Being brought up in the UK, I always got the vibe that the food on the deli counter in a supermarket has a higher status than the packaged food around it, almost a mystique of you will. (Hear me out, I know).
I’ve also noticed nowadays that the amount of people that use the deli counter has dramatically dropped in the past 5-10 years. This saddens me, I remember the thrill of going upto the display case full of cold cuts, cheeses and an endless selection of pies, buying something and coming away with the feeling that I have a superior type of ham than the packaged type 5 metres away because I bought it from a glass counter.
What I want to know is am I the only one who thinks all this?! And how many of you (if any) still use the deli counters?
28 comments
I used to. Then my supermarket got to rid of it. -_- It’s now racking filled with snacks and seasonal shit.
All the deli counters in my nearest city’s supermarkets shut during the pandemic. The only one that has re-opened as a deli counter is the one in Waitrose. All the others are now open chillers selling packed meat/sushi.
Which is a shame as I used to love being able to buy *tracing paper thin* slices of salami.
In supermarkets I feel like the deli counters are just ways to upsell the same food in fancy packaging. I highly doubt it is any better quality.
I do love a dedicated delicatessen shop though and frequent many of them to get cheese, olives, salamis etc.
We use to spend a lot of time in Europe, where the deli counter or even shop is very prevalent.
So we got used to it, and yes the quality does seem better and the choice is greater to sone extent. We also get the exact amount of meat or cheese that we will likely use so we don’t waste any like we would withbthe prepackaged stuff.
I even met my wife at a cheese counter many years ago.
The cheese section of any deli counter is sacred to us as it should be for any right thinking human.
Now you mention it, I don’t use it as much as I used to. Fresh fish I’ll get as I can point to the one I like.
I think it’s because we like our meat fish and even cheese shrink wrapped and looking like a product – so we buy from the shelves.
sometimes we use the deli counter
On holiday when we been to Greece we have used the deli counter to get feta cheese , a few slices of Edam/gouda etc
Generally only at Christmas and select special occasions, I love to source what can only be described as the the ‘mother of all cheese boards’. My local supermarket is Booths so the choice is often overwhelming and I have to watch out I don’t sample too much cheese during the procurement process.
Can only speak for the orange supermarket chain: they shut down their deli counters because they were not profitable. Almost everything they had there could be bought pre packaged and for cheaper from the fridges on the shop floor. Same goes for the meat and fish counters
No I don’t but now I want me some “superior ham”
No deli counters left in town now
I used to work on the deli counter at Waitrose as my first ever job when I was at secondary school. A lot of the stuff on the shelves was just stuff from the deli counter which had been sliced and put into packaging, but there was also quite a lot that could only be bought from the counter. I seem to remember it was mostly used by older single people who only wanted to buy a single sausage rather than a pack of 6, or they wanted enough ham or cheese for a few sandwiches rather than buying a whole family pack.
The amount to deli counters is falling which is a shame really, as even if the food is the same, it reduces food wastage as you only buy what you need..
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I remember one delicatessen shop in my city (now closed) and I can only name 2 supermarkets that have deli counters as the other two, asda and Tesco, got rid of them.
I used to buy from the deli counter now and again but now it’s like mission impossible.
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I worked on one years ago and in terms of freshness really no benefit was th main benefit being people could get smaller amounts which worked well for us. One task had was stirring the cottage cheese every hour to make it look it’s best
Lot of supermarkets do seem to using them less now
My local Co-op on the Isle of Wight used to have a lovely deli counter. Then they “improved” the store and it got replaced by the “Isle of Wight Local Produce” section. To translate: it means overpriced shite for holidaymakers that the locals never buy.
Yeh I do – per gram it’s cheaper on the deli than the similar packaged meat in the chillers (serano for example) and seems better quality.
I can see a few people assuming a Serrano (for example) on the deli counter is the same manufacturer and quality as the packaged meats but it more often than not isn’t, which is clear from both sight and taste.
I can also get the portion sizes I want from the deli – so if I want to make 1 sandwich I can buy the right amount of meat and cheese, this allows me variety and choice in my diet, I’m not stuck with a pack of something that needs to be consumed by a set date. I try and do 10,000 steps a day so heading to the deli counter at lunch really isn’t a burden for me, just part of a routine.
I’m in Glasgow and also noticed the deli counters here at Morrison’s are about 1/3 the size of those in England, so there must be more of a call for it down south.
I used to take a ticket as a kid because I wanted a paper rocket ship. Never actually used it myself, mainly because I don’t really eat the food they sell
I used to make my own pates using cheese curd from the deli counter and they just dropped it one day and that was that.
I went to the deli counter in Booths just last night (it was just on my way home, don’t usually shop there because I’m not rich lol)
Anyway I was in search of food for tea and we were thinking of something Indian. The counter had some samosas and bhajis, and I was thinking “oh great, some freshly made Indian food. This will be really nice!”
So the lady behind the counter is bagging my samosas and I’m just chatting with her, anyway it turns out they *weren’t* freshly made on-site that day. They get delivered over from somewhere else so they have something to put out on the deli. She confirmed to me that the stuff on the counter is the same as whats in the packaged containers on the shelves (only the booth’s branded packaging).
I can confirm they were pretty nice, but I do feel a bit misled by them being displayed in the deli section
Always.
You get specific amounts that reduce wastage.
I think most people don’t simply because they don’t want to have to interact with anyone, or they don’t really know quantities to ask for.
Never underestimate the British habit of not wanting to ask or make a faff.
I used to work I the cheese section of a deli. My favourite customers were a couple who were eating their way round the world in cheese. Every Saturday they would discuss where our cheese came from and settle on a new country. I think they had a map up on their wall and put in a pin and string for each new place they’d bought cheese from. It was so lovely working with them to choose new food to taste.
I avoid it as I feel like I’ll be pressured into buying something I don’t want or more than I need.
“Can I have 5 killos of olives please? ”
Anxious wait while I wait to see how big a 5 kg portion of olives are and cost.
5 minutes later, me hiding a 5kg tub of olives in the chilled aisle behind some houmous.
I used to until I moved 2 minutes away from a farm shop. As a single person it made more sense to buy x amount of whatever from the deli counter over a 12 pack of the same food.
Yes I still use it. in a good supermarket there are lots of options not available in pre-pack and you get just what you need.
I wouldn’t in Tesco or Morrisons for example I don’t think Tesco even bothers any more.
No because once I saw a woman at Asda scratch her growler and then sell someone a ham
I always go to the deli counter but in the polish shop, much cheaper and better.