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Manchester Evening News

Business

Emma Gill

Shoppers ask 'is this a joke?' as Asda and Morrisons hike prices in budget range

Asda Morrisons Sainsbury Tesco Aldi Lidl Savers

Supermarkets Asda and Morrisons have come under fire for hiking prices in their most basic ranges.

Both are well known for their budget brands - Morrisons' being Savers and Asda's its bright yellow Just Essentials - which aim to help customers get their weekly shopping at a lower cost.

But in our weekly price comparison of shopping basics, it's items in those ranges that are the only ones to increase this week across all the main supermarkets.

Asda, which has already been criticised for price rises within the range, has increased the price of tea bags, while Morrisons has hiked the price of coffee.

It's not gone well down with shoppers, who say they feel like the price rises are never going to end.

"Is this a joke?" said one, about the Just Essentials tea bags increasing for the second time in a matter of weeks.

In March a 40-pack was increased from 31p to 35p. Now it's gone up again, this time to 38p.

Meanwhile Morrisons' Savers coffee has risen from 84p for 100g to 99p, an increase of almost 18%.

"How can these supermarkets justify these endless price rises on the cheapest ranges?" said another shopper. "The price of those Asda tea bags makes them more expensive than any of the other stores."

It's Asda that remains as the most expensive in our comparison, with a new high of £13.35 for the eight items, which also include mince, chicken, beans, butter, a two-pint bottle of milk and a loaf of bread.

Asda's Just Essentials tea bags have risen again (Manchester Family/MEN)

Morrisons, which has dropped the price of bread slightly this week, is second most expensive, with a bill of £12.60.

And there's no change in the rankings of the other stores, with Lidl remaining cheapest at £11.76, followed by Aldi at £11.97, Sainsbury's at £12.17, followed by Tesco at £12.21.

Aldi argues that its tea bags are a higher quality than Lidl's 'One Cup', but our comparison has simply used the cheapest 160-box available. Or, as in the case of Tesco and Asda, multiple smaller packs to make up that number.

An Asda spokesperson said: "The recent decreases in the price of Asda branded milk, bread, and butter show that we continue to work hard to bring value to our customers despite global inflationary pressures. This is also reflected in our regular Which? supermarket price comparison wins as well as the weekly Grocer 33 basket.”

A spokesperson for Morrisons said: "This is an unprecedented period of inflation and we are working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers while maintaining high standards and availability in all our stores.

"We remain committed to doing all we can to help when it comes to the cost of grocery shopping and this week announced our fourth wave of price cuts this year.

"Included in the cuts were our own brand Morrisons Gold Coffee (200g) which was £3.29 and is now £2.39 which is in addition to a number of branded coffee promotions also currently live online and in store."

Have you been changing where you shop to find cheaper products? Have you noticed price rises slowing down? Let us know in the comments.

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