Shoppers in Plymouth are the most price-savvy across the entire UK

The Real Price Report, from Aldi, reveals just how clued-up the nation is about the price of groceries. More than 2,000 UK adults were asked to estimate the price of a basket of everyday grocery products, and this was compared with the actual supermarket prices*.

Despite being the most cost-conscious, more than four in 10 (42%) adults in Plymouth still say they don’t know the price of a loaf of bread.

Overall, Plymouth’s shoppers think that a typical basket of commonly-bought groceries costs 14% more than it actually does – or £6.92 on the average shop (£56.04 vs. £49.12). This compares to a 22% overestimation, on average, across the UK.

The products that Plymouth residents most overestimated were a bag of pasta (£1.00 vs. £0.51), a loaf of bread (£0.97 vs. £0.52) and bourbon biscuits (£0.81 vs. £0.27). Out of a list of 30 everyday food items, shoppers overestimated the cost of 26.

More than half (52%) of Plymouth residents say they ‘always’ check the price of products before putting them in their trolley.
The region appears to be getting more cost-conscious too, with over two in 10 (22%) saying that they are more aware of the cost of groceries because of the impact of the pandemic.

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, said: “The analysis shows just how much cost confusion there is amongst shoppers throughout the UK. Although those in Plymouth are the most clued-up on the price of basic grocery items like bread, milk and eggs.

“This means that many shoppers could be unwittingly paying over the odds for their food shop, and there’s evidence to suggest that families are increasingly feeling the pinch because of the pandemic. With the new lockdown restrictions, and in the lead-up to Christmas, we’re expecting more people than ever to be looking at ways to save money – including on groceries.

“Recent research released by Which? showed that doing a full shop at Aldi was 24% cheaper than the same shop at the Big Four, meaning there could be big savings to be had just by switching supermarket.”