Food prices

[ComUtoR]

I stopped looking at the 'price' years ago. I spent many years working in retail and those headline prices can be, and often are, VERY misleading. My pet hate is mayonnaise and where they price some at price per gram and others at price per ml. Same where they price per kg or price per 100g and the dreaded price per one.

It's the same with BOGOF and 342s etc. It can be quite deliberate to get you to buy items you don't need. With a 3-4-2 you are actually buying an additional item and putting more money into the retailers pocket and spending more. Its interesting that you rarely see a special offer on basic household items. It will be interesting to see what the new changes will bring.

A good example of where supermarkets are really on a 'scam' look at washing tablets next time you there. You can have the same brand/type tablets on offer but check the price per tab on competing brands or even the same brand but the different size box. It's pretty shocking. Washing up liquid does something similar.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Washing up liquid does something similar.

Certainly seems to be any number of different Fairy Liquid bottle sizes. 433ml, 500ml, 780ml, 1190ml. Probably a few others as well!

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Returning to the toilet roll situation. The price per pack decrease represents a 10% increase in the cost per sqm. But if you get the same benefit [the number of sheets is the same] does that really matter? If you were papering a wall yes, as there would be a gap somewhere but in this case is there an actual loser?

 

[ComUtoR]

Certainly seems to be any number of different Fairy Liquid bottle sizes. 433ml, 500ml, 780ml, 1190ml. Probably a few others as well!

ASDA :
£1 - 433ml - £2.31/L
£2 - 780ml - £2.56/L
£2 - 660ml FAIRY POWER MAX - £3.03/L
£2 - 870ml (on offer - £2.30/L)
£2.50 1.19l - £2.10/L

Not to bad at the moment but that's before I add in the different variants, flavours, anti-bacs etc. but the 'Fairy power max' is currently "on offer" at £2 for 660ml - £3.03/L

It really isn't consumer friendly and if you were buying solely on the price point you can see how easy it is to get ripped off. As a retailer I know which one I'd be putting on the Gondola and pushing as this weeks best 'rollback'

 

[TheBigD]

Noticed in my local Tesco Metro this morning that they are now putting security tags on thinks like pre cooked chicken wings, chicken breasts and tesco finest cold meats.
Seen the tags on things like steak and salmon for years but first time for the other stuff.

 

[yorksrob]

Compare the number of sheets in each roll. A while ago one of the brands available quietly reduced the number of sheets by a fair amount by increasing the size of the central cardboard tube.

Oh, they've all tried that ploy !

 

[AM9]

Returning to the toilet roll situation. The price per pack decrease represents a 10% increase in the cost per sqm. But if you get the same benefit [the number of sheets is the same] does that really matter? If you were papering a wall yes, as there would be a gap somewhere but in this case is there an actual loser?

I can't get the thought of the 'H' blocks in the Maze prison out of my mind!

 

[johnnychips]

Returning to the toilet roll situation. The price per pack decrease represents a 10% increase in the cost per sqm. But if you get the same benefit [the number of sheets is the same] does that really matter? If you were papering a wall yes, as there would be a gap somewhere but in this case is there an actual loser?

Erm…depends how clumsy you are on the toilet.

Anybody been to Poundland recently? Not picking on them as it’s the same everywhere, but it should really be called £1.25land.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Anybody been to Poundland recently? Not picking on them as it’s the same everywhere, but it should really be called £1.25land.

Indeed. The alternative being somewhat reduced pack sizes for your £1.00.

 

[Mojo]

A good example of where supermarkets are really on a 'scam' look at washing tablets next time you there. You can have the same brand/type tablets on offer but check the price per tab on competing brands or even the same brand but the different size box. It's pretty shocking. Washing up liquid does something similar.

One other thing to watch out for with washing tablets is that they aren’t all created equally. Some for instance advise you to put more than one to get the supposed performance, whereas others only require one.

Washing powder and liquid can be quite misleading also. They claim on the front of the packaging that it can do X number of washes. Often when you take the size of the packet and compare it to the recommended amount to use per wash on the back you’ll often find it gets nowhere near that, the number of washes on the front being worked out as the recommended amount for a light wash in a soft water area (despite the majority of the population living in a hard water area). Powder is particularly difficult to calculate as it’s often sold in grams yet the recommended amount per wash displayed on the packet in millilitres. It isn’t always like that though, an Ecover liquid in my cupboard is however accurate for hard water so it isn’t always consistent.

Erm…depends how clumsy you are on the toilet.

Anybody been to Poundland recently? Not picking on them as it’s the same everywhere, but it should really be called £1.25land.

