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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think supermarkets are cashing in on covid?

43 replies

Windchangeface · 01/02/2021 17:28

Just that really.

Our local supermarket is a Sainsbury’s, covid police would say we should shop there but so pricey, basically no offers or multipacks. Figured I’d compare supermarkets online and journey to whichever was cheapest in local city. Almost tore my hair out.

Have they got their heads together and been like ‘they can’t go to multiple supermarkets anymore so let’s cash in’ makes me rage?

Yoghurts only on offer in Tesco- £2 saving
Bagels twice the price everywhere but Asda- £1.80 saving
Baby food on offer in Morrison’s - £3 saving
Milk and eggs cheaper in Asda- £3.25 saving
Butter on offer in Sainsbury’s- £2 saving
...my list goes on and on and on

It did happen before covid and lockdowns but nowhere near as much, might have been £5 in it at most. If I stick to one supermarket I’ll spend £20 more on weekly shop now.

Get they’re a business but it’s just irresponsible, I won’t be the only budgeting mum who is fed up paying over the odds every lockdown and tempted to just go back to splitting the shop.

OP posts:

FTM91 · 01/02/2021 18:01

Trust me. Supermarkets don't sit down and say 'lets up all our prices because of covid'. They all have their own pricing strategy for own brand stuff, and branded prices/deals are driven my the suppliers.
Multi buys have been phased out for a long time in am attempt to reduce food waste and allow investment into everyday low prices on all products. (I work for a supermarket)
If all supermarkets all agreed to price every item the same then there would be no competition and it's competition that drives prices down. You'd be complaining in that scenario as well.

SendMeHome · 01/02/2021 18:05

I think Brexit has had far more to do with the lack of offers than Covid, it’s just conveniently been hidden in with “just one of those Covid things”

purplecorkheart · 01/02/2021 18:09

I haven't noticed proper deals in the two Supermarkets and shop that I visit. The so called deals tend to be on things like 24 mini bars but if you break the price down per unit buying 4 packs of six work out cheaper. Toilet paper/dishwasher tablets and kitchen towel are the only things you can get deals on but again you have to watch your pack size via price.

The shop which is family owned does do yellow stickers but mainly on canapes style foods or fresh soups and often if you go in after 4pm you can get a cooked chicken for pennies. They also often put a pack of biscuits/crisps/chocolates that are near there sell by date into your shopping bag as a gift. However they do not have the custom or buying power to offer deals.

My local butcher on the other hand is doing brilliant offers. He does offers for €20 that would easily feed a family of four or five with meat in one meal a day if not two. Also every week there tends to offers on certain items and often they will add some extras for free. For example I was buying their beef stirfry for two people. He put that amount into a container and weighed it and then took it off and added another two scoops and told me that it would save me having to make lunch the next day.

Daphnise · 01/02/2021 18:11

I don't feel supermarkets have got together to put prices up.

I'd avoid Sainsburys- always expensive and stuff no higher quality than other places.

IMO Asda is the cheapest.

If you want an example of something that has become incredibly expensive try buying an everyday lightbulb! All these green dictats and EU rules have made them so expensive.

LunaHeather · 01/02/2021 18:14

@Windchangeface

Oh I miss home bargains so much.

It’s on the other shopping estate on other side of city to us so haven’t been able to justify going in forever

How far is it, just out of curiosity?

BackforGood · 01/02/2021 18:15

Supermarkets have always had 'offers' to tempt you in and then made their money back on what you spend when you are in there.
There isn't a conspiracy now because of COVID.
Is it not just possible to stock up on your favoured cheaper items one week at shop A, so you don't need to buy those items the next week at Shop B, where you can buy extra of whatever it is there that is cheaper ?
You would be unreasonable to be going round several shops a week whilst we are all being asked to stay at home, yes.

BrumBoo · 01/02/2021 18:21

@Windchangeface

Oh I miss home bargains so much.

