Tesco shoppers who use the supermarket to save money with a Tesco Clubcard have been warned they are £144 worse off on average over a year based on the latest price comparisons.
Supermarket shoppers who stick with Tesco or Asda are being told it’s costing them £12 or more per shop, or £144 across a monthly shop for a year, according to consumer magazine Which? figures.
Which? has unveiled its supermarket price comparison analysis for June 2024 and for the first time has incorporated the impact of loyalty cards including Tesco Clubcards and the Sainsbury’s Nectar Card on the price of a typical food shop.
Despite the Tesco Clubcard reducing the total cost of a basket at Tesco – as did the Nectar card at Sainsbury’s – Aldi and Lidl both still emerged cheaper.
Aldi outperformed Tesco including Clubcard prices by more than £12, and Sainsbury’s by more than £14.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket by some distance, at a full £32.60 more expensive than Aldi, which was the cheapest.
Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in June. The discounter offered the lowest price for a shopping list of popular items.
The consumer champion’s monthly analysis involves comparing the average prices of a shop consisting of popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets.
June’s list of 65 items included a number of both branded and own-brand items, such as Birds Eye Garden Peas, Heinz baked beans, Hovis bread, milk and butter.
Aldi has been crowned the cheapest supermarket for a basket of goods in June, with shoppers spending an average of £118.41 throughout the month. Lidl was hot on its heels, with a marginally higher average cost of £121.31.
Waitrose, on the other hand, emerged as the priciest store last month, where customers faced a bill of £151.01 – that’s a hefty £32.60 more than Aldi, or 28 per cent pricier.
Tesco Clubcard holders enjoyed a more modest total of £130.90 for June’s groceries, saving £12.49 over non-Clubcard holders who paid £134.30 at Tesco.
Sainsbury’s shoppers using the Nectar scheme were charged £132.90, but without the loyalty card, the price rose to £137.51. Asda’s bill came to £131.42, sitting in the middle range of supermarket costs.
Lidl, Morrisons, and Waitrose also offer two-tier pricing through loyalty schemes, but these affected fewer items on the shopping list this month.
Which? Retail Editor Ele Clark commented on the new inclusion of loyalty prices in their analysis, stating: “From this month on we will be regularly including loyalty prices in our analysis. As member-only pricing continues to grow, Which? believes the sector needs to be properly scrutinised and held to account so that all shoppers – including society’s most vulnerable – can benefit, and no one is misled into believing they’re getting a better deal than they really are.”
“With food prices continuing to squeeze household budgets, it comes as no surprise that many people are choosing to shop with the discounters, and Aldi has again won the cheapest supermarket title. Our analysis shows that Aldi and Lidl are still cheaper than the traditional supermarkets, even when you include loyalty pricing.”