Food Inflation - Getting Nasty

[bearwithasorehead]

Morrisons have done it loads ... you'd assume by accident if it didn't happen quite so often.

They have also left their hula hoops in the same end of aisle box now the BOGOF is removed ... for the unwary the supermarket is an easy way to be fleeced.

The shelf-monkey mispricing can sometimes work the other way though. Recently in Morrisons they'd miskeyed multi-pack raisons so that the shelfprice indicated the correct price of 1.90 (something like that) for a six pack, but at the check out I was paying 13 pence for the same six-pack. This worked for me for over a month before they finally keyed the right price.

In my opinion, Tesco are the worst of the big four for fleecing through messing with offers and weights.

[Global Solutions]

Walkers actually admitted they changed the bag size of their Sensation crisps and probably Doritos down rather than change the price. Because customers told them they would rather have a smaller bag than pay more they said.

Big bag of Senastions crisps now 160g.

Washing powder has been mentioned a few times on this site.

Small box of washing powder years ago was 1.5kg then 1.2 then 1 now its about 800g. This is mainly due to EU laws about the amount of detergent being put through the water supply. I can't say if the price per unit (i.e price per 100g has changed) though. The process is known as Compaction.

The psychological price point of 99p or 95p has largely gone. Sneakily you'll now see lots of offers at only £1 or round pound deals at £2 or £3.

Grolsch is about to become 15 bottles a pack rather than 18.

Bag sweets is another decreasing weight area too.

So yes the decreasing weight keeping price the same is definitely happening.

Remember though if the advertising or ticket is wrong the supermarket/shop have to supply the goods for the advertised price so if there is a special offer ticket and the offer doesn't go through a quick word with customer service should ensure a refund. Trading standards law.

[getdoon_weebobby]

in tesco there all seemed fairly reasonable some good deals.

not food but i got a setanta topuptv freeview box for 9.97 for espn

and a desiel shirt 70 down to 22 and hoodie 130 down to 39

all feels pretty deflationary

sweet

Edited August 8, 2009 by getdoon_weebobby

[neil324]

Im a bodybuilder so eat a lot of cottage cheese. Just gone up in asda from £1.09 to £1.20, i make that 10% in one go.

[iLegallyBlonde]

Why not look out for local posters offering kittens or puppies free to a good home?

Always try to go for the bigger animals, more filling.

My pedigree kittens are still selling for £400 each, certainly not been a Cat Price Crash yet.

[Democorruptcy]

I was buying petrol at Asda this week and noticed a sticker on the pump:

"Includes detergent additive"

I don't know how long it's been there but it immediately made me think of this thread! Does everybody have that sticker on their pump at Asda? What is it? It's not something cheap they are adding to "water" down their petrol is it? Do Tesco etc. have the same sticker?

[iLegallyBlonde]

I was buying petrol at Asda this week and noticed a sticker on the pump:

"Includes detergent additive"

I don't know how long it's been there but it immediately made me think of this thread! Does everybody have that sticker on their pump at Asda? What is it? It's not something cheap they are adding to "water" down their petrol is it? Do Tesco etc. have the same sticker?

An ex of mine told me not to buy petrol from supermarkets for that reason back in 1998, i suspect they've been doing it for a while, damages the car apparently.

[Si1]

I was buying petrol at Asda this week and noticed a sticker on the pump:

"Includes detergent additive"

I don't know how long it's been there but it immediately made me think of this thread! Does everybody have that sticker on their pump at Asda? What is it? It's not something cheap they are adding to "water" down their petrol is it? Do Tesco etc. have the same sticker?

I was sure, when I had a car, it ran far better on major brand petrol, best of all on Shell and Texaco. Supermarket petrol seemed awful, I seem to remeber someone telling me it is indeed watered down with legal additives. However, I've had no reason to believe it damages the engine, except requiring more revving to make progress, apparently giving less power.

[19 year mortgage 8itch]

I was sure, when I had a car, it ran far better on major brand petrol, best of all on Shell and Texaco. Supermarket petrol seemed awful, I seem to remeber someone telling me it is indeed watered down with legal additives. However, I've had no reason to believe it damages the engine, except requiring more revving to make progress, apparently giving less power.

My understanding has always been that is the additives put in by the petrol brands that make their fuel better than supermarket fuel. Petrol is petrol and comes from the same place.

[davemb]

My pedigree kittens are still selling for £400 each, certainly not been a Cat Price Crash yet.

pussy has never been cheap

[jammo]

Youtube - Spinal Tap

[Azbola]

Subway sub of the day has gone from £1.99 to £2.29.

Whats that, about 15%?

[tiggerthetiger]

Bought 8 cans of original Guinness yesterday for £6....not bad at all...just saying

[buy_hi_sell_lo]

one of my personal favourites from Tesco. I've got a few other examples on the phone. I haven't got round to sending them to their CEO yet asking whether he employs muppets to do his pricing or if he thinks his customers are the muppets.

Another trick they regularly employ is the BOGOF. As the cheapest item is free, I always put the expensive ones through together, settle up & then get them to scan through the cheapest - otherwise you get screwed - e.g. 2 items at £10 each & 2 at £4 each all on BOGOF - put them all through together & you pay £20, put them through as I do & you pay £14. You won't believe how long it took me to get this through to 'er indoors.

