Food prices

[Mcr Warrior]

A while back I used to work in M&S food and we had issues with undesirables wiping out the steak shelves and scarpering,

Presumably not 'Sparks card' holders, then?!

 

[jon0844]

Waitrose likes to put expensive wines and spirits near the front entrance and people just come in and walk out with them. It's quite amazing that people are that brazen, and that stores still put expensive items near the doors. I suppose they just put the cost of the losses on the prices so we can compensate them.

 

[takno]

Waitrose likes to put expensive wines and spirits near the front entrance and people just come in and walk out with them. It's quite amazing that people are that brazen, and that stores still put expensive items near the doors. I suppose they just put the cost of the losses on the prices so we can compensate them.

It's usually a reasonably well-calculated decision. Highly visible at the front may be putto6 off more people than burying it the back. If theft is high in a store the expensive stuff will go behind, otherwise highly visible and near the security staff may well be best for sales and theft reduction

 

[malc-c]

Firstly you must be shopping in M&S, as that is the price of milk there (Tesco is 10p more expensive across the board, at least in the one I shop in).

Secondly, the costs of production of Milk - or indeed most Pre packed foodstuffs - is not directly proportionate to weight. There is the cost of packaging, transport, handling, and selling it.

Hence why an 800g loaf is only a few pence more than a 400g loaf, 500g of Sainsburys own brand Basmati rice is £1.95 where a kilo is £2.10, Heinz tomato ketchup is £2.30 for 250g, but £3.95 for 910g. And so on ad nauseam.

But no need to be confused and shocked. It has been like this for the last 40 years at least.

ASDA... but it's the same price as M&S

 

[Mojo]

I’m pleased to say Sainsbury’s have reduced the price of their toastie bread from 90p to 85p. Still a huge increase from the 55p only a few months ago.

This bread in all the major supermarkets has now been reduced again to 75p, except in Waitrose and Iceland where it is £1.

The biggest price drop is in Asda who were previously charging 95p for the loaf, the smallest drop is M&S who were already charging 75p for quite some time now.

 

[Russel]

This bread in all the major supermarkets has now been reduced again to 75p, except in Waitrose and Iceland where it is £1.

The biggest price drop is in Asda who were previously charging 95p for the loaf, the smallest drop is M&S who were already charging 75p for quite some time now.

It feels like Iceland have increased their prices more than any of the other supermarkets.

 

[Mojo]

It feels like Iceland have increased their prices more than any of the other supermarkets.

I’m surprised people still believe Iceland is cheap, for almost all their chilled foods (except milk) they are now more expensive than even Waitrose. The range of their ambient foods is also quite limited, meaning they, too, are more expensive than many other shops.

 

[Bald Rick]

I’m surprised people still believe Iceland is cheap, for almost all their chilled foods (except milk) they are now more expensive than even Waitrose. The range of their ambient foods is also quite limited, meaning they, too, are more expensive than many other shops.

Agreed.

Also, I’m surprised that people believe M&S Food is expensive. For most of the usual staples - Bread, milk, veg, wine - prices are comparable (and sometimes cheaper) than Sainsburys / Tesco etc. and the quality is usually better too.

For clarity I mean the major M&S Food stores, and not the smaller versions at stations / Motorway services etc which have higher prices.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

It feels like Iceland have increased their prices more than any of the other supermarkets.

All the lower priced retailers have been shown to have pushed up prices more as they operate on much lower margins so couldn't absorb much of the pain.

 

[HBP]

Agreed.

Also, I’m surprised that people believe M&S Food is expensive. For most of the usual staples - Bread, milk, veg, wine - prices are comparable (and sometimes cheaper) than Sainsburys / Tesco etc. and the quality is usually better too.

For clarity I mean the major M&S Food stores, and not the smaller versions at stations / Motorway services etc which have higher prices.

Totally agree. I have a largish M&S Simply Food, 2 mins from my front door. It’s now my local corner shop. Cheaper for the staples than the Sainsburys, Co-op on the same parade of shops.

 

[joebassman]

Eggs seem to be becoming more and more expemsive and difficult to get hold of.

 

[1D54]

Iceland have gone down the road of items at 3 for £3 £5 or £10. Some of them are decent value but Greggs Scotch Pies at £3,50 or £10 for 3 with a saving of 50p certainly isn't on one of them.

 

[takno]

Iceland have gone down the road of items at 3 for £3 £5 or £10. Some of them are decent value but Greggs Scotch Pies at £3,50 or £10 for 3 with a saving of 50p certainly isn't on one of them.

