Supermarket Basics - Cleaning Up On Profit

You can't buy much more basic - sponge scourers / cleaners.
They clean dishes.


Are own brand basics the new high profit product for the big supermarkets?

I buy these pan scourers because they are cheap, they do the job and the branded versions are about 4 times the price.

Ok the branded ones are a lot thicker and have a groove shape for your fingers, but as these sponges get dirty quickly it's nicer to have the cheap version and dispose of them frequently.

Until recently all the main supermarkets - Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys sold these in packs of 5 for 12p (The Sainsbury's pack pictured above did contain 5, but I used one before writing this).

The other week I noticed the Sainsbury price had leapt to 19p for 5. Today it is 20p!

On a visit to Tesco I checked their price. It had also shot up to 19p. But today they are back down to 14p.

At the weekend I was in Asda, their version is 14p.

The Asda and Tesco versions look identical, with the same white sponge - but the Tesco variety is thicker.

The Sainsbury's variety, with their yellow sponge looks like it might be manufactured by another supplier - or perhaps in the same factory using different materials.

But my point is this: the price in both Tesco and Sainsbury's was 12p. When the price increased it increased in both stores by 7p - that's 58% price increase.

Did the suppliers increase the price due to increased costs, or did Sainsbury's and Tesco both decide that they could simply charge more for this product, and shoppers would go on buying them because:
a. They have to use something to clean pans and dishes
b. These are still much cheaper than the branded competitor.

Three years ago (November 2008) I wrote about the fluctuating price of Sainsbury's basics chopped tomatoes - and how Sainsbury's had reported the sales had shot up due to the recession and more people were cooking meals from basic ingredients. I was surprised how much interest there was about my observation - The Daily Mail even contacted me and wrote about it. Back then a tin of basics chopped tomatoes which had previously regularly been 21p took a massive price hike to 30p.

Fast forward 3 years and the price in Tesco and Sainsbury's has jumped from 34p where it has been for ages to 42p.

But Tesco has been experimenting with a high / low pricing strategy. Some weeks they are 42p some weeks they're 38p. Today Tesco is charging 38p. It doesn't seem like a big deal but it's a 15% increase in margin - and that's very high for supermarkets which operate at margins closer to 4%.

Chop your own tomatoes at Tesco - save 7p

If you're happy to chop your own tomatoes from a tin, you can save 7p a can. The Tesco Value plum (whole) tomatoes are just 31p.

At Sainsbury's you can chop your own peeled tomatoes for 39p ( a more measly saving of just 3p over the ready-chopped version which are 42p).

At Asda the smartprice chopped tomatoes are 33p and the smartprice peeled plum tomatoes are 31p.
Which is the same price as November 2008.

These observations would appear to support Asda's claim that they offer 'everyday low prices' in other words unlike Tesco they don't operate a high / low pricing strategy where the prices fluctuate wildly from week to week. This also explains why so many shelf edge price tickets in Tesco display the wrong price - as I wrote in Tesco Still Stealing from Customers. Tesco staff simply can't keep up with all the price changes, that's why so many shelf edge tickets show a different price to the one you'll be charged at the checkout (start checking this yourself, other people I've told have been amazed how often it happens - come on Trading Standards why not check it out?).

I conclude that under huge pressure to reduce margins on branded goods - Heinz, Kelloggs, McVities, they are clawing back the profits by fiddling with the margins on low value own label and basic brands where they hope shoppers won't notice.

What do you think?

Update 23 Feb

Popped into my local Tesco to discover Chopped Tomatoes are back up to 42p and whole Plum Tomatoes up to 39p (to match Sainsbury's). The pan scourers are displayed at 19p but scan at 14p.

It won't be long before Tesco customers cotton on to this 'yo-yo' pricing madness which has nothing to do with the cost of stuff and everything to do with maximising profit.

Southern Electric - We Have Frozen Our Prices

The big freeze turns into a 4.5% thaw
Southern Electric - Did they mislead customers into a choosing a price fix?

I've been a Southern Electric customer for quite a few years. They score very highly in customer service polls and when I phone them they answer my calls quickly and deal with my account without problems.

I was offered a price plan called Go Direct 5 which saved me about 19% on gas last year, but like all good things it came to an end in December. So they wrote to me and suggested I could call them about fixing my energy prices for 2 years until December 2013.



The letter they sent me also said 'we're the only energy supplier to have frozen our prices until at least August 2012' (now extended until October).

So bearing in mind Southern Electric had 'Frozen' their prices until August - and prices tend to drop in spring and increase in Autumn, I chose to 'fix' at the December 2011 price for 2 years until December 2013.

So I wasn't too thrilled when in early January 2012 Southern Electric announced that they would decrease their Gas price by 4.5% from the end of March. Funny kind of price 'freeze' guys.

Even worse on 26th January a letter dated 5th December arrived saying 'You've made a great choice fixing your prices with Southern Electric'.

No - not such a great choice actually - you've dropped your price by 4.5%, and I'm stuck on the old price.

So on Saturday I phoned Southern Electric to complain they promised prices were 'Frozen' so I fixed, but now they have dropped the price. Their letter misled me into making a choice I may not have made if they'd given me all the facts.

Now remember I wrote at the outset that I stay a Southern Electric customer because of their customer service? Well they didn't disappoint. The manager I spoke to agreed I could end my fix without exit penalty if I wished, and that she would investigate the letters I received.

Today she called me back, exactly as she promised. She's reviewed all the letters and listened to the phone calls I had with them in December and spoken with the Customer Services Manager whose name appears on the letters. I can be assured Southern Electric value my feedback about their marketing.

She also confirmed I can end my fix without penalty, it is entirely my choice.


I point out that their website still promises 'Our Prices Won't Budge' and perhaps the marketing department should choose their words more carefully - 'Won't Budge' doesn't leave much room for ambiguity - especially if prices may come down as well as go up.

The word 'Frozen' didn't suggest prices may also come down.

I'm very happy with the way Southern Electric has investigated my complaint. But I agree with the regulator Ofgen that energy suppliers overly complicate the market by offering so many different tariffs which are difficult to choose between. Many consumers end up doing nothing and remain on uncompetitive plans with the same supplier they've had for years. That limits competition in the market and keeps prices artificially high.

In reply the energy companies have agreed to simplify tariffs, and make consumer choice clearer. Southern Electric has said that in future it will have just 4 tariffs. British Gas has pledged simpler tariffs 'to win back trust'.

Southern Electric are selling their tariffs using words we all understand - 'frozen' 'won't budge' - now all they need to do is stick to them.

I've decided (despite my complaint) to stick with my price fix. Prices rose 19% last year, so far they've only dropped 4.5%. Averaged over the last 2 years energy prices have only gone in one direction - up.