Hot on the heels of Tesco’s Big Price Drop, Sainsbury’s has announced that it will price match branded items. Are these relentless offers any good for our wallet, or are they just unhelpful and irritating?
Sainsbury’s is rolling out technology that instantly calculates the cost of your basket’s branded grocery goods, compared to the cost of the same branded basket at Asda and Tesco. If Asda or Tesco are cheaper, you’ll receive a coupon equal to the difference (though you’ll have to spend more than £20 and use your voucher within a fortnight).
But are all these price comparison offers actually saving us money and if so how much? When The Grocer looked at a shopping basket of 33 Tesco items after the supermarket’s Big Price Drop, it found that it was actually more expensive than the previous week – before the promotion. There’s nothing to suggest that Tesco is more expensive overall, but it goes to show that these offers aren’t always straightforward.
Tiring supermarket price promotions
Personally, I find the supermarkets’ price comparisons exhausting. I also like to think that they won’t affect my shopping habits either. Am I going to switch supermarkets because Sainsbury’s will give me a 20p coupon? Probably not.
I’m not alone in this view. Earlier this year when we surveyed Which? members, a third said they found price comparison adverts annoying. Nearly four in ten thought they were misleading.
Plus, when we asked whether Tesco’s Big Price Drop would help you save on your shopping here on Which? Convo – 44% of the 1019 voters said they thought it was just a PR stunt.
What do you think of supermarket price comparisons? Do they help keep your costs down or are they just a baffling waste of time?
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