Am I alone in noticing that food is really expensive?
This on the back of record profits at Tesco.
Are we being ripped off?
I think so what do you think?
I do believe you are right ben. The quality of the product from some of the big supermarkets isn't up to much either (from our experience prior to coming here 18 months ago) and the producers have long been complaining that they are being screwed down on price by the big players too so the likes of Tesco et al are getting minted at everyone else's expense.
Here in France, watchdogs have just woken up to the fact that consumers are being ripped off by the supermarket chains on multi-pack or gros product. The assumption has always been that if you buy in bulk, there can be a price advantage.
However, if you look carefully on the shelve pricing, it gives the prix/litre au kilo (usually in tiny print). Often, we have found over the past, a half kilo pack is priced less/kilo than the kilo pack itself so you buy 2 half kilo packs for less money rather than a 1 kilo one, if that makes sense. That can amount to double the packaging in some cases which can't be good for the environment.
The supermarket chains have a lot more to answer for too. I remember just as we leaving good ol blighty that there was a row about "loss leaders" such as very cheap and highly alcoholic cider being sold cheaper than bottles of water :shock:
Interesting GNV
Picking up on the price anomalies, some friends of mine have been complaining to the supermarkets concerned every time they spot such an anomaly. Its quite funny cos the supermarkets demand the bar codes so they have started taking pictures on their mobiles.
Yeah the supermarkets do screw the suppliers, I have quite a few mates involved in food production locally who feel bullied and a brother who stocks his freezer incredibly cheaply with lambs that are "too big" for the supermarkets.
Lets see what other folk are experiencing.
I couldn't agree more on the meat front. Have you seen the price of shin of beef and pork belly draft lately!!!!!!! I'm not even gonna start on neck of lamb.
At the end of the day, it has to be said that the supermarkets have an awful lot to answer for.
A few to mention:
The destruction of the High Street
The destruction of the small corner shop
The demise of the family pub
An unhealthy grip on peoples buying habits
Way too much influence over spending preferences
An increase in carbon emissions
An increase in waste packaging
The list can go on and on.
In some communities, groups are now getting together to bulk buy supplies from the trade warehouses and markets direct.
Is this the beginning of a return of the corner shop?
Where do I start ?
I shop at a large wholesales warehouse for "bulk" food (meats)
Bacon @ for a kilo pack of smoked back.
Leg of lamb (NZ) @ each (about 2 kilo)
You can run through a list of things sold there that are sold at s/marts but are much lower in price. I do not think that the wholesaler is selling at a loss !
Don't bother with the value burgers, unless you really fancy swimming in a pool of grease !
Am I alone in shopping by value?
I would far rather pay £4 for a lump of cheese priced at £5 a kilo than £3 for a lump of the same stuff priced at £7 a kilo. Ok I pay more at the till, but I get more cheese to my pound. And since I use a slice or a handful of grated, the pack size is irelavent.
I can spend ages at a shelf working out the relative prices of stuff. It makes me angry when one product is priced in grammes and anothe is priced in millitres (it happens with sloppy stuff like yogurts).
One result of this is that I rarely buy branded stuff - but occasionally I will cos of a special offer bringing its unit price down below a 'value'.
I buy flour - you can pay over £1 for one bag or 39p for another bag. OF EXACTLY THE SAME STUFF. Flour is ground up wheat ffs, especially plain - nothing more. It's even produced in the same mill. Anyone who buys MacDougals or BeRo is bonkers.
If you think things are expensive here - just take a trip into Eurozone.
Tesco in Waterford (Eire) is probably half as expensive again than the prices in a UK Tesco even taking into account the crap exchange rate. Spare a thought for our cousins over the water cos they are being hit by the recession much worse than we are and their prices are significantly higher. France is even more expensive and having just got back from a few days in Portugal I can tell you that things are far from cheap there as well.
I'd say that Britain is the cheapest country in Europe to shop - by a long way.
I too have noticed the shopping bill gone up quite alot over the last few months.
I know when the fuel started to rise a couple of years ago so did everything else but when it came down nothing else did!!
Then fuel rises again so the supermarkets put prices up to keep thier profits!
I wouldnt mind so much everything going up but when things come down its never passed onto the consumer.
Certaily is going up ... and petrol's about hit the £1 a litre mark again ... :cry: