Is it the end of low cost Groceries and general goods?

jonbeeza

jonbeeza

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I did a food shop this morning, and I can normally calculate the price before I get to the till. I always buy the same stuff each week, so I know how much the bill will be roughly. This mornings shopping bill seemed a bit off, so I checked the receipt. Most of the items have gone up, and not by a penny either, a price of about fifteen and twenty pence or more per item.
I know the cost of groceries has always been on the low side, compared with other countries.

Did see it on the news the other day, that the days of low cost food may be over. Good job I don't have any fancy food fetishes, and I like simple foods.

PS

I did have to keep reading the last bit above, and I did say food fetishes, and not foot fetishes. ;)
 
This has been flagged for a while now. All part of the big B's "levelling up" agenda perhaps, so that the proles get to pay Fortnums prices the same as those at the top?
The Hollies/Graham Nash song " King Midas in Reverse" comes to mind.
 
I fear that this is just the start of our "benefitting" from leaving the EU. :tumbleweed:
 
Asda put up the price of milk, a couple of weeks ago, from 80p to 89p.
 
Mikesphotaes said:
Asda put up the price of milk, a couple of weeks ago, from 80p to 89p.
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I think Aldi put their mile up by 10p last week. I suppose it is still cheap for milk.

Meat has gone up by a great deal, tend not to get much meat now.
 
I think it depends where you shop and what you buy. The thick sirloin steaks at M&S have gone up, but I find they stay the same for ages then go up by a round pound.

Can still get 3 chickens at Waitrose for £10.

Tesco prices especially do fluctuate a lot.
 
One thing which could help is lowering the quality standards and getting more misshapen less perfect products into the shops with the added advantage of reducing waste of items that don't at the moment pass for human or indeed animal consumption. We could also take a look at expiry or best by dates and apply some common sense more often. I've started buying more perfectly good produce from the reduced shelf at ASDA as it's often a fraction of the "fresh" produce and still perfectly good. It's the first place I look now.
 
woof woof said:
One thing which could help is lowering the quality standards and getting more misshapen less perfect products into the shops with the added advantage of reducing waste of items that don't at the moment pass for human or indeed animal consumption.
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We dont need to lower quality standards to get misshapen fruit and veg on the shelf - shops can do that now, but tend not to because it does not sell. I guess that could try again..

I would prefer that any food I eat is passed for human consumption though
 
benc98 said:
We dont need to lower quality standards to get misshapen fruit and veg on the shelf - shops can do that now, but tend not to because it does not sell. I guess that could try again..

I would prefer that any food I eat is passed for human consumption though
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Well yes, that's a given but someone somewhere is maybe being a teeny tiny bit over cautious. Maybe.
 
cambsno said:
I think it depends where you shop and what you buy. The thick sirloin steaks at M&S have gone up, but I find they stay the same for ages then go up by a round pound.

Can still get 3 chickens at Waitrose for £10.

Tesco prices especially do fluctuate a lot.
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Not bought food in M&S for years, bought stuff like slippers and dressing gowns etc, they were priced reasonably.
 
woof woof said:
One thing which could help is lowering the quality standards and getting more misshapen less perfect products into the shops with the added advantage of reducing waste of items that don't at the moment pass for human or indeed animal consumption. We could also take a look at expiry or best by dates and apply some common sense more often. I've started buying more perfectly good produce from the reduced shelf at ASDA as it's often a fraction of the "fresh" produce and still perfectly good. It's the first place I look now.
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I get stuff from ASDA such as big bags of Peppers, when they are nearing their date, can be had for a really good price.
 
benc98 said:
We dont need to lower quality standards to get misshapen fruit and veg on the shelf - shops can do that now, but tend not to because it does not sell. I guess that could try again..

I would prefer that any food I eat is passed for human consumption though
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I would not eat meat that was nearing the date, as I think it tastes a bit fowly ( too strong ).
 
woof woof said:
One thing which could help is lowering the quality standards and getting more misshapen less perfect products into the shops with the added advantage of reducing waste of items that don't at the moment pass for human or indeed animal consumption. We could also take a look at expiry or best by dates and apply some common sense more often. I've started buying more perfectly good produce from the reduced shelf at ASDA as it's often a fraction of the "fresh" produce and still perfectly good. It's the first place I look now.
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Go to Tesco for lower quality produce then!

Your right on dates - Things like steak I generally keep in fridge for a few weeks and often eat 2 weeks after the date. Fruit and veg is a visual thing, dates are irrelevant. I bought a horseradish root before Xmas and used it up until July!
 