Can’t say I’ve noticed much in Poundland at £1.25 but lots seems to be £1.50 and £2. Onebelow on the other hand does have aisles of things at £1.25, somewhat ironic as Chris Edwards lambasted the purchasers of his former Poundworld chain, which went bust after he sold it, for increasing prices above £1.

 

[johnnychips]

The only two brands I would consider ‘superior’ to own brands are Bisto Gravy Granules and Domestos bleach. It will be a sad day for me when you can’t get these for a quid at cheap shops. The gravy is definitely better, but the bleach might be a perception.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Certainly not a good idea to mix these two products up when looking for something to pour over your roasties!

 

[Jimini]

Certainly not a good idea to mix these two products up when looking for something to pour over your roasties!

A very good point, well made!

 

[AM9]

The only two brands I would consider ‘superior’ to own brands are Bisto Gravy Granules and Domestos bleach. It will be a sad day for me when you can’t get these for a quid at cheap shops. The gravy is definitely better, but the bleach might be a perception.

I think there are others, e.g. digestive biscuits - it seems nobody can deliver the same flavour as McVities do even though they have changed the recipe to remove trans fats and reduced the level of fats further in recent years. Then there's Heinz 30% less fat salad cream which other brands don't seem to match.
As for milk prices, I always have Dutchy Organic* semi-skimmed and the four pint bottle cost has only moved from £1.80 to £1.90 over the past two years.
* For the record, I'm not an organic snob, it's the only easily obtainable un-homogenised milk I can get. The body can digest the fat in milk normally as with other days. If the fat globules are broken update in a homogenising process, they absorb protein and get absorbed directly into the bloodstream, being a major cause of cholesterol clogging in arteries. Omitting homogenisation also results in a creamier taste for the same cream content (1.8%).

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Erm…depends how clumsy you are on the toilet.

A level of detail not required, but thanks anyway.

Definitely not food, not even household / personal care products but Blue Circle Mastercrete Cement has increased by 22% since August [25kg sack, B & Q, £5.95 was £4.89]. I blame HS2. Yes, it would have been much easier to have it delivered last August with all the other materials but I wasn't sure how much I needed, not being an experienced mixer of home-made concrete! Can't think of many uses for a spare sack of cement to be honest, oh it might come in useful - for what? Whereas spare gravel and sand can be 'absorbed' into the garden/paths.

Annoyingly, or rip-offly, a 12.5kg 'handybag' is £4.55 whilst twice the size standard 25kg sack is £5.95. Might as well by the larger pack.

Not as bad as premix mortar though which is £5.50 for a 5kg bag and £9.03 for 25kg sack.

 

[Gloster]

Can't think of many uses for a spare sack of cement to be honest, oh it might come in useful - for what?

You could always join the Mafia?

 

[Blindtraveler]

The overwhelming majority of my shopping is own branded items, the exceptions being bisto gravy and Taylors of Harrogate rich Italian coffee.


The supermarkets have definitely up their game with bleach another cleaning product recently and I have no idea how the big brands like domestos and harpic actually survive, presumably selling in bulk to shops like Poundland


My biggest headache these days is the cost of fruit and veg, the save food miles eco brigade have not helped this situation as we have seen a reduction in choice and a hike in price as supermarkets answer these calls by forcing local growers to produce more and therefore increase the price

 

[takno]

Tesco, and perhaps others, have regular yo-yo prices on certain items. That is it is on offer for a fortnight, then it goes to a higher price for a slightly longer period, then the offer returns for a fortnight and so on. Basically just keep an eye on their website where they give the end date for the offers. The offers generally end on Tuesday.

The shelf labels contain the end date as well, although it's a bit buried in the mystery numbers on the bottom.

 

[AM9]

The shelf labels contain the end date as well, although it's a bit buried in the mystery numbers on the bottom.

Yes, that's the same in Waitrose where most promotions run on a 3 week cycle. For instance, Anchopr spreadable butter usually has three weeks with about 1/3 off the 500g pack, then 3 weeks with about 1/3 off the 750g pack, then there's either 2x3 weeks or 3x3 weeks of normal prices for both, then the whole cycle repeats. Last year i went right through the year without paying full price for butter, - it freezes so well.

 

[ABB125]

Last year i went right through the year without paying full price for butter, - it freezes so well.

Last year, I also went right through the year without paying full price for butter - indeed, I didn't pay any price, because I don't use butter!

 

[AM9]

Last year, I also went right through the year without paying full price for butter - indeed, I didn't pay any price, because I don't use butter!

Well a) I like butter and b) animal fat is absorbed an processed by the body easier than many processed vegetable fats off we red as alternatives to butter. I didn't pay for hardly any cheddar cheese either, (Davidstow Vintage), or newspapers, - I get the Times, Sunday Times or Saturday Telegraph free as long as I spend its.cost or more on other goods. Waitrose is my corner shop so all of this is a three minute walk away.

