goods and George clothes. There’s also a McDonalds thrown in there too.
Being 24 hours, it’s always there if you’ve got a midnight craving for just about anything. However the range of meat really lets the place down. It just doesn’t look very good and so I never buy it. Which is a pain. what’s the point of going to a supermarket and not being able to get what all you need? ASDA does seem to be really good on the bargains and low priced items in the supermarket war.
The delivery however. Nightmare. One time it never showed up and no one bothered to contact me. Then I rescheduled and yet this rescheduled delivery failed to turn up, without calling me again. That’s twice of a let down. Free delivery for next time? Who cares, you’re probably not going to come. No more ASDA.

Asda superstore where do I begin. God bless America!!! :D At least for giving us 24 hour shopping!!!
I almost always go late at night on a weekday. You have the whole place to yourself. and it ‘s good exercise. I bet a shopping trip for an hour, you probably get through at least a mile’s worth of walking. The choice is immense, the price is right, the store is dependable. This one alongside the one near trafford centre is probably your best bet for shopping.
However this one, for the sheer size of it is probably the best. This is a destination shopping store give yourself at least half an hour, as you will will be engulfed by the need to get more than you came for.
I have never left the store anything other than completely satisfied. Yes, you can order online, but you can also get movies from love film through the post. Does that stop your visits to blockbuster? Hell No!!!
Thank God we are not as lazy as the Americans just yet.

A 24 hr store (except weekends) where you get everything and when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING!
Firstly this place is huge! If you need alcohol with a box of cereal for the morning, walk here at 3am and still be aroud for while for a good selection! It stores everything from groceries (Food galore! and plenty!!) to utensils, to electronics to stationary to clothes to even fresh fruits! And all of this is dirt cheap! They always have some great deals going on which only add to one’s happiness!
It’s a great place and they even do home delivery! And incase you’re the type who’s a bit too lazy to get there to shop, you can even order everything online with just some mouse clicks! How great is that?

I think it’s no coincidence that the American reviewers love this Asda and the Brits are decidedly indifferent towards it. It is mahussive, 24 hour (except the weekends), it sells everything you would need and even has a McDonald’s inside. Supersize me.
There are many aisles devoted to foreign foods including a couple of Polish aisles and a good range of Halal foods (which I like because I can buy vegetarian Haribo there!). Whilst I do shop in local greengrocers and locally run shops, I had scoured all of the shops in Chorlton for some thai red curry paste — to no avail. Of course I had the choice of a couple of brands of it when I was left with the last resort of locating it in this huge Asda.
Since I first started shopping at this Asda they have put in some fun Gladiator travelator-​style lifts to take you and your trolley up to the newly-​built second floor, where you will find non-​edible items such as clothes, shoes, toys, pans and microwaves. The other day I picked up a couple of radiator clothes airers for just £2. If you pay any attention to the ads then you’ll know that Asda is a lot cheaper than Tesco and the other supermarkets, which is the main reason I’ll hitch a lift to this Asda with one of my housemates rather than shopping at Morrison’s in Chorlton. If you don’t have a car then the 45, 46, 85 and 86 stop nearby and there is a taxi rank outside.

There’s a reason I get my Asda groceries delivered. A good reason.
What other Asdas have a Facebook group dedicated to how rubbish they are? To be fair, Asda Hulme isn’t all that bad… okay, I did say I got my groceries delivered didn’t I.
Asdas in general — well, these large 24 hour Asdas — tend to make shopping a baffling ordeal. They’re so huge and wide and maze-​like that it’s impossible to go there with a list as you might as well just make your way through all the aisles and pick up as you go along… which we all know takes FOREVER. So. 50 squid. Free delivery and that about covers a ‘big shop’ for two people doesn’t it. What’s the point in actually going there? Well, the online grocery thing does sometimes have its downsides, like the fact that if something isn’t available they’ll get you what they consider to be the nearest thing. But risk actually experiencing what people in that Facebook group are talking about? Meh, I’ll take a few tins of Quality Street over those Heroes I ordered any day of the week to avoid Horrendous Hulme.

My soul aches slightly whenever I know that a trip to the humongous, massive Asda on Princess Road is on the cards.
I know that what lies in waiting for me is a packed supermarket full of stress, temptation and, annoyingly, no vegetarian sausages for my girlfriend.
What I also know is that literally everything else I could need is there, whether that’s monstrous amounts of beer for not much money, mega-​cheap champagne flutes or a cheap dvd. As well as all your normal groceries.
Asda is a necessary evil. Just don’t go immediately before Christmas or new year, its horribly busy and you’ll struggle to even find a trolley.
Oh, and this Asda is amazing for recycling, having the capacity to recycle almost anything in its various bins and containers at the side of the car park.

Adsa Hulme. What can you say? Cheap, but not cheerful,
Fresh food thats not always fresh, Friendly staff… on telly advert anyway.
Handy distance from my home, but so is the dentist and I have no wish to go there.
But I DO like ASDA!

Back in Liverpool myself and my better half would become truely excited at the prospect of visiting the local Asda. Why I hear you cry? Because as students in a time where most clubs/​pubs did not have a 24hr license and shut at 1am/​2am there was nothing more fum that a drunken wander around asda to see what rubbish we could buy.
When we arrived in Manchester we had no idea that round the corner to our delight there was… a 24hr Asda. However gone are the days that we cannot stay in the clubs/​pubs til 4am and now Asda has become to us what it is to every other grown up individual… a hassle on a Sunday, an obstacle course through crying children and down and outs. I am only consoled by the fact we do stay in the clubs/​pubs till 4am and that our drunken trips to ASDA have not ceased to continue because we are getting old and boring.
Asda we still love you, we love you for making us feel at home wherever we go.

Always been a regular shopper at Asda, I find it much cheaper than most supermarkets to get in the weekly shop.
Although I shop here with my partner, I find is great for larger families shopping on a tight budget as Asda regularly have many multi deals on items.
Customer service is always good and efficient and shelves a fully stocked most of the time.
Only negative point I can think of about them is that they can be pretty slow compared to other supermarkets on getting new products on the shelf.

If a soundtrack could follow me around throughout life, rainy day songs would dictate my visits to Asda. Actually, the one time I was walking with my CD player and headphones in my ears, a certain sad French song came on right as the clouds cleared and I approached the Asda parking lot.
The trek from my dormitory was one through strange neighborhoods with vicious dogs, though I never thought about the safety at night.
Asda, I hear, is owned by Walmart. That would explain the insanely bargain-​basement priced options. Whereas in the States I would stand paralyzed in the toothpaste aisle trying to choose between 5 varieties each of 4 different brands, I would be rendered almost comatose by the exponential trumping of that oversaturation in England.
Sometimes I’d just want to fuck-​it-​all and go to Sainsbury’s, where at least I only had to sweep one premium product into my cart, at a higher cost. But I ended up almost looking forward to my trips to Asda for soda, scones, string cheese, pizzas, meat pies, and juice.
To this day I still tell the story of the premium £2 real sugar soda, the £2 for 2 bottles sucrose store brand, the even cheaper aspartame alternative, the even cheaper saccharine alternative, and the impossible 9p aspartame AND saccharine brand in a plastic bottle so thin I could put my tongue through it, with a plain white label with black writing reading «COLA». Even *I* knew not to fool.
But I did get bargain pies and bargain spread, and bread. Not good. That was a miserable year of eating. Self-​imposed, of course.