Two questions;
How do you think our prices for food and clothing compares to the other major economies in the EU?
What do you think are the net profit margins of the major supermarkets?
I think a few people on here will be surprised to see that it is NOT rip off Britain at all.
I agree with you, I've been saying on here for a while that I think the UK is cheap for many non food items compared to many other places. Now that GBP/Euro exchange rates are circa 1.15 the UK is considerably cheaper. The internet retailers like Amazon have meant that prices are standardised globally for electronics goods and other large consumer items.Originally Posted by Andy n Grasya
Dunno - but this March 2011 UBS report states "UK food prices are rising more rapidly than most other OECD economies’ food prices, and have significantly outstripped food retailers’ cost inflation" - I read this that the price fixing supermarkets are ripping off UK consumers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereport...cesfeb2011.pdf
I don't care too much about clothes prices they've not risen as much as food in recent years. Our spend on them is not as significant as the week in week out constantly rising food outlay.
Tesco's 2010 net profit of £2.6 billion was 10% up on 2009. All this is being achieved by putting independent retailers out of business as they increase the land bank they sit on and open up Tesco, Metro, Macro and locals in every nook and cranny of the country.
Graham is 100% correct in saying "Naturally 5% of a few billion nets rather more than 20% of £100,000"
I don't walk around thinking the big 4 Supermarkets are some sort of Charitable Demi Gods "helping us save money" as Asda nicely put it so I'm happy to carry on knowing we live in Rip off Britain
Interestingly Tesco is just about to open a branch of Tesco Express on my doorstep, after opening a full blown branch in the main town Douglas. It is certainly rattling some of the natives and others are super happy. Mixed emotion on that one. It just depends on ones circumstances as to how these things affect the individual. Personally I am pleased to see Tesco here as it brings more choice and variety to this part of the Island but I still hanker for an Asda and / or a Lidl as I have always found the latter cheaper.
And yes, it might well affect the local retailers...that is one of the concerns. But on the flipside Tesco Express might give a better service etc.
I shopped at Tesco in Ireland today ( prices charged in Euros ) and can get to Tesco Derry in 20 minutes and pay in £ stg at normal UK prices . In August we spent three weeks in France and shopped in Carefour / Mamouth / Aldi / Lidl etc . I find it difficult to see any price difference between UK and Ireland using todays rate of 1.167Euro/£ , vat is going to 23% in Ireland which could increase prices but if the Euro drops due to Sarkozy and Merkel not getting it sorted it could go the other way for a short period but then we will get price inflation. Compared to France I find UK prices cheap , all the time we were there we did not find a single bargain in short dated price reduced food and no 20P loaves , in Ireland you can eat for very little cost by picking up the short dated items . I found supermarkets in France on average 10 to 15% more expensive than UK and for childrens clothes over 100% more expensive . We have Primark in Ireland and UK , they seem to have the market at the moment for cheap clothing and in Ireland there is a place paying Euro 60c / kilo for your old clothes and shoes ( which means on some of the stuff Primark sells you could almost make a profit ) . Needed a pair of jeans in France and paid 30 Euro from Carrefour that would have been 5 Euro or less in Primark Ireland . When I worked in the Philippines we had sandwiches every lunch for some reason I cannot remember , buying tinned tuna in mayo from Robinsons I remember it costing double what we would pay in the UK and the tins being only filled less than half and thinking how do they get away with that ? My favourite is fresh mango , I cannot see that being available anywhere else in the world better or cheaper than the Philippines ?
Excellent post, a rep on its way.
I agree some of Tesco's yellow price labelling can be misleading.
Its upto the consumer to work it out themselves. In fact we experienced that this week buying wet wipes....what was special offer a month back was no longer...another brand had taken the yellow label, thus taking the attention away from the previous special offer...after doing some calculation, it was still cheaper to buy the brand I bought a month ago.Ty
In the past we've tried Sainsburys (on our doorstep) and Asda...neither offer the the same choice as Tesco.
For example we can order filleted and whole Talapia the week before we want it....just like the fishmonger, that was in the high st.
'rip off Britain'....not at Tesco
I was having a banter with a Tesco Stratostore Manager in the pub last night and he confirmed that the yellow shelf edge multibuy labels are deliberate not human error
Doesn't surprise me. Too many and too frequent to be human error.
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