to ask why...... (first world problem alert)

[Gileswithachainsaw]

The same product is available at several different prices in the same supermarket.

not talking g about value vs premium range. but different brands being cheaper than even supermarket versions just because of the aisle they are in.

I'm. currently sat on several cans of tomatoes and chick peas that were on offer because of eid. working out at 25 pence a can. round the corner I'd pay twice that. For a supermarket own brand.

I bought coconut milk yesterday. own brand was literally twice the price of the version in the ethnic food aisle. lentils for example, buy in the health food bit and you pay one price. buy in the regular aisles and your talking say 2-3 pounds for 500g. go to ethnic aisle and I get 2kg bags fir like 4 pounds. why ?.ive tried them all no one brand appears any better than any other yet are several different prices depending on whether you go health food or ethnic aisles.

just why.

wishes I had pantry to stockpile the rice and spices bargains

I've noticed this too.

Coconut milk is 1.99 in standard aisle.
In ethnic section, 99p.

No idea why but I always buy the cheaper version.

I think they think we're daft enough not to notice the price difference ..... In fact one day, my best mate was complaining that she paid something like £1.60 for a can of coconut milk. After I came round from the ensuing dose of the vapours, I asked her why on earth she didn't just go to the ethnic aisle. She had never thought to.

So perhaps they're right.

Just different brands and sizes at different prices then? What's strange about that?

Me too.

Because really own brands are usually cheaper than actual brands. so the fact you get a brand cheaper merely because it's sold in a different section is a not strange.

Is a bit strange should say

"on offer because of eid"??? I've never heard that one before .

Never had leaflets through your door from say asda with Ramadan offers? omg is it just here then.

morrissons were selling the chick.peas 12 for £3 and offers on halal meat

Yy, 'baby' cotton buds are half the price of 'cosmetic' ones - just why?

Own brand aren't always cheaper. Depends on offers etc

That's why I love Lidl/Aldi. Very little branded stuff and lack of choice means it's easy to find the 'cheapest' of anything.

If I have to visit a 'normal' supermarket nowadays I'm aghast at the price of stuff.

Online shopping is handy for finding these hidden bargains - type in 'coconut milk' and it'll show you all the different ones they sell, regardless of which aisle they're in. We discovered Polish chicken stock cubes with this method, which were half the price of the supermarket own brand ones from the same shop at the time.

coconut oil 15 quid in Holland and Barrett yet £5.99 in oil section and even cheaper in the shampoo aisle.

Its very irritating because you can't compare so easily. My record is finding something in five different locations in the shop (naans - bakery aisle, world foods aisle, chilled ready meals aisle, jarred sauces aisle, plinth display - there were probably frozen ones too but I didn't check there ). Different brands at different prices, sure, that's fine, but putting them all in different places is kind of annoying. All the lentils or whatever are pretty much the same so it's solely a price differentiation/discrimination thing, which for the consumer means either paying more or faffing about for ages finding the cheapest.

MrsLeighalfpenny

I live in an area with a large Muslim population and Tesco always has bargains on for Eid (and, come to think of it, the other celebrations in their calendar). They have the seasonal aisle open all year round. At the moment, the Eid goodies are jostling with BBQs. I get annoyed if I don't get my 4 for £1 tomatoes!

And don't forget that lots of identical things are dearer in a small Sainsbury than a superstore Sainsbury. Paying for convenience!

Coconut milk is not a uniform product though, you'll see quite a difference between the typical 99p and 1.99 brand in the two aisles, similarly with others, although the difference is often less.

For example:
www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=259214581
vs
www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=252486194

the branded one is 56% coconut extract, the Island Sun just 27% so the difference here is the product is not the same, hence the price difference.

MrsLeighHalfpenny Lots of supermarkets tailor their promotions to religious events - what's odd about it?

I just buy this stuff, it's way better

"Coconut milk is not a uniform product though, you'll see quite a difference between the typical 99p and 1.99 brand in the two aisles, similarly with others, although the difference is often less."

Not true at all, you linked to what is in effect 'light' coconut milk.

Which is also sold in a 'white person' version: www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=250830660

(Top tip: to get 'light coconut milk', buy normal coconut milk and add water 50/50, it's exactly the same thing.)

Pride coconut milk is 99p or less, and it's much better than the £1.99 brand

www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=261626649

Yes, Tesco (I'm assuming because of Eid) at the moment have an offer on, Spend 12 on Asian products and get 3 off. But, lots of things that are included are on at another offer like 2 for a pound and 4 for a pound. I've been stocking up on tins of pulses and bags of spices.

This is one of the good things about shopping online

I've noticed that with jars of coconut oil. In all cases it is 100% pure organic coconut oil, but the jars in the health section are a lot more expensive than the jars in the food section. Anyone who buys the expensive ones is crazy.

Polish bay leaves are much cheaper too. And like you say, mahoosive bags of lentils are way cheaper in the Asian section. Does my head in but I guess supermarkets are trading on some people being set in their ways and not venturing into the ethnic sections.

There's some unpleasant stuff in many brands of coconut milk. I switched to buying pure coconut block instead. Tons cheaper, nothing added, tastes lovely.

I go to a nearby Chinese supermarket for herbs, spices, rice, tea etc.

Very of your specialist food stores

It's annoying, I agree. But they do it precisely because they rely on people not thinking to check other aisles for cheaper products. It increases average spend.

I shop online. I got sick of checking 5 different aisles for half my shopping list.