Price hikes see 'cheapest supermarket' become most expensive in span of just three weeks

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Price hikes see 'cheapest supermarket' become most expensive in span of just three weeks

Postby dutchman » Sun Jun 19, 2022 8:03 pm

Shoppers across the UK have been dismayed at price hikes for items like milk, bread, teabags and butter as supermarkets struggle to keep costs down while reacting to the cost of living crisis

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Shoppers continue to be dismayed by food price hikes as the supermarket that topped the list for cheapest essentials just three weeks ago is now the most expensive.

But while consumers are struggling to stretch their budget during the cost of living crisis, retailers are also reacting quickly to the economy.

Manchester Evening News has been comparing the prices of basics on a weekly basis to keep track of the cheapest places to stock up.

It has been looking at the cost of the same eight products - two-pints of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter, beans, chicken breasts and mince - at Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.

Lidl is the cheapest for the eight basics for the second week running.

Last week it reported that Lidl came out tops in the rankings, coming in at just £9.82 for all eight products.

Despite it putting up the price of milk and butter this week, it has still kept its bill lower than any of the other stores, at £9.91.

The biggest shock however is Morrisons, which just three weeks ago was wearing the cheapest crown itself, with a bill of £9.78 for the shopping basket.

Now it's coming in at £10.91 and working out as the most expensive of all - taking the unfortunate spot from Sainsbury's for the first time.

Three separate increases have put it there this week - its cheapest loaf of bread rising from 39p to 54p, chicken up to £2.49 for a 300g pack of two breasts and mince rising from £1.89 to £2.19.

Those meat prices are higher than any of the other supermarkets and the mince is 50p more expensive than the cheapest, which is Asda's new Just Essentials pack for £1.69.

It's not just Morrisons putting prices up though.

Lidl, Tesco and Sainsbury's have joined the others in putting the cost of 2 pints of milk up to £1.05 from 99p, the latter two also increasing the cost of their chicken.

And Lidl has increased the cost of its butter from £1.69 to £1.72, albeit still selling it cheaper than elsewhere.

This week the overall shopping bill has risen at four supermarkets altogether - Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.

The only slight difference in sizes among our shopping is the baked beans, which range from 400g in Sainsbury's and 410g in Asda and Morrisons, to the standard 420g in Aldi, Lidl and Tesco.

And where Asda's pack of chicken is larger, we've worked out the equivalent price for a fairer comparison.

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Re: Price hikes see 'cheapest supermarket' become most expensive in span of just three weeks

Postby dutchman » Sun Jun 19, 2022 8:06 pm

I don't know if this is true for other supermarket chains but there is a shortage of own-brand products at Morrisons which may account for the higher price total?
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Re: Price hikes see 'cheapest supermarket' become most expensive in span of just three weeks

Postby rebbonk » Sun Jun 19, 2022 10:54 pm

dutchman wrote:I don't know if this is true for other supermarket chains but there is a shortage of own-brand products at Morrisons which may account for the higher price total?


I can only comment on Tesco, and they regularly used to go through phases of unavailability of their own brand and the Stockwell brand. However, I have noticed that they seem to have dropped some of these products in recent months. Being cynical, I suspect that they're simply looking after their bottom line and milking the current situation for all it's worth.
Of course it'll fit; you just need a bigger hammer.
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Re: Price hikes see 'cheapest supermarket' become most expensive in span of just three weeks

Postby dutchman » Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:54 pm

Supermarket accused of "laughing at customers" after hiking prices once again

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A supermarket has been accused of 'taking the mick' out of shoppers by putting up prices once again.

Our weekly comparison of basics like milk and bread has kept a close eye on increasing costs over the last few months.

The shopping bill for the same eight essentials has risen week after week at the six main supermarkets - Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.

It's the latter that has been grabbing most of the headlines though after starting out as the cheapest, but quickly climbing to the most expensive over a matter of weeks.

