An ex-Morrisons worker has revealed the five things supermarket shoppers do wrong – and how changing these habits could save them money.
Al Baker is well-known for his savvy shopping tips, budgeting and finding yellow-sticker bargains for his family of four.
He also has over 14,800 followers online.
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The dad from Aldershot says many people overspend, waste food and miss opportunities to save the pennies.
Here are his five key tips to avoid doing just that – from why you should always check the bottom shelf to not buying grated cheese and how to fool the kids by mixing brands.
FOLLOW THE LIST AT ALL TIMES
The first piece of advice is easy: Always have a shopping list – but check your cupboards and fridge first.
“Going to the supermarket without a plan of what you need to buy leads to impulse buys and forgotten essentials,” the 50-year-old, told What’s The Jam.
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“Be sure to make a list of what you need and try to stick to it.
“Most importantly, don’t just make that list while sitting in front of the TV – make sure you physically check what you already have in the cupboards, fridge and freezer.
“You can waste so much money purchasing things you don’t actually need, or don’t need right now, by not checking properly.”
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SCAN & GO TO SEE YOUR SPENDING IN REAL-TIME
As a second handy tip, Al recommends using a store’s ‘Scan and Go’ function if they have one.
He says it’s a great way to keep tabs on how much items cost while going around – and helps prevent overspending.
Al said: “I was always just throwing things in the trolley and not having a clue what I’ve spent, even if I tried to keep a tally, I usually get it wrong.
“Scanning as you go is useful for knowing exactly what you are going to have to pay at the end as it keeps the price updated as you go.
“So many times I’ve scanned something and seen what a difference it’s made to my bill, and so I’ve put it back again.
“It really helps to reduce impulse buys and keep you on budget.
“It’ll also be tied to your loyalty card, so you can’t forget to scan it.
“When I self-scan I also remember to take bags with me so I can avoid the 60p charges – that can save a fair chunk of money over the year.”
UNIT PRICE VS TOTAL PRICE
Another tip that Al has suggested is not just checking the total price of an item but assessing the unit price.
A product may appear cheap at first but when compared with the cost per unit, it could actually be more expensive.
He said: “Don’t assume that just because you’ve seen something on promotion at a cheaper price than another product you might normally buy, that it’s actually cheaper.
“Tempting as it may be to grab the product with the cheapest price, you may find that when you compare the cost per unit, the promotion item is more expensive as it weighs less.
“Even though the price you pay is less, you’ll get less of the product and end up needing to buy it again sooner, which means you’ve saved nothing.
“For example, avoid buying cheese which has already been grated – just buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself.
“Remember, convenience foods aren’t convenient to your wallet.”
TAKE A TRIP DOWN THE WORLD AISLE
Another mistake that Al feels shoppers make is overlooking a shop’s own brand and the world food aisles.
The dad likes to mix similar styles of branded coffee with his own brand of coffee to make the product last longer so that he can save.
This same trick can be applied when cooking food like pasta too, something that Al finds works particularly well with one of his children, who is a fussy eater.
He said: “We used to buy two jars of sauce for making pasta, and the cost was getting really expensive.
“Now I’ll add one jar of branded, or non-branded, pasta sauce to the pan and instead add a carton of cheap tomato passata.
“That’s usually a third of the price of a jar – nobody notices, even my fussy kid, and it saves me money every time.
“There will always be certain products that you won’t buy a store brand version of, often because you were brought up with that brand and so stick to it, but that loyalty is costing you money.
“If you are really trying to save cash but don’t want to lose the quality, try mixing up a brand version of something and a supermarket’s own brand version to make it last.”
IGNORE THE ‘SNEAKY’ SHELVES
A final tip from Al is to not be swayed by the colourful and appealing-looking displays at supermarkets.
He says that it’s easy to become distracted by the end of aisles, as items which are on a deal are often placed there.
The dad said: “I’ve started ignoring the end of aisles completely, as I know that those promotions are only there so people buy them.
“Try and ignore those deals, look at alternatives, and again refer to the price per unit for those alternatives.
“When looking for alternatives, also make sure you look down.
“You’ll likely find that the higher margin items on shelves are at eye level because they know it’s where you’ll be looking.
“Cheaper items will be on lower shelves.
“Whilst working for a supermarket a few years ago, I was told that the cheap products go low because many people don’t like to bend down in supermarkets.
“People won’t as they don’t want to get a dirty knee or worry about falling over, so those people will often buy from the premium shelves to avoid doing that – very sneaky.”
