mercadona caleta - meat counter gone?!

[Jamesy]

Yesterday,7th Oct, we went to Mercadona, found out that meat counter is gone, loads of plastic packaged meats, super bad for environment. Also no bananas and or canarian tomatoes.
What has happened?

[Snowdrop]

Corralejo meat counter gone too.  No more. Cheap goat 😏

[Johnrgby2]

We have been into the Mercadona near El Mattoral 4/5 times since the new unit was installed, the first time there was a very bored member of staff stood behind it, but every time since there has been no one.
I saw something very similar tried in Australia about 30 years ago, the idea was there, and I am sure it is the same here, to reduce wastage, I have been commenting for months to my wife that the quality and choice on this counter was deteriorating, it never was great, but IMHO it was getting worse.

I believe it is supposed to work this way if, for instance, you require 6 chicken breasts, and there are only packs of  available you take 2 packs of 4 to this new unit where they will repackage them in to a pack of 6 the two remaining will then either be repacked as a pack of 2 obviously or returned to their back area to be repacked with the next lot to be packed. the advantage is simple anything that nears it sell by or use by date will be removed repacked and then frozen giving the same product another 12/16 weeks shelf life.

The downside is that if they return the 2 to their back area and not repack them when they are repacked as for example a pack of 6 they will be labelled with the same sell by date as the ones they were added to, despite the fact they may have only had 1/2 days shelf life remaining.

I know this reply is a little long-winded, but I wanted to explain it properly.

We do not look at prices that closely to be honest, but, last Wednesday there were packs of the aforesaid C/Breasts available and there were packs of sliced C/breasts at a cost of 2â,¬+ more per kilo for having sliced them???
In addition, they had entrecote steaks on sale, which were vacuum packed, which I do not believe they do in-house, so they are bought in, and for a single steak that was around 10 ounces they wanted 8.60â,¬?.

We have made a conscious decision to not buy meat there again, but to go to Hipo Dinoto in El Mattoral, we will still intend to go to Mercadona, but inevitably we will buy some product in El Mattoral and not in Mercadona Mattoral.

With Lidle due to open next door in the coming year, I would have thought this is not a great time to p*ss off your existing customer base, but what do I know?

[erik_tonny]

Interesting and very telling how you recognise these practises

[Johnrgby2]

Interesting and very telling how you recognise these practises

If you have as I spent nearly 50 years in retailing nothing much is new

[Lexeus]

The only meat I buy in Mercadona is Frozen chicken, which incidentally comes from the UK pre-packed. The rest of their uncooked meat is overpriced or poor quality, don't get me started about their awful sausages.....

Also, yesterday was Saturday 6th October right? I expect it's the same for all Mercadonas, I don't use that particular Mercadona routinely, but Saturday is not the best time to expect a good selection of any fresh produce as they clear stuff ready to shut on Sunday.... especially with the bank holiday this coming week, better on a Tuesday in my experience, although I am more looking at fresh fruit/veg or fish

[Charlie dont surf]

Corralejo meat counter gone too.  No more. Cheap goat 😏

There's a Weekly Saturday food market above the Bus station in Rosario and there's a very good butcher selling superb goat meat and sometimes lamb. It's a great market and if you like cheese there are a few stalls selling the best cheeses on the Island. Also, a fishmonger with super fresh fish.

[Lexeus]

good tip! sounds much better

[Johnrgby2]

The only meat I buy in Mercadona is Frozen chicken, which incidentally comes from the UK pre-packed. The rest of their uncooked meat is overpriced or poor quality, don't get me started about their awful sausages.....

Also, yesterday was Saturday 6th October right? I expect it's the same for all Mercadonas, I don't use that particular Mercadona routinely, but Saturday is not the best time to expect a good selection of any fresh produce as they clear stuff ready to shut on Sunday.... especially with the bank holiday this coming week, better on a Tuesday in my experience, although I am more looking at fresh fruit/veg or fish

It does not matter what day you go there Alex, the quality is poor, we go normally on Wednesday and Saturday, and it matters not, they do not actually clear out much as what they have that is " fresh " Saturday afternoon becomes a frozen product Monday morning, the new system will simplify that process. all they now have to do is repack and relabel, as it is already in trays, I have not tried to remove a label off their "fresh" packs, but if that is possible so much the better or even stick the new label overt he top of the old one, job done.

[dagwood]

The only meat I buy in Mercadona is Frozen chicken, which incidentally comes from the UK pre-packed. The rest of their uncooked meat is overpriced or poor quality, don't get me started about their awful sausages.....

