Cost of living crisis.

[Zear0]

18 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Does anyone else believe that supermarkets products are generally getting smaller whilst prices are up with it?

There's no doubt about it. 

[Alf Bentley]

24 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Does anyone else believe that supermarkets products are generally getting smaller whilst prices are up with it?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/oct/21/shrinkflation-youre-right-from-gin-to-butter-quantity-and-quality-are-taking-a-hit

 

I'd come across the "shrinkflation" concept before, but not "skimpflation".

[Free Falling Foxes]

British Gas offering cheap leccy on Sundays, as long as you have a smart meter.

We do, so registered for the discount.

Apparently, our meter has a fault so it doesnt send them readings.

I'll have new one then, says I.

Your guarantee has expired, they said!

 

Wtf? I haven't bought the bloody meter, it's theirs ffs.

Their meter, their fault = I have to pay extra.

 

Grrrrrrr!

[FoxesDeb]

23 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Does anyone else believe that supermarkets products are generally getting smaller whilst prices are up with it?

I´ve just eaten a packet of Skips from a multi bag. Not only is the size of the packet smaller, I swear the actual Skips are smaller too?! The bag is only 13g, I´m sure they used to be bigger. 

[FoxesDeb]

5 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/oct/21/shrinkflation-youre-right-from-gin-to-butter-quantity-and-quality-are-taking-a-hit

 

I'd come across the "shrinkflation" concept before, but not "skimpflation".

 

1 minute ago, FoxesDeb said:

I´ve just eaten a packet of Skips from a multi bag. Not only is the size of the packet smaller, I swear the actual Skips are smaller too?! The bag is only 13g, I´m sure they used to be bigger. 

How about "Skipflation"?

[Jattdogg]

1 hour ago, Wymsey said:

Does anyone else believe that supermarkets products are generally getting smaller whilst prices are up with it?

We call it shrinkflation in Canada. If you are an informed shopper you pickup on the size differences but deception is real.

 

I've seen things change in weight but the size of the package remained the same.

 

At least keep the size the same but up the price. These coonts up the price and shrink the size and/or weight.

 

Dont fuk with our sizes! It messes up ratios you bells.

Edited 10 December 2023 by Jattdogg

[Daggers]

1 hour ago, Wymsey said:

Does anyone else believe that supermarkets products are generally getting smaller whilst prices are up with it?

German own label alternatives > major chain brands

[Alf Bentley]

5 hours ago, FoxesDeb said:

 

How about "Skipflation"?

 

If Skippy the Kangaroo snaffled one of these "skipflated" packs of Skips from a skip, would that constitute SkippySkipSkipflation?

 

I'll get my coat and head in shame for the Izzy Joke Thread.

[goose2010]

On 10/12/2023 at 12:47, Wymsey said:

Does anyone else believe that supermarkets products are generally getting smaller whilst prices are up with it?

I work and have been working with retailers for the past 7 years. We look at supply chain optimisation with them and their suppliers and it is the first thing that is talked about. 

 

To keep the prices low they have resorted to shrinkflation to it, from taking one biscuit out of pack to re-introducing the likes of palm oil (albeit being sustainable apparently ) back into products to make it go further and keep the prices down. 

 

The cost of living crisis is killing brands and they are just relying on their loyal customers but even they are moving to the own branded products. 

 

We fully expect Aldi and Lidl to smash the likes of Asda, Morrisons and probably Sainsburys in sales over the Christmas period which going back 7-10 years would have been unheard of. 

 

 

[dsr-burnley]

On 10/12/2023 at 12:47, Wymsey said:

Does anyone else believe that supermarkets products are generally getting smaller whilst prices are up with it?

This has been the norm since at least the early seventies when I was buying sweets.  Anyone remember the shrinking penny arrow bar?  (Until it changed its name to a tuppenny arrow, then dropped the price altogether?)  Food package sizes have always been variable, especially in times of inflation.

[Foxin_Mad]

On 10/12/2023 at 14:21, Daggers said:

German own label alternatives > major chain brands

Not sure I agree, the German supermarkets have seen markups on some own label products of 300-400% in this last year, whilst profits have been booming. Its largely unjustified. I simply dont believe their costs have increased that much, in fact I know they havent! 