Read more: Heinz Ketchup, Diet Coke and other supermarket swaps shoppers say are saving them a fortune

The increase - from £9.78 at the end of May up to £11.15 by July - is largely due to its meat prices, with its 500g pack of mince the most expensive of the lot at £2.19 and its 300g pack of chicken breast the second most expensive at £2.49.

But now the bill has shot up once again, after the price of its 250g block of butter rose from £1.75 up to £1.99 - a hike of almost 14% and bakes beans rose from 25p to 29p.

We've also adjusted the price of its cheapest loaf as despite us requesting the cost of its cheapest 800g loaf, the retailer has been giving us the pro rata cost of its Savers loaf, which is smaller at 720g.

Shoppers are less than impressed with the price hikes. "They're really taking the mick now," said one loyal Morrisons customer. "I've shopped there for years, but the prices seem to be going up more than anywhere else. It feels like they're laughing at us."

Another said: "I know prices are going up everywhere, but there seems no end to it. I like the quality of Morrisons products, but I can't keep paying more."

Earlier this month we reported how the bill for eight basics at all six supermarkets had topped £10 for the first time - made up of a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter, beans, chicken breasts and mince.

This week's changes have taken Morrisons' overall bill to £11.78 - that's a difference of £1.66 from the cheapest, Asda, which has swiped the cheapest crown from Lidl, which held it for the last six weeks.

The only slight difference in sizes is the baked beans, which range from 400g in Sainsbury's and 410g in Asda and Morrisons, to the standard 420g in Aldi, Lidl and Tesco. Where Asda's pack of chicken is larger, we've worked out the equivalent price for a fairer comparison.

Morrisons says that while its cheaper Savers butter is no longer stocked online, it is still available in stores.

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Re: Price hikes see 'cheapest supermarket' become most expensive in span of just three weeks

Postby dutchman » Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:11 pm

Morrisons ditches 'most expensive' title after rival supermarket's price hike

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Under fire supermarket Morrisons has ditched its title of 'most expensive' after a rival's price hike. In our weekly comparison of shopping basics, Morrisons has held the unfortunate position every week for more than six months, with just one exception.

But now rival Asda has taken the title for the first time ever since we started tracking prices back in March last year.

The supermarket has already made headlines this week when shoppers accused it taking advantage of customers by hiking costs more than necessary.

One dad says he was so shocked by the prices on his recent visit to the supermarket that he walked out and went to Aldi, where his shopping came to £15 less.

And yesterday we reported how our own shopping at the supermarket has risen by almost 15% in the last six months.

The cost of meat in particular has taken a hit during the cost of living crisis and we shared how one item in particular, a two-pack of chicken breasts, has not only increased in price at Asda, but has also shrunk.

Six months ago a 350g pack of chicken breast fillets was priced £2.65 at Asda. Now the size has been reduced to 300g, but costs £3.

That price now makes it the highest out of all the six main supermarkets and is the reason why Asda now sits at the bottom of our comparison chart, with a bill of £11.83 for our shopping basket, which also looks at the cost of a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter, beans and mince.

After five weeks as the 'cheapest' retailer, Aldi has once again lost the top spot to Lidl after it too increased its chicken from £2.25 to £2.29 and its mince from £1.79 to £1.99, putting its overall bill at £11.35, compared with Lidl's £11.23.

Tesco and Sainsbury's are in joint third place at £11.46, followed by Morrisons - which has also increased its mince - at £11.67.

Despite the complaints about both Morrisons and Asda, recent research from Which? shows that it's the budget retailers Aldi and Lidl that have had the biggest price hikes over the last year - both up by more than 20% compared with Asda's 15.4% and Morrisons' 12.9%.

An Asda spokesperson said: "We’re working hard to keep prices in check for customers and remain the lowest-priced major supermarket – a position recognised by Which? in their regular monthly basket comparison which has named Asda as the cheapest supermarket for a big shop every month for the last three years.”

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