What Is It With The 20% Increases On Food?

[ECCOnoob]

1 hour ago, Dromedary said:

That's ASDA price though, cheaper elsewhere. At Sainsbury its £1.35 for 4 pts and they also price match Aldi on many items. ASDA now seem to milking the situation and upping prices on all ASDA groceries regardless. 

Depends if there is an argument on whether ASDA treat its suppliers and dairy farmers better than other supermarkets.

 

They're very often seems to be an uneasy balance and complete detachment between consumers chasing the cheapest prices,  demanding lower and lower costs at the Checkout against suppliers who are being absolutely stripped to the bone in terms of their raw materials, labour and own costs. Supermarkets by their size of buying power have suppliers over a barrel who have no option but to accept their demands for fear of losing their primary source of business.

 

Of course occasionally us consumers find out, campaigns are launched with usual token protest and slacktivism demanding fair treatments of farmers, higher wages for staff, banning of Far East sweatshop labour blah blah blah.... but it soon gets fizzled out and ignored because sooner or later the price wars start again with us consumers reverting to type, not really giving a toss and simply demanding cheap cheap cheap.

 

Can't have it both ways. Cheap prices on the shop shelf are only possible by cheap supply or manufacturing process. If we want a fair deal for our farmers... if we want no sweatshop operations in emerging countries... if we want all these demands for higher wages....  if we want British made goods and higher quality WE have to be prepared to pay for it.

 

We screamed about how our economy, workforce and high streets are being destroyed by the corporate "greed" and "obscene" profiteering from online corporations yet at the same time we flock to the convenience, prices and range offered on things like Amazon or eBay. We post our tweets and hashtags showing solidarity to all these striking workforces on our transportation demanding they have a fair rate of pay yet at the same time recoil in horror whenever ticket prices increase...... well, does nobody think that one might have any effect on the other?

 

We are just as much a part of the problem as anyone else. Whether we like it or not, businesses are there to make money. That's it.  They're not charities obligated to absorb any demands the workforce put on them. If supply or labour costs go up, so does the end product. Simple as that.  Given that most of us are also heavily invested in UK PLC through our pensions, or savings or Investments or basic employment longevity, we want companies to be making profits.  We won't continual growth. It certainly wouldn't be in our favour to go the other way.  We have all seen the catastrophic results when that happens.

 

We can all demand a fair days pay for a fair days work but that has to be paid for by a fair and representative price on the shelf.

 

We all love picking up our £3 t-shirts and bragging on Instagram about our clothing hauls from certain well-known discount stores.  Prices like that are easy to achieve when you are paying the poor sod manufacturering it 13p an hour in Bangladesh. Just think about what causative effect might happen if all those same garments suddenly returned to being manufactured by someone in Leicester or Halifax on £10 or £12 an hour.  Do we think places like Primarni would retain its populist status with all the girls and boys going in changing their wardrobe every 5 seconds.

Edited June 12, 2022 by ECCOnoob

[Anna B]

What does it cost to have milk delivered by the milkman these days? 

Anybody know?

9 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

Depends if there is an argument on whether ASDA treat its suppliers and dairy farmers better than other supermarkets.

 

They're very often seems to be an uneasy balance and complete detachment between consumers chasing the cheapest prices,  demanding lower and lower costs at the Checkout against suppliers who are being absolutely stripped to the bone in terms of their raw materials, labour and own costs. Supermarkets by their size of buying power have suppliers over a barrel who have no option but to  to accept their demands for fear of loosing their primary source of business.

 

Of course every now and us consumers find out, campaigns are launched with usual token protest and slacktivism demanding fair treatments of farmers, higher wages for staff, banning of Far East sweatshop labour blah blah blah.... but it soon gets fizzled out and ignored because sooner or later the price wars start again with us consumers  reverting to type, not really giving a toss and simply demanding cheap cheap cheap.

 

Can't have it both ways. Cheap prices on the shop shelf are only possible by cheap supply or manufacturing process. If we want a fair deal for our farmers... if we want no sweatshop operations in emerging countries... if we want all these demands for higher wages....  if we want British made goods and higher quality WE have to be prepared to pay for it.

 

We screamed about how our economy, workforce and high streets are being destroyed by the corporate Greed and obscene profiteering from online corporations yet at the same time we flock to the convenience comma prices and range offered on things like Amazon or eBay.

 

We are just as much a part of the problem as anyone else.

You have a point.

But we (all) have to be able to afford it too. Chicken and egg situation. 

