Supermarkets discussion

[Mojo]

No need to allow notifications, that’s only to get a reminder to activate them.

Given that you have to go on the App (or look at the Smartshop scanner) to find out what the offers are in the first place, I don’t see it any disadvantage to have to press to activate, like you have to with the other offers. The advantage of being able to retrieve the offers on normal checkouts outweighs this.

 

[Kite159]

Just a shame that for me personally the app based nectar prices & points offers have become so useless it's barely worth looking to see what random product they are giving 10 extra points for this week.

They have probably decided I shop there too much (although less since they hiked the cost of a meal deal to make Boots & Tesco more appealing).

 

[Harpo]

Think I’ve spotted a future Tesco and Sainsburys loyalty card offer. Lynx have some new deodorant names that seem to be £3.95 everywhere, except for the big two now that have them on a ‘finer fragrance’ (cardboard) plinth at £5.95. 50% is quite an uplift.

 

[jon0844]

They're not even hiding it anymore. Soon it will be like the old late night shopping channels selling cheap jewellery with SRPs of £10,000, down to just £29.99 in three easy-pay instalments...

I've also seen Tesco issuing customers warnings about sharing their cards with others, threatening to terminate the account and delete the credits. Now, given a child cannot have a Clubcard, that means you're in breach if you let your child have a clubcard so they can shop without paying the inflated normal price, and if Tesco started to stop you doing this - how does a child get the Clubcard price? Or should children not be shopping in Tesco?

 

[Lewisham2221]

They're not even hiding it anymore. Soon it will be like the old late night shopping channels selling cheap jewellery with SRPs of £10,000, down to just £29.99 in three easy-pay instalments...

I've also seen Tesco issuing customers warnings about sharing their cards with others, threatening to terminate the account and delete the credits. Now, given a child cannot have a Clubcard, that means you're in breach if you let your child have a clubcard so they can shop without paying the inflated normal price, and if Tesco started to stop you doing this - how does a child get the Clubcard price? Or should children not be shopping in Tesco?

It's perfect acceptable to share your clubcard with other members of your household.

What Tesco do have a problem with, is publicly sharing the barcode from your clubcard.

 

[jon81uk]

Think I’ve spotted a future Tesco and Sainsburys loyalty card offer. Lynx have some new deodorant names that seem to be £3.95 everywhere, except for the big two now that have them on a ‘finer fragrance’ (cardboard) plinth at £5.95. 50% is quite an uplift.

They're not even hiding it anymore. Soon it will be like the old late night shopping channels selling cheap jewellery with SRPs of £10,000, down to just £29.99 in three easy-pay instalments...

This would have been the case even when you didn't need the loyalty card to get the discounts. Certain products would have a standard price designed to allow discounting.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The Co-op still have certain products that will be discounted at the checkout provided the Co-op card is handed to the assistant at the start.

 

[Belperpete]

It's perfect acceptable to share your clubcard with other members of your household.

What Tesco do have a problem with, is publicly sharing the barcode from your clubcard.

What does annoy me is that my UK Tesco clubcard doesn't work in their foreign stores, so despite them offering a clubcard discount, I have to pay the inflated price.

 

[jon0844]

This would have been the case even when you didn't need the loyalty card to get the discounts. Certain products would have a standard price designed to allow discounting.

Yes, but as you say - you didn't need any sort of card. You got the discount automatically.

Now you (they) can actually make people pay the higher price and you can gradually increase that to make the discounted price seem better.

Most products are sold elsewhere, so you can see the 'normal' price and see if the Tesco (or others) normal price is inflated or not.

Sales have been a thing forever so we all know how they do things, but it's getting quite farcical on some products and even some staff say it's becoming a joke and embarrassing for them because everyone is saying it is getting silly.

 

[Belperpete]

Most products are sold elsewhere, so you can see the 'normal' price and see if the Tesco (or others) normal price is inflated or not.

The thing is that most people don't shop elsewhere, so don't see the prices elsewhere. And even if they do, they are unlikely to remember all the individual prices of each item. It is also why Tesco price match on selected items, those items that you are likely to remember the price of

Price match is a very insidious tool. It makes you subconsciously think that the other items must be similarly priced. And if most of the items I buy are price matched, why bother about the others, it can't make much difference, can it.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

What is the word for when a muppet supermarket changes a product so that we get the same equivalent quantity for the same price but the pack takes up more space because they've made the things in it smaller and it now has 16 in it instead of 12?!

Where is the sense in that?!?!?!

