The latest Which? study has announced the cheapest supermarket in 2019. By monitoring the cost of popular branded groceries each month, the consumer group concluded that Sainsbury’s was the cheapest and Waitrose was the most expensive, based on purchasing the exact same products.
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The supermarkets
In 2018, Sainbury’s came in third cheapest with Morrisons coming in top, but 2019 saw Morrisons slip down to third place behind Asda and ahead of Tesco who came in fourth. They were followed by Ocado, who came in just ahead of Waitrose. Supermarkets Lidl and Aldi were not included in the study as they do not sell online.
Although the difference in some cases was minimal, over the period of a year it can make a real difference and consumers who buy the same products week in, week out could benefit from shopping around for their favourite products.
The survey
The 53 everyday items included in the survey ranged from cereal, Heinz baked beans and Andrex toilet roll, but consumers were quick to criticise the report for not including all the supermarkets and took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the study. Many voiced their opinion that Sainsbury’s wouldn’t have won the title, if Lidl and Aldi had also been included.
Consumers have also been complaining about product availability. Due to the pet supplier Bob Martin falling into administration in November, consumers needing to buy cat litter, have found only premium brands available in their local supermarkets https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nationwide-cat-litter-shortage-supermarkets-21294469.
The survey conducted by Which? only used branded products and carried out the research over 12 months to allow for promotions and special offers. All the brands were available all year round and were considered everyday items.
The experience
The way consumers shop for their groceries has changed over the years, with many shoppers preferring to shop online and get their shopping delivered direct to their front door, but many still like to shop in store. For customers looking to do a top up shop, or shop for one, a supermarket trolley from companies such as https://www.she-ltd.co.uk/products/shopping-trolleys/90-ltr-compact-trolley/ can make the experience quicker and easier.
The report also looked at other areas including the selection of products available, how long customers had to queue in store, the presentation of the store and the customer service. Other than price, Waitrose came top in almost every other category.