It's the kind of place you nip in when you need some toiletries or cleaning stuff - or at least that's what it used to be. But budget shop Home Bargains has undergone something of a transformation in recent times, with more and more people using it to do their grocery shopping.
If you've been inside one of the big stores, like the one I visited at Middlebrook Retail and Leisure Park in Bolton this week, you'll know that many are home to large fridge and freezer sections, as well as shelves full of fresh fruit and vegetables.
If you haven't ventured over to them, then you might not know just what bargains are in store. Attempting to do a big shop, I got everything I went in for - and more. And some of the prices were ridiculous, ridiculously cheap that is.
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Like a massive 1.2kg bag of apples for just £1, a 250g punnet of strawberries for just £1 and a 2kg bag of white potatoes for 69p. It's probably one of the reasons behind Asda's recently launched price match with the retailer, a sure sign that it sees it as competition in some way.
Two dozen of the products we bought from Home Bargains were actually cheaper than Asda's prices - some of them massively so. A 900g pack of McCain crispy French fries, for instance, cost £1.69 at Home Bargains, compared with £2.50 at Asda.
Home Bargains' 1kg bag of Laila Basmati rice cost £1.49, compared with £2; and a Mr Kipling Battenberg cake was almost half the price at 99p, compared with £1.95. Even Asda's two for £3.50 offer wouldn't make them any cheaper than the Home Bargains price.
And it wasn't the only time where Asda's multibuys and 'roll back' promotions still proved more expensive. Home Bargains has deals and bulk buys of its own - like a two-pack of 888ml Fairy non-bio laundry gel for £7.49. Individually they're on offer at Asda for £4.50 each, a increase of £1.51 for the pair.
Among the other products that proved cheaper at Home Bargains were a three-pack of 200g Heinz Beanz, £1.39 compared with Asda's £1.50; HP Classic BBQ sauce 465g, £1.49 compared with £2.29; Soreen lunchbox loaves, 99p compared with £1.50 and an eight-pack of 500ml Highland sparkling waters for £2.19 compared with £2.70.
Of course there are still lots of products where Asda comes out on top for price and only last week we shared how it had come out cheaper than Aldi and Lidl for a £20 shop.
Its Smart Price range, which is in the process of changing over to a new Just Essentials range, helps keep the cost of many basics down - like its 500g pack of spaghetti for just 23p, compared with our 65p Home Bargains pack, and its 1.5kg bags of flour for just 55p, compared with £1.
As does its recently launched Dropped & Locked promotion, with the retailer reducing the price of more than 100 products and locking them in place until the end of the year.
Home Bargains is certainly setting its stall out to battle Asda and the other big supermarkets for our sought-after custom - and it's one we should all be welcoming if it means spending less on the things we all need.
A spokesperson for Home Bargains said: "We know that many people, our loyal customers included, are struggling with the current cost of living. We are doing everything we can to keep prices as low as possible, including absorbing price increases where we can.
"We will continue to work to help our customers through these challenging times."
A spokesperson for Asda said: "As the lowest priced major supermarket, we always provide our customers with low prices and great choice. Alongside 30,000 branded and own brand products, we recently announced that we would be matching the price of 100 health, beauty and household items with Home Bargains to ensure our customers don't need to shop around to find the best value."
Here's our full list of products from Home Bargains and below how some of the prices compare with Asda
- British white potatoes 2kg - 69p
- Yoghurts - four for £1
- Bananas - 99p
- Sliced corned beef 100g - £1
- Chicken breast 450g - £2.29
- Beef mince 5% fat 400g - £2.49
- Fajita kit - £1.59
- Strawberries 250g - £1
- Sweetbite peppers 150g - 99p
- Typhoo 300 teabags - £2.29
- Sharwood's butter chicken sauce 720g - £1.69
- Tuna flakes 2x160g 49p each - 98p
- Heinz Beanz 3x200g pack - £1.39
- Naan bread - 49p
- Spaghetti 500g - 65p
- Cucumber - 49p
- Plums (minimum 300g) - 69p
- Bird's Eye crispy chicken (2-pack) - £1.19
- McCain crispy French fries 900g - £1.69
- Country Life unsalted butter - £1.59
- Tex Mex trio - £1.29
- Chopped tomatoes with herbs 2x400g 45p each - 90p
- Mature cheddar - £1.85
- Medium eggs 15-pack - £1.89
- Mars ice creams 7-pack - £2.25
- Vimto 3ltr - £2.99
- Fairy fabric conditioner 52w - £2.99
- Sugar 1kg - 62p
- Carex shower gel - 99p
- Lattes 10x14g sachets - 79p
- Wafer thin roast ham 200g - £1.29
- Plain flour 1.5kg - £1
- Skimmed milk 2ltr - £1.29
- Rice savoury chicken microwave pack 2 x 250g - 98p
- Chocolate chip brioche rolls 8-pack - £1.05
- Laila Basmati rice 1kg - £1.49
- Twix 16-pack - £1.99
- Malt vinegar 568ml - 39p
- Pot Noodle 90g - 70p
- Little gem lettuce 2-pack - 65p
- Unsmoked bacon medallions 8 rashers 250g - £1.49
- HP Classic BBQ sauce 465g - £1.49
- Bicarbonate of soda 500g - 99p