Summary of Interview #7 - DB

• Interview Date: 10/06/14

• Interviewee Code: DB

• Interview Location: Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin 4

• Duration: 4 minutes 46 seconds

• Recorded by: Sony IC Recorder model #ICD- PX312/PX312F

• Profile of Interviewee: DB is female, in her early forties and is the executive chef of a large four-star hotel in Dublin. DB lives in the city centre with her partner who also works in the hospitality industry. DB strongly self-identifies as being middle class.

Summary: The interview took place in the bar area of the Hotel. This was chosen to balance the busy schedule of the interviewee and the privacy needed to conduct a recorded interview:

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DB purchases her domestic weekly food shop at Aldi and Lidl which represents a move from Superquinn which was the preferred purchasing solution before the recession, DB also claims that supermarkets like Tesco cannot compete with Aldi and Lidl on a quality basis as the two German retailers have such a high turnover of fruit and vegetables, their products are fresh at all times and in her opinion unequalled by that of Tesco. DB claims that Aldi and Lidl cannot compete quality-wise regarding raw meat and it is this perceived lack of quality that inhibits her purchasing meats from either of these retailers. DB will shop in Aldi and Lidl with her aunt as they carpool for their shopping trips and split the fuel costs. This has led to DB and her aunt often splitting special offers such as buy-one-get-one-free and this behaviour is applied to all special offers that they find appealing.

DB says that she is far more price-conscious now than heretofore, and made a point that before the current recession she didn’t know the price of a pint of milk but claims that she certainly does now. On the days when the main meal is not prepared at home the current solution is either a take-away or a meal out, but both of these solutions have decreased in frequency since the recession. In the case of eating out it has decreased from four times a month to once a month, and this is underpinned by DB’s assertion that people are looking for more value in restaurants.

DB batch-cooks at the week-end and chills her food for later in the week and is heavily influenced by special offers. The special offer motif is carried over to her wine purchases where she has a loyalty card for one of Dublin’s major alcohol retail chains and utilises the points system that ensures discounts on a regular basis, This has, according to DB replaced her visits to the pub as she now will drink wine at home. This too is financially driven.

On the subject of treating herself DB claims that a take-away meal or a meal out or a bottle of wine would be the chosen method of self-gifting and furthermore the savings she makes at Aldi and Lidl are in fact what pay for her treat.

A full transcript for this interview is provided in Appendix 8.

112 4.2.8 Summary of Interview #8 - LOC

• Interview Date: 11/06/14

• Interviewee Code: LOC

• Interview Location: In the interviewee’s home in Dublin 7.

• Duration: 4 minutes 43 seconds

• Recorded by: Sony IC Recorder model #ICD- PX312/PX312F

• Profile of Interviewee: LOC is female, in her early forties and is married with three children. LOC works full time as a child-minder. She strongly self-identifies as being working class.

Summary: The interview took place in the interviewee’s home as this suited both her and the interviewer’s schedule. It offered convenience and privacy for a recorded interview:

LOC claimed that her weekly domestic shopping was bought in Aldi and Lidl and that because ‘money is tight’ this was the preferred solution, Tesco was used for certain branded items and for top-ups however LOC insisted that in Tesco nothing else would be purchased aside from the usual few items only available there or items on promotional offer. LOC stated that in her opinion even though money is tight due to the recession she is getting the same weekly shop as in pre-recession times, however she claims to be getting it cheaper. This is achieved by using the ‘German Discounters’ and by adhering to her self-imposed policy of looking for special offers.

LOC also said pointedly that there was ‘no shame’ in shopping at Aldi and Lidl anymore, and that she was a user of these stores as she had become far more ‘price aware’.

LOC claims that she was a good cook in pre-recession days and as she cooks almost every day she feels she is probably still a good cook. The incidence of her cooking the family meal in the home from scratch has increased since the recession began and LOC indicated she would not be inclined to purchase frozen or processed foods in great quantities.

Meals outside the home were rare but a trip to a fast-food restaurant with her children or to a local bistro with all the family were occasional events. Treating the family would involve; eating out or perhaps a bottle of wine and a good steak at home, the

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point of which she claimed was using expensive ingredients but prepare them at home.

A full transcript for this interview is provided in Appendix 9.