Food
Supermarket prices
Introduction
Our supermarket price surveys show where your dollar goes furthest.
We sent undercover shoppers to buy groceries from supermarkets in 7 centres around the country so we could compare prices.
One chain was cheapest in each location in our survey – it was a clean sweep.
About our survey
Our shoppers bought from a list of 40 top-selling supermarket products. As well as food and drink, personal care and cleaning products were also on our list.
The survey didn’t include fresh meat, fish or produce because for a fair comparison we’d need to consider quality. Wine and beer are also excluded – discounts are so huge that a supermarket with a listed wine on special would have a massive price advantage.
For most items we specified a brand and a pack size. But for 10 basic items (such as sugar, milk, butter and flour) we specified just the pack size and asked our shoppers to buy the cheapest brand.
Our shoppers took advantage of coupon and One Card specials.
See the Survey results for details of how the supermarkets compared in each centre.
Shopping tips
- Take a list and stick to it. That’s the key to avoiding impulse buys.
- Join the store’s loyalty programme (Fly Buys or One Card) to take advantage of discounts or rewards.
- Check the unit price – smaller sizes are sometimes cheaper than the larger size.
- Take advantage of multi-buys or stock up on good specials, even if you don’t need the items immediately.
- You can make big savings by buying house brands for basic products such as milk, sugar, butter and flour.
- Does the special really offer you something? Or is it a more expensive brand than you’d usually buy? Don’t buy it just because it’s a bargain.
- Avoid shopping when you’re hungry. With a full stomach you’re less susceptible to free samples and promotions designed to tempt you into extra purchases.
- Get to know your local supermarket layout, so you can avoid temptation. (See our interactive supermarket layout to see how supermarkets manipulate your shopping experience to tempt you to spend more.)
Report by Bev Frederikson.