Asda has managed to hold onto its long-reigning title as the UK's cheapest online supermarket for October, beating the most expensive option by over £25.
New monthly research has found that the Big Four Grocer is still offering online shoppers the most affordable prices for the weekly online grocery shop amidst the soaring cost of living crisis.
Based on a basket of 42 everyday items, the supermarket giant was not only found to be the cheapest overall at £120.08, but its basket total had actually decreased by 38p, despite food prices rising to their highest levels, reported the price-tracking website Alertr.
Read on for a breakdown of all the supermarkets' costs.
Alertr has been monitoring the price increases and decreases across six major supermarket chains, including Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Ocado.
Lidl and Aldi were not included as they do not currently include a full online shop.
Both Tesco and Morrisons moved up the leaderboard this month as they came in second and third with a basket total that came to £129.34 and £131.26 respectively, but neither supermarkets' basket total saw an average price increase in the second half of the month.
Sainsbury's slid to fourth place this month with a basket total of £131.33, which was £5.45 more expensive than last month's findings.
Ocado's one-month long reign as the most expensive option was ended after its basket total for this month was found to be £134 - which was an 81p decrease from the previous month.
The findings found that Waitrose was this month's most expensive supermarket at £145.48, making it £11.48 more expensive than Ocado's - the greatest price difference recorded between the two in the past five months' price analysis.
Alertr's finds also found that half of this month's supermarket baskets had increased in price (Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose), while the rest saw a decrease (Asda, Morrisons and Ocado), despite food prices rising at the highest rate since 1980.
Looking into price changes across the board, the price of alcohol, including gin, vodka and prosecco, fluctuated throughout the month across all supermarkets except for Morrisons and Asda.
Gin and vodka at Ocado started the month at £13.50 and £14 respectively and then, for the last week of the month (when Halloween fell), increased to £16.
Likewise, prosecco at Sainsbury's cost £8 during the first week of October and then went up to £9.50 for the final week, and Waitrose increased theirs by 50p too.
Ice cream and Coca-Cola also increased towards the end of the month for some supermarkets, as parents shopped for the kids during October half term.
The price of a 2L Vanilla Soft Scoop Ice Cream at Tesco went up by 20p in the final week of October, while Sainsbury's doubled the price of theirs from £1.80 to £3.60.
Additionally, the price of a 2L bottle of Coca-Cola Zero at both supermarkets increased by 20p (from £1.77 to £1.99 in Tesco) and 65p (from £1.75 to £2.40 in Asda) during the last two weeks of the month
Andy Barr, co-founder of www.alertr.co.uk, said: "For the weekly shop, as it currently stands, there’s still a stark difference between the top and bottom spots on the leaderboard of £25 this time around, which has increased significantly from last month by more than £10.
"Last month’s findings showed a clear division between the top and bottom halves of leaderboard – as those supermarkets who placed second, third and fourth bridged a greater price gap from one another."
He noted: However, this hasn’t been the case for October, where we’ve seen much less disparity across the rest of the board, especially between the runner up spot and fourth place – with a price difference of just £4.62.
"It’ll be interesting to see how the battle of the supermarkets will play out over the next few months – whether Asda will continue to reign supreme, with them almost £10 cheaper than the runner up, Tesco, in October."
The full breakdown of each supermarket's costs
- Asda – £120.08 (-38p compared to last month’s findings)
- Tesco – £129.34 (+£2.41)
- Morrisons – £131.26 (-£2.92)
- Sainsburys – £131.33 (+£5.45)
- Ocado – £134.00 (-81p)
- Waitrose – £145.48 (+£11.63)
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