S
ainsbury ’s is the UK ’s costliest main supermarket , forward of Waitrose , if you happen to don’t have a loyalty card, client affairs champion Which? claims.
Sainsbury’s got here out as the most costly in Which?’s month-to-month survey of prices at Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, which doesn’t embody loyalty offers .
Supermarkets have been more and more making particular gives solely out there to those that are members of loyalty schemes, making a “two-tiered” purchasing expertise.
Which? Has beforehand warned that the rise of loyalty schemes make it troublesome for customers to match costs between completely different supermarkets.
A basket of 131 well-liked items value £359.23 at Sainsbury’s for customers and not using a Nectar card. That put it forward of the £355.51 basket on the extra high-end Waitrose.
Ele Clark, retail editor at Which?, mentioned: “As millions struggle with increased food prices and other high household bills, it is no surprise that many are turning to discounters for their food shop. Our latest research shows that once again Aldi is the cheapest supermarket for a basket of groceries but for the first time, Sainsbury’s has come out as the most expensive for a big shop.
“Which? believes that supermarkets can do much more to help shoppers during the current crisis. They must ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them – including providing a range of essential budget lines that support a healthy diet in smaller convenience stores.”
The rise of members-only reductions reveals little signal of stopping. Last month, the Co-Op mentioned it was investing extra into worth cuts for its members. Tesco, which was the primary to make loyalty member offers widespread, reported hovering earnings earlier this week.
Sainsbury’s argued the objects in query are “cherry picked” and never a real illustration of its pricing.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson mentioned, “These claims are entirely false and insulting to the millions of savvy customers who choose to shop with us every week. There is an overwhelming amount of independently verified data showing the great value customers get when shopping at Sainsbury’s. We are disappointed that Which has refused to share its data with us and has instead chosen to mislead customers by choosing to exclude Nectar Prices promotions in its research.
“The vast majority of our customers are shopping with Nectar Prices and have saved £400 million on their shopping in the last six months. Customers can be sure they getting great value every time they shop with us.”