That's for a packet for scotch pies and not just the one right?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

That's for a packet for scotch pies and not just the one right?

3 x two packs.

Greggs 2 Scotch Pies 282g

Buy Greggs 2 Scotch Pies 282g online at Iceland. Free next day delivery on orders over £40.

www.iceland.co.uk

 

[takno]

3 x two packs.

Greggs 2 Scotch Pies 282g

Buy Greggs 2 Scotch Pies 282g online at Iceland. Free next day delivery on orders over £40.

www.iceland.co.uk

That's stunningly expensive compared to the Bells ones in Sainsburys or Tesco. I can't believe how much Gregg's are passing themselves off as a premium brand now.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

That's stunningly expensive compared to the Bells ones in Sainsburys or Tesco. I can't believe how much Gregg's are passing themselves off as a premium brand now.

Quite! Not sure if this Greggs product is (widely) available anywhere else, so, even if you do particularly like them, it's not as if you can easily shop around.

 

[Bald Rick]

I can't believe how much Gregg's are passing themselves off as a premium brand now.

I can’t believe anyone would willingly buy these things, at all!

 

[simonw]

Waitrose likes to put expensive wines and spirits near the front entrance and people just come in and walk out with them. It's quite amazing that people are that brazen, and that stores still put expensive items near the doors. I suppose they just put the cost of the losses on the prices so we can compensate them.

Not the two I use. wines and spirits at the back of the store and a security guard standing there. This in what most people would think of as well to do areas.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's stunningly expensive compared to the Bells ones in Sainsburys or Tesco. I can't believe how much Gregg's are passing themselves off as a premium brand now.

Familiar rather than premium? Nothing in Iceland is premium, it is not that type of shop, its business model is basically "Aldi but more or less only frozen stuff".

 

[Mojo]

Waitrose likes to put expensive wines and spirits near the front entrance and people just come in and walk out with them. It's quite amazing that people are that brazen, and that stores still put expensive items near the doors. I suppose they just put the cost of the losses on the prices so we can compensate them.

Not the two I use. wines and spirits at the back of the store and a security guard standing there. This in what most people would think of as well to do areas.

My local branch has wines at the back of the shop, but it has two entrances & exits, and they’ll often put out things for promotion on a stand by the front door. The staff said they regularly get people travelling by Underground to their shop as they know it is very vulnerable to theft. Given how expensive some of the spirits in particular they have on the shelf, I’m very surprised. The sole uniformed security guard used to be positioned in the alcohol aisles but is only present during the daytimes (admittedly the staff say that is when most of the theft occurs) but during Covid he was moved to be positioned on the front door to enforce social distancing capacities and masks.

Saying that, I don’t think the store manager is too bothered as for the last year they have had a vagrant living at the front of the shop under their canopy. I emailed her asking if they would consider doing something about it, but she wasn’t interested. Shop staff are equally as fed up.

 

[1D54]

Quite! Not sure if this Greggs product is (widely) available anywhere else, so, even if you do particularly like them, it's not as if you can easily shop around.

Precisely, i live in Leicestershire and Greggs is the only place you can get them. Probably worth doing the £2 bus tickets and make my way across the border where I'm sure they would be half the price in Corby!

 

[Mojo]

Familiar rather than premium? Nothing in Iceland is premium, it is not that type of shop, its business model is basically "Aldi but more or less only frozen stuff".

I’m not sure about that. Iceland is a bit like Amazon or theTrainline where people *think* they are cheap (perhaps because they used to be, or because of marketing) but whereas in reality they are usually more expensive. This applies predominantly to their fresh and ambient ranges, but increasingly now to their frozen foods too.

Increasingly their frozen products never contain a budget option, they are almost all of a medium and above range. Take their burgers for instance, the cheapest they do is 79% beef at £3 for 8. Sainsbury’s meanwhile sell 65% beef burgers at £1.75 for 8. The products are not comparable as different ingredients obviously, but they increasingly sell a small number of basic budget products.

 

[takno]

I’m not sure about that. Iceland is a bit like Amazon or theTrainline where people *think* they are cheap (perhaps because they used to be, or because of marketing) but whereas in reality they are usually more expensive. This applies predominantly to their fresh and ambient ranges, but increasingly now to their frozen foods too.