 

[Lewisham2221]

What is the word for when a muppet supermarket changes a product so that we get the same equivalent quantity for the same price but the pack takes up more space because they've made the things in it smaller and it now has 16 in it instead of 12?!

Where is the sense in that?!?!?!

I suppose that's a form of shrinkflation, if I've understood the scenario correctly.

As for why, most people won't check the £/kg or equivalent - they'll just see £2/pack 16 £2/pack 12 and think they're getting better value. Sometimes it is better value, if the change results in less wastage or less overuse. With food or drink lines it can also be to get the "per unit" calorie/fat/sugar etc value to a certain target value.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I suppose that's a form of shrinkflation, if I've understood the scenario correctly.

As for why, most people won't check the £/kg or equivalent - they'll just see £2/pack 16 £2/pack 12 and think they're getting better value. Sometimes it is better value, if the change results in less wastage or less overuse. With food or drink lines it can also be to get the "per unit" calorie/fat/sugar etc value to a certain target value.

It's not... the price and quantity are exactly the same.

That's what's puzzling me; all they've effectively done is increase the amount of packaging for what we get...

 

[jon0844]

The thing is that most people don't shop elsewhere, so don't see the prices elsewhere. And even if they do, they are unlikely to remember all the individual prices of each item. It is also why Tesco price match on selected items, those items that you are likely to remember the price of

Price match is a very insidious tool. It makes you subconsciously think that the other items must be similarly priced. And if most of the items I buy are price matched, why bother about the others, it can't make much difference, can it.

I am not loyal to one shop. Some shops sell things others don't, and while I may not remember precisely how much a pint of milk costs from one to the next - I can spot when one is selling 24 cans of Coke Zero for £7 and another claims it's normally £12 or 14 (or whatever). Plus some people use comparison apps.

When I see Tesco brag that they're matching xx lines with Aldi, I wonder why they're not matching the others.. I naturally assume they're more expensive. At the end of the day, I won't waste time driving to another store to save a few pennies but I consider myself fairly savvy and I will happily NOT buy a product from a shop that is charging way over the odds.

 

[Harpo]

At the end of the day, I won't waste time driving to another store to save a few pennies but I consider myself fairly savvy and I will happily NOT buy a product from a shop that is charging way over the odds.

I consider myself savvy but when I put new next to old found the ‘XXL Mega Pack’ of Fairy non-bio is now 19xxml instead of 24xxml and at a slightly higher price. Per unit that’s a shocking increase of around 25%.

That’s how the big two screw us over while conning folk into believing they price match with Aldi.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

When I see Tesco brag that they're matching xx lines with Aldi, I wonder why they're not matching the others..

They apparently found one product a couple of years ago that Aldi were selling for more than they were; they put the price of it up and then stuck an Aldi price match sticker on it...

 

[Lewisham2221]

It's not... the price and quantity are exactly the same.

That's what's puzzling me; all they've effectively done is increase the amount of packaging for what we get...

See the second part of my post.

Psychologically, people think they're getting a better deal because they are getting 16 "things" for the same price they were paying for 12 "things", even if the overall quantity (by weight/volume) is unchanged.

Sometimes, that translates into better value for money through convenience. 5 x 20g chocolate bars or bags of crisps is more convenient, and thus in a way better value, than 4 x 25g chocolate bars or bags of crisps. Yes, I'm still paying the same price for 100g of product, but if it's to pop in a lunch box for 5 working days it's clearly more convenient.

Similarly, that reduction in size per unit may now mean that chocolate bar or bag of crisps is now under 100 calories per unit etc.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

See the second part of my post.

Psychologically, people think they're getting a better deal because they are getting 16 "things" for the same price they were paying for 12 "things", even if the overall quantity (by weight/volume) is unchanged.

Sometimes, that translates into better value for money through convenience. 5 x 20g chocolate bars or bags of crisps is more convenient, and thus in a way better value, than 4 x 25g chocolate bars or bags of crisps. Yes, I'm still paying the same price for 100g of product, but if it's to pop in a lunch box for 5 working days it's clearly more convenient.

Similarly, that reduction in size per unit may now mean that chocolate bar or bag of crisps is now under 100 calories per unit etc.

No, I've compared an old pack with a new pack today. The overall quantities are exactly the same by weight and by number.

 

[bspahh]

Sometimes, that translates into better value for money through convenience. 5 x 20g chocolate bars or bags of crisps is more convenient, and thus in a way better value, than 4 x 25g chocolate bars or bags of crisps. Yes, I'm still paying the same price for 100g of product, but if it's to pop in a lunch box for 5 working days it's clearly more convenient.

