Supermarket Shopping

What to look out for when you go shopping

Supermarket shopping is an expensive business no matter what the TV ads say. Here is our summary of top tips to help you save money whilst shopping at the supermarket.

Make a Shopping List  

Don't try and wing it, you will forget some items and buy loads of impulse purchase. Ideally have a pad or something around the kitchen area and add items that you run out of to it throughout the week.

Eat before you shop!

It's a disaster to go shopping when you are hungry. You will buy loads of expensive 'snack' foods to satiate you there and then.

Save at the produce aisle 

This is normally the first aisle you come to when you arrive in the supermarket. Things to look out for -

Seasonal produce - although you will be able to find all types of fruit and veg all year around, the produce that is in season will be in abundance and much cheaper than buying fruit and veg that has been flown half way around the world to satisfy our out of season demands.

Packed/ vs. loose - check the price per 100g of a prepackaged product vs. loose vegetables and fruit that you can choose yourself - these will be up to 50% cheaper for exactly the same vegetable or fruit. From an environmental perspective, choose the products with the least packaging possible.

Organic - supermarkets are now selling more and more organic produce but about 60% of this is flown in from around the world. Even though organic produce is believed to be much better for the environment in terms of farming methods, the environmental cost of transporting the produce could be very costly.

Counters vs. prepacked

There is a lot of duplication in the supermarket - for example you will be able to buy most types of meats from the counters or pre-packaged in the fridge cabinets. It is worth checking the prices between the two - some times the counters will have special offers and the prices may be much cheaper than buying pre-packaged.

Branded goods vs. own label

A supermarket's own label brand should be cheaper than a branded equivalent. You may prefer the taste of the branded product but generally an own label product will not be of inferior quality than a branded product - many will be made in the same factory. If you are trying to save money, sticking with the own label option will save you money. That said some items are brand leaders for a reason - they are simply better products!

Tiering of products

You will notice that all supermarkets now sell a low price/ value range, a standard range and a premium range. These are all designed to target different customers and ensure that they sell the cheapest possible products in terms of the low price offering. You will notice a vast difference in quality between a low price product and a standard product. The supermarket will be trying to keep the cost down as much as possible - the packaging will be thinner, there may be a lower vegetable content and more water, you may have to buy bigger pack size. The premium products tend to be the exact opposite of these - more investment will have been spent on packaging and ingredients so that a premium can be charged. You have to evaluate what your priorities are and perhaps try a few of the different ranges to see which you want to pay more for and which you are prepared to stick with the cheapest.

Special offers

You will be familiar with the types of special offers available - here are the key types to look out for:

Multi-buy - this is where you will be offered a buy one get one free, or a 3 for 2 etc. This is a way of massively boosting a manufacturers volume, perhaps at a time when they would not normally sell so much.e.g. ice cream in winter. It is also commonly used on produce at seasonal times. These are good value if they are products that you can store and do not need to be consumed straight away. Before you opt for this, check the prices of the other brands available, as sometimes it is not always the cheapest option to go for the multi-buy.

Special offers - save 50p. This tactic is often used to encourage trial of a new brand/ product. The good thing about this is that you do not need to buy too many, but you may not need the item at all and are being enticed by the fact that you could be saving some money. The special offer will also enable the manufacturer and retailer to shift massive volumes so make sure you definitely need the product before you buy.

Receive reward points - some of the major retailers have loyalty cards where you collect points every time you shop. You occasionally see offers where you will receive extra points when you buy the product. These tend to be tiny amounts of money and you are being enticed by the 'extra points'.

 

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