Increasingly their frozen products never contain a budget option, they are almost all of a medium and above range. Take their burgers for instance, the cheapest they do is 79% beef at £3 for 8. Sainsbury’s meanwhile sell 65% beef burgers at £1.75 for 8. The products are not comparable as different ingredients obviously, but they increasingly sell a small number of basic budget products.

They've always been bad for fresh and ambient, and only cheap for frozen. As you say, I don't think they've ever really responded to other supermarkets introducing value ranges in the 90s, so they're in a space where they're often cheapest for "standard-quality" own-brand stuff or average-priced for the limited range of brands they sell, and their traditional customer base hasn't got the money to buy above value prices anymore.

Things like the Greggs exclusive just make matters worse, where Greggs traditional position as the discount high street baker has been completely worn away by price increases at Greggs themselves, and Iceland are stuck trying to flog a non-premium brand at very premium prices.

If they were located in a more accessible part of town I'd probably go there for a fair amount of frozen stuff, but it would be 1-2 miles out of my way, and you can't do a full shop there, so why bother?

 

[Baxenden Bank]

That's stunningly expensive compared to the Bells ones in Sainsburys or Tesco. I can't believe how much Gregg's are passing themselves off as a premium brand now.

I was in Primark a couple of months ago. You can get Greggs branded items including underwear.

 

[Mojo]

If they were located in a more accessible part of town I'd probably go there for a fair amount of frozen stuff, but it would be 1-2 miles out of my way, and you can't do a full shop there, so why bother?

In London they took over quite a lot of old Woolworths stores, which together with their pre-existing estate meant that they have quite a good network of shops, in particular on parades of shops or on High Streets with no full sized supermarkets elsewhere.

They’re probably quite strong against convenience shops, whether that be independents or smaller versions of the big players which may be the reason they don’t feel their prices have to be particularly competitive.

 

[takno]

In London they took over quite a lot of old Woolworths stores, which together with their pre-existing estate meant that they have quite a good network of shops, in particular on parades of shops or on High Streets with no full sized supermarkets elsewhere.

They’re probably quite strong against convenience shops, whether that be independents or smaller versions of the big players which may be the reason they don’t feel their prices have to be particularly competitive.

Interesting. All of our local Woolies went to Poundland. I think the area I live in is quite high in car ownership and too posh/self-regarding for them to thrive, but I can see them doing well in parts of London

 

[david1212]

Iceland .... Greggs Scotch Pies at £3.50 or £10 for 3 with a saving of 50p certainly isn't on one of them.

That's stunningly expensive compared to the Bells ones in Sainsburys or Tesco. I can't believe how much Gregg's are passing themselves off as a premium brand now.

Familiar rather than premium? Nothing in Iceland is premium, it is not that type of shop, its business model is basically "Aldi but more or less only frozen stuff".

282g per pack, 141g per pie with the beef content as 16% so 22.5g plus 2% mutton so 2.82g - combined 1 ounce of meat in a pie costing £1.75 / £1.67 with 3 for £10 deal ... no thank you.

Ingredients​

Water, Fortified Wheat Flour (Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Beef (16%), Seasoning (Rusk (Wheat), Fortified Wheat Flour (Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Lactose (Milk), Isolated Soya Protein, Starch, Salt, Spice Extract, Potato Fibre, Spices, Barley Malt Extract), Pork Lard, Beef Fat, Mutton (2%), Inactivated Yeast, Ground Rice, Salt, Wheat Gluten, Fermented Wheat Flour, Wheat Flour
ALLERGY ADVICE: FOR ALLERGENS, SEE UNDERLINED INGREDIENTS IN BOLD
May contain: cereals containing gluten, eggs, mustard, sulphur dioxide/sulphites

 

[malc-c]

Interesting. ASDA have a 600g bag of frozen lean mince beef for £5.00. Their lean 500g pack of fresh lean mince beef is £3.75. Now if my calculations are correct that would mean a 600g of fresh lean mince would cost £4.50. So buying fresh and freezing it is not only cheaper, it's probably healthier.

 

[Trackman]

Interesting. ASDA have a 600g bag of frozen lean mince beef for £5.00. Their lean 500g pack of fresh lean mince beef is £3.75. Now if my calculations are correct that would mean a 600g of fresh lean mince would cost £4.50. So buying fresh and freezing it is not only cheaper, it's probably healthier.

and tastier, I wouldnt dream of buying frozen mince

 

[malc-c]

and tastier, I wouldnt dream of buying frozen mince

Well I was led to believe frozen food was generally cheaper... but now know different, and yes I'm betting it will taste a lot better too