Shopping
UK’s cheapest supermarket for a weekly shop in September – can you save cash?
THE UK’s cheapest supermarket for a weekly shop in September has been revealed – and it’s not Lidl or Asda.
Which? found German discounter Aldi to be the most affordable out of a list of eight major chains last month.
The UK’s consumer champion looked at how the retailers’ prices compared on a shopping list of 59 products, to represent doing a weekly shop.
The list of 59 included both branded and non-branded items including Birds Eye Peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter.
Which?’s analysis also included special offer prices and loyalty prices where possible, but not multi-buys such as buy one get one free.
The consumer champion found Aldi came out cheapest ahead of Lidl, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s with the basket costing £102.68.
The supermarket also pipped Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose to first spot.
Asda’s basket of 59 goods came in just a fraction more expensive than Aldi, costing £103.86.
Asda was next, with its shopping list costing £112.19.
Tesco’s basket, with Clubcard, was £112.96, and without loyalty pricing, it was £113.35.
Sainsbury’s shopping basket, for Nectar Card customers, was £113.79, then Morrisons was next, coming in at £119.18.
Sainsbury’s without a Nectar Card was £119.19, then Ocado and Waitrose came in the bottom of the pack, with their baskets costing £125.16 and £130.37 respectively.
Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “Our latest monthly analysis once again sees Aldi crowned as the UK’s cheapest supermarket.
“Given the ongoing strain of high food prices on household budgets, it’s understandable that many people are choosing discounters to cut costs.
“By switching supermarkets, consumers could save 21%, highlighting the advantages of shopping around.”
It’s worth bearing in mind, that the research carried out by Which? was based on prices for 59 products across September only.
How to save money on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
That means they are just a snapshot of what you might pay at different times of the year.
Prices change frequently, sometimes daily, and you will find items on offer in one chain one week and then in another the following week.
Big shop comparison
However, in Which?’s survey of a larger basket of goods, Asda came out on top.
The comparison looks at 164 items – it doesn’t include Aldi and Lidl as they don’t offer a large enough range in shops.
Asda came top of the list with this basket costing £418.88 – but Tesco (with Clubard prices) was just 1p more expensive.
An Asda spokesperson said: “Asda is consistently recognised as the best-value supermarket for the big shop in independent price comparison surveys, including the Grocer 33 basket comparison and the Which? monthly big shop trolley comparison.
“Given the ongoing strain of high food prices on household budgets, it’s understandable that many people are choosing discounters to cut costs
Ele Clark
“This is despite these surveys including other retailers’ loyalty schemes but not Asda Rewards.”
It’s also worth factoring in that Which? looked at loyalty pricing for Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose, but only Tesco and Sainsbury’s had items on their chosen shopping list with a loyalty price in September.
Meanwhile, Asda doesn’t have two-tier loyalty pricing. Its loyalty scheme is based on points and personalised rewards, not lower prices for every scheme member which means Which? didn’t include the retailer’s loyalty scheme prices.
What is loyalty pricing?
Loyalty schemes are all the rage, but what is loyalty pricing? Here is everything you need to know…
Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons are three of the major supermarkets that offer customers loyalty pricing – where you can get discounts on certain products.
They’re all free to sign up to as well, so the obvious advantage is that you can save money without spending a penny.
Different supermarkets will offer exclusive discounts on different products, so it’s worth seeing which suits your weekly shop the best.
Either way, be wary of supermarkets artificially inflating the price of their goods to make it seem like you’re getting a better deal than you are.
Consumer group Which? has previously found Sainsbury’s and Tesco to have increased the price of everyday goods then slapped loyalty prices on them thinking customers wouldn’t notice.
In any case, it’s worth shopping around even if you’re getting your weekly basket from a supermarket that offers loyalty pricing.
Supermarkets change their prices all the time, sometimes multiple times daily, so it’s worth checking you’re getting the best price on an item.
You can use websites like Trolley to see how the major supermarket’s compare in terms of price on any number of goods.
It’s not the first time in recent months Aldi has come out on top of Which?’s cheapest supermarket survey.
The German discounter, which is looking to massively expand its physical store presence across the UK, was crowned the cheapest supermarket in August, July and June.
It was also crowned the cheapest supermarket of 2023, pipping the other major chains including Lidl, Asda and Sainsbury’s to the top spot.
A Morrisons spokesperson said it was “working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers”.
They added: “Our More Card members can also earn points on selected purchases, including fuel, and redeem those points for fivers off their shopping.
By switching supermarkets, consumers could save 21%, highlighting the advantages of shopping around
Ele Clark
“They also benefit from market-leading discounts on over 2,000 branded and essential items across fridge, freezer and cupboard fillers as well as personalised offers and surprises.”
A Waitrose spokesperson said: “We’re committed to keeping prices low for customers and remain focused on giving our customers great value for money.
“We have invested in prices without compromising on quality or our industry-leading animal welfare standards.
“Which’s price comparison also excludes multibuy offers, which are extremely popular amongst our customers for both our branded and own-branded products.”
The retailer added that it had reduced prices on its No.1 range which was recently relaunched.
The Sun asked Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado for comment.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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