Similarly, that reduction in size per unit may now mean that chocolate bar or bag of crisps is now under 100 calories per unit etc.

I remember comparing the prices of multi-packs of Kit-Kats in Tesco. The price label on the shelf had different units for the packs with four with 4 fingers per bar, and the packs with nine with 2 fingers per bar. One was the price per 100g. The other was price per bar. To compare them I had to calculate the price per 100 Calories.

 

[jon0844]

They apparently found one product a couple of years ago that Aldi were selling for more than they were; they put the price of it up and then stuck an Aldi price match sticker on it...

Fair play!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Aug 2025 ==

I consider myself savvy but when I put new next to old found the ‘XXL Mega Pack’ of Fairy non-bio is now 19xxml instead of 24xxml and at a slightly higher price. Per unit that’s a shocking increase of around 25%.

That’s how the big two screw us over while conning folk into believing they price match with Aldi.

Yes, there is also the fact they don't compare exact SKUs and pick items they see as comparable (not least because Tesco and Aldi branded products are clearly not the same, even if made by the same company for each supermarket).

It's all a game at the end of the day, and the supermarkets seem to be finding new ways to 'adapt' the rules to keep people on their toes.

 

[Lewisham2221]

No, I've compared an old pack with a new pack today. The overall quantities are exactly the same by weight and by number.

Ah, ok. It was this bit confusing me:

they've made the things in it smaller and it now has 16 in it instead of 12?!

 

[Bald Rick]

When I see Tesco brag that they're matching xx lines with Aldi, I wonder why they're not matching the others..

Yes, I do wonder ehen there are adverts saying “we compare / price match 200 products with Aldi so you don’t have to” along with a picture of various everyday staples, actually use the pictured artickes for price comparison.

 

[Harpo]

Yes, there is also the fact they don't compare exact SKUs and pick items they see as comparable

The most glaring nob-comparable is fruit and veg priced ‘per item’. I’m absolutely certain that the supermarkets aren’t buying it that way, but they expect us to.

 

[jon0844]

The most glaring nob-comparable is fruit and veg priced ‘per item’. I’m absolutely certain that the supermarkets aren’t buying it that way, but they expect us to.

I have noticed more bundles at fixed rates, like bananas taped up (not bagged) with a single barcode instead of you weighing them and tagging.

I guess they're going to do this more to do away with the scales and make it easier for those who scan as they shop.

 

[Harpo]

I guess they're going to do this more to do away with the scales and make it easier for those who scan as they shop.

The irony is, self-checkouts know the weight of everything.

 

[dgl]

Going back to washing powder/liquid/pods there is another way they get you, and that is the amount of washes per pack.
These figures usually take into account a 4-5Kg machine when the smallest machine that Curry's sell is a 6KG and at ao the smallest is a 7KG.
Most modern machines will probably have even greater capacity so you'll probably get half the amount of washes compared to what is stated on the packaging.
Madly this is the same for our professional stuff at work, and professional machines are rarely as small as 5KG.

 

[jon0844]

The irony is, self-checkouts know the weight of everything.

Yes, but some shops have opted to make that quicker by not having scales - and using AI to try and detect if you don't scan the right item or place it down (I've seen how some play back video of what you did, possibly to make it clear how closely you're being watched).

Loose fruit and veg will vary in size and weight so bundling it or changing a fixed price per item will be easier for the shop, but you will get people obviously going only for the largest item.

With the new Tesco layout with the pull out drawers, the public already pull these out to search for fresher items - much to the annoyance of staff as it often messes everything up and leads to spillages and damage. But could you blame someone?

And what if you want just one banana if in the future you can only buy a bunch that the store has taped up into a bundle?

I'm surprised they are messing around with all of this when some stores are losses of £75k a week. Imagine how much they lose every week across the whole estate?

 

[Bald Rick]

The irony is, self-checkouts know the weight of everything.

Its always interestign to see how they deal with lettuces, cucmbers etc. The scales must have a fairly wide range for those.

 

[Kite159]

No, I've compared an old pack with a new pack today. The overall quantities are exactly the same by weight and by number.

No doubt in a few months time the pack size will magically decrease from 16 of the smaller items to 15 of the smaller items at the same price etc

 

[Buzby]

No doubt in a few months time the pack size will magically decrease

This reminds be of the current ‘deal’ at Iceland offering cans of a paricular soft drink (in a red can) this week. It turns out to be 150ml, not the usual 330ml - hopefully folk won’t buy blind!