We put supermarkets’ major and mini stores to the test on price – here’s how you can save a fortune

HOW much more do you pay for convenience?

A Which survey found the cheapest own-brand basics available in just one per cent of chain’s smaller stores such as Tesco Express.

Mum-of-two Alex Lloyd headed to small and larger versions of four retailers in York to see what she could save on a 15-item shop, by buying the cheapest available at each one.

Here’s how prices compare . . . 

Tesco Express

• Tesco Gold Instant Coffee (200g) £3.40
• Tesco Original Tea, 80 bags £1.20
• Dove Cream Bar Soap (2 x 90g) £1.65
• Colgate Triple Action Toothpaste (75ml) £1.15
• Birds Eye Cod 10 Fish Fingers (280g) £3.60
• Tesco Garden Peas (1.2kg) £1.65
• Hartley’s Strawberry Jam (300g) £1.85
• Tesco Smooth Orange Juice (1l) £1.25
• Jacobs Cream Crackers (300g) £1.95
• Tesco Bolognese Sauce (500g) £1.10
• Tesco Scottish Oats (1kg) £1.45
• Tesco Spaghetti (500g) 85p
• Tesco Baked Beans (400g) – 55p
• Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup (400g) – £1.90
• Princes Tuna Steak in Sunflower Oil (110g) - £2.30
• TOTAL: £25.85

Tesco Extra

• Stockwell & Co Instant Coffee (100g) 99p – £2.41 cheaper. Half the size but two jars still £1.42 cheaper.
• Stockwell 80 Tea Bags 79p – 41p cheaper.
• Tesco Essentials Soap (125g bar) 35p – £1.30 cheaper. Two bars still 95p cheaper.
• Tesco Essentials Cavity Protection Toothpaste (100ml) 50p – 65p cheaper and bigger.
• Hearty Food Co 10 Fish Fingers (250g) 80p – £2.80 cheaper.
• Grower’s Harvest Garden Peas (900g) 78p – 87p cheaper. Packet 75 per cent of the size but better value per gram.
• Stockwell & Co Strawberry Jam (454g) 39p – £1.46 cheaper and bigger.
• Grower’s Harvest Orange Juice Smooth (1l) 69p – 56p cheaper.
• Tesco Cream Crackers (300g) 52p – £1.43 cheaper.
• Hearty Food Co Tomato & Herb Pasta Sauce (440g) 47p – 63p cheaper.
• Grower’s Harvest Porridge Oats (1kg) 90p – 55p cheaper.
• Hearty Food Co Spaghetti (500g) 28p – 57p cheaper.
• Stockwell & Co Baked Beans (420g) – 28p – 27p cheaper.
• Stockwell & Co Tomato Soup (400g) 67p – £1.23 cheaper
• Stockwell & Co Tuna Chunks in Brine (145g) 55p – £1.75 cheaper
• TOTAL: £8.96

SAVE: £16.89

Sainsbury's Local

• Gold Roast Freeze Dried Instant Coffee by Sainsbury’s (200g) £3.60
• Red Label Tea by Sainsbury’s 80 bags £1.20
• Dove Cream Bar Soap (2 x 90g) £1.65
• Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection Toothpaste (75ml) £1.50
• Birds Eye 10 Cod Fish Fingers (280g) £4.50
• Garden Peas by Sainsbury’s (910g) £1.60
• Hartley’s Strawberry Jam (300g) £1.65
• Dolmio Bolognese Original Sauce (500g) £1.75 (on sale, usually £2.75)
• Smooth Orange Juice by Sainsbury’s (1l) £1.20
• Jacob’s Cream Crackers (200g) £1.40
• Porridge Oats by Sainsbury’s (1kg) £1.40
• Spaghetti by Sainsbury’s (500g) £1.10
• Baked Beans by Sainsbury’s (400g) 55p
• Cream of Tomato Soup by Sainsbury’s (400g) 90p
• Tuna Steak with Spring Water by Sainsbury’s (145g) £1.20
• TOTAL: £25.20

Sainsbury's

• Hubbard’s Foodstore Instant Coffee (200g) £1.99 – £1.61 cheaper.
• Stamford Street Co Tea Bags 160 £1.59 – 39p more but twice as many.
• Sainsbury’s The Collection 4 Lemon Soap Bars £1.35 – 30p cheaper and twice as many.
• Toothpaste by Sainsbury’s (100ml) 50p – £1 cheaper and bigger.
• Stamford Street Co 10 Breaded Cod Fish Fingers 80p – £3.70 cheaper.
• Stamford Street Co Garden Peas 850g 80p – 70p cheaper but slightly smaller.
• Hubbard’s Foodstore Strawberry Jam (454g) 39p – £1.26 cheaper and bigger.
• Stamford Street Orange Juice (1l) 89p – 31p cheaper.
• Cream Crackers by Sainsbury’s (300g) 55p – 85p cheaper and 50 per cent bigger.
• Hubbard’s Foodstore Pasta Sauce (440g) 50p – £1.25 cheaper but slightly smaller.
• Stamford Street Porridge Oats (1kg) 90p – 50p cheaper.
• Hubbard’s Foodstore Spaghetti (1kg) 56p – 54p cheaper and twice the size.
• Hubbard’s Foodstore Baked Beans (400g) 27p – 28p cheaper.
• Cream of Tomato Soup by Sainsbury’s (400g) 75p – 15p cheaper but identical product.
• Tuna Steak in Spring Water by Sainsbury’s (145g) 79p – 86p cheaper but identical product
• TOTAL: £12.63