It’s on the other shopping estate on other side of city to us so haven’t been able to justify going in forever

I'm exactly the same about ASDA. Sainsburys is definitely the best I've shopped in, but damn it's expensive. Would be much easier on my purse strings going to Asda and topping up elsewhere when needed! My Sainsburys is in a big square with Home Bargains and Aldi though, and less than a mile drive away. So needs must.

hansgrueber · 01/02/2021 18:22

@BrumBoo

I think initially companies were trying to keep profits by taking out multi buy offers during lockdowns. People were also panic buying, so cared less for it, just grabbed what they could.

Since Brexit, the shelves have been much more bare, and prices have noticeably increased alongside lack of mulitbuys. I think it's just the way it will be now.

Supermarkets don't put offers on, they pass of those of the manufacturers. They're still there sometimes, I tend to look on line if I need something like Lurpak and go to that supermarket. The supermarkets have had to invest a lot of money in covid precautions and I suppose they have had to cut back on offers they may have previously made, I certainly missed to money off vouchers at Christmas.

ScalpHelp · 01/02/2021 18:23

I remember supermarkets stopped the multi buy offers a year ago to ensure purchasing limits per customer were met. I thought they had brought them back now

BrumBoo · 01/02/2021 18:27

@hansgrueber I did say companies, not supermarkets.

I don't think the OP is wrong in the fact that offers are disappearing, and food is definitely more expensive in the last few weeks. I think that the people who aren't noticing are the ones that are in the luckier position not to need to have to notice, if I'm perfectly honest.

gerbilfur · 01/02/2021 18:30

My grocery bill has gone up hugely. Admittedly because we're constantly at home we eat more but it's increased by about £25 a week. Things have gone up ridiculously.

Annabell80 · 01/02/2021 18:36

I haven't noticed prices going up much (if at all) and there aren't any shortages either, at least not in my area.
Prices do go up anyway. We don't pay the same price for our shopping as we did two years ago (unfortunately).

EveryDayIsADuvetDay · 01/02/2021 18:44

I have lots of small supermarkets nearby, so normally I'd top up from them and do a big shop about once a month - drive to an area that has a huge tesco, aldi. lidl & more - and typically go in about three.
I've just had covid and switched to on-line shops - I think I'll need to do that every three weeks. I have noticed that you get less offers from using just one supermarket - but I think that was probably the same pre-covid.
I've not had problems booking slots, the Sainsbury one was free as I chose 7am, Tesco is £3, so set against half a day of my time, paying congestion charge, so I don't think it's a covid conspiracy.

Some of the substitutions are weird though.

Original poster

Windchangeface · 01/02/2021 19:24

@LunaHeather

To the supermarkets on our side of city about 12 miles (25-30 mins)
Extra 5 ish miles to the stores on other side of city but always takes another 20 mins as busy roads.

Suppose it’s not awfully far but fastest route includes busy access road to local hospital so feel guilty using when ambulances are always trying to fight through traffic. ‘Fancy a mooch round home bargains’ doesn’t feel like a very good reason.

OP posts:

bloodyhairy · 01/02/2021 19:26

I agree with you, OP. And this at a time where we're all at home and eating more!

Markies · 01/02/2021 19:29

Brexit ken.

BogRollBOGOF · 01/02/2021 19:41

Supermarkets had to stabilise food supply through panic buying and more importantly changing trends in people eating in and out of the home. Plus Brexit.

Also rapidly having to adjust staffing, sites and infrastructure for social distancing, screens, and changing demands on home deliveries.

Turnover will have certainly increased especially when it's the only place that you can go into to buy "non essental" things like clothes for children who have the audacity to grow in lockdown.

They haven't deliberately inflated prices to take advantage though.

Justanotherlurker · 01/02/2021 20:07

I think Brexit has had far more to do with the lack of offers than Covid, it’s just conveniently been hidden in with “just one of those Covid things”

It's a stretch to say it is brexit when this 'lack of deals' is worldwide.

This is the exact mirror of comments the FBPE crowd where hoping for, blaming stuff onto covid when brexit is involved.

It isn't to do just brexit nor just covid, it's a lot more nuancned that doesn't even include the either.

Those jumping on to call out Brexit are the FBPE twitter crowd who have spent the previous 4 years talking about how leaving will become all doom and gloom and looking for any hint of it. It is trying to justify their previous 4 years of constant social media posting and trying to justify it.

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