How to spend less at the supermarket

1. Wise up to supermarkets' psychological tricks

Ever had to step around a special offer display before you're even in the shop? Anything that forces us to change direction makes us pay attention, as do signs that move or flash. 

The same applies to vertical displays or signs in the middle of an aisle: our eyes naturally scan from left to right, so breaking up that flow encourages us to stop and read an offer. 

When your attention is captured by a promotion, think about whether it's really something you need with a good discount or just clever marketing.

Supermarkets also tantalise your senses with the smell of freshly baked bread, beautiful floral displays in summer and festive songs at Christmas - all of which make shoppers feel more comfortable, and therefore more likely to spend.

• Find out more: which is the cheapest supermarket?

2. Avoid convenience stores

You probably know convenience stores cost more than full-sized supermarkets, but have you ever stopped to work out just how much pricier they are?

Which? research has found that, if you bought a trolley of 75 items a week at Tesco Express, it would cost you £817.91 more over the course of a year than if you'd shopped at a Tesco supermarket.

And the difference was £477.93 for a trolley of 69 groceries at Sainsbury's Local compared with Sainsbury's supermarkets.

So if you're able, do your shopping at supermarkets rather than convenience stores and you'll save hundreds of pounds.

• Find out more: the cost of convenience

3. Join loyalty schemes

Shoppers at Sainsbury's, Tesco, Co-op and other stores now pay significantly more for many of the same items if they aren't members of the stores' loyalty schemes, thanks to the rapidly growing trend of loyalty pricing.

Exclusive Clubcard and Nectar prices can mean big savings for those signed up to the schemes, so it's worth joining even if you only shop with stores rarely - provided you're comfortable with them collecting your data in return.

But bear in mind the discounts aren't always as good as they seem. We looked at Clubcard and Nectar Price offers in June 2023 and found that, over the previous six months, 29% of the products with member-only prices had been at their so-called ‘regular’ price for less than half that time.

Loyalty discounts also aren't much use if the shop's prices are higher than its competitors', so don't switch store or buy things you normally wouldn't just because the offers look impressive.

That said, most loyalty schemes (including Nectar and Clubcard) also let you earn points as you shop, which can later be turned into vouchers, so it's often still worth signing up if you're shopping there anyway.

• Find out more: loyalty cards compared

4. Write a list - and stick to it

Ever noticed that the basics are always at opposite ends of the store? Supermarkets do this to make sure you walk past every shelf, even when you're only there for a few essentials. 

Find out where the things you need are and head straight for them. It's easy in your local supermarket, but more difficult when you're somewhere unfamiliar. In most stores, dairy products and bread are at the back, fruit and vegetables at the front, and drinks and frozen items at the far end. 

Some stores like to move their produce around though. If you're often tempted by things you hadn't meant to buy, try shopping online where it can be easier to stick to a list. 

And never shop when you're hungry.

• Find out more: best and worst supermarkets

5. Try frozen food

Which? research has found that fresh food is usually more expensive than frozen - sometimes costing twice as much - and frozen fruit and veg are also likely to be more nutritious than their fresh counterparts. 

With prices as high as they are right now, it's worth exploring the freezer aisle next time you're at the supermarket as you could make some decent savings.

• Find out more: fresh vs frozen grocery prices

6. Know which items you should never pay full price for

We checked over 1 million prices in our biggest-ever pricing investigation and found that grocery prices can fluctuate by as much as 284% from week to week. 

We also discovered one supermarket that's almost always cheapest for branded groceries, as well as another where you’ll pay almost four times the amount for the same product on some days than others.

So-called 'yo-yo' pricing means - provided you have space and will actually eat the products - it's worth stocking up when items you buy regularly are discounted, so you don't have to buy them when they're full price.

• Find out more: the groceries you should never pay full price for

7. Get your calculator out

Unit pricing - the price per 100g or 100ml, for example - should allow you to easily compare different products and offers at a glance.

However, Which? has repeatedly found unit pricing to be inconsistent and sometimes not in use at all, for example on Tesco's Clubcard prices - making it much harder to work out which is the cheapest product.

We've reported Tesco to the CMA for this, and Tesco has said it will introduce unit pricing to its offers (though a date for this hadn't been confirmed at time of writing). 

In the meantime, it's worth using a calculator if the labels let you down, as our research has revealed that you could pay up to 346% more depending on which size of the same product you opt for.

• Find out more: join our Affordable Food for All campaign

8. Search different aisles – and look up and down

Bizarrely, some types of product, including rice, sauces and baking ingredients, can be found in multiple aisles at different prices. 

You might, for example, find rice or chickpeas cheaper in the world foods aisle than in other parts of the shop. And if you're after sultanas or cashew nuts, check out the baking aisle as well as the dried fruit and nuts or snacking shelves.

Also, supermarkets often place less-profitable ranges high and low on the shelves, and the ones they want you to buy at eye level - so don't just pick up the first item you see as it's likely to be the priciest option.

9. Snap up 'yellow sticker' bargains

Food shops often have an area dedicated to yellow-stickered products (or red at Aldi). These tend to be discounted items that are nearing their best-before or use-by date. 

Here's what the supermarkets told us when we asked what time of day they tend to discount items:

• Aldi and M&S: likely to be near to the time the store closes. Aldi marks down perishable products by either 30% or 75% on their last day of shelf life, and gives a 30% discount on ambient groceries such as cereal, pasta and tinned food if it deems the packaging imperfect.
• Asda: usually done twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. 
• Lidl: tends to be done first thing and then a few hours before closing, but staff can opt to apply the yellow stickers throughout the day.

Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose told us there aren't specific times when they apply 'yellow sticker’ price cuts. 

10. Shift down a tier

Whether you move from buying a branded version of a product to a supermarket's own premium-label alternative, or from mid-range to value, there are savings to be had by moving down even just one tier of groceries. 

Which? regularly taste-tests everything from cornflakes to hot chocolate. The cheaper supermarket versions often win, and our tasters sometimes can't tell the difference – perhaps because branded and own-label products are often made by the same people in the same factories.

• Find out more: the own labels that beat the big brands

11. Shop around

You'll be well aware that some supermarkets are pricier than others - but the margin of difference can be quite amazing, with a comparable basket of items costing 22% more at Waitrose than at Aldi in July 2023.

Also, some supermarkets offer introductory discounts to new online customers, including Ocado with its £20 off a £60 shop. So it could be worth signing up to supermarkets' email lists so you can make use of these discounts when they emerge.

• Find out more: which is the cheapest supermarket this month?

12. Know the difference between use-by and best-before dates

Food with a use-by date must be consumed by midnight of its expiry date or it could be unsafe. But best-before dates are far more flexible and don't have the same safety issues. 

So if you find something in the cupboard that's past its best-before date, give it a sniff – if it smells and looks fine, it should be OK to eat.

• Find out more: which online supermarket delivers the freshest groceries?