I thought you would be in favour of 'market forces.' I think most people just want fair prices.

[ECCOnoob]

14 minutes ago, Anna B said:

What does it cost to have milk delivered by the milkman these days? 

Anybody know?

I am not aware of many left Anna.   I think there are a couple of private companies still offering to places like office blocks or industrial parks for schools but most of the milk delivery service has expanded into wider groceries now.

 

Most people I know just include milk as part of their regular grocery delivery each week from the supermarket.  My supermarket has it around 65p a pint. I doubt  a 'proper milkman' would be able to offer anything around that price for home delivery of just milk alone.

Edited June 12, 2022 by ECCOnoob

[Zinger549]

39 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

I am not aware of many left Anna.   I think there are a couple of private companies still offering to places like office blocks or industrial parks for schools but most of the milk delivery service has expanded into wider groceries now.

 

Most people I know just include milk as part of their regular grocery delivery each week from the supermarket.  My supermarket has it around 65p a pint. I doubt  a 'proper milkman' would be able to offer anything around that price for home delivery of just milk alone.

I think our milkman charges around 80-90p per pint. It's a local company but they have good customer base.  During the lockdown he got a lot of new customers which have stayed on.  It seems people are happy to pay a bit more for the convenience and to support the local milkman. They deliver other stuff too bread, juice, eggs, cheese, yogurt and  some garden stuff like compost. It's nice waking up and having fresh milk on your doorstep.

[fools]

Some of the prices and supermarkets quoted in this thread suggest people aren't shopping around, aren't buying in bulk, or are buying branded products.

 

£1.35 for 4 pints of semi-skimmed seems to be the current price-matched default price, (that's the price on the asda website too). It hasn't been 99p for a long time (nor should it be, milk is good value). There's no point going for price matched milk, if everything else is more expensive.

 

If you're buying one pint at a time, or 4 toilet rolls at a time, it's obviously more expensive. Anything over 33p for a bog roll is overpaying - own brand are often better than heavily marketed premium brands. (There's probably some shrinkflation going on to maintain that price point)

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by fools

[ukdobby]

2 hours ago, ECCOnoob said:

I don't know where you're looking. 

 

Firstly I have never seen any multi loo roll packs for less than £1.    But even if they were 80p  they are still selling a 4 packs of loo roll from £1.75 certainly not £3.20.

 

Perhaps you need to start looking the shelf below and going for a home brand rather than big label.

 

After all, It's not quite like a Gucci handbag or Chanel suit. I don't think someone is really that bothered what "brand" gets seen flushed down the pan. I hardly think the neighbours are going to be judging.  

Whether it's quilted or sandpaper the point is it's gone up 33% in a few months.

[Baron99]

Local, independent, family run convenience store I can buy 36 toilet roles for £7.20.   It might not be quilted but its not like Izal toilet roll either.   No brand name on the clear polythene can you covering. 

 

At the end of the day, it does the job it's designed for. 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Baron99

[Zinger549]

59 minutes ago, LovePotion said:

I really don't like ASDA. The customer service is poor, the supermarkets are grim in comparison to Tesco and the staff can be rude. Since the new owners took over ASDA, the prices have crept up, and ASDA used to be one of the cheaper of the mainstream supermarkets. That smelly old conservatory/cafe at Handsworth is grim too. 

 

PS has anyone noticed how some supermarkets have stopped doing regular cooking oil? Ocado no longer stock Flora, which was priced at £1.60. Now I have to buy extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil at £7-£9. I do a lot of cooking and can get through a bottle in a week. The 1cal sprays are rubbish, it disintegrates to nothing in the pan and the food burns.

Can't you use sunflower or vegetable oil.

[Guest sibon]

28 minutes ago, LovePotion said:

They don't have any sadly. You're not even supposed to fry in olive oil, it burns and goes bitter.

Does it?

 

The aromatic compounds tend to evaporate, but olive oil is fine for frying in. 
 

Maybe you have a thermonuclear hob.

[Anna B]

4 hours ago, Zinger549 said:

I think our milkman charges around 80-90p per pint. It's a local company but they have good customer base.  During the lockdown he got a lot of new customers which have stayed on.  It seems people are happy to pay a bit more for the convenience and to support the local milkman. They deliver other stuff too bread, juice, eggs, cheese, yogurt and  some garden stuff like compost. It's nice waking up and having fresh milk on your doorstep.

Thanks for that. I'm asking for an elderly friend actually. She lives alone, and it would be reassuring if someone called round every day.

Edited June 12, 2022 by Anna B