 

[Jimini]

Well a) I like butter and b) animal fat is absorbed an processed by the body easier than many processed vegetable fats off we red as alternatives to butter. I didn't pay for hardly any cheddar cheese either, (Davidstow Vintage), or newspapers, - I get the Times, Sunday Times or Saturday Telegraph free as long as I spend its.cost or more on other goods. Waitrose is my corner shop so all of this is a three minute walk away.

The Waitrose free newspaper promotion finished a couple of months ago?

 

[Ostrich]

The Waitrose free newspaper promotion finished a couple of months ago?

Yes it did, that was "the final straw" and there is now little incentive for me to continue holding a MyWaitrose card. OK, there is 20% off already heavily-priced deli and cheese counter stuff for card holders, and a rolling programme of weekly personalised special offers from which you can download a couple to an app on your phone and redeem them at the checkout. But that's way too much faff for this old geezer, I'm afraid!
Because of rising food prices, I had already switched 80% of our weekly shop to the newly-opened Aldi in town, and that I reckon conservatively has saved us well over £1,000 a year ....
I suspect many higher-end food shops will be similarly haemorrhaging custom to the discount supermarkets.

 

[AM9]

Yes it did, that was "the final straw" and there is now little incentive for me to continue holding a MyWaitrose card. OK, there is 20% off already heavily-priced deli and cheese counter stuff for card holders, and a rolling programme of weekly personalised special offers from which you can download a couple to an app on your phone and redeem them at the checkout. But that's way too much faff for this old geezer, I'm afraid!
Because of rising food prices, I had already switched 80% of our weekly shop to the newly-opened Aldi in town, and that I reckon conservatively has saved us well over £1,000 a year ....
I suspect many higher-end food shops will be similarly haemorrhaging custom to the discount supermarkets.

It isn't too much faff for this old geezer, - as well as the 'two out of eight' voucher choice every week, I also get vouchers for a paper every day provided that I spend more than the price of the paper on other goods.
We've had an Aldi for a year or so, it's Ok to browse the centre aisle for novelties but with most of the food items, it's too easy to see how they get the price down. Also, I probably need to drive/bus to Aldi so that isn't much of an incentive when I am less that 3 minutes walk away from Waitrose and I can even bring the trolley home.

 

[Trog]

Can't think of many uses for a spare sack of cement to be honest, oh it might come in useful - for what? .............

Put it in an empty and dry 10 litre air tight plastic paint can, it will then keep for years until you can make concrete plans on what to do with it.

Also spare emulsion paint put it in an air tight glass jar and it will keep for over a decade, just in case you need to do some paint patching in the 2030's.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Put it in an empty and dry 10 litre air tight plastic paint can, it will then keep for years until you can make concrete plans on what to do with it.

Also spare emulsion paint put it in an air tight glass jar and it will keep for over a decade, just in case you need to do some paint patching in the 2030's.

Oh I wish you hadn't said that. I've got enough 'stuff' already just waiting for that bit of a job around the house / garden.

The cement has a 'use by' date on it rather than 'best before' or 'display until' which, if it were food, one really ought to take note of! Also I note that the cement sack comes printed with the advice 'you may use empty bag for removing rubble'. Well, I'd never have thought of that, what with it being a thick strong plastic.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Also I note that the cement sack comes printed with the advice 'you may use empty bag for removing rubble'. Well, I'd never have thought of that

Probably so that they can then claim that the sack is 'recyclable'.

However, not sure if this diversion as regards the best method of storing paint and cement falls neatly under the thread heading of 'food prices'.

 

[al78]

I think there are others, e.g. digestive biscuits - it seems nobody can deliver the same flavour as McVities do even though they have changed the recipe to remove trans fats and reduced the level of fats further in recent years.

Agreed, along with chocolate digestives, jaffa cakes and wine gums, the supermarket own brands are very poor immitations.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Agreed, along with chocolate digestives, jaffa cakes and wine gums, the supermarket own brands are very poor immitations.

Tesco 'chocolate with air bubbles in' is very poor in comparison with Aero. Never again.

 

[jon0844]

I've found that things like sweets, crisps and biscuits are often pretty horrid from the supermarkets (crisps in particular) but there are plenty of things you can buy like pasta, stir-in sauces, milk, fruit and veg etc.

Ideally my shop would consist of going to one store for certain items and a visit to Aldi periodically to stock up on other stuff, especially tins and jars. In fact, in reality I think you could do the bulk of the shop at Aldi or Lidl, then go to a Tesco, Sainsbury's etc for the more luxury, branded, items.