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lindsay said:
Farm shops are the answer, but don't tell anyone. Fresh produce, various shapes and sizes, and well priced and you know where it's been.
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Yup, my local one has varieties of apple you dont see ever, same with plums (30+ varieties through the season all grown on the farm). Cheaper and much better than the supermarkets.
 
cambsno said:
Go to Tesco for lower quality produce then!

Your right on dates - Things like steak I generally keep in fridge for a few weeks and often eat 2 weeks after the date. Fruit and veg is a visual thing, dates are irrelevant. I bought a horseradish root before Xmas and used it up until July!
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I find the meat has a very strong taste when it is older, a bit like 28 days matured, I really dislike the taste, it tastes off. I suppose being very mature it is nearing the going off stage.
 
woof woof said:
One thing which could help is lowering the quality standards and getting more misshapen less perfect products into the shops with the added advantage of reducing waste of items that don't at the moment pass for human or indeed animal consumption. We could also take a look at expiry or best by dates and apply some common sense more often. I've started buying more perfectly good produce from the reduced shelf at ASDA as it's often a fraction of the "fresh" produce and still perfectly good. It's the first place I look now.
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Perhaps also reducing the large numbers of varieties would help. Do we really need 79 different types of breakfast cereals ?

When price rises occur it will be interesting to see if retailers profits also rise. Probably not a matter of "if" they rise, but by how much.
 
I
arclight said:
Perhaps also reducing the large numbers of varieties would help. Do we really need 79 different types of breakfast cereals ?

When price rises occur it will be interesting to see if retailers profits also rise. Probably not a matter of "if" they rise, but by how much.
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I suppose we will have to pay a little more on our shopping each week. It would be nice if it went towards the workers higher wages, and not simply inflating the big bosses wages.
 
Hgv drivers have been big news recently..

Prices have to rise, otherwise nothing will be delivered, now we aren’t relying on EU slave labour.
 
TCR4x4 said:
Hgv drivers have been big news recently..

Prices WILL have to rise, otherwise nothing will be delivered, WHEN we aren’t relying on EU slave labour.
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My adjustments in bold...

I don't supposed that would have been a catchy slogan though.
 
Beer prices seem to be holding steady even those from the EU, Erdinger Weiss and Dunkel is still 2 quid in Waitrose.
Peroni Gran Riserva was on offer at £2.10 today and a case of 18 Corona was a bargainous 16 quid.
 
TCR4x4 said:
Hgv drivers have been big news recently..

Prices have to rise, otherwise nothing will be delivered, now we aren’t relying on EU slave labour.
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I certainly don't mind paying a little extra for our groceries. But it would be nice if the extra was used to improve HGV drivers, and other shop workers wages. Not simply for the back pocket of the big bosses.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Beer prices seem to be holding steady even those from the EU, Erdinger Weiss and Dunkel is still 2 quid in Waitrose.
Peroni Gran Riserva was on offer at £2.10 today and a case of 18 Corona was a bargainous 16 quid.
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I would often add booze to the shopping list, but with ever increasing bills, I will have to make some cut backs. I can see booze being dropped off my list. Although I really do fancy a stuffy old bottle of Sherry.
 
jonbeeza said:
I certainly don't mind paying a little extra for our groceries. But it would be nice if the extra was used to improve HGV drivers, and other shop workers wages. Not simply for the back pocket of the big bosses.
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Well yes, that's the problem, the money never ends up where it should.
 
I heard a lady speaking on Five Live yesterday who said that thge mayonaise she regularly gets has gone up by a pound.

AS AF said at the top of the thread..it's just the start.

What amazes me is that the BoE keeps saying that an inflation spike will be short-lived. They forecast it at 2.5% and now they've just revised it to 4%. I'm sure they'll have to revise it up again and talking about a tweak to interest rates "sometime next year" is, imo, also wide of the mark. They'll haver to do it quite soon. Also they'll have to work out by how much..maybe to .75% .25% is being mooted..because whilst they want to tackle the ever-increasing inflatioin number they don't want to kill off a growing economy.

I also heard that veg growers are offering £30 an hour for pickers., So..who will pay for that ? We will. It's not just the increased wages of drivers to consider but the increase in petrol/diesel costs. because of Brexit there are increased regulatory costs too..The world is coming out of the Covid recession and for that reason oil is in demand which, along with the fact that the Saudis have decided to keep output at its planned increase of 400,000 barrels a day through November which has caused the price to go to $82 a barrel today. This time last year it was $40 a barrel. In addition Putin has weaponised gas prices by restricting exports until the Germany approves the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline which will by-pass Ukraine which gets substantial commission for allowing it through its territory. The US, EU and the UK are concerned about gas security.

