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AIBU?

To think that Sainsbury's Basics Blueberries shouldn't be...

69 replies

itisnotmereallyohnonotatall · 20/09/2013 12:53

...more per kilo than standard ones? The Basics ones are £1.50 for 125g. The standard ones are £2 for 250g. Confused

I've always found Sainsbury's to be ever so slightly more ethical than some supermarkets so this has flummoxed me!

And yes, I do have other things to worry about... Wink

OP posts:
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Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 20/09/2013 12:55

Yanbu. Supermarkets are terrible for this kind of thing. It's wrong.

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alwaysontop · 20/09/2013 12:55

Ooh I never noticed and I buy them all the time!! YANBU!

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LazyMonkeyButler · 20/09/2013 12:56

Are the standard ones on an offer? That can sometimes account for things like this. Otherwise it does seem wrong.

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Beastofburden · 20/09/2013 12:59

Thats what shops do all the time. Poorer people pay more, because the ticket price is less but they get much less for it.

Makes me cross. I know they are businesses, but they are trusted to operate a near-monopoly on our food so they do have some responsibility here. I'd complain to Sainsburys.

Though shame it has to be that basic middle-class human need, the blueberry Grin

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Watto1 · 20/09/2013 13:00

I've noticed that as well. Same often applies to their grapes too. You have to be on the ball!

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itisnotmereallyohnonotatall · 20/09/2013 13:01

Lazy Not on offer.

Beast I know, I know. It sounds so MC to complain about the price of blueberries for the great unwashed Wink However, my morning weetabix is just not right without them!

TBH I was thinking about complaining but I was a bit worried that I was overreacting!

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timidviper · 20/09/2013 13:05

This sort of thing drives me mad!

Even worse is when you try to compare the value and one of them has the price per 100g, another has price per berry and a third has the price in volume or something totally inappropriate for the item.

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wineoclocktimeyet · 20/09/2013 13:05

I thought you were going t say mouldy! I don't know whether I'm the only person to buy blueberries at our local store, but twice in the last couple of weeks I've had mouldy ones (and they were easily in date).

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Beastofburden · 20/09/2013 13:05

They will tell you, of course, that smaller packets of things always cost more, as there is more spent on packaging, handling items, etc. Which is true. And the great unwashed can always buy the bigger size if they see it and have to sikills to do the maths.

If you buy on Ocado online, it flashes up a warning on checkout if there is a bigger size of something cheaper per kilo, and offers a switch. I suppose Sainsbury's could put all the blueberries together and make the £/kg label bigger so people see easily that they are paying over the odds for a smaller quantity.

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itisnotmereallyohnonotatall · 20/09/2013 13:10

I think most of the online things do that Burden. And yes, they could do all that, but I'm guessing that most people who are on a tight budget simply assume that the basics version is going to be cheaper and better value. But it ain't necessarily so...

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tallwivglasses · 20/09/2013 13:17

The great unwashed may be maths geniuses but that doesn't mean they've got an extra quid in their purse.

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Beastofburden · 20/09/2013 13:23

I think that branding of Basics is cynical. We dont expect them to be top of the range but we do think they will be no-frills, best value. And then they are not.

Though small packets of stuff will always cost more.

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QuintessentialShadows · 20/09/2013 13:23

Well, it makes sense.
Say you have 50L of blueberries to spread out into boxes. If the boxes are smaller and fit less blueberries, you need more boxes for the entire amount. So the cost of the boxes will be added to the cost of the 50L of berries. The same principle applies to even larger quantities of berries.

50L can hypothecially be spread into 100 125 g boxes, or 50 250g boxes, or 25 500g boxes.

When Sainsbury is responding to the consumer asking for cheaper blueberries, they offer cheaper blueberries. In smaller boxes because they need to keep their profit margins. The consumer ends up paying more per gram, but less for the box.

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burberryqueen · 20/09/2013 13:25

all the supermarkets do this

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diddl · 20/09/2013 13:27

Do UK supermarkets also show price per kg?

They do here (Germany).

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Scholes34 · 20/09/2013 13:28

I'm always amazed at the amount of time I spend in a supermarket weighing up the cost per 100g of certain basic items, with the price fluctuating depending on how it's packaged. For instance, there's a big difference in the price of unsalted cashews in Tesco depending on whether it's for snacking, from the wholefood section or the Indian section. That's why I like Aldi - it's one choice per item, take it or leave it.

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DIYapprentice · 20/09/2013 13:28

Not sure what's going on there - I looked at their blueberries when I went shopping the other day and the basic ones were definitely less per kilo than the standard ones.

I ended up buying the frozen ones because they were much less than even that.

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QuintessentialShadows · 20/09/2013 13:28

Diddle they do.

I always look at the price per gram before I buy. I even look at price per sheet of toilet per roll, before I buy. Hmm

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DIYapprentice · 20/09/2013 13:28

Oh and that was in Sainsburies

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 20/09/2013 13:29

On the information ticket they have the £ / 100g so you can work it out ?

I bought Blueberries £2 for 150g from Sainburys ( use by date 10th Sept but still okay in my fridge)

So the ones you saw at £2/250g must be a special price?

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QuintessentialShadows · 20/09/2013 13:29

Walnuts and almonds in the baking section are much cheaper than in the snack section. But, if the walnuts are perfectly shaped, and in a box, the price sky rockets!

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WillSingForCake · 20/09/2013 13:32

I just bought the standard ones and they're £2 for 150g, not 250g.

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Snoopingforsoup · 20/09/2013 13:33

Sainers are terrible for this.

Buy a bagged up bunch of bananas for twice the price of the loose. And they really care about those plastic bags.

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whogrewoutoftheterribletwos · 20/09/2013 14:56

You've got to check the £/kg. But I'm still Shock that blueberries are 'basic' or 'essential' now. Always considered it a luxury fruit.

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doublethelovedoublethekisses · 20/09/2013 15:02

The £2 punnet is 150g not 250 grams. Just checked their website and the only ones that are cheaper per kilo are the large 400g punnet.

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