Tesco and Sainsbury's shoppers who buy 'milk or cheese' warned
Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's shoppers who buy semi-skimmed milk or cheese in store have been warned. Tesco Express shoppers and Sainsbury's Local customers have been warned over paying over the odds for items at convenience stores.
Shoppers could be hit with bills a fifth more than buying the same items at larger branches of the supermarket chains. Which? compared the cost of 42 popular grocery items – from cheese and pasta to blueberries and ice-cream.
All three supermarket convenience stores charged 8% more for two pints of own-label, semi-skimmed milk – with or without a loyalty card – according to the study. Other items impacted include soft cheese, according to consumer watchdog.
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Morrisons said it was “actively working” on introducing the More card to Morrisons Daily stores “in the coming months”. A Morrisons spokesperson said: “We’re always working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers while maintaining high standards and availability in all our stores. Last year, we became the first supermarket to introduce our budget ‘Savers’ range into Morrisons Daily stores nationwide.”
Ele Clark, the retail editor at Which?, said: “Unfortunately, many people are without easy access to transport or online deliveries which leaves them reliant on smaller nearby stores. Convenience stores may often be easier to travel to and handy for shoppers who need to stock up on a few essentials, but people who have to use them regularly will be spending significantly more over the course of a year than those with access to larger supermarkets.”
The total cost of our basket of groceries averaged £16 more at Morrisons Daily than Morrisons supermarkets, meaning you could shell out a massive £832 more over the course of a year if you bought that selection of products once a week.
In total, our 42 groceries would have averaged around £11 (14%) more at Sainsbury’s Local than Sainsbury's supermarkets, and £10 (11%) more at Tesco Express than Tesco supermarkets for loyalty members, which adds up to more than £500 extra over a year.