Asda and Morrisons shoppers as ‘is this a joke’ as budget range prices hiked

Supermarket shoppers have been left asking ‘is this a joke?’ after Asda and Morrisons hiked the prices in their budget ranges.

Both retailers have increased the cost of a basic shopping essentials, according to analysis by our sister title the M.E.N. Asda, owned by Blackburn’s Issa Brothers, has upped the price of tea bags while Morrisons has hiked the price of coffee.

Both ‘Big Four’ supermarket giants are well known for their budget brands with Asda’s bright yellow Just Essentials and Morrison’ Savers range. In a weekly price comparison of shopping basics, it’s items in those ranges that are the only ones to increase this week across all the main supermarkets.

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The move has not gone well down with shoppers, who say they feel like the price rises are never going to end. “Is this a joke?” said one, about the Just Essentials tea bags increasing for the second time in a matter of weeks.

In March a 40-pack was increased from 31p to 35p. Now it’s gone up again, this time to 38p. Meanwhile Morrisons’ Savers coffee has risen from 84p for 100g to 99p, an increase of almost 18%.

Another shopper said: “How can these supermarkets justify these endless price rises on the cheapest ranges? The price of those Asda tea bags makes them more expensive than any of the other stores.”

It’s Asda that remains as the most expensive in the M.E.N’s ongoing price comparison, with a new high of £13.35 for the eight items, which also include mince, chicken, beans, butter, a two-pint bottle of milk and a loaf of bread. Morrisons, which has dropped the price of bread slightly this week, is second most expensive, with a bill of £12.60.

And there’s no change in the rankings of the other stores, with Lidl remaining cheapest at £11.76, followed by Aldi at £11.97, Sainsbury’s at £12.17, followed by Tesco at £12.21. Aldi argues that its tea bags are a higher quality than Lidl’s ‘One Cup’, but the comparison has simply used the cheapest 160-box available, or, as in the case of Tesco and Asda, multiple smaller packs to make up that number.

An Asda spokesperson said: “The recent decreases in the price of Asda branded milk, bread, and butter show that we continue to work hard to bring value to our customers despite global inflationary pressures. This is also reflected in our regular Which? supermarket price comparison wins as well as the weekly Grocer 33 basket.”

A spokesperson for Morrisons said: “This is an unprecedented period of inflation and we are working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers while maintaining high standards and availability in all our stores.

“We remain committed to doing all we can to help when it comes to the cost of grocery shopping and this week announced our fourth wave of price cuts this year.

“Included in the cuts were our own brand Morrisons Gold Coffee (200g) which was £3.29 and is now £2.39 which is in addition to a number of branded coffee promotions also currently live online and in store.”

Have you been changing where you shop to find cheaper products? Have you noticed price rises slowing down? Let us know in the comments.

Here’s the full list:-

Lidl

Loaf of white bread 800g – 39p

Milk 2 pints – £1.25

Coffee 200g – £1.99

Teabags 160 – £1.19

Salted butter 250g – £1.89