Most consumers are striving to minimise expenses, including economising at the grocery store. However, many overlook a straightforward strategy for discovering the lowest prices – looking on the bottom shelf.
Food budget specialist Lorna Cooper previously highlighted this tactic, noting that shoppers often concentrate too much on items displayed at eye level or included in promotions, thereby missing the cheapest products located lower down.
She revealed that followers of her Facebook page ‘Feed your family for about £20 a week’ frequently question where she has found such inexpensive items – it’s simply because they’re not searching in the right spots.
Parents Editor Emma Gill, from Manchester Evening News, decided to apply this ‘down low’ rule during a substantial Tesco shop this week to gauge the potential savings compared to big-brand products positioned at eye level.
She shared: “I was surprised by just how many shelves were laid out in this way and for a lot of people, especially those in a rush or shopping with children and getting distracted, it would be easy to miss the cheaper items. There’s obviously a quality difference between some of the products – and not everyone is as happy to buy the own brand or budget goods – but with the cost of living crisis still hitting hard, a lot of shoppers are having to make different choices, or are at least willing to give cheaper products a try.”
The price disparities are staggering in some cases. For instance, a 1kg pack of Tesco’s long grain rice is priced at £1.25, while its more affordable Grower’s Harvest brand costs just 52p for an equivalent-sized pack.
A litre of Tesco orange or apple juice from the shelf is £1.25, whereas the Grower’s Harvest brand, located on the bottom shelf, is only 85p. Prominent brand curry sauces exceed £2, or £1.50 with the eye-catching Clubcard offer, yet its less expensive alternatives are situated on the bottom shelf for a mere 99p – and they’re quite delicious too.
A similar pattern was observed with soup, where Heinz tins were priced at £2 each, or three for £4, but Tesco’s own brand, found on the bottom shelf, was only £1.10. While the ‘low shelf, low price’ rule primarily applied to tinned and cupboard items, it was also evident in some refrigerated sections.
An eight-pack of Richmond sausages was priced at £2.60 at eye level, with the Tesco version costing £1.79 positioned lower down; mature cheddar was £3 for 400g, with the cheaper £2.49 Creamfields blocks on the bottom shelf; and its more affordable Willow Farms chicken breasts, priced at £6.49 a kg and matched to Aldi’s prices, were also on the bottom shelf.
However, it’s still worth keeping your eyes peeled elsewhere. The top shelf featured a Clubcard offer on chicken breasts, which was even cheaper at £5.79 a kg.
While the results were mixed for loaves, the ‘low down’ rule seemed to apply to other bakery items. For instance, Tesco’s eight-pack of tortilla wraps cost £1.20, compared to a six-pack of Mission Deli branded ones priced at £1.60.
Similarly, Tesco’s eight-pack of chocolate brioche rolls was available for £1.60 on the bottom shelf, while a six-pack of Pitch ones was priced higher at £1.75. With eggs, it was clear that shoppers had discovered where to find the best deals, as the entire bottom shelf housing the 15-pack of mixed-weight eggs for £1.99 was completely sold out.
In the freezer section, branded and non-branded products were placed side by side. However, it was easy to be swayed by Clubcard offers, such as McCain Skin on Fries costing £3 for 800g when right next to it was a 900g bag of Tesco’s own brand for just £2.50.
The same was true for the £4 Clubcard offer for 38 Birds Eye chicken dippers (50% chicken breast), whereas Tesco’s pack (53 percent chicken) contained 44 dippers and was only £3.45.
Emma noted: “The swaps I made meant an overall saving of more than £20, so it’s not small change.”
Budgeting expert Lorna shared her advice: “I know I have mentioned supermarket psychology before but I wanted to mention it again. Often when I put the prices of items I buy on here people immediately say ‘where do you buy that so cheap? We don’t get.
“This is a my local Tesco which is fairly small but the cheaper ranges are still available. But they are out of eye level. Hidden low down on the shelf out the way where, unless you are specifically looking for them, you are unlikely to notice them. Check the whole shelf!”.
Manchester Evening News approached Tesco to ask about the cheaper lower-shelf products, and a spokesperson said: “We offer a wide range of products in our stores, with a variety of branded and own-brand products to suit customers’ needs. Thanks to our combination of Aldi Price Match, Low Everyday Prices, and Clubcard Prices, shoppers can be sure they will get great value at Tesco however they decide to shop.”
Bottom shelf wins (Tesco or main brand product / budget bottom shelf / saving)
McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes 220g £2 / Tesco Jaffa Cakes 282g £1.35 / 65p
Tesco shelf orange or apple juice £1.25 / Grower’s Harvest shelf orange or apple juice 85p / 40p
Tesco fridge orange juice £2 / Grower’s Harvest fridge orange juice £1.19 / 81p
Tesco fridge apple juice £2 / Grower’s Harvest fridge apple juice 99p / £1.01
Cadbury Brunch bars £1.35 / Tesco Raisin Munch Bars £1.15 / 20p
Heinz Beanz and Sausages £2 / Tesco Beans and Sausages 56p / £1.44
Heinz Ravioli £2 / Tesco Beef Ravioli £1 / £1
Heinz Big Soup £2 / Tesco Chunky Soup £1.10 / 90p
Tesco Tuna Chunks 72p / Stockwell Tuna Chunks 55p / 17p
Ambrosia Custard £1.60 / Tesco Custard £1 / 60p
KP Dry Roasted Peanuts 250g £3.25 / Tesco Dry Roasted Peanuts 200g £1.20 / £2.05
McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives 266g £1.30 Clubcard / Ms Molly’s Chocolate Digestives 300g 65p / 65p
Tesco Long Grain Rice £1.25 / Grower’s Harvest Long Grain Rice 52p / 73p
Patak’s Naans £1.50 Clubcard / Tesco Naans 80p / 70p
Patak’s curry sauce £1.50 Clubcard / Tesco curry sauce 99p / 51p
Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise 430ml £2 Clubcard / Tesco Light Mayonnaise 450ml 86p / £1.14
Sarsons Malt Vinegar 250ml £1.15 / Tesco Malt Vinegar 568ml 35p / 80p
Richmond sausages £2.60 / Tesco sausages £1.79 / 81p
Mature cheddar £3 / Creamfields Mature Cheddar £2.49 / 51p
Country Life Salted Butter £2.75 / Tesco Salted Butter £1.79 / 96p
Sun-Pat Peanut Butter 300g £2.25 Clubcard / Tesco Peanut Butter 340g £1.09 / £1.16
Mission Deli Tortilla Wraps six-pack £1.60 / Tesco’s eight-pack £1.20 / 40p
Pitch Brioche Rolls six-pack £1.75 / Tesco’s eight-pack of chocolate brioche rolls £1.60 / 15p
St Pierre Brioche Burger Buns £2.50 / Tesco Brioche Burger Buns 99p / £1.51
Fairy Washing Up Liquid 320ml £1 / Tesco Washing Up Liquid 500ml 69p / 31p
Doritos 180g £1.75 Clubcard / Tesco Tortilla Chips 200g £1.10 / 65p
Total bottom shelf savings = £20.22
