Sainsbury's shoppers slam 'opportunistic' price hike for pumping tyres at petrol stations

Sainsbury's has been criticised by shoppers for increasing the minimum cost of pumping up tyres at its petrol stations.

Previously the cheapest supermarket for drivers to pump up their tyres, costing 30p for three minutes, Sainsbury's has now hiked its price to 50p to match the likes of Asda, Tesco and Morrisons. Although drivers are still paying the same 10p per minute, they must now spend a minimum amount of 50p for five minutes compared to the previous three.

It may only be an extra 20p, but Sainsbury's shoppers are not happy about the change given the rising cost of living elsewhere. As customers took to social media to voice their frustration with the price increase, the new cost was branded a "robbery" as drivers accused the supermarket of being "opportunistic".

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"The UK is turning into a money making racket for the elite, the rich, the huge global companies and corporations," one shopper tweeted in response to the new price. "The citizens are where they squeeze the last penny!"

Another Twitter user added: "It has always been 30p. Now they hike it 66%. Same machine. Just a sticker over the price. OK, it’s a small thing. But there are so many opportunistic price rises happening now."

A spokesperson for Sainsbury's told The Mirror : "Back in July, we started offering customers five minutes rather than the previous offer of three minutes, with each minute remaining at 10p per minute. This is in line with the wider market offering and based on customer feedback."

Sainsbury's isn't the only supermarket that has come under fire for introducing new charges for drivers recently. Tesco shoppers were furious after discovering that the retailer now makes motorists with an electric car fork out a minimum of 28p to charge their vehicle at the supermarket, a service that was previously free.

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