Shoppers are being tricked into spending up to four times the price for the same product thanks to a little known tactic being used by almost all major supermarkets, a report has revealed.
The tactic, known as "high-low pricing" is when a product is marked as on promotion for a short period of time, before being hiked back up again, in an attempt to confuse shoppers.
Consumer group Which? analysed more than a million prices across 493 branded items at six supermarkets - Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose - throughout 2020 to uncover the pricing ploys supermarkets are using on customers.
Lavazza Qualita Rossa Ground Coffee (250g) at Ocado had the most dramatic price difference - with the investigation revealing shoppers could pay almost four times more for the same product on different days of the week.
It was at its cheapest price of £1.30 for 63 days in 2020, however for more than a third of the year (130 days), it cost an eye-watering £5 - a 284% difference for the same product. Ocado said this price fluctuation was an error that has now been corrected.
The price for Müller yogurts also illustrated the so-called “high-low” tactic used by many supermarkets - when prices are dramatically hiked and then slashed at regular intervals.
For example, Müller Light Greek Luscious Lemon yogurts fluctuated substantially at Sainsbury’s during 2020, flipping between £1 and £2.75 - a 175% price difference - at roughly three-week intervals.
The same product was also available for £1 or less in at least one of the major supermarkets for about 85% of the year.
Other products that saw significant price variations included Carte D’Or Vanilla Ice Cream and Loyd Grossman Tomato and Basil Sauce at Asda - with prices fluctuating by 133% and 125% respectively.
At Morrisons, shoppers could pick up a bottle of Shloer’s Red Grape Juice Drink for just £1 on a good day, however it cost more than double (£2.25) on other days - representing a 125% increase.
Which? also found there were price variations of 122% for Jordans Country Crisp Four Nut Cereal at Tesco.
Shoppers could sometimes pay just £1.35, yet on other days the same pack was more than double the price at £3.
The investigation also analysed pricing at a category level, looking at 19 areas from chocolates to cheese, and found the price for branded cakes and biscuits fluctuated by 48% on average - more than any other category.
In this category, Which? analysed the price of 14 products and found a 10-pack of Cadbury Chocolate Mini Rolls at Asda had the biggest price difference.
It cost just £1.20 at its cheapest but was more than double the price at £2.60 on certain days.
Shoppers should also keep a close eye on the price of juices and smoothies, as prices in this category varied by 41% on average, it said.
This was followed by cooking sauces (38%), crisps (36%) and cereal (35%).
Across all 19 categories analysed, Asda had the lowest average prices for branded groceries, making it the best option for shoppers who prefer branded items but do not want to pay over the odds.
Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket for branded items in eight categories including energy drinks, ice cream and tea, and Ocado for seven categories including juice drinks, coffee and cheddar.
Ele Clark, Which? retail expert said: “Our research reveals just how wildly food and drink prices can fluctuate from day to day, meaning people are at risk of massively overpaying for branded groceries depending on when and where they shop.
“We would recommend keeping an eye on the prices of your favourite products and stocking up when they’re discounted to avoid paying over the odds.”
