2008
A little comparison shopping
I can’t help popping into shops this week, both online and off, and comparing prices.
I decided to run my basket for the week though the two main retailers who are online, Tesco and Superquinn. I haven’t the energy to trudge around shops that are not online doing the same.
When I did my shop for this challenge I’d no thought in my mind of making a direct comparison with anywhere else – I just bought the things I like to eat and which seemed good value. It’s all too easy for retailers to cherry pick a shopping basket that shows them in a good light and this definitely isn’t that sort of basket. But on the other hand this is just my basket – your’s could give a completely different result.
How I Shopped
When shopping in different stores, it isn’t always possible to match items exactly on either brand or pack size, so this was the strategy I adopted:
- I chose the cheapest available option I could find for every item on my list.
- Where pack sizes differed, as they do, I chose the nearest size or bought multiple packs in some cases to make up the right weight.
- I weighed my Lidl purchases in cases where comparable products were sold only by weight and not per pack.
- I left out the bread that I bought in Lidl – I just couldn’t find a similar one.
So, here is how it went.
| My Basket | Lidl | Tesco | Superquinn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Tomatoes | 0.49 | 0.79 | 2.49 (Plum) |
| 1 Red Pepper | 0.89 | 0.49 | 1.19 |
| 1 Cos Lettuce | 0.99 | 0.79 (Iceberg) | 1.99 |
| 2 Courgettes | 1.65 | 1.16 | 2.49 |
| 1 Savoy Cabbage | 0.99 | 1.79 | 1.59 (Not Savoy) |
| 1kg Baby Potatoes | 0.49 | 0.99 | 0.99 |
| Celery | 0.99 | 0.99 | 1.99 |
| Radishes 300g | 0.99 | 0.66 (200g) | 1.98 (250g) |
| Broccoli, 2 heads | 0.99 | 0.98 | 2.48 |
| Mushrooms 250g | 1.19 | 1.19 | 1.59 (171g) |
| Galia Melon | 0.49 | 1.87 | 0.69 |
| 1 kg Onions | 0.59 | 0.66 | 0.99 |
| Sugar Snaps Peas 250g | 2.49 | 1.89 (160g) | 3.98 (300g) |
| Garlic, 3 pack | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.99 |
| 2 Tins Tomatoes | 0.50 | 0.50 | 1.30 |
| 300g Chorizo | 2.99 | 5.67 | 4.77 |
| 1 Tin Tuna, 200g | 0.75 | 0.92 (198g) | 1.89 (185g) |
| Tin Sardines, 125g | 0.43 | 0.41 | 0.75 (120g) |
| Turkey 500g | 4.35 | 4.35 | 5.76 (450g) |
| Mince Beef 800g | 2.89 | 2.89 | 5.59 |
| 2 Gammon Steaks | 1.99 | 2.18 | 2.19 |
| 10 Eggs | 1.33 | 1.59 (12) | 3.52 (12, free range) |
| Vintage Cheddar 400g | 3.79 | 3.49 (320g) | 5.52 |
| Mozzarella, 125g | 0.74 | 0.74 | 1.59 |
| Peanuts 500g | 1.39 | 0.68 (400g) | 2.83 |
| Crispbread, 250g | 0.79 | 0.63 (200g) | 1.89 |
| Total | 35.76 | 38.89 | 63.03 |
A few notes are appropriate here on each of the online shops.
Tesco Online
The total came to €3.13 more than Lidl, although there were quite a few things where the pack size was smaller (which I have detailed in the list). Tesco have been advertising their new value ranges and it was really interesting how closely they now match Lidl’s prices on a lot of common items – they were often precisely the same.
The two things that bumped them up were the melon and the Chorizo, if you exclude them and allow for differences in pack size, Tesco probably came in around the same price as Lidl or at least with a very marginal difference.
The best buy in Tesco?
The salted peanuts at 29c for 200g, which is about half the price of peanuts in Lidl where I already thought them a great bargain.
Superquinn Online
The total came to a whopping €27.27 more than Lidl, and again there were items where the pack size was smaller.
A proviso I must add though is that the Superquinn online store is a real pig to shop in – if I did shop online I’d go with Tesco every time. It was not easy to either find products, to locate the cheapest products or to compute pack sizes/weights, in fact it was very difficult. I truly did my utmost to make valid comparisons and to choose the cheapest options, but it may well be that I could have shaved a few euro off if I was shopping in an actual store.
I do actually shop in Superquinn quite often, I like shopping there plus they have a great reduced shelf where you can often get items at up to 60% off, so again being in store could have saved me money.
But nothing like €27.27.
The best buy in Superquinn?
There wasn’t one – everything was more expensive.
Be back later with the menus for day three of the €50 challenge!
Tags: Prices, Shopping Basket, €50 Challenge
July 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Interesting, I would never have guessed they would be so close!
July 30th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I can’t believe how expensive Superquinn are! I knew they were more expensive than Dunnes and Tesco, and obviously a lot more expensive than Lidl or Aldi, but I’m really shocked at the price difference.
Slightly off topic, but have you tried any of Lidl’s cosmetic range, in particular things like moisturisers, cleansers etc, and if so how do you rate them?
July 30th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Always knew Superquinn was expensive, but I just can’t resist their bread and cheese….
July 30th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Superquinn’s online shopping must be very bad – there’s definitely better value be had on some of those products – such as Tuna – I know there’s cans available for cheaper than 1.89!
The other advantage to Tesco & SQ that won’t show up as well on the online is their butcher counters – you can get exactly the amounts you want, separated and ready for the freezer.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:45 am
wow I am surprised Tesco came out so close to Lidl in price!!! Do you not find though (and maybe this is me being a food snob) that the Tesco value products, in particular tomatoes and baby potateos which I have tried recently are not half as nice, my potatoes were decidedly scabby recently!!! Maybe that’s just me though……..