Also, yesterday was Saturday 6th October right? I expect it's the same for all Mercadonas, I don't use that particular Mercadona routinely, but Saturday is not the best time to expect a good selection of any fresh produce as they clear stuff ready to shut on Sunday.... especially with the bank holiday this coming week, better on a Tuesday in my experience, although I am more looking at fresh fruit/veg or fish

I would check out that frozen chicken if I were you. It`s fully legal to import the chicken from gods knows where and slap a label on it saying packed in U.K. or Ireland or anywhere else for that matter.

[Charlie dont surf]

The best chicken you can buy on the island is called Pollo De Corrall (free range chicken) from the brand Coren. Fresh chickens from Galicia. You used to be able to buy them in Spar and a couple of butchers in Rosario stock them.

[Snowdrop]

Corralejo meat counter gone too.  No more. Cheap goat 😏

There's a Weekly Saturday food market above the Bus station in Rosario and there's a very good butcher selling superb goat meat and sometimes lamb. It's a great market and if you like cheese there are a few stalls selling the best cheeses on the Island. Also, a fishmonger with super fresh fish.

Thanks very much for the info 😀

[woe10]

I never buy meat from Mercadona, it's disgusting, especially the chicken. Spar is far superior for meat.

[erik_tonny]

Our favourite butcher was at the Hyperdino in el Campignario.
Friendly, good quality but very limited choice.

[Jamesy]

Thank you all for the time and efforts in replying. I also learned something new (Oz model.on waste reduction).

[Lexeus]

The only meat I buy in Mercadona is Frozen chicken, which incidentally comes from the UK pre-packed. The rest of their uncooked meat is overpriced or poor quality, don't get me started about their awful sausages.....

Also, yesterday was Saturday 6th October right? I expect it's the same for all Mercadonas, I don't use that particular Mercadona routinely, but Saturday is not the best time to expect a good selection of any fresh produce as they clear stuff ready to shut on Sunday.... especially with the bank holiday this coming week, better on a Tuesday in my experience, although I am more looking at fresh fruit/veg or fish

I would check out that frozen chicken if I were you. It`s fully legal to import the chicken from gods knows where and slap a label on it saying packed in U.K. or Ireland or anywhere else for that matter.

Funnily enough I did check it today and found they have switched supplier since I last checked, and although the bag still has the Two Sisters UK colours, blue and yellow, it is actually now from Spain, look like a dirty trick to as it looks almost identical as the UK bags did. Anyway, the cheap frozen chicken bags seem fine to me, after all a battery hen is a battery hen.....  as long as they pack it to eu hygiene standards

[ashworth]

What can you expect on a sunny but cheap island.
We have been back in Holland for 6 months now and appreciate the unlimited choice and top quality of everything. (except the weather  )
Groceries, clothes, restaurants, health service, culture, banking, entertainment, you name it.

Something that isn't really important but can be very easy:
Order something on the internet, even in the late evening, and it will be on your doorstep the next morning. Even if that is a sunday.
Our cable tv was acting strange one evening. I called at 22,00 H to complain. The technician was here the next morning.

The only good thing about Holland is their pies. They are great with onion gravy.

[erik_tonny]

What can you expect on a sunny but cheap island.
We have been back in Holland for 6 months now and appreciate the unlimited choice and top quality of everything. (except the weather  )
Groceries, clothes, restaurants, health service, culture, banking, entertainment, you name it.

Something that isn't really important but can be very easy:
Order something on the internet, even in the late evening, and it will be on your doorstep the next morning. Even if that is a sunday.
Our cable tv was acting strange one evening. I called at 22,00 H to complain. The technician was here the next morning.

The only good thing about Holland is their pies. They are great with onion gravy.

Pies with onion gravy ?
That sounds terribly british.

[dagwood]

What can you expect on a sunny but cheap island.
We have been back in Holland for 6 months now and appreciate the unlimited choice and top quality of everything. (except the weather  )
Groceries, clothes, restaurants, health service, culture, banking, entertainment, you name it.

Something that isn't really important but can be very easy:
Order something on the internet, even in the late evening, and it will be on your doorstep the next morning. Even if that is a sunday.
Our cable tv was acting strange one evening. I called at 22,00 H to complain. The technician was here the next morning.

The only good thing about Holland is their pies. They are great with onion gravy.

Pies with onion gravy ?
That sounds terribly british.

It just sounds terrible.