SAVE: £12.57

Morrisons Daily

• Morrisons Full Roast Instant Coffee (100g) £2.20
• Morrisons Everyday Tea 80 Bags £1.50
• Palmolive Naturals Bar Soap (3 x 90g) £1.55
• Colgate Triple Action Toothpaste (75ml) £1.25
• Morrisons Haddock 10 Fish Fingers £2.19
• Birds Eye Garden Peas (1.2kg) £3.10
• Morrisons Strawberry Jam (420g) £1.35
• Morrisons Savers Orange Juice (1l) 85p
• Jacob’s Cream Crackers (300g) £1.85
• Morrisons Tomato & Vegetable Pasta Sauce (500g) £1.25
• Morrisons Porridge Oats (1kg) £1.45
• Morrisons Spaghetti (500g) £1.05
• Morrisons Baked Beans (410g) 65p
• Morrisons Savers Tomato Soup (400g) 55p
• Morrisons Tuna Chunks in Spring Water (145g) £1.20
• TOTAL: £21.99

Morrisons

• Morrisons Savers Instant Coffee (100g) 99p – £1.21 cheaper.
• Morrisons Savers 80 Teabags 74p – 76p cheaper.
• Cussons Mild Cream Soap (4 x 85g) £1.15 – 40p cheaper and one extra bar.
• Morrisons Gum Health Toothpaste (100ml) £1 – 25p cheaper and bigger.
• Morrisons Savers 10 Fish Fingers 80p – £1.39 cheaper.
• Morrisons Garden Peas (1kg) £1.09 – £2.01 cheaper.
• Morrisons Savers Strawberry Jam (420g) 36p – 99p cheaper.
• Morrisons Savers Orange Juice (1l) 85p – identical product and price.
• Morrisons Cream Crackers (300g) 55p – £1.30 cheaper
• Morrisons Savers Pasta Sauce (440g) 47p – 78p cheaper but slightly smaller.
• Morrisons Savers Porridge Oats (1kg) 90p – 55p cheaper.
• Morrisons Savers Spaghetti (500g) 28p – 77p cheaper.
• Morrisons Savers Baked Beans (410g) 27p – 38p cheaper.
• Morrisons Savers Tomato Soup (400g) 55p – identical product and price.
• Morrisons Savers Tuna Chunks in Brine (145g) 55p – 65p cheaper.
• TOTAL: £10.55

SAVE: £11.44

Co-op cornershop

• Co-op Fairtrade Gold Roast Instant Coffee (100g) £3
• Co-op Fairtrade 99 Blend 80 Tea Bags £1.20
• Colgate Maximum Toothpaste (75ml) £1.80
• Dove Cream Bar Soap (2 x 90g) £1.75
• Birds Eye 10 Cod Fish Fingers £4.10
• Co-op British Garden Peas (X) £1.10
• Co-op Fruity Strawberry Jam (420g) £1.50
• Co-op Pure Orange Juice (1l) £1.30
• Jacob’s Cream Crackers (300g) £2.10
• Co-op Italian Menu Tomato & Garlic Pasta Sauce (500g) £1.30
• Co-op Irresistible Scottish Jumbo Rolled Porridge Oats (750g) £1.90
• Co-op Spaghetti (500g) 90p
• Co-op Baked Beans (400g) 55p
• Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup (400g) £1.90
• Co-op Tuna Chunks in Spring Water (145g) £1.20
• TOTAL: £25.60

Co-op mid-size store

• Co-op Honest Value Fairtrade Instant Coffee (100g) £1.10 – £1.90 cheaper.
• Co-op Honest Value Fairtrade 80 Tea Bags 80p – 40p cheaper.
• Colgate Triple Action Toothpaste (75ml) £1.15 – 65p cheaper.
• Co-op Bath Care Soap (2 x 100g) £1.25 – 50p cheaper.
• Co-op 10 Omega 3 Fish Fingers £1.85 – £2.25 cheaper.
• Co-op Honest Value Garden Peas (X) 61p – 49p cheaper.
• Co-op Fruity Strawberry Jam (420g) £1.50 – identical product and price.
• Co-op Pure Orange Juice (1l) £1.30 – identical product and price.
• Co-op Cream Crackers (300g) 60p – £1.50 cheaper.
• Co-op Honest Value Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce (440g) 85p – 45p cheaper but smaller.
• Co-op Honest Value Porridge Oats (1kg) 95p – 95p cheaper.
• Co-op Honest Value Spaghetti (500g) 47p – 43p cheaper
• Co-op Honest Value Baked Beans (400g) 30p – 25p cheaper.
• Co-op Cream of Tomato Soup (400g) 95p – 95p cheaper.
• Co-op Honest Value Tuna Flakes in Brine (145g) 75p – 45p cheaper.
• TOTAL £14.43

SAVE: £11.17

Alex's supermarket verdict

I HATE going round big supermarkets, especially with the kids in tow, so we tend to shop at our Sainsbury’s Local.

I’d never have imagined there could be such a big price difference between two branches of the same store – but the receipts speak for themselves.

Tesco had by far the biggest price gap between the two, as well as managing to be both the most expensive and the cheapest overall.

I also noticed some identical own-brand products were cheaper at the superstore as they were part of an Aldi price-matching offer.

There was a similar issue with Sainsbury’s, which hides its budget range behind brand names Stamford Street Co and Hubbard’s Foodstore.

Tesco doe the same, its versions are Stockwell & Co, Grower’s Harvest and Hearty Food Co, but you’d struggle to find any of these in smaller shops.

Morrisons Daily was the cheapest express option overall, with quite a number of its Savers products in stock and the own-brand items identically priced in both locations.

Co-op had the smallest gap in price between two identical baskets, but its convenience store was the most expensive of the four of that size.

I didn’t see any of its Honest Value range in the branch either.