‘We compared prices at 6 supermarkets for 8 things everyone buys’

The cost of living is going up and up, and the impact is most felt at the supermarket. With changing prices and supermarkets competing for our loyalty, it’s not always easy to identify where the biggest savings can be made.

However, Manchester Evening News has been monitoring the prices of eight essential items at the six main supermarkets to see how they stack up. Their weekly comparison – a practice they have maintained since March 2022 – keeps track of the cost of staple groceries including bread, milk, butter, beans, tea bags, coffee, chicken and mince. This includes the cheapest items available at each supermarket, taking into account budget ranges such as Asda’s Just Essentials and Morrisons‘ Savers products.

For the second week in a row, Aldi emerged as the cheapest this week, with a drop in the price of its coffee to £1.99 a jar, bringing its total bill to £13.07.

It’s now the most affordable place to find 200g of coffee, with most retailers charging £2.30 and Lidl £2.09, which has helped it maintain its position as the second cheapest with a bill of £13.18.

Asda, which announced this week that it was reducing the price of 956 products, is only slightly behind at £13.19, followed by Morrisons at £13.65 and Tesco at £13.77.

Sainsbury’s is proving to be the most expensive, with a bill of £13.80. With the exception of one week in September, it’s held this position every week since the end of June. However, it’s important to note that several supermarkets have disputed their comparison.

Sainsbury’s argues that the ‘review of a limited number of products does not reflect the fantastic value’ customers will find in store and has previously highlighted industry-wide factors that have influenced the price of beef mince, for example, which it’s now selling for £3.50 a pack.

Despite being the cheapest, Aldi claims the list doesn’t consider the difference in quality, insisting, for instance, that its own Diplomat Red Label tea bags and its coffee are ‘higher quality’ than the comparative products used. The supermarket also points out that its tins of beans are heavier than some of the others.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “Our customers know they can always count on us for great value across the board, without needing to join a club or show a loyalty card. That’s why Which? has named us Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for four years running.”

Asda also disputes the comparison and argues that the small sample of products does not represent the fuller picture of prices and does not account for its deals. The supermarket maintains that, across the board, its Just Essentials range is the largest and cheapest available, alongside Aldi’s.