Shoppers make the switch to 'high-end' supermarket claiming they're saving big
Shoppers have said they are ditching their usual supermarkets in favour of a "high-end" store that now has prices "on par with the rest".
The cost of living crisis has seen supermarket prices put in the spotlight after food inflation reached a record high of 13.8% in January, according to the British Retail Consortium.
The soaring prices have led to millions of households struggling to get by. But some shoppers have said that they've been able to stick to a budget by switching to shopping at Sainsbury's.
The supermarket giant has historically been viewed as one of the more expensive grocery chains, but savvy shoppers claim that's changing.
Mum of six Caitlin does a £350 monthly shop at Sainsbury's (Manchester Family / MEN)Mum of six Caitlin Rolle has been left impressed by the supermarket's Aldi Price Match Scheme — which now has over 25% more products matched than last autumn — and believes it also has "better quality foods".
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The 35-year-old used to shop at Asda, Aldi, and Morrisons. But now claims that Sainsbury's works out better for her tight budget to feed a family of eight.
She told Manchester Evening News: "Sainsbury's was always the high end like M&S and Waitrose, but now they are on par with the rest. They not only price match Aldi, they also have better quality foods."
"I do a monthly £350 shop, so it works out around £90 per week on average.
"I cook from fresh for most meals and meal plan. We bake a lot, so the children have snacks homemade so that saves, but we get weekly top-ups of milk and bread if needed throughout the week."
Caitlin also said the food is 'better quality' (Manchester Family / MEN)Caitlin, from West Yorkshire, said that Sainsbury's pack of 12 breaded ham slices is cheaper than Morrisons — where she used to buy them — at £1.75 for 300g, and that they "taste better" too.
"Same as the salami," she added. "We use six packs per week, as we are a large family of eight and have it in sandwiches. The quality is amazing at Sainsbury's.
"I buy the shop's own brands and branded too. I buy all baby products from there, toiletries, washing powder. We only use Fairy and it's always a good price."
The stay-at-home mum also said that the supermarket has a "really good" selection for three of her children who have dairy allergies.
Other shoppers agreed with her. Steve Hughes praised the cost, and said "the food is better" so less of it gets thrown out.
Paul Pickersgill said: "I've moved to Sainsbury's from Asda, better quality fruit and veg," and Maxine Denton added: "The supermarkets were the only retailers who made mega money during the pandemic, but still hike their prices for even more profit.
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"At Asda, I priced a 38-wash Ariel at £10 (outrageous). I walked out and got the same one at Sainsbury’s for £7.50. I lived through a recession before and it was never this bad. They’re just all taking us for mugs."
Sainsbury's shopper Caitlin Rolle said she's able to do a £90 per week shop for her family of eight at the 'high-end' supermarket (Manchester Family/MEN)In December, Sainsbury's boss Simon Roberts announced the supermarket's £550million investment as part of a strategy to "take on Aldi", with £15million going toward fighting rising costs and keeping prices low.
But Aldi still insisted that it's the cheapest out there, and customers were not leaving them for Sainsbury's.
A spokesperson said: “Week after week, independent price surveys confirm what shoppers know already – that Aldi is the lowest-priced supermarket in the UK.
"That’s why Aldi has been named by Which? as the UK’s cheapest supermarket for two years running.
"In the last three months alone, Aldi attracted an additional 1.3 million customers, as shoppers switch in their droves from every single major UK supermarket, including Sainsbury’s.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Asda said it was "working hard to keep prices in check for customers and remain the lowest-priced major supermarket", adding that Which? has named Asda as the cheapest supermarket for a big shop every month for the last three years.
Morrisons said that it "continues to work hard to keep prices down for our customers while maintaining high standards and availability" and that it has recently launched "three significant price-cutting initiatives to help our customers through this unprecedented period of inflation."
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