Supermarkets, at any given time, are generally filled to bursting with promotions, special offers and deals. All too good to pass up, and only around for a short time, so you'd better grab them before they're gone! Or should you?
According to a Telegraph article from 2008, more than 80% of all promotional activity in our supermarkets takes place in the form of multi-buy promotions. They're a firm favourite with the big chains which dominate our grocery shopping, largely because the heavy-hitting brands are commonly more willing to give extra product free to the stores, than permenantly reduce their price.
How that affects us the shopper is fairly simple, in that if we've planned for buying 1 xyz and 2 abc's, then the former being on BOGOF, and the latter 3-4-2, really throws our shopping list.
If you run the sort of shop where whatever you fancy floats into the trolly, it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem, but for meal planners working to a budget it can be awkward, especially when you factor in the common practice of slight price increases to factor in multi-buy deals.
With all this negativity you may think I am anti-multibuy. I'm really not. My only issue comes down to what makes a good buy and a sound spend. A few good things to consider when faced with multi-buy meccas...
1. Is it perishable?
It sounds so, so obvious. But we can all be guilty from time to time of having greedy eyes and thinking we can get through more produce than we ever could. Obvious offenders for this category are fresh produce like meat and veg; but do remember to consider freezer space. The three for a tenner deals that tend to stay pretty much constantly at the likes of Asda and Tesco make meat much more affordable for us, but I only go for them when the freezer space is there!
I have heard people say that they "wouldn't use that much", however, for some strange items. Dried and canned foods aren't a concern and neither are things like washing up liquid, washing powders, toilet roll or cleaning products. The only real issue there is storage space; and I'd say if you've got it, go for it. Through clever multi buys and Approved Food orders, we've stocked up on non perishable items in the past, and that stock has stretched much further than we ever expected.
2. Will you use it?
Again, it sounds so obvious and so simple. Sure, the other cereal may be on offer but if you or your family really don't like it, it's going to sit unloved, gathering dust... while you're back at the tills buying what you would have anyway.
3. Is it really a saving?
This one can be a little more difficult, as it requires memory! Awkward though it may be, try to pay attention to the common prices your favoured supermarket(s) tend to ask for the goods you buy. If the go on offer, do pay attention to the usual price versus the current price. If it's higher, maybe the sweet deal could be a touch more sour than expected?
4. Pay attention to the pack sizes!
This can work two ways. First off, I'd recommend checking out pack sizes you don't normally buy; say if the 500g pack of something is £1 and the kilo £1.50, normally the kilo pack is better value. But a keen eyed shopper could spot the buy one get one free offer on the 500g pack and get a kilo of said product for £1! (Yes, I have no idea what on earth could be that cheap either... sadly!)
The second way this can work isn't quite so helpful to the shopper. Other shoppers I know have observed a trend for diminishing pack sizes; often allowing a multi buy offer that isn't as generous as first thought.
5. Keep an eye on the competition.
This one doesn't apply to me quite as much living where I do now (a city centre location with a single tesco metro - very, very annoying!), but back home our shopping centre plays host to both an Asda and a Sainsburys. It can make for some extra savings to detour into the alternate store if they've got some offers that are useful. Many shops now publicise their offers online, so a 5 minute googling session could save very real £££s!
And above all, happy bargain hunting!
Alexandra x
