Discussion thread on Supermarket prices - are they becoming too high?

mervyn67

Whatever else is said about who the supermarkets look after, I would agree with geordie joe totally, not only about comparison sites but also most institutions we deal with.They are only there for themselves so how we deal with it is up to ourselves.
Kim, also so much truth in what you say, and anyone who does any amount of shopping (as I do) should soon get to know how to deal with it.
I live in a small town on the south coast by Portsmouth and our High Street does not have a food outlet on it, apart from bakers shops with "snacks" etc and Charity shops and, of course, McD and BK

geordie_joe

KimYeovil wrote: »

What is disgusting is people cheapening the value of real food. To be outraged at the prospect of paying 16p for a roll is crazy. And to want to pay 8p is obscene.

It is because of customers like you it is more and more difficult to buy real food on the high street. Hang your head in shame. Quality, not quantity. Or price.

The way I read kazlau's post he/she wasn't complaining about the price of the rolls. He/she was complaining about the 95% price rise.

To put it plainly, the complaint was about an 8p roll going up to 16p.

As for quality, the rolls were from the in store bakery, not the cheap pre-packed stuff, so the OP was going for the best quality in the shop.

tabskitten

i think that the prices of what shouldbe classed as essentials..bread, milk, eggs, and fruit and veg are way too much. WRT other goods, i think they can charge what they want as it is choice which motivates us to buy them.

I wish that fruit and veg was less expensive as far too many people put off by the price and so much is thrown out by the supermarkets at the end of the day. Not to mention it might motivate people to cook from scratch more if the ingredients were less than buying the ready meal!!

jenniewb

tabskitten wrote: »

i think that the prices of what shouldbe classed as essentials..bread, milk, eggs, and fruit and veg are way too much. WRT other goods, i think they can charge what they want as it is choice which motivates us to buy them.

I wish that fruit and veg was less expensive as far too many people put off by the price and so much is thrown out by the supermarkets at the end of the day. Not to mention it might motivate people to cook from scratch more if the ingredients were less than buying the ready meal!!

I wish they'd reduce the price of fruit and veg more! It always seems to vanish and the remnents left that have been reduced are damaged packets or potatos or flowers. Meat slices are another thing ALWAYS reduced- I buy frozen veg and it is very cheap IMO and I eat alot of the stuff I still think its excellent value.

I think the problem though with rising costs is that suppliers will likely have rising costs from their suppliers, workers, fuel costs and vat, it all has a knock on effect. With that idea I'd agree with rising costs even if they put me out of the equation and mean I cannot buy certain products.

However, I do wonder if its maybe the fat-cat head of Supermarkets who are getting all the extra cash and just marking things up to get their profit margin up. Who knows? and I don't know if we will ever find a way to find out for sure either.


And just to join in: Waitrose is so expensive that I wouldn't even consider it to browse!

dhs87

If Fruit and Veg is expensive for you, perhaps consider switching to items that are in-season. That is to say, not flown in from Kenya or grown in temperature-controlled greenhouses over here.

http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk - is what I use to check. I always relish the onset of sprout season!

Smidster

Yes - And it is becoming far far far worse in recent weeks.

The prices of things like meat, fruit and veg in supermarkets are plain stupid - as a student I simply cannot afford them (and do that isn't because I am extravagent in other areas) and so have basically been living off sprouts and carrots for weeks.

Clowance

having just got back from a self catering break in tenerife, I am surprised at how much food costs over there, and the quality of the veg in the supermarkets eg potatoes, tomatoes - locally grown) was poor. I spent £315 over 2 weeks for a family of 4, only eat out once. Admittedly that included some stuff you wouldn't normally buy very often, and a small amount of booze (2 bottles of wine and some beer). I would normally spend about £180-200 for 2 weeks here, for better food. We ate pasta a lot!
Tried 4 different supermarkets - Hyperdino, Hypertrebol, Mercadona, Lidl and same story in each. Lidl dearer over there, I thought.

I know food prices have gone up, but we still have a pretty good deal here and lots of choice. I try to keep costs down by cherry picking and eating what is on offer, buying own brands or occasionally basics.

voiceofreason

dhs87 wrote: »

If Fruit and Veg is expensive for you, perhaps consider switching to items that are in-season. That is to say, not flown in from Kenya or grown in temperature-controlled greenhouses over here.

http://www.eattheseasons.co.uk - is what I use to check. I always relish the onset of sprout season!

Quite right, too - and I find it tastes better too, seasonal fruit and veg

OrkneyStar

We only have Tesco, Lidl and Coop up here and local shops.
When I am off the island I love stocking up from Asda (def. cheaper), and Morrisons (also cheaper). Go to Sainsbury's for some treat stuff, and also Home Bargains, B and M, Poundland etc so see what goodies they have for me this time!
If something is too expensive I don't buy it, and try to find an alternative if at all possible, not always easy though!

geordie_joe

jenniewb wrote: »

However, I do wonder if its maybe the fat-cat head of Supermarkets who are getting all the extra cash and just marking things up to get their profit margin up. Who knows? and I don't know if we will ever find a way to find out for sure either.

I don't like Tesco, but to be fair to them, last year their figures were £54bn in sales and £3bn profit.

It works out at about 6% profit on each item, on average.

Although I suspect they make more than 6% profit on a lot of stuff to make up for the money they lose on the stuff they reduce.