Sainsbury’s Nectar Card shoppers have been hit with a warning (Image: PA)
Sainsbury’s shoppers who use a Nectar card have been issued a £615 warning after new analysis from consumer magazine Which?.
A new price comparison has found that shoppers pay an average of £615.68 more than the cheapest UK supermarket, Aldi, even those who have a Nectar card, over the course of 52 weekly shops, assuming price differences found in December are maintained.
Which? Compared a basket of 56 typical branded and own-brand food and drink items in December across , , , , , and Waitrose.
:
It found was the cheapest for the 56 items, coming in at £100.29, while Waitrose was the most dear, coming in at £129.83, about 30% more expensive than Aldi for an equivalent basket of goods.
shoppers who use a Nectar card – thus having access to cheaper Nectar price offers – would have paid £112.13 for the same goods in December, Which found.
Over the course of 52 weekly shops if the same price gap was maintained, Sainsbury’s shoppers would be paying £615.68 more than Aldi customers.
And shoppers who don’t have a Nectar card were even worse off, with a £630.76 difference (a basket coming in at £116.70).
In the rankings, finished fourth, behind Aldi, Lidl and Tesco (with Clubcard), but those who don’t have a Nectar card are paying the third-most for shopping, with Sainsbury’s non-Nectar basket coming 10th in the rankings, behind every supermarket and its loyalty schemes, only beating Ocado and Waitrose.
Across a wider basket of 158 items, with Nectar card beat Asda and Morrisons but was behind Tesco, while without a Nectar card, Sainsbury’s was second-most expensive beating only Waitrose.
Harry Rose, editor of Which? magazine, said: “Our research shows Aldi has retained its crown as the UK’s cheapest supermarket in 2024.
“After the added expense of the festive period, many households will be looking to cut costs.
“Our analysis shows that by switching supermarkets, shoppers can make significant savings, highlighting the advantages of shopping around where possible.”
The results showed a December shopping list of 56 groceries cost £100.29 on average at Aldi.
Lidl came a close second, with the same shopping list costing £1.19 more (£101.48) with the supermarket’s loyalty scheme Lidl Plus, and £1.27 more (£101.56) without.
Lidl also remained in second place behind Aldi as the cheapest supermarket for smaller shops throughout the year.
Waitrose was £29.54 pricier than Aldi in December, at £129.83, and remained the most expensive supermarket for smaller shops for every month in 2024.