Elite 11+ shopping and chat thread part 2½

Savvybuyer · 9 October 2018 at 11:51PM

There we are though - T seemingly reacting, almost straight away, to my thought that A& M are cheaper. I have yet to see A do the same - certainly regarding bringing its prices lower than (what was) the lower price competitor(s) - and in the case of A seems still is. I don't count Birds Eye Chicken Dippers - they haven't changed in A store price but remained still not 10% cheaper except for staff with discount cards. Maybe I am not seeing what A does much anymore:rotfl:.

(I don't think T have reacted to my thought over the Terry's orange. This was just coincidental. But, if A look around competitor prices - and they know and are fully aware of them, I can assure you, they haven't acted yet (as far as I have seen) to put their store prices down lower than the competitor. Indeed, we've lost out and have higher prices for us at A now there is no APG, whilst, on this one item, T have put their price to a lower price than elsewhere.)

Savvybuyer · 10 October 2018 at 12:05AM

Terry's Chocolate Oranges, on which T had been "overcharging" compared to A and M for a week or two, are now cheaper in T!:j

Hardly:( - hardly worth jumping around at. I assume the new price is now available at T. The stores set their own prices, as well as having to set some of their prices by reference to the competition (or not as the case may be, if think customers will still pay their price and not be aware of competitors' prices) and, in practice (as we don't normally do haggling in supermarkets), it's up to us to decide whether to take it or leave it. Perhaps we should start doing haggling in supermarkets:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: - would 'force' them to keep up with the competition if we all did or went elsewhere.

I'm not being tempted by the chocolate oranges and I'm not here to help advertise a T offer. If I were to see them still with the £2 card at my store but scanning at 75p, I wouldn't go "Ooooh:D" and feel better about them scanning lower than the price shown, as many ordinary shoppers might, as 75p should now be their true price. As we are here to save money, the aim is to cut out all unnecessary spending. And chocolates, sweets, crisps (that aren't fully paid for by a coupon;)), fizzy pop, treats, are all out.

(I've actually returned to looking again - I saw it before several years ago - at an old thread, that was technically during when A had the PG on but which now seems may give us a guide as to where to go from here, specifically this post:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=54168115&postcount=14

As with many things, there is an exception to a rule: we'll make an exception here, which still allows us to have crisps, for those bought fully with T mag. coupons:rotfl:. Indeed, if something effectively costs us nowt, then we should buy it even if we don't want it - and distribute it to food bank if it's food and we really can't do anything ourselves with it as better with us to do that than left with the store. Anything else, we could always take down a car boot and sell I suppose:money:.)

I think, before the PG existed, didn't A have some system, under which, if you had seen the item cheaper elsewhere and were going to return it for that reason, they would match the price of the product? (Remember that the PG started off as a price match or a match plus 1p and wasn't 10% until later.) Now, having heard nothing else, I assume it's a case of charge more than the competitor and then take it back if you don't like - no price match anymore. Perhaps in the absence of any price matching promise at any major store, it's now time people started haggling over prices at competitors (then of course, even if supermarkets were to give it to us, they would only give it to the person that noticed it, just as before with us under the PG checking - only the <1% bothering to check - otherwise they may be able to just keep their price at double the competitor price).

The consolation is that, as it currently looks, A wouldn't have compared the Terry's orange vs T anyway as it is showing as not available on A online:(. If the product comes to life on a.com, then it's no use now (except in what seems to me to be to be very unlikely event - I shall not hold my breath - that A lowers its price on it: it would now have to be lower than 75p not merely a price match otherwise I would be inclined (if I was to buy it, this is purely hypothetical) to buy it from T. However we are not allowed to buy it as chocolates, sweets and snacks are among the prohibited items that we must avoid buying if we are to save money (subject to the exception that we have been able to make with a specific line of Walkers Baked Crisps). If A were to go between 68p and 75p on the Chocolate Orange - don't hold your breath even there - a prohibited item without full payment from a coupon anyway - it would still now be offering us less than it would have offered before).

One thing - we should not assume own label "value" is cheaper - SP frozen Mixed Vegetables 99p has been more expensive than A standard range frozen Mixed Vegetables 95p, unless we could have got a comparison on SP vs Sains. against seemingly ever-increasing prices there. (There is doubt as it seems Sains. was OOS anyway.) But now "Smart" Price has gone up so much recently that it is now more expensive than standard range (which itself may have come off a 2 for £1.50 offer - not sure if this was on it but other packs of 1Kg frozen veg. produce certainly were - and be more expensive now). So amend where the post at the link says own label Value - it's not always the case that it will be the cheapest and therefore we have to not take "only" buy.... own label Value literally as we must not buy it when standard range is cheaper and therefore we can also buy standard range but only when it is the cheapest of the two and we must pick the cheapest every time - buying on price only (which of course takes account of coupons that you got for nowt - price of crisps is FREE - buy, buy, buy, buy, buy!!:j Buy infinitely (and legitimately) if something is free).

Savvybuyer · 10 October 2018 at 12:18AM

I think "up to" 90% off at M&S is probably a better task today:rotfl:.

Oops, this thread is becoming the "Savvybuyer thread" again:o; I'd better go:wave:.

diluvsdiscounts · 10 October 2018 at 6:17AM

Savvybuyer wrote: »

I think "up to" 90% off at M&S is probably a better task today:rotfl:.

Oops, this thread is becoming the "Savvybuyer thread" again:o; I'd better go:wave:.

Thanks savvy for all your help.

Good morning.

Freewheeling · 10 October 2018 at 6:37AM

Good morning all!

Lima-India, I think it's instant hot chocolate so I'll find out if the local food bank will take OOD items :-).

diluvsdiscounts · 10 October 2018 at 6:42AM

Freewheeling wrote: »

Good morning all!

Lima-India, I think it's instant hot chocolate so I'll find out if the local food bank will take OOD items :-).

I hope he doesnt go to work on his bike the day hes bringing it home :rotfl: how is hot chocolate powder going to go off?
You could fill Kilmer jars with it and add a nice mug and ceramic spoon as Christmas stocking fillers.