Ritika Janiya
The battle of the supermarkets is heating up, and this week Morrisons takes the crown for being the cheapest place to shop, thanks to chicken breasts dropping hugely in price-a surprising turn of events. These days, it’s great news when every penny counts for shoppers looking to save on groceries.
Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. For years and years, Morrisons wasn’t exactly known as the cheap option. If anything, it was actually one of the more expensive ones. But this week, Morrisons has just stolen ahead with its razor-sharp price cut.
So, what’s the big deal? It’s whacked 15 percent off the price of chicken breasts. That is a huge reduction from the normal price of £2.65 for a 330g pack down to just £2.25. In other words, this would be the equivalent of paying £2.05 for a standard pack weighing 300g. Such a price cut means that Morrisons is no longer undercutting just Aldi and Lidl but all the big players, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco.
The latest weekly comparison from MEN puts Morrisons at the top of the six main supermarkets for the first time. MEN has tracked the cost of a basket of staples since last March. It includes staples such as mince, chicken, milk, bread, coffee, teabags, butter and beans. In the past, Morrisons was most often more expensive than all of them. For example, in April it was the most expensive, and in July it was under fire after hiking up the price of its cheapest Savers tea bags by 13 percent. However, Morrisons subsequently backtracked on that rise after pressure from customers.
This week’s price cut on chicken breasts has proved to be something of a game changer. Morrisons’ basket now costs £11.95, which is the first time it has come in under £12 for a while. That’s some saving on its rivals. Here’s how the other supermarkets stack up:
Lidl: £12.03
Aldi: £12.12 – Aldi recently put up the price of its butter from £1.69 to £1.79
Asda: £12.55
Sainsbury’s: £12.56
Tesco: £12.71 (The store drops some points due to the small fall in the price of its budget Stockwell tea bags but the hike in the price of butter keeps it as the priciest option)
The latest Morrisons price cut is thanks to its Morrisons More Card, which introduced additional offers and discounts in store this week. It means the chicken breasts are now cheaper than Aldi and Lidl – both of which have set their price at £2.25 – and also undercut Asda, which is £2.50. Sainsbury’s and Tesco are the most expensive at £2.65.
But wait, Aldi isn’t thrilled with these findings. The discounter says the MEN’s comparison doesn’t take into account the quality differences between the products. Such, Aldi said the supermarket noted that its beans were 20 grams heavier than those at Sainsbury’s and its teabags of a higher quality compared to those used in the MEN’s comparison.
In the end, this is serious business for shoppers in pursuit of the best deals. Aggressive pricing by Morrisons on chicken breasts is most certainly an attempt to court consumers and help them save in difficult times. It’s a reminder that even when prices are skyrocketing in just about every direction, there can still be deals to be found.
If you’re planning a trip to the grocery store, you may want to stop by Morrisons. They’ve just announced a number of new lower prices and you could end up saving a pretty penny. And with the supermarket wars in full gear, you never know which store is going to have the best deal next week. Keep your eyes peeled and watch those prices!
