my first time in a Sainsbury's was 12 years ago in London with the discovery of inexpensive store-brand beer and subsequent improvisation of a cooling system in a hotel that lacked a fridge (this is what happens when engineers travel; I'll leave the details to your imagination).
lo and behold, there's a Sainsbury's near my hotel in Cambridge - and while my hotel lacked a fridge, I did not devise any cooling systems for store-brand beer.
however, I did do some shopping at this Sainsbury's Local while in town for work. a few toiletries, really cheap packs of bottled water (did you really think I was NOT going to run while traveling? check yourself, lest you wriggity-wreck yourself!), a variety of groceries (okay, chocolate and candy count as groceries), and all very inexpensive. and considering my hotel was right next door, the commute to it was perfect.
it was very bright and clean in here. the selection isn't as huge as a large supermarket would be (as I learned, Sainsbury's Local is their smaller version) but there's enough of the essentials, including plenty of alcohol and premade meals. read more