Examples of surprising prices

CJRyder

Call me a cynic but I believe that the Aldi price match is being used exactly how they intended to use it. Unfortunately too many of us believed that it was to help us rather than the rich get richer.

I met a man on a train who did QC at a biscuit factory and he posed the question of how many factories there are in the UK making biscuits. In short, not many and he described the assembly line where the only difference was the branding. I assume that this will be the same for tinned tomatoes, pasta, rice and all the other essential items that we go through - and are paying the increased prices for!

tooldle

It is the same with food, but there are differences both in the recipes used and the quality of ingredients, and in the  packaging, and with tins specifically in the tin coating weight applied.
 

basketcase

CJRyder said:

Call me a cynic but I believe that the Aldi price match is being used exactly how they intended to use it. Unfortunately too many of us believed that it was to help us rather than the rich get richer.

I met a man on a train who did QC at a biscuit factory and he posed the question of how many factories there are in the UK making biscuits. In short, not many and he described the assembly line where the only difference was the branding. I assume that this will be the same for tinned tomatoes, pasta, rice and all the other essential items that we go through - and are paying the increased prices for!

I had the same cynical though tmyself.

As for your second statement, I can't agree that it's the same product for everything.  At least not all the time.

I once had a holiday job at Cussins.  In addition to their own soaps they made J&J baby soap, Bronnleys and supermarkets' own brands.

On one occasion our assembly line had been packing one of the own brands when we came to the end of a run and had to do something else while they changed to the next soap.  It took ages because they had to not only change the stamps, but empty the soap vat and clean it out.  The soap looked the same, smelt the same, was the same weight.  The only difference seemed to be the supermarket name.  But it was different.

Of course, times change...

Katiehound

In the past we have seen assorted branded lorries parked outside a  dog food manufacturer. Lorries with their name and also that of Aldi etc so it is clear that they manufacture for own brands too.
which is what I would expect......

Auntycaz

Very surprised to see cheapest place for Ecover 42 wash washing liquid bio and non bio was in Waitrose at £6.66 especially as I had a voucher for £2.50 off in my my waitrose offers.

Rosa_Damascena

Food is just too expensive for the enjoyment it gives. I'm happy with the bare minimum as long as I have tea and coffee on tap.

pumpkin89

Auntycaz said:

Very surprised to see cheapest place for Ecover 42 wash washing liquid bio and non bio was in Waitrose at £6.66 especially as I had a voucher for £2.50 off in my my waitrose offers.

Waitrose is often the cheapest place for premium brands (including specialist ecological/sustainable ones) because it sells so much volume of them.

There is no one supermarket that's cheapest or most expensive for everything - if their customer base buys a lot of a particular product, they'll get a better price from the supplier (and better promotional funding).

Auntycaz

pumpkin89 said:

Auntycaz said:

Very surprised to see cheapest place for Ecover 42 wash washing liquid bio and non bio was in Waitrose at £6.66 especially as I had a voucher for £2.50 off in my my waitrose offers

There is no one supermarket that's cheapest or most expensive for everything - if their customer base buys a lot of a particular product, they'll get a better price from the supplier (and better promotional funding).

I have sensitive skin so only buy fairy powder or ecover liquid as I know I am ok with them. I don't have any shops within walking distance and waitrose is my nearest supermarket by bus. It takes nearly 2hrs each way to get to Tesco or Asda so I don't tend to use them unless I get a lift so I do most of my shopping locally and stock up when they have offers on.

Bluegreen143

I do often wonder if my (late) cat got diabetes because we always fed her the cheapest dried food. It makes sense as we know cheap, ultra processed food makes us ill. It’s not something which ever crossed my mind when we got her but I wouldn’t feed her the same way if I had my time again.

We won’t get another cat (or a dog) but I think if I did I would investigate raw feeding and more natural foods even if it did cost more. 

My kids certainly do have a large impact on my food budget as I’m not going to compromise on fresh fruit & veg, good quality protein, plenty of milk/yoghurt etc when I’m feeding our family. In terms of treats bumping up the budget though it’s my husband who is the guilty party rather than the children… not exactly possible to not cater to the one paying the grocery bill though 😆

cbsexec

Made a very rare visit to marks today and was amazed to get a pack of chicken legs for £1.45