Tesco customers who utilise the supermarket’s Tesco Clubcard to save money have been warned they are on average £144 worse off over a year.
According to figures from consumer magazine Which?, supermarket shoppers who remain loyal to Tesco or Asda are being informed that it’s costing them an extra £12 or more per shop, or £144 across a monthly shop for a year. Which? has revealed its supermarket price comparison analysis for June 2024 and for the first time has included the impact of loyalty cards such as Tesco Clubcards and Sainsbury’s Nectar Card on the cost of a typical food shop, reports the Express.
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.
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As expected, Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket by a significant margin, 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 named as the cheapest supermarket for a basket of goods in June, with shoppers spending an average of £118.41 throughout the month. Lidl was a close second, with a slightly higher average cost of £121.31. In contrast, Waitrose emerged as the most expensive store last month, where customers faced a bill of £151.01 – a significant £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.”
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