Yahoo News Supermarket once accused of 'laughing at customers' with price hikes swipes 'cheapest' crown from Lidl after more than a year
A supermarket once accused of 'taking the mick' out of customers with price rises has swiped the 'cheapest' crown from Lidl after more than a year.
Every consecutive week since the end of January 2023, Lidl has worked out cheapest in our price comparison, which looks at the cost of eight essential items at the six main supermarkets.
But this week, in an unexpected turnaround, Morrisons has changed its position from most expensive to cheapest.
Read more: Aldi brings back BBQ that becomes a campfire at night and kids love it
It's largely down to the fact that it's brought out a cheaper pack of 25% fat mince, costing £1.99 - undercutting both Aldi and Lidl by 30 pence. The other supermarkets sell a 20% fat pack so we use that as their cheapest option.
We've also included the cheaper Savers loaf, which is in line with what the other supermarkets sell, at 45p a loaf.
It means that this week's bill at Morrisons comes to £11.97, down from last week's £12.37, and makes it the cheapest of the six supermarkets for the basket, which, as well as the 500g packet of mince, is made up of a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter, beans and chicken breasts.
It's only ever been the cheapest once in our comparison, with Lidl being cheapest for the majority of the time since we started tracking prices in March 2022.
Back in the summer of 2022, when the cost of living crisis was first taking hold, shoppers accused Morrisons of 'laughing at customers' because of its regular price increases. It went from being the cheapest, to quickly becoming the most expensive over a matter of weeks.
Morrisons' win puts Lidl in second place, with a bill of £12.11, closely followed by Aldi at £12.14. The three most expensive are also close in price, with Tesco at £12.32 and Sainsbury's and Asda joint most expensive at £12.33.
A Morrisons spokesperson said: "Morrisons is committed to working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers without any compromise on quality."
Aldi disputes the results of our weekly comparison, saying that it does not take into account like-for-like products or ‘the higher quality’ of its products. The supermarket says, for example, that Aldi beans are 20g heavier than Sainsbury's and that Aldi teabags are 'better quality than the comparative products used'.
Asda also disagrees with our comparison and says that our small sample of products does not represent the fuller picture of prices and does not account for its deals. The supermarket says that, across the board, its Just Essentials range is the largest and cheapest available, alongside Aldi's.
The full list is as follows:
Morrisons
Loaf of white bread 800g - 75p / now using Savers loaf 800g - 45p
Milk 2 pints - £1.20
Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.98
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.58
Savers Salted butter 250g - £1.69
Beans 410g tin - 27p
Chicken 300g - £2.65 for 330g, equates to £2.41 for 300g
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49 / now Savers mince 500g 25% fat - £1.99
Total £11.97 (down from £12.37)
Lidl
Loaf of white bread 800g - 45p
Milk 2 pints - £1.20
Coffee 200g - £1.99
Teabags 240 - £2.79 / equates to £1.86 for 160
Salted butter 250g - £1.69
Beans 420g tin - 28p
Chicken 300g - £2.35
Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29
Total £12.11
Aldi
Loaf of white bread 800g - 45p
Milk 2 pints - £1.20
Coffee 200g - £1.99
Teabags 160 - £1.89
Salted butter 250g - £1.69
Beans 420g tin - 28p
Chicken 300g - £2.35
Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29
Total £12.14
Tesco
Loaf of white bread 800g - 45p
Milk 2 pints - £1.20
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.98
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.88
Salted butter 250g - £1.69
Beans 420g tin - 28p
Chicken 300g - £2.35
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49
Total £12.32
Asda
Loaf of white bread 800g (Just Essentials) - 45p
Milk 2 pints - £1.20
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g Just Essentials) - £1.98
Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack Just Essentials) - £1.60
Salted butter 250g - £1.69
Beans 410g tin (Just Essentials) - 27p
Chicken 300g - £2.65
Mince 500g 20% fat -£2.49
Total £12.33
Sainsbury's
Loaf of white bread 800g - 45p
Milk 2 pints - £1.20
Coffee 200g - £1.99
Teabags 160 - £1.89
Salted butter 250g - £1.69
Beans 400g tin - 27p
Chicken 300g - £2.35
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49
Total £12.33