 

For the terrible quality of some of the stuff (fresh fruit and veg and meat) compared to Tesco/Sainsburys, I am tempted to stop using them completely as they have lost any real benefit now. 

 

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2022/12/supermarket-price-rises/

[Tommy G]

8 minutes ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Not sure I agree, the German supermarkets have seen markups on some own label products of 300-400% in this last year, whilst profits have been booming. Its largely unjustified. I simply dont believe their costs have increased that much, in fact I know they havent! 

 

For the terrible quality of some of the stuff (fresh fruit and veg and meat) compared to Tesco/Sainsburys, I am tempted to stop using them completely as they have lost any real benefit now. 

 

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2022/12/supermarket-price-rises/

Their meat and veg is best avoided, like you said the quality is naff. Fruit going off after a day and poor quality meat. 

[dsr-burnley]

1 hour ago, Tommy G said:

Their meat and veg is best avoided, like you said the quality is naff. Fruit going off after a day and poor quality meat. 

Their flowers are excellent.  Possibly because they don't forget to water them, unlike Sainsbury and Asda.  (Less tasty than the meat and veg, perhaps!)

Edited 11 December 2023 by dsr-burnley

[Parafox]

On 10/12/2023 at 13:15, Free Falling Foxes said:

British Gas offering cheap leccy on Sundays, as long as you have a smart meter.

We do, so registered for the discount.

Apparently, our meter has a fault so it doesnt send them readings.

I'll have new one then, says I.

Your guarantee has expired, they said!

 

Wtf? I haven't bought the bloody meter, it's theirs ffs.

Their meter, their fault = I have to pay extra.

 

Grrrrrrr!

 

We've got a similar issue with EDF.

 

They won't even respond to emails regarding this, just advising I go via their help chatbot bollox which tells me each time that there is a network connection fault. What, for 18mths?

 

I have to send manual readings.

[Daggers]

1 hour ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Not sure I agree, the German supermarkets have seen markups on some own label products of 300-400% in this last year, whilst profits have been booming. Its largely unjustified. I simply dont believe their costs have increased that much, in fact I know they havent! 

 

For the terrible quality of some of the stuff (fresh fruit and veg and meat) compared to Tesco/Sainsburys, I am tempted to stop using them completely as they have lost any real benefit now. 

 

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2022/12/supermarket-price-rises/

% increase doesn't mean it's more expensive - and imo it isn't. 19% of a smaller figure still ends up being less than 12% of a larger figure.

 

As far as subjective things go, https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/supermarkets/article/best-and-worst-supermarkets/supermarkets-compared-aOJjN2J0A10N says Aldi still whomps the big four retail brands. 

 

I do more trips and make smaller shops so nothing goes off and we've driven our wastage down to almost zero. I find the bread, fruit, veg and meat to be of an excellent standard.

[Parafox]

Just now, Daggers said:

% increase doesn't mean it's more expensive - and imo it isn't. 19% of a smaller figure still ends up being less than 12% of a larger figure.

 

As far as subjective things go, https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/supermarkets/article/best-and-worst-supermarkets/supermarkets-compared-aOJjN2J0A10N says Aldi still whomps the big four retail brands. 

 

I do more trips and make smaller shops so nothing goes off and we've driven our wastage down to almost zero. I find the bread, fruit, veg and meat to be of an excellent standard.

 

I can't agree about the fruit, veg or meat.

 

After several unpleasant encounters when opening a sealed pack of the above, even on the day after purchase, I don't buy fresh stuff from them anymore.

 

And yes, I had checked the use by/BBE date, as well as the contents when I bought them, I always do.

 

It was almost like they were pre-programmed to go off overnight. 

[Daggers]

1 minute ago, Parafox said:

 

I can't agree about the fruit, veg or meat.

 

After several unpleasant encounters when opening a sealed pack of the above, even on the day after purchase, I don't buy fresh stuff from them anymore.

 

And yes, I had checked the use by/BBE date, as well as the contents when I bought them, I always do.

 

It was almost like they were pre-programmed to go off overnight. 

