Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Entertainment
Karen Antcliff

Morrisons accused of 'taking the mick' over price rises

The weekly shop has increased for most of us. However, when it comes to individual prices of products, you may not have fully noticed just by how much items are creeping up.

One supermarket has been accused of 'taking the mick' out of shoppers by putting up prices once again following a weekly comparison check by Manchester Evening News. The publication checks the price of basics like milk and bread and says it has kept a close eye on increasing costs over the last few months.

Comparing the bill for the same eight essentials at supermarkets Tesco, Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, costs have risen week after week. The publication says its study has found Morrisons to be the greatest surprise. Starting out as the cheapest, it has quickly climbed to the most expensive over a matter of weeks.

READ MORE: 128 jobs up for grabs at Aldi's Regional Distribution Centre in Sawley

It seems that the increase - from £9.78 at the end of May up to £11.15 by July - is largely due to its meat prices, with its 500g pack of mince the most expensive of the lot at £2.19 and its 300g pack of chicken breast the second most expensive at £2.49. However, now the bill has shot up once again, after the price of its 250g block of butter rose from £1.75 up to £1.99 - a hike of almost 14% - and baked beans rose from 25p to 29p.

In the figures detailed below, the calculations have been adjusted for the price of the store's cheapest loaf as despite requesting the cost of its cheapest 800g loaf, the retailer provided the pro rata cost of its Savers loaf, which is smaller at 720g.

Shoppers are less than impressed with the price hikes. "They're really taking the mick now," said one loyal Morrisons customer. "I've shopped there for years, but the prices seem to be going up more than anywhere else. It feels like they're laughing at us." Another said: "I know prices are going up everywhere, but there seems no end to it. I like the quality of Morrisons products, but I can't keep paying more."

The basics, made up of a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter, beans, chicken breasts and mince, went up for all supermarkets earlier in July. For the first time, all of the retailers studied topped £10 for the basket of goods. This week's changes have taken Morrisons' overall bill to £11.78 - that's a difference of £1.66 from the cheapest, Asda, which has swiped the cheapest crown from Lidl, which held it for the last six weeks. It's a rise in the cost of Lidl's chicken breasts, matching Aldi's new price of £2.15, which has put it in second spot at £10.17, behind Asda's £10.12.

And Aldi has moved back into the third cheapest spot ahead of Tesco after it dropped the price of its mince to £1.69 - matching the cost of Asda's Just Essentials pack. Tesco is fourth at £10.32, with Sainsbury's at £10.84 and Morrisons at £11.78.

The only slight difference in sizes is the baked beans, which range from 400g in Sainsbury's and 410g in Asda and Morrisons, to the standard 420g in Aldi, Lidl and Tesco. Where Asda's pack of chicken is larger, we've worked out the equivalent price for a fairer comparison. Morrisons says that while its cheaper Savers butter is no longer stocked online, it is still available in stores.

Here's the shopping list and total for each supermarket (as of Friday, July 22)

Lidl

Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p

Milk 2 pints - £1.15

Coffee 200g - £1.69

Teabags 160 - 99p

Salted butter 250g - £1.72

Beans 420g tin - 22p

Chicken 300g - £2.15 (up from £2.09)

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89

Total £10.17 (up from £10.11)

Asda

Loaf of white bread 800g (Just Essentials) - 39p

Milk 2 pints - £1.15

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g Just Essentials) - £1.50

Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack Smart Price) - £1.12

Salted butter 250g - £1.75

Beans 410g tin (Smart Price) - 25p

Chicken (bigger 350g pack for £2.65) - equates to £2.27

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.69

Total £10.12

Aldi

Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p

Milk 2 pints - £1.15

Coffee 200g - £1.69

Teabags 160 - £1.29

Salted butter 250g - £1.75

Beans 420g tin - 22p

Chicken 300g - £2.15

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.69 (down from £1.89)

Total £10.30 (down from £10.50)

Tesco

Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p

Milk 2 pints - £1.15

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.70

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.30

Salted butter 250g - £1.75

Beans 420g tin - 22p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89

Total £10.32

Sainsbury's

Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p

Milk 2 pints - £1.15

Coffee 200g £1.69

Teabags 160 - £1.29

Salted butter 250g - £1.75

Beans 400g tin - 21p

Chicken 300g - £2.50

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89

Total £10.84

Morrisons

Loaf of white bread 800g - 79p (up from 54p Savers pro rata price)

Milk 2 pints - £1.15

Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.70

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.18

Salted butter 250g - £1.99 (up from £1.75)

Beans 410g tin - 29p (up from 25p)

Chicken 300g - £2.49

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.19

Total £11.78 (up from £11.25)

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.