You know the type, they use and abuse special offers, shop in different stores and swap brands for budget ranges. According to Morrisons, there’s a growing trend towards shopping like this, but is it just PR hype?
Trying to get around the supermarket without being sidetracked by yellow stickers and special offers is no easy task. You go in with a list of items you need, and come out with a whole lot more besides.
At least, that’s how it always feels to me. Despite working at Which? and therefore having a heightened awareness for the fact that these offers aren’t always as good as they seem, I often fall for them regardless.
A professional approach to shopping
We know from many previous Conversations that shoppers are wising up to these ‘special’ offers. Lots of you say you don’t trust ‘buy one get one free’ offers because you think the prices may be inflated just before the reduction is made.
So could Morrisons’ assertion, that consumers are becoming so savvy that they’re becoming ‘professional shoppers’ really be true? According to Dalton Philips, the supermarket’s Chief Executive, people are hunting down price promotions, switching to own label products and group buying – all in a bid to save money on their weekly shop.
‘There is a growing professionalism in people’s approach to shopping. We are seeing it across the country, this phenomenon of checking all the prices and, in many cases, leaving the credit card at home, buying in bulk packs – splitting them with friends or freezing.’
It all sounds sensible, but also like a lot of work. I don’t have the organisation skills to plan my own meals in advance, let alone plan them ahead with friends!
Beat the supermarket
But a quick look back over some previous discussions shows that there are people out there who spend the time and effort beating the supermarkets at their own game.
When we compared the Asda and Tesco price match commenter Buyer showed real ‘professionalism’:
‘It is in fact a good offer… I bought the following: Hovis Medium Sliced Soft White Bread, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Snickers Bars and Linda McCartney Vegetarian Sausages. [There was a] difference of £3.34 and I got a £6.68 voucher… with the voucher I then brought things on offer. So if you are clever you can make some nice savings.’
But how many of us really have the time to do this, even if we have the inclination?
Perhaps the easiest of Morrisons’ suggestions is to swap brand for budget lines. 67% voted in our poll to say you buy store cupboard essentials from budget ranges and we’ve also found a fair few Which? Best Buys in budget stores like Aldi and Lidl.
So, just how professional are you when it comes to your weekly shopping? Is Morrisons using this as a convenient excuse to justify its price rises or is there really a trend in the making?