Supermarket shop really expensive all of a sudden

[Lockdownhair]

I have a very good husband who normally queues for the supermarket shop so I admit I have not really realised how expensive it has all become. Today I did it for the first time in weeks, in Morrisons & Sainsburys, and have certainly woke up & smelt the coffee! Is it just me or are they taking advantage of the situation? My supermarket shop seemed so expensive today. Even the Co op has become as dear as Waitrose for some things. Once this is all over & greedy consumerism returns they're going to have to become a bit more competitive with each other. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of most things like I imagined there to be, so why the big hike when a lot of people are going to be struggling financially? I meal plan & don't waste food. Is anyone managing to keep their supermarket shop reasonable?

Agreed! Big Lurpak was £5.50 a few weeks ago. Today it was £7!

I’ve noticed this too in the US. I did a grocery run a couple of months back that was just under $100. The same groceries on Friday were $160! The only difference was a bigger bag of spuds and a small box of dog treats!

Also noticed pack reductions. Eg 4 tins of baked beans were £2, now they have removed the plastic wrap, they're selling 3 tins for £2

I agree with you, OP. I refuse to shop at Sainsbury's because it's so expensive, and I have seen a definite rise in Tesco prices (my 'go to' supermarket). There are undoubtedly far fewer special offers on the go too, but this could be to discourage bulk buying lucky for them.

Bubble bath was a £1.00 now £1.40
Oranges were £1.25 now £1.50
Paracetamol was 55p now 75p
All at Tesco...it all adds up.

Good. Food is way too cheap anyway, encourages waste. Also if farmers are getting a fair price for produce, I'm okay spending a bit more on groceries.

1. Less bulk buy offers
2. Supplies have got more expensive
3. Transport costs have gone up
4. Less 'own brands' because someone else bulk bought them all when they were cheaper

Aldi's seem almost the same to me but Tesco have ramped the prices up like hell

Definitely more expensive - I don't know if there's been an actual price rise, but there are absolutely no special offers -- I hadn't realised how much I had taken advantage of special offers before, but my last few bills have been significantly higher.

I’m eating more comfort food, but it’s the not being able to shop at 3 supermarkets. Before we used to shop at Aldi/Tesco/Waitrose. Now everything has to be Waitrose so it’s more expensive and less choice.

You're not wrong OP, It is really, really expensive.
There are no offers on, and things like meat etc are more pricey than ever.

We also have the situation where every.single.thing that anyone eats or drinks comes out of that budget, and I have 2 adults and 3 late teens in the house, all day, every day, eating every single meal and snack.

We are spending £200+ per week on food & provisions now.

3 of the family eat a huge amount of protein, and
The shop includes a tonne of snacks, wine & beer too. Plus if I see eggs and kitchen spray i get over-excited that i might never see them again so i buy extra.

We could cut it back if needed but would have to cut out as can no longer shop around.

I hadn't really noticed as my two weekly shop is usually around £300 and this has stayed much the same however my top up shop in the middle has gone from £40/£50 to around 110 so looks like around a 10% increase overall. Given the circumstances it's not that bad.

@imwellardme Funny you mention Lurpak, I've been getting shopping for a neighbour and this week the small Lurpak was £4.50 which struck me as very expensive.

I felt I had to show her the receipt as proof I wasn't trying to rip her off!

If you think the co-op is typically cheaper than Waitrose you don't shop very often.

There are no offers, that brings the total up, we are spending about 30-35% more in food but are saving a fortune in work/school lunches.

I've found that on click and collect they substitute the most expensive brand they can find for the goods I've ordered! The record so far is an extra £3.99 on top of the brand I usually buy

This happened when the 2008 credit crunch started.

I was in Asda with DH at the time and for some odd reason I very distinctly remember 8 packs of orange clubs and penguins on "special offer" at two for £4.

Turned to DH and said, "they can fucking keep em then".

Noticed it again and again over the following few months and that's when I learnt want and need are two different things and own brands and cheap shops were not going to poison me.

A lot of people developed the "fuck the greedy bastards, they can keep it" approach at the same time.

That is when Poundland, Pound world, Farmfoods, Aldi, Lidl, B & M, Home Bargains, Savers, Wilkinsons etc. really took off.

The supermarkets rued the day they got greedy with a painful loss in market share and had to drop prices eventually to compete with the cheaper shops which all bar one are still there and not gouging.

It will happen again because a lot of people will have no choice but to go looking for a better price. Some will just do it because they are pissed off.

It is going to be harder this time though because the Mysupermarket website is gone. Strange how many price increases and ending of special offers followed quite quickly on the heels of it's closure.

Gouging, even slight gouging, is noticed and remembered long after the causal crisis is over. No shop, big or small, should forget this.

Totally agree, when we finally get over this hopefully they will come down. On a positive, and i try to see a positive in most of this shit, less waste, those sausage that’s now cost 2.95 and we’re two packs for four quid mean we make a meal from them rather than eat an extra one each and eat high salt, fatty food for breakfast too.

Less pigs die, less environmental impact, less obesity, less waste.

Win win.

Stagflation. It's coming.

Were not we’re. Bloody iPad.

I'm spending a fortune. What was a £40-50 shop is suddenly £70. And that's in Lidl, my Morrison's shop has also gone up but they haven't got half of what I go there for, like the cat food and own-brand litter my cats like (which means 2 skinnier cats and one that's pudding anywhere but the litter tray 🤦‍♀️)

I hadn't realised just how much difference offers make but I'm making an effort to use local suppliers as much as possible eg. Fruit and veg boxes, local butcher as it's much better value.

As others have said, food is incredibly cheap in the U.K. anyway.

Small Lurpak £4.50??? Where do you shop?

They’ve also got to pay extra staff as security

And they’ve put in screens etc

It’s certainly a problem but I fear not one that’s going away.

I buy 100% of my meat and fish in the reduced to clear section - love a yellow sticker bargain. These have practically disappeared in my local shops although I did get a few bargains in Waitrose on Friday.