There is one simple trick that could help you find the cheapest items in the supermarket – and it’s so easy to do
Most shoppers are doing all they can to minimise expenses right now and that includes making savings at the supermarket. But one simple trick to discovering the lowest prices is often overlooked by customers – and all it requires is looking on the bottom shelf.
Food budget expert Lorna Cooper previously highlighted this approach, explaining that shoppers are often too focused on the eye-level offerings, or the products that are part of a promotion, that they fail to find the cheapest products lower down.
She said that followers of her Facebook page Feed your family for about £20 a week often question where she’s found such cheap items – and it’s because they’re not looking in the right spots.
Parents Editor Emma Gill, from the Manchester Evening News, decided to follow the ‘down low’ rule for her big shop at Tesco this week to see how much can be saved compared with big brand products positioned at eye level.
“I was surprised by just how many shelves were laid out in this way and for a lot of people, especially those in a rush or shopping with children and getting distracted, it would be easy to miss the cheaper items,” she shared.
“There’s obviously a quality difference between some of the products – and not everyone is as happy to buy the own brand or budget goods – but with the cost of living crisis still hitting hard, a lot of shoppers are having to make different choices, or are at least willing to give cheaper products a try.”
Emma described some of the differences in price as “staggering”, highlighting rice as an example. A 1kg pack of Tesco’s long grain rice is priced at £1.25, while its more affordable Grower’s Harvest brand costs just 52p for the same size pack.
Elsewhere, you can pick up a litre of Tesco orange or apple juice for £1.25, or look a couple of shelves below to the Grower’s Harvest version, which costs 85p.
She gave more examples, adding: “The big brand curry sauces are more than £2, or £1.50 with the Clubcard offer that shouts out at eye level, yet its cheaper ones are on the bottom for just 99p – and really tasty too.
“It was the same story with the soup, with Heinz tins costing £2 each, or 3 for £4, but Tesco’s own, on the bottom shelf, costing £1.10.”
Emma observed that the ‘low shelf, low price’ rule seemed to apply mostly to tins and cupboard items, but reported that it was also evident in some of the refrigerated sections.
A pack of eight Richmond sausages positioned at eye level was priced at £2.60, while the Tesco version positioned lower down was priced at £1.79. In the cheese aisle, mature cheddar was priced at £3 for 400g, with the cheaper £2.49 Creamfields blocks displayed on the bottom shelf.
It’s still worth keeping an eye out on the higher shelves, however. Willow Farms chicken breasts, priced at £6.49 a kg and price matched to Aldi, were on the bottom shelf, but the top shelf had a Clubcard offer on chicken breasts, which worked out even cheaper, at £5.79 a kg.
When it comes to loaves of bread, the results were mixed, however the ‘low down’ rule proved its worth with other ‘bakery’ items. For instance, Tesco’s eight-pack of tortilla wraps were a steal at £1.20, compared to the pricier six-pack of Mission Deli wraps priced at £1.60.
Similarly, Tesco’s own brand of chocolate brioche rolls offered more bang for your buck – an eight-pack for just £1.60 sat on the bottom shelf, overshadowing the six-pack of Pitch branded ones at £1.75.
Moving on to the egg aisle, Emma recalled: “It was obvious with the eggs that shoppers had found where to find the cheapest boxes as the whole bottom shelf of the 15-pack of mixed weight eggs for £1.99 was completely empty.”
In the freezer section, despite the allure of Clubcard offers like McCain Skin on Fries for £3 for an 800g pack, a quick glance would reveal Tesco’s own 900g bag sitting next to it, modestly priced at £2.50. The same went for Birds Eye chicken dippers; a £4 Clubcard deal got you 38 pieces (with 50% chicken breast), but Tesco’s own version boasted 44 dippers (53% chicken) for only £3.45.
Emma concluded: “The swaps I made meant an overall saving of more than £20, so it’s not small change.”
Budgeting guru Lorna said: “I know I have mentioned supermarket psychology before but I wanted to mention it again. Often when I put the prices of items I buy on here people immediately say ‘where do you buy that so cheap? We don’t get.
“This is a my local Tesco which is fairly small but the cheaper ranges are still available. But they are out of eye level. Hidden low down on the shelf out the way where, unless you are specifically looking for them, you are unlikely to notice them. Check the whole shelf!”.
The Manchester Evening News approached Tesco to ask about the cheaper lower shelf products and a spokesperson said: “We offer a wide range of products in our stores, with a variety of branded and own-brand products to suit customers’ needs, and thanks to our combination of Aldi Price Match, Low Everyday Prices and Clubcard Prices, shoppers can be sure they will get great value at Tesco, however they decide to shop.”
Bottom shelf wins (Tesco or main brand product / budget bottom shelf / saving)
