THE country’s most affordable supermarket for a Christmas shop has been revealed and prices are lower than last year.
Shoppers could save £20.62 buying a basket of goods at the cheapest supermarket, compared to the most expensive, according to analysis by Which?.
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The monthly data compares the price of 47 popular items at eight of the biggest UK supermarkets to find where costs the most – and least.
Aldi stole the crown as the cheapest shop with a basket costing £76.77 on average.
The budget retailer regained the title after Lidl was named the cheapest basket in October, ending Aldi’s 16-month streak.
There’s also evidence that goods are slightly cheaper this December, compared to last year, so it’s good news for Christmas shoppers.
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A basket Aldi cost £77.21 last December – 44p more than this year’s basket.
Waitrose was the most expensive shop this month, with a basket of groceries totalling £97.39 on average, which is 26% more than Aldi, or a difference of £21.
Last December, a basket at Waitrose cost a whopping £104.11 – £6.72 more than this year.
All supermarket were cheaper for a basket of goods this year compared to December 2022.
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Here are the full rankings based on a basket of shopping (47 items):
- Aldi – £76.77
- Lidl – £77.56
- Asda – £84.42
- Tesco – £87.42
- Sainsbury’s – £87.79
- Morrisons – £89.54
- Ocado – £93.40
- Waitrose – £97.39
Below is Which?’s data for a basket of goods from December 2022 (48 items):
- Aldi – £77.21
- Lidl – £78.57
- Tesco – £87.60
- Asda – £87.66
- Sainsbury’s – £89.85
- Morrisons – £93.49
- Ocado – £96.09
- Waitrose – £104.11
The consumer group also compared the cost of a larger trolley with 134 items.
This includes branded items, such as Andrex toilet paper and Cathedral City cheese, and did not include discounter supermarkets Aldi and Lidl because they don’t always stock these products.
Asda came out as cheapest for the trolley of groceries with a cost of £328.15 on average, beating the next cheapest, Morrisons, by £10.01.
Waitrose was again the most expensive supermarket coming in at £369.80 which was £41.65 more expensive than Asda.
Sainsbury’s was second most expensive at £360.26 for those shopping without a Nectar card.
Here are the full rankings based on a trolley full of items (134 items):
- Asda – £328.15
- Morrisons – £338.16
- Tesco – £354.53
- Ocado – £356.78
- Sainsbury’s – £360.26
Below is Which?’s data for a trolley from December 2022 (48 items):
- Asda -£355.34
- Sainsbury’s – £366.83
- Tesco – £375.90
- Morrisons – £377.83
- Ocado- £380.44
- Waitrose – £393.37
The five supermarkets above were also cheaper this year, compared to last.
It comes after shop price inflation eased for the sixth month in a row as retailers compete fiercely for customers ahead of Christmas.
Food inflation slowed to 7.8% from October’s 8.8%, the seventh consecutive drop and its lowest rate since last July.
Overall inflation was 4.6% in the year to October, down from 6.7% in September.
High inflation means that the cost of everyday essentials is rising and therefore your money doesn’t go as far.
When inflation drops it doesn’t mean that prices have stopped rising it just means that they are rising at a slower rate.
Supermarkets are also finding themselves under increased scrutiny after the Competition and Markets Authority over their loyalty schemes.
As supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury’s now only offer most of their discounts to loyalty scheme members, this could risk creating a two-tier system, the CMA said.
The watchdog said it will launch a new investigation into the loyalty schemes.
How can I save on my supermarket shop?
Shopping at cheaper supermarkets is just one way to save money on your food shopping.
You could also try making a list beforehand as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases.
Buying supermarkets’ own-brand goods instead of big name brands will also help slash costs.
Some supermarkets also run “wonky” veg schemes, where you pay less for fresh produce that’s misshapen or imperfect and still perfectly tasty.
For example, Lidl’s Waste Not scheme means you can get five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50.
Checking how much a product costs per unit is a handy way to find the best value.
Look at the price per kg/lb/litre so you’re making a like-for-like decision.
And when shopping, don’t forget about supermarket loyalty schemes, where you can build up points to spend on a later shop.
For example, Sainsbury’s has Nectar and Tesco has Clubcard.
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Plus, look out for yellow or red stickers on food products that show they’ve been reduced.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
