Yet another rant at Morrisons

What appears to be one of the last surviving Safeways in the country, that of Safeway Megastore Plymouth, is finally being Morrisons-inised.

The store still has it's bright, fresh, modern, Safeway signeage that was designed only 4 years ago, whilst the petrol station has now been rebranded to Morrisons

And it's complete ****. The curvacious Safeway roadside petrol prices sign has been replaced with some thing, square, angular thing with a particularly naff looking yellow LED display to show the prices, meanwhile the pay @ pump facility has been removed - the 'bits' being covered over with a black perspex panel declaring 'Miles better value!'. The range of products inside the shop has gone into terminal decline, with the quite small kiosk now looking cavernous as Morrisons have severely rationalised the range.

Now they've got their hold on the petrol station, the main store cannot be far behind. I await the day when the bright, fresh, enticing images of fresh fruit and vegetables get replaced with black and yellow plastic stickers bearing the Morrisons monicker.

I've never been a fan of needlessly replacing brands (indeed, i utterly hate the way that TV channels feel the need to rebrand themselves every 3 years) but surely Morrisons have got to have noticed that the utter cack that they are bolting onto Safeway stores looks vastly inferior and older to the stuff they're taking down?

Over a year down the line, I'm still somewhat in shock at what is happening to Safeways, and I still disagree with the way that Morrisons are trying to pretend Safeway never existed so that their own tinpot brand can build, I still find it unbelievable that they claim their change is for the better even though everyone who ever shopped at Safeways knows that ranging and product quality has vastly deteroriated since Morrisons moved in, but if they are going to Morrisons-ise everything, they could at least have bothered to design a store image which looked at least as good as the one they are removing.

Every 'conversion to the Morrisons format' I've seen happen involves fitting signeage which looks like it was recovered from a store closed down in the early 80's, and removing half the product range in the name of making things 'clearer'.

I'm sure the Safeway takeover is the best thing ever to happen to WM Morrison, but it sure as hell is the worst thing ever to happen to people who shop at the stores they now own.

I defected to Tesco 6 months ago, and by God am I staying there - they're cheaper the Morrisons, and a damn sight better than Morrisons.

Sorry guys!

could've sworn I was posting to Metropol!

Please remove this thread, have copied it over there

Has to be said, however, that it's far more relevant to the world than half the threads created here by the ten year olds.

There's still a Safeways in Acton (West London) and that's rubbish as it is - quite a few products I like have been stopped due to there being "no call for them" and a lot of the staff are quite rude... apart from a few on the checkouts.

I hope things improve when Morrisons take over - which apparently probably won't be till November or something like that - apparently our store is quite low down on the list because it needs drastic improvements!

I much prefer the Safeway in Tiverton - lovely place and friendlier staff, and there's Somerfield in South Molton, but they're both a heck of a way to travel to when I'm in London! lol

There's my tuppence worth - but not alot to do with TV presentation, lol!

My God, memories, or what?

Used to use that one when it was a Gateway, back in the seventies, on the way to the holiday bungalows at Welcombe Mouth.

From a purely Look North perspective this is actually way on topic. Which Look North presenter (after he left the BBC, but not that long after he left!) was the anchor of a Morrison's campaign on Yorkshire TV?


Answer - Barry Chambers

I know, you're all too young to remember!

Not quite, see above!

Well, this makes a change from Big Brother threads and BBC weather forecasting threads! Lets turn this TV Forum into a Shopping Forum!

Still, the takeover of Safeway by Morrisons can be likened to the takeover of Central by Carlton in many ways. SO I suppose it can be related to TV presentation in this manner?

To this day I call Somerfield, Gateway. Not just my local that used to be a Gateway, but all Somerfields. Somehow the Gateway brand has tapped into my subconscious and refuses to budge.

Yes indeed. There was a clear link to the bounds of regional supermarkets and ITV regions. Hillards and Morrisons very much Yorkshire, International very much Anglia.

Here's one....Which North West Tonight Weather Presenter appears on one of the company videos?

Answer- Dianne Oxberry

Well that's how it was when I started there. I used to prefer the adverts with the 'M' man that used to jump across the screen.

You're showing your age there, Nick! And it's a bit of a way from South Molton to Welcombe, isn't it?

Was it really a Gateway as far back as the 70's? Amazing! Great memories of my early Devon days of the late 80s and early 90s - Gateway and TSW (ah, a TV link at last!)

It's not a bad store, although quite small in comparison to Safeway in Tiverton, its nice and convenient and always very friendly. There has been talk though that they may build a Tesco somewhere in South Molton, but I'm not sure we need it - I think there have been a few people who are against it.