I worry for people who are struggling now, goodness knows how they'll cope over the coming months and all we hear from Boris is "“Plan for the worst and hope for the best and before you know, hopefully, it’ll be all over “in time for Christmas

As things stand now it Looks like turkey and pork will be off the menu. Salad sandwiches and soup anyone ? If there's any salad that is.

Re pigs..https://news.sky.com/story/grown-men-in-tears-as-hundreds-of-pigs-culled-due-to-abattoir-worker-shortage-12426747

Re turkeys 'UK poultry producers have warned that serious staff shortages caused by Brexit could mean there are not enough turkeys to go round this Christmas'.

The government has allowed the issue of 5000 visas for EU workers to come here on a temporary basis. So far 129 have taken up the offer. Clive Watson,the CEO of City Pubs Group and a Remainer ,has called on the government to issue 2-3 year visas to Europeans

He said.. said " “It would seem sensible for, and we call upon the Government to, introduce a two to three-year working visa to European nationals so that people can come to the UK, work, study and return home extolling the virtues of the British pub.

And what an irony...
Tim Martin, the owner of Weatherspoons and arch-Brexiteer, has backed him. :rolleyes:
 
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JohnC6 said:
I heard a lady speaking on Five Live yesterday who said that thge mayonaise she regularly gets has goine upo by a pound.

AS AF said at the top of the thread..it's just the start.

What amazes me is that the BoE keeps saying that an inflation spike will be short-lived. They forecast it at 2.5% and now they've just revised it to 4%. I'm sure they'll have to revise it up again and talking about a tweak to interest rates "sometime next year" is, imo, also wide of the mark. They'll haver to do it quite soon. Also they'll have to work out by how much..maybe to .75% .25% is being mooted..because whilst they want to tackle the ever-increasing inflatioin number they don't want to kill off a growing economy.

I also heard that veg growers are offering £30 an hour for pickers., So..who will pay for that ? We will. It's not just the increased wages of drivers to consider but the increase in petrol/diesel costs. because of Brexit there are increased regulatory costs too..The world is coming out of the Covid recession and for that reason oil is in demand which, along with the fact that the Saudis have decided to keep output at its planned increase of 400,000 barrels a day through November which has caused the price to go to $82 a barrel today. This time last year it was $40 a barrel. In addition Putin has weaponised gas prices by restricting exports until the Germany approves the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline which will by-pass Ukraine which gets substantial commission for allowing it through its territory. The US, EU and the UK are concerned about gas security.

I worry for people who are struggling now, goodness knows how they'll cope over the coming months and all we hear from Boris is "“Plan for the worst and hope for the best and before you know, hopefully, it’ll be all over “in time for Christmas

As things stand now it Looks like turkey and pork will be off the menu. Salad sandwiches and soup anyone ? If there's any salad that is.

Re pigs..https://news.sky.com/story/grown-men-in-tears-as-hundreds-of-pigs-culled-due-to-abattoir-worker-shortage-12426747

Re turkeys 'UK poultry producers have warned that serious staff shortages caused by Brexit could mean there are not enough turkeys to go round this Christmas'.

The government has allowed the issue of 5000 visas for EU workers to come here on a temporary basis. So far 129 have taken up the offer. Clive Watson,the CEO of City Pubs Group and a Remainer ,has called on the government to issue 2-3 year visas to Europeans

He said.. said " “It would seem sensible for, and we call upon the Government to, introduce a two to three-year working visa to European nationals so that people can come to the UK, work, study and return home extolling the virtues of the British pub.

And what an irony...
Tim Martin, the owner of Weatherspoons and arch-Brexiteer, has backed him. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I watched the article on pig farming last night. A pig farmer was saying by the time he sends pigs to market, he has lost money, as the price of pig feed has risen to a level that is no longer cost effective.
 
cambsno said:
Go to Tesco for lower quality produce then!
Click to expand...

I do my shopping in Tesco weekly, never found their produce to be anything but satisfactory. I've tried M&S [over priced muck] Aldi and Super-Value, Tesco easily holds it's own when comparing prices and quality. 'Tesco finest' range has definitely gotten much better over the years. They are my only main options really, there are other smaller stores but the Tesco here is one of their larger/super store ones and has everything we need. I have noticed a slight rise in the cost of an overall weekly shop but nothing OTT
 
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Cagey75 said:
I do my shopping in Tesco weekly, never found their produce to be anything but satisfactory. I've tried M&S [over priced muck] Aldi and Super-Value, Tesco easily holds it's own when comparing prices and quality. 'Tesco finest' range has definitely gotten much better over the years. They are my only main options really, there are other smaller stores but the Tesco here is one of their larger/super store ones and has everything we need. I have noticed a slight rise in the cost of an overall weekly shop but nothing OTT
Click to expand...
For some context......do remind me where you are geographically :thinking:
 
Does anyone on here use "International" shops, ones which are run by Polish, Turkish, Indian etc? They are a fantastic source of ingredients at reasonable prices. We have just come back from shopping - huge bunches of parsley and coriander 75p each, feta cheese £1.49, 400g vine tomatoes £2.49, 500g Ceylon loose leaf tea £4.19 (compared to Waitrose 125g at £1.80). The quality of the fruit and veg is great. We also popped in Aldi to get som other items. I can recommend their Cotes du Rhone @ £4.29 and the Cava at £5.29.
We have a few farm shops within ten miles, but I have found their prices getting too high.
 
