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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Business
Emma Gill

'I repeated my Tesco big shop from December and was shocked by how many items had gone up in price'

The cost of living crisis is biting hard and if there's one place you'll notice it, it's at the supermarket. Despite retailers battling it out for our custom, many say they've had no choice but to put prices up.

To see just how much shoppers are being impacted, I repeated my Tesco big shop from last year, with mainly groceries and a few toiletries. Of the 61 items I bought on December 1, more than half (33) had increased in price.

Twenty two prices had stayed the same, while six had reduced - five because of Clubcard offers. Among the price hikes were dairy products including milk, cheese, sour cream dip and ice cream lollies, as well as chicken, pasta sauces, bread, cakes and fruit.

Read more: Families have forgotten 'centuries old tip' for making meals cheaper

Toiletries and household products have gone up too, including bleach, shower gel, handwash and toothpaste. The biggest increase of 85p was on Jaffa Cakes, which were 90p with Clubcard last year (£1.60 usual price) compared with the current £1.75.

Other large rises included sour cream and chive dip, up by 41p from 79p to £1.20; whole chicken, up by 40p from £3.75 to £4.15 and honeydew melon, up by 44p from 95p to £1.39 - both had been Aldi Price Matched so the scheme to match prices to the budget retailer's did shoppers no favours here.

These products have all risen in price (Manchester Family / MEN)

Even Clubcard prices have increased on some products, so where a pack of four Magnum White Ice Creams were £3 or £2.50 with the card in December, this week's prices were £3.25 and £3 respectively.

However the card did help to bring some of December's prices down, including Onken Biopot yogurts, reduced from £1.50 to £1 with the promotion and Tesco's garlic flatbread, down from £2 to £1.15.

Because of those discounts, the price difference on the overall shops was lower than it could have been - a price rise of £4.29 from December's £93.45 shop to this week's £97.74.

But that's still a 4.59% increase and if it was repeated in a weekly big shop, it would amount to more than £200 a year.

Following a previous price comparison, A Tesco spokesperson told us there are a number of reasons why prices vary over the year 'including seasonal deals and regular updates to products on Clubcard prices'.

We have approached the retailer for a comment.

Where are you finding the cheapest products at the moment? Do you stick to the same supermarket for your big shop? Let us know in the comments here.

Of the 61 items I bought on December 1, more than half (33) had increased in price (Manchester Family / MEN)

Shopping bills Dec 1, 2021 / April 21, 2022 (APM indicates Aldi Price Match)

INCREASED

  • Tesco Sour Cream & Chive Dip 200G now 79p / now £1.20 (41p increase)

  • Tesco British Chicken Breast Portions 650G £3.75 / now £3.85 (10p increase)

  • Tesco British Large Whole Chicken 1.5Kg - 1.9Kg £3.75 / now £4.15 (40p increase)

  • Tesco Southern Fried Breaded Chicken Mini Fillets 305G £2.50 / now £2.70 (20p increase)
  • Tesco Skimmed Milk 2.272L 4 Pints £1.15 / now £1.25 (APM) (10p increase)
  • Tesco Finest Italian Spicy Salami Pizza 405G £3.23 as part of finest pizza and bread meal deal / now £3.53 (30p increase)
  • Tesco Finest Garlic & Extra Virgin Olive Oil Flatbread 200G £1.77 as part of pizza and bread meal deal / now £1.97 (20p increase)

  • Tesco 30% Reduced Fat Mature Cheese 400G £2 / now £2.30 (30p increase)
  • Tesco Tomato & Basil Sauce 350G £1.45 / now £1.60 (15p increase)
  • Tesco Tomato And Mascarpone Sauce 350G £1.45 / now £1.60 (15p increase)
  • Pukka All Steak Pie Clubcard £1.65 / now £1.90 (25p increase)
  • Hearty Food Co. Breaded Chicken Goujons 270G £1.15 / now £1.49 (APM) (34p increase)
  • Frubes Strawberry Yogurts 9X37g £1.50 Clubcard / now £2 (50p increase)
  • Birds Eye 6 Chunky Fish Fingers Extra Large 360G £2.50 / now £2.75 (25p increase)
  • Tesco Garden Peas 1Kg 66p / now 80p (14p increase)
  • Magnum White Ice Cream 4 X 110Ml £3 or Clubcard £2.50 / £3.25 or Clubcard £3 (50p increase)
  • 2 x Tesco Thick Bleach Fresh 750Ml 39p each so 78p / now 49p each so 98p (10p increase each)
  • Mr Kipling Mini Battenberg Cakes 5 Pack £1.80 / now £2 (20p increase)
  • Carex Handwash Sensitive 250Ml 99p / now £1 (1p increase)
  • Imperial Leather Marshmallow Shower Gel 250Ml 99p / now £1 (1p increase)
  • Mccoy's Salt & Malt Vinegar Crisps 6X25g £1.70 / now £1.75 (5p increase)

