THE UK’s cheapest supermarket for a big shop has been revealed – and it isn’t Aldi or Lidl.
Consumer champion Which? conducted analysis of supermarket prices in July.
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Which? compared eight supermarkets and 152 items – including branded items, such as Andrex toilet paper and Cathedral City cheese
They found the best place to go for a big shop was Asda – where the 152 items cost £331.81.
But the discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl were not included.
This is because Which? compares as many items as possible, and quite often they don’t find the same big brands at the discounters.
An Asda shop would save you £49.54 compared to the most expensive store, Waitrose, where a similar shop cost £381.35.
The runner up was Morrisons where you can pick up the exact same items for £350.69 – £18.88 more.
At Sainsbury’s a big family shop would cost you just over a pound more at £351.08 than Morrisons.
While Tesco cost £356.51 and Ocado cost £372.24 – £24.70 and £40.43 more than Asda respectively.
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It’s worth remembering that the analysis is done just on the basket of goods at the time – prices frequently change and many supermarkets have items on offer.
So for example, Which’s basket does not take into account Clubcard Prices at Tesco.
You should always have a shop around to see what deals are out there.
You can look up items yourself online before heading to a store, or by using handy comparison websites like trolley.co.uk.
Here is a list of the full results:
Asda – £331.81
Morrisons – £350.69
Sainsbury’s – £351.08
Tesco – £356.51
Ocado – £372.24
Waitrose – £381.35
Cheapest place for a smaller shop
Which? also did an analysis of how much it costs to do a lightly smaller shop.
Every day in July the consumer champion checked the price of 47 popular groceries, including Heinz baked beans, milk and tea bags at eight supermarkets.
Discount stores beat the big supermarkets in the analysis of a smaller basket of items.
Aldi was the cheapest overall with the shop costing £74.23 on average, beating rival discounter Lidl by £1.38.
The same shop at Waitrose was £99.46 on average, meaning it was £25.23 more than Aldi.
Asda did well again, coming in at third place behind the discounters with a price of £83.22
The full results were:
Aldi – £74.23
Lidl – £75.61
Asda – £83.22
Sainsbury’s – £86.27
Tesco – £86.77
Morrisons – £91.14
Ocado – £95.33
Waitrose – £99.46
The Sun contacted all of the supermarkets listed in Which?’s analysis for comment.
Quality of products can also vary, a Waitrose spokesperson said.
“Essential Waitrose can’t be matched on quality but still offers fantastic welfare and support for our farmers at prices that are much cheaper than well known brands,” they said.
Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi, said: “Shoppers are prioritising value like never before and voting with their feet as they realise they don’t have to pay a Big Four price premium for their weekly shop.”
“We’re thrilled to yet again be named the UK’s cheapest supermarket by Which?,” Julie added.
And Asda said they were pleased that Which? highlighted that Asda is the cheapest supermarket for customers who are looking to do a full weekly shop.
How to reduce the cost of your supermarket shop
There are lots of ways you can reduce the cost of your shop.
You should keep an eye out for yellow stickers to get the best food bargains.
Supermarkets often reduce the price of food nearing its use by date to shift stock and stop food waste.
You can get up to 75% off products in some cases.
Another trick is to use supermarket loyalty schemes.
For example, Sainsbury’s runs its Nectar card reward scheme, where customers receive points every time they shop in stores.
And checking price per quantity is another great way to see how much you are actually paying for your groceries.