Cagey75 said:
I do my shopping in Tesco weekly, never found their produce to be anything but satisfactory. I've tried M&S [over priced muck] Aldi and Super-Value, Tesco easily holds it's own when comparing prices and quality. 'Tesco finest' range has definitely gotten much better over the years. They are my only main options really, there are other smaller stores but the Tesco here is one of their larger/super store ones and has everything we need. I have noticed a slight rise in the cost of an overall weekly shop but nothing OTT
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There was a time when I would only buy well known branded stuff. I now mainly buy Aldi own brand goods, I feel they are just as good, and can be a third of the price. Even Aldi own brand items have increased in price, but still way way below branded label prices.
 
andya700 said:
Does anyone on here use "International" shops, ones which are run by Polish, Turkish, Indian etc? They are a fantastic source of ingredients at reasonable prices. We have just come back from shopping - huge bunches of parsley and coriander 75p each, feta cheese £1.49, 400g vine tomatoes £2.49, 500g Ceylon loose leaf tea £4.19 (compared to Waitrose 125g at £1.80). The quality of the fruit and veg is great. We also popped in Aldi to get som other items. I can recommend their Cotes du Rhone @ £4.29 and the Cava at £5.29.
We have a few farm shops within ten miles, but I have found their prices getting too high.
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We used to use an Asian food stores, when we lived in a big City, all good stuff and reasonable prices.
 
andya700 said:
I live in the South East and like the other poster, I have only noticed slight price increases.
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Thing don't go up by a penny now, it is usually ten pence or so. So by the end of a biggish shop, that could work out at a few pounds. I suppose prices have to go up, to provide a better wage for Farmers, HGV drivers and such like.
 
Box Brownie said:
For some context......do remind me where you are geographically :thinking:
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Irish midlands, it's pricier here than most of the UK, trust me. Much less competition too, we have no Asda/Iceland/Waitrose
 
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Cagey75 said:
I do my shopping in Tesco weekly, never found their produce to be anything but satisfactory. I've tried M&S [over priced muck] Aldi and Super-Value, Tesco easily holds it's own when comparing prices and quality. 'Tesco finest' range has definitely gotten much better over the years. They are my only main options really, there are other smaller stores but the Tesco here is one of their larger/super store ones and has everything we need. I have noticed a slight rise in the cost of an overall weekly shop but nothing OTT
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I find Waitrose to be far better in terms of choice and quality.

With Tesco, their prices jump up and down al the time (not just the offers). A couple of time Pop Tarts have been priced normally at 1.99 rather than the normal 2.49 (not an offer). You have to pay attention - especially with offers at it was cheaper to buy 2x 1.25kg of spuds than the 1 x 2.5kg bag!
 
Just nipped over to our local COOP, it is the smaller type that serves the local housing estates. Stuff in there is just so expensive, certainly would not do the weekly shop there. Only got a couple of items that I had run out of. No other shops for miles around, so they can bump the prices up a little more.
 
cambsno said:
I find Waitrose to be far better in terms of choice and quality.

With Tesco, their prices jump up and down al the time (not just the offers). A couple of time Pop Tarts have been priced normally at 1.99 rather than the normal 2.49 (not an offer). You have to pay attention - especially with offers at it was cheaper to buy 2x 1.25kg of spuds than the 1 x 2.5kg bag!
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I am drawn to the yellow stickers, but sometimes they make no sense. Only last week I copped one for buy 2 for €3, the item was 1.49 for one lol
 
A good time to stock up on unperishable items, is when shops have a roll back offer on. No idea why the occasionally have certain items on the roll back offer. Maybe they have ordered in too much stuff, and it is not moving maybe.
 
jonbeeza said:
We used to use an Asian food stores, when we lived in a big City, all good stuff and reasonable prices.
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I did a random Google search eg: Ashford asian food shops - and you can do it for any town, although you have to zoom in a bit because they are sometimes small shops. I was concentrating on Kent and virtually every town has an Asian shop and I found out that Orpington has an Asian supermarket which looks fantastic.
 
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