  • Tesco Maris Piper Potatoes 2.5Kg £1.15 (APM) / £1.18 (APM) (3p increase)
  • Highland Spring Sparkling Water 8X500ml £2.50 / now £2.75 (25p increase)
  • Squashies Drumsticks 160G 89p / now 99p (APM) (10p increase)
  • Tesco Small Bananas 6 Pack 68p (APM) / now 71p (APM) (3p increase)
  • Tesco Mixed Sized Free Range Eggs 15 Pack £2 / now £2.05 (5p increase)
  • 2 x Hovis Soft White Thick Bread 800G 99p each so £1.98 / now £1.10 each so £2.20 (APM) (11p increase each)
  • Tesco Honeydew Melon 95p (APM) / now £1.39 (APM) (44p increase)
  • Colgate Triple Action Toothpaste 100Ml 90p (APM) / now £1.19 (APM) (29p increase)
  • Tesco Pineapple 75p / now 79p (APM) (4p increase)

  • Tesco Beef Lean Steak Mince 5% Fat 750G £3.99 / now £4.09 (APM) (10p increase)

  • Mcvitie's Jaffa Cakes Twin Pack 244G £1.60 or 90p Clubcard / now £1.75 (85p increase)

  • Mr Kipling Lemon Slices 8 Pack £2.50 / now £2.85 (35p increase)

was £57.25 / now £64.76

Products that have risen in price (Manchester Family / MEN)

STAYED THE SAME

  • Tesco Chicken Tikka Masala Meal For One 550G was £3.50 / now £3.50
  • 2 x Growers Harvest Orange Juice Smooth 1L 69p each £1.38 / now the same £1.38 (APM)
  • Muller Light Toffee & Vanilla Yogurt 6 X 160G £2.25 / now £2.25
  • Broccoli loose 49p / now 49p
  • I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Spread 450g £1.25 / now £1.25
  • Tesco Vegetable & Beansprout Stir Fry 320G £1 / now £1
  • Eastmans Wafer Thin Cooked Ham 400G £1.59 / now £1.59 APM
  • Woodside Farms Unsmoked Back Bacon 300G £1.25 / now £1.25
  • Woodside Farms Unsmoked Gammon Joint 1.0KG £3.40 / now £3.40 (APM)
  • Tesco Red Seedless Grapes Punnet 500G £2 / now £2
  • 2 x Growers Harvest Pure Apple Juice 1 Litre 69p £1.38 for both / now same £1.38
  • Tesco Cherry Bakewell Tarts 6 Pack 75p / 75p (APM)
  • Tesco Hot Salsa 300G 80p / now 80p
  • Tesco Fine Egg Noodles 250G £1 / now £1
  • 2 x loose brown onions 20p / now 20p
  • Rosedene Farms Small Pear Pack 550G 57p (APM) / now 57p (APM)
  • Tesco 6 Apple Fruity Bakes 222G £1.05 / now £1.05
  • Tesco Sparkling Lemonade 2L Bottle 40p / now 40p
  • Cadbury Twirl 4 Pack 136G 98p / now 98p
  • Tesco Spirali Pasta 500G 70p / now 70p
  • 2 x Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes 400G 28p each so 56p / now same 56p
  • Granulated Sugar 1Kg 65p / now 65p (APM)

£27.15

Among the price hikes were dairy products including milk, cheese, sour cream dip and ice cream lollies, as well as chicken, pasta sauces, bread, cakes and fruit (Manchester Family / MEN)

REDUCED

  • Tesco Strawberries 227G £2.25 / now £1.49 APM (76p decrease)
  • Onken Biopot Fat Free Mango & Yogurt 450G £1.50 / now £1.50 or £1 with Clubcard (50p decrease)
  • Onken Biopot Summer Raspberry Yogurt 450G £1.50 / now £1.50 or £1 Clubcard (50p decrease)
  • Soreen 5 Apple Lunchbox Loaves 150G £1.40 / now £1.50 or £1 Clubcard (40p decrease)
  • Tesco Carrots 1Kg 40p (APM) / now 39p or 19p Clubcard (21p decrease)
  • Tesco Garlic Flatbread 255G £2 / now £2.30 or £1.15 Clubcard (85p decrease)

was £9.05 / now £5.83

Total

was £93.45 / now £97.74 - 4.59% increase

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