I do all of our shopping and cooking so I go into town about 3 to 4 times a week to buy produce which all gets used within a couple of days. I really don't recognise what you are saying, but I have experienced high levels of food waste with Asda, Tesco and Morrisons due to the decline in their standards - especially Tesco. Can only put this down to store variation and you might have a duffer. 

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

I often get meat from Aldi and Lidl and have no complaints with it. Chicken, sausages and burgers we buy almost weekly and never had an issue.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Fruit and veg shelf life seems to be a bit crap across the board recently. I mainly shop at Sainsbury's (partly for convenience, partly because my brilliance with a nectar card/smart shop means I get decent value), and soft fruit and broccoli in particular from there needs to be eaten quickly if that's not going in the bin.

 

At least the great strawberry shortage seems to be easing a bit

Edited 11 December 2023 by Bellend Sebastian

[kenny]

1 hour ago, Daggers said:

I do all of our shopping and cooking so I go into town about 3 to 4 times a week to buy produce which all gets used within a couple of days. I really don't recognise what you are saying, but I have experienced high levels of food waste with Asda, Tesco and Morrisons due to the decline in their standards - especially Tesco. Can only put this down to store variation and you might have a duffer. 

I don't like Lidl meat much, but the quality from Aldi is normally better than most other supermarkets in my experience.

[Grebfromgrebland]

https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2023/06/26/europes-inflation-outlook-depends-on-how-corporate-profits-absorb-wage-gains

 

I think the title suggests a lot of the price increases is due to price gouging which most already suspected.

 

Why waste an opportunity to make extra money.  The market decides allegedly, of course people can choose not to eat.....

[Legend_in_blue]

The problem with Aldi is lack of choice when buying anything other than veg and some meats.  Its quality on veg is ok though, considering the price.  

 

A lot of like for like equivalents are bland though.  Their El Paso mexican equivalent for example tastes like cardboard.

 

 

[goose2010]

16 hours ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Not sure I agree, the German supermarkets have seen markups on some own label products of 300-400% in this last year, whilst profits have been booming. Its largely unjustified. I simply dont believe their costs have increased that much, in fact I know they havent! 

 

For the terrible quality of some of the stuff (fresh fruit and veg and meat) compared to Tesco/Sainsburys, I am tempted to stop using them completely as they have lost any real benefit now. 

 

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2022/12/supermarket-price-rises/

They have. The profits they are making is because more people are using them. Aldi's market share has grown more in the past 12 months and the same with Lidl, Aldi with nearly a 10% share of the market (up from 4.5% pre Covid) and 50% growth in sales in the last 5 years. Prices have gone up obviously because their suppliers have had to put their prices up to stay in business. 

 

All the fruit and veg comes from the same growers worldwide and how it works with fruit is that say there is 10 million punnets of strawberries being imported then get split into classes, the highest class demands the highest value so obviously end up in the likes of Waitrose, M&S etc. but then are obviously sold at the higher price. It then goes down in class with price and that's why the discounters fruit isnt always the best. A tip from me is never by fruit and veg that is out of season from a discounter. In season will be ok but for instance now i wouldn't buy Strawberries from Lidl. 

 

The meat all comes from the same places too, if you think logically there are only so many suppliers in the UK and all meat will come from UK & Ireland (more UK due to importing these days) but again it goes down to the quality, better quality is obviously going to be more expensive. 

 

Aldi will always be 15% cheaper than anywhere else. You'll see this in the next week or so when the fresh turkeys come in. If Sainsburys price match them (likely to try) they will reduce the cost in store to be cheaper. 

 

Asda are the ones that will struggle in 2024 with their split from Walmart and their systems being changed. Next year they are in for a tough year. If anyone shops in Asda you have probably already started to notice how staple products are out of stock more times that not already because they already are struggling with it. 

 

 

[Tommy G]

Has anyone fixed their energy?  I've a tempting offer from EON to fix before the cap on 1st Jan for 12 months, looking at the forward projections it might not be a bad thing 

[Lako42]

8 hours ago, Tommy G said:

Has anyone fixed their energy?  I've a tempting offer from EON to fix before the cap on 1st Jan for 12 months, looking at the forward projections it might not be a bad thing 

Octopus flex and wouldn't dream of fixing based on the year on this.