At least my 8 year old clicked straight away that "something' doesn't add up" in the picture below

[Lagarde's Drift]

one of my personal favourites from Tesco. I've got a few other examples on the phone. I haven't got round to sending them to their CEO yet asking whether he employs muppets to do his pricing or if he thinks his customers are the muppets.

Another trick they regularly employ is the BOGOF. As the cheapest item is free, I always put the expensive ones through together, settle up & then get them to scan through the cheapest - otherwise you get screwed - e.g. 2 items at £10 each & 2 at £4 each all on BOGOF - put them all through together & you pay £20, put them through as I do & you pay £14. You won't believe how long it took me to get this through to 'er indoors.

At least my 8 year old clicked straight away that "something' doesn't add up" in the picture below

I don't disagree with your sentiment, and your second paragraph. I do wish to point out that in the photo, there usually are many other items on the shelf which you can combine with said pasta which cost more than £1.69 and therefore "any 2 for £3" would be a saving.

[Tiger Woods?]

the british only sell stuff to each other, they never give stuff away though.

On the odd occasion they are giving away an animal it's probably because it was a present, & it was the wrong colour & doesn't match that leather sofa in the newly rufurbed executive house with electric garage door & 2 guest bedrooms (ensuite of course) & a huge entertainment area, because every family would be incomplete without one.

How does this affect the taste?

[saving since 2005]

Supermarkets are no woorse than they ever were, but now food prices are rising to more realsitic levels.

I don't think this is a sign of inflation happening everywhere as food prices have been undervalued for many years, just as houses have been overvalued.

[feed]

Supermarkets are no woorse than they ever were, but now food prices are rising to more realsitic levels.

I don't think this is a sign of inflation happening everywhere as food prices have been undervalued for many years, just as houses have been overvalued.

No you don’t get it.

Reversion to the mean only applies with price reduction and house prices. Anything going up is the hyperinflationary holocaust.

The fact that you can get sufficient calories and nutrition for the price of a few hours labour, even at minimum wage, is irrelevant when your noodles have gone from 6p to 9p.

[Democorruptcy]

Made my first visit to IKEA yesterday since Jan 2008.

Noticed the breakfast is now £1.55 up from 99p so a 56.5% increase in 32 months

For family card members the breakfast is still 99p and drinks free Mon to Fri. Two breakfasts and 4 cups of coffee for £1.98!

[Jie Bie]

If you want to look at the wheezes supermarkets pull with suppliers, customers, councils and even their own staff, spend a bit of time reading:

Shopped: The Shocking Power of British Supermarkets by Joanna Blythman

I assume what she says is true as I haven't heard of her being sued

Bottom line is that they don't care about anything other than profit and ruthlessly cutting out any competition anywhere.

I was suprised to read that even the C@-@P are at it along with the big boys!

Also, they want to sell "food products" as there is more profit in that and it's easier to store and transport than that horrible "fresh food" stuff.

You had to read an article to find that out? EVERY listed company has one simple aim: transfer as much cash as possible from their customers to their shareholders. Everything else is bullshiit.

one of my personal favourites from Tesco. I've got a few other examples on the phone. I haven't got round to sending them to their CEO yet asking whether he employs muppets to do his pricing or if he thinks his customers are the muppets.

Chances are there were a whole range of products on the shelf nearby that were also in the 2 for £3, some of which would have cost more than £1.70.

Even if you did buy two of what ever it is in your photograph, I'd be surprised if the till rounded the price up to £3. If it did then I'd say you have a fairly valid complaint there.

Edited August 11, 2010 by Jie Bie

[okaycuckoo]

Why not look out for local posters offering kittens or puppies free to a good home?

Always try to go for the bigger animals, more filling.

Go like Victor Meldrew and use a pair of rotting hedgehogs as cosy slippers.

[Guest eight]

Funny that this thread should get resurrected. I found the attached in Sainsburys Darlington not two hours ago.

They're not wrong are they.

eight

[Harry Sacks]

Funny that this thread should get resurrected. I found the attached in Sainsburys Darlington not two hours ago.

They're not wrong are they.

eight

Hmmm, this psychological manipulation is getting very poor these days, but i guess it 's for the new dumber consumer.

I like Lidl.

[LiveinHope]

One of the most amusing cons IMO are the supermarket wine reductions.

The large winery wines 'sit on the shelf' at an inflated price and then fly of the shelves when a quid is knocked off to look like a bargain. They still tastes like gnats ****

Edited August 12, 2010 by LiveinHope

[oracle]

that really is quite sneaky.

so you buy a 700g box of sugar-puffs for the same price as a 750g box of sugar puffs used to be.

the inflation basket says 1 regular sized box of sugar puffs.(doesn't mention the specific weight,but most are usually in regular and family size)

..so we have no inflation in this particular foodstuff.

...added to that there is less packaging required.

the next obvious trick is to allow supermarkets to supply class b/c produce loose(on environmental grounds)...and then elude the fact that the produce that WAS in the basket has now been substituted for outsize/oversize when it says to purchase 500g of cherry tomatoes.