The UK’s cheapest supermarket for a basket of 65 items has been revealed – and it even beats discount prices at Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Aldi has again beaten rivals to be crowned cheapest for your weekly shop in June and is £32.60 less than the most expensive place.
A basket of essentials will set you back £118.41 in a bargain supermarket, according to which?.
The consumer group’s monthly price comparison focuses on the eight biggest supermarkets and 65 own-brand and branded products such as Heinz beans and Hovis bread, as well as staples such as milk and butter.
This is the first time that its analysis includes member prices.
Membership pricing is offered at some supermarkets and means shoppers can get cheaper prices if they sign up to its loyalty scheme.
Tesco Clubcard members and Sainsbury’s Nectar cardholders can get lower prices when they scan their card or app at checkouts.
But the latest research found that Aldi is still on top.
Who? they found that Sainsbury’s was £14.49 more expensive and Tesco £12.49 more than Aldi.
A weekly shop at Tesco with a Clubcard came to £130.90, putting it in third place behind Lidl, which was £121.31.
This compares to £134.30 without Clubcard.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s store with Nectar came in at £132.90, in fifth place, compared to £137.51 without.
The most expensive store was Waitrose where a basket of items cost £151.01.
A survey is just a snapshot of prices when looking at a selected basket of items.
Supermarket prices change frequently – sometimes daily – and one week you’ll find items on offer at one chain and the next week at another.
How is your supermarket?
Monthly analysis of Which? focuses on Britain’s eight biggest supermarkets and compares the costs of dozens of everyday essentials.
Here are the results for June:
- Aldi £118.41
- Lidl £121.31
- Tesco (with Clubcard) £130.90
- Asda £131.42
- Sainsbury’s (with Nectar card) £132.90
- Tesco (without Clubcard) £134.30
- Sainsbury’s (without Nectar card) £137.51
- Morrisons £140.19
- Ocado £144.06
- Waiter £151.01
Aldi has come out on top in previous months as well, and in fact was found to have the lowest prices in every month so far this year.
And it was also found to be the cheapest overall last year by Which?.
This is the first time membership prices have been included.
Lidl, Morrisons and Waitrose offer cheaper prices for members. However, these were not included in the Which? analysis this month because none of the 65 items were discounted.
While Asda has a loyalty scheme offering points and rewards, it does not set membership prices.
Ela Clark, which one? retail editor, said: “From this month we will regularly include loyalty pricing in our analysis.
“As members-only prices continue to rise, Who? believes the sector needs to be properly scrutinized and taken into account so that all shoppers – including the most vulnerable in society – benefit and no one is misled into believing that they keep getting better.” act than they really are.”
How to save at your supermarket
There are many ways to save at the grocery store.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products that show when they have been reduced in size.
If the food is fresh, you will need to eat it quickly or freeze it for later.
Making a list should also save you money as you are less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Switching to own label can be an easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills.
This means giving up the “best” or “luxury” products and instead going for “custom” or value types of lines.
Lots of supermarkets run weird fruit and vegetable programs where you can get cheap prices if they are misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs a Waste Not scheme which offers 5kg boxes of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and you’re a parent, you can get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers, which you can also use at the supermarket.
In addition, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
“With food prices continuing to squeeze household budgets, it’s no surprise that many people are turning to discounters and Aldi has once again won the title of cheapest supermarket.
“Our analysis shows that Aldi and Lidl are still cheaper than traditional supermarkets, even when you factor in loyalty prices.”
Tesco was the first supermarket to launch cheaper prices for loyalty card holders in 2019.
But since then, others have followed suit.
The Sun first revealed that Salisbury’s introduced the benefit last year, with the Co-op following shortly after.
While simply signing up for loyalty programs is an easy way to get cheaper prices, it means for those who don’t face higher prices at checkout.
Some have criticized the move to exclusive pricing because it may exclude less-savvy shoppers while forcing shoppers to hand over personal information.
M&S has ruled out introducing membership prices for users of Sparks loyalty app after a trial in 49 food halls.
A Sun investigation last year found that Clubcard and Nectar prices were not the cheapest available over the counter.
Tesco made a member price change earlier this year, adding unit prices alongside Clubcard prices on counters and online.
Unit prices help shoppers better compare prices on items of different sizes.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently reviewing loyalty pricing across the supermarket sector, including whether aspects of loyalty pricing could mislead shoppers or put groups of shoppers at a disadvantage.
It is due to provide an update on its findings in July, ahead of a full report by the end of this year.