The cheapest supermarket in the UK for a basket of 65 items has been revealed, with prices even lower than Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Aldi has beaten its rivals once again to be named the cheapest store for your weekly shop in June, with prices £32.60 cheaper than the most expensive store.
According to Which?, a basket of basic supplies will cost you £118.41 at the budget supermarket.
The consumer group compares the prices of eight of the largest supermarkets and 65 own-brand and branded products every month, such as Heinz baking beans and Hovis bread, as well as basic products such as milk and butter.
It is the first time that the analysis includes member prices.
Some supermarkets offer member prices. Customers who sign up for the loyalty program get lower prices.
Tesco Clubcard members and Sainsbury’s Nectar cardholders get lower prices when they scan the card or app at the checkout.
But the latest research shows that Aldi is still the best.
Which? found that Sainsbury’s was £14.49 more expensive and Tesco was £12.49 more expensive than Aldi.
A weekly shop at Tesco using a Clubcard cost £130.90, putting it in third place behind Lidl, which cost £121.31.
For comparison, without a Clubcard you would pay £134.30.
A Sainsbury’s store with Nectar raised £132.90, putting it in fifth place, compared to £137.51 without.
The most expensive store was Waitrose, where a basket of the products cost £151.01.
The research only provides a snapshot of the prices of a selected basket of items.
Prices at supermarkets change regularly, sometimes even daily. One week you will find certain products on sale at one chain, the next week at another.
How does your supermarket score?
Which?’s monthly analysis looks at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, comparing the costs of dozens of everyday essentials.
Here are the results for June:
- Aldi£118.41
- Lidl£121.31
- Tesco (with Clubcard) £130.90
- Asda£131.42
- Sainsbury’s (with Nectar card) £132.90
- Tesco (without Clubcard) £134.30
- Sainsbury’s (without Nectar card) £137.51
- Morrisons £140.19
- Ocado £144.06
- Waitrose £151.01
Aldi also came out on top in previous months and even had the lowest prices in every month so far this year.
And last year it also turned out to be the cheapest, according to Which?
This is the first time that member prices are included.
Lidl, Morrisons and Waitrose offer cheaper prices for members. But these were not included in this month’s Which? analysis, as none of the 65 items were discounted.
While Asda does have a loyalty programme with points and rewards, it does not offer member pricing.
Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “From this month, we will be regularly including loyalty pricing in our analysis.
“With prices for members continuing to rise, Which? believes the sector needs to be scrutinised and held to account so that all shoppers – including the most vulnerable in society – can benefit and no one is misled into thinking they are getting a better deal than they actually are.”
How to save on your supermarket purchases
THERE ARE countless ways to save on your groceries.
You can look for yellow or red stickers on products. These indicate when the product has been reduced in price.
If the food is fresh, you will need to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list also saves you money because you are less likely to make hasty purchases at the supermarket.
By choosing your own brand, you can also easily save hundreds of euros per year on your food bill.
This means ditching the “best” or “luxury” products and opting instead for “own” or “value” lines.
Many supermarkets have strange fruit and vegetable promotions, which allow you to get them cheaply if they are misshapen or not good.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not programme, offering 5kg boxes of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you are on a low income and are elderly, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers that you can also use at the supermarket.
In addition, many municipalities offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
“With food prices continuing to squeeze household budgets, it’s no surprise that many people are choosing to shop at the discounters. Aldi has once again won the title of cheapest supermarket.
“Our analysis shows that Aldi and Lidl are still cheaper than traditional supermarkets, even when you include loyalty prices.”
Tesco became the first supermarket to introduce lower prices for customer card holders in 2019.
But since then others have followed suit.
The Sun was the first to report that Salisbury’s introduced the benefit last year, with the Co-op following suit shortly after.
While it’s easy to sign up for a loyalty program to take advantage of lower prices, it means that people who don’t want to sign up will be faced with higher prices at the checkout.
Some have criticized the move to exclusive pricing, arguing it could exclude less experienced shoppers and force shoppers to provide personal information.
M&S has decided not to introduce member prices for users of its Sparks loyalty app following a trial in 49 food halls.
A Sun survey last year found that Clubcard and Nectar prices were not the lowest on the shelves.
Tesco changed its member prices earlier this year by displaying unit prices for products alongside Clubcard prices on-shelf and online.
Unit prices help buyers better compare prices of items of different sizes.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating loyalty pricing in the supermarket sector. Among other things, it is looking at whether certain aspects of loyalty pricing could be misleading to customers or disadvantage certain groups of customers.
The committee will provide an update on its findings in July, with a full report due later this year.