Benchmark prices for favourites/staples

booter

Hi all.  I was chatting to the till assistant earlier having spotted loo roll on special offer at my local Spar.  (If anyone's looking, at my local it was £5.99 for 24 rolls of 3 ply Velvet classic quilted!)  She was interested in how I knew it was a good price (or more importantly, a geniunely good offer).  I told her my benchmark for "decent" loo roll is 30p a roll or less, so I work it out (sadly, usually with a calculator) as £5.99 divided by 24 = 24.96p per roll.  I went on to tell her that my benchmark for mature cheddar is £5.00 per kilo, for tea bags (branded) is £1 per 80 bags (although given the price increases I may have to raise that one) and so on. She was fascinated - I presume she'd never come across this before. I can't be the only one that does this?   I realise that it's subjective - what others consider "decent" loo roll or tea bags differs.  But it got me thinking - if I'm not the only one that does this (please say I'm not!) then what are other people's benchmarks?  

arnoldy

Yes ignore the offers and benchmark - GREAT POST
For example a famous pizza restaurant also sells its branded pizzas "half price" was £5 now £2.50 for a small one. Still not worth it..
Coffee benchmark £2/100G  
Artisan Crisps benchmark £1/100G or 5 Packets / 100G 
etc

Farway

I benchmark cheddar, around £5 kg is acceptable run of the mill, but if going for a "better" one then anywhere north of that figure

maman

It's become much harder to  use exisiting benchmark with recent price rises. I think I still have the old benchmarks in my head so I buy when it's the closest to my previous benchmarks as I can find IYSWIM. So I still have around 25p in my head for tinned tomatoes, red beans and other pulses.  I often paid  £1 for 500g of Flora.  I rarely see them at that sort of price any more but the closer the better. I suppose over time my benchmarks will change. 

I'd agree with the 25p per toilet roll and £5 for basic cooking cheese. 

I use a similar principle for YS items. I won't buy YS from Sainsbury's or the Coop or Waitrose if I know (as is usually often the case) that I can buy the same thing cheaper full price in Aldi. 

Mnoee

I definitely do this too! I know all the 'normal' price per kilo/item for things I usually buy, so when the supermarkets play games and change pack sizes around I can easily tell if it's gone up and by how much. Fresh chicken breasts are around £5.25/kilo, and the pack size with the cheapest per kilo keeps changing for example. 

Bacman

Price is akin to perceived value which means best value is the price point you are happy to pay for the quality, over that benchmark either the product isn't better.

For me, mature cheddar cheese i've settled on Waitrose essential mature cheddar at £5 a kilo which tastes nicer than brands double that price; tomatoes I set £4 a kilo as max, chicken breasts £6 a kilo (and not excess water, so Waitrose or Sainsburys); bacon £8 a kilo at Waitrose which is good value as it isn't pumped with expensive water like Asda, Sainsburys, etc. I have tried various types and settled on the best value for quality and price. I am a good shopper.

pamsdish

I do this too, loo rolls, coffee, washing liquid and washing up liquid, softener. I really miss my supermarket alerts. 

maman

Bacman said:

Price is akin to perceived value which means best value is the price point you are happy to pay for the quality, over that benchmark either the product isn't better.

For me, mature cheddar cheese i've settled on Waitrose essential mature cheddar at £5 a kilo which tastes nicer than brands double that price; tomatoes I set £4 a kilo as max, chicken breasts £6 a kilo (and not excess water, so Waitrose or Sainsburys); bacon £8 a kilo at Waitrose which is good value as it isn't pumped with expensive water like Asda, Sainsburys, etc. I have tried various types and settled on the best value for quality and price. I am a good shopper.

That's a good point. It is definitely about what's best value rather than just the cheapest. Bread is a particular example where I wouldn't want the cheapest. 
P.S. I've noticed a couple of posters using chicken breasts. I do buy them for some recipes  but thighs are better value and IMO more tasty in things like casseroles. 

Bacman

Yes, chicken thighs have more flavour and texture than chicken breast for sure, I tend to use thighs as preference however of course it depends on what you are cooking.

Often the best quality for price item can be own-brand supermarket items, in fact it's fair to say that I don't get many premium name products; by all means try them but then try own-brands (often made on the same production lines too as the expensive alternatives). A good example of that is Asda double-concentrate tomato puree at 27p compared to a named brand for about £1 for the same amount; 99% tomatoes is 99% tomatoes!  Also always read the labels, buy own-brand vegetable oil instead of rapeseed oil for cooking - on Asda, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsburys, their own brand vegetable oil is 100% rapeseed oil, but about 1/4 of the price of rapeseed oil in a glass bottle. False economies are for example cheaper bacon that contains a lot of expensive water, you may as well get "more honest" mid-priced bacon which is better quality too!

jon81uk

Bacman said:

Yes, chicken thighs have more flavour and texture than chicken breast for sure, I tend to use thighs as preference however of course it depends on what you are cooking.

Often the best quality for price item can be own-brand supermarket items, in fact it's fair to say that I don't get many premium name products; by all means try them but then try own-brands (often made on the same production lines too as the expensive alternatives). A good example of that is Asda double-concentrate tomato puree at 27p compared to a named brand for about £1 for the same amount; 99% tomatoes is 99% tomatoes!  Also always read the labels, buy own-brand vegetable oil instead of rapeseed oil for cooking - on Asda, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsburys, their own brand vegetable oil is 100% rapeseed oil, but about 1/4 of the price of rapeseed oil in a glass bottle. False economies are for example cheaper bacon that contains a lot of expensive water, you may as well get "more honest" mid-priced bacon which is better quality too!

Although I've bought mid-priced at Tesco bacon that was full of water too. Had to switch up to the Spoilt Pig brand to get the no added water stuff (and from Costco its not a bad price really)

booter

Thank goodness it's not just me! The way the assistant looked at me was like I was speaking in tongues! 

I agree pamsdish - I miss mysupermarket *sigh*

And yes Bacman, it is really about best value for yourself.  I don't always buy premium either (E.g. I prefer Aldi Corale baked beans to any premium brand).  Which is why it's so subjective - but then imo all shopping is, isn't it?! It's all a matter of personal preference. But I so hate it when supermarkets do "specials" that simply aren't! Those of us who benchmark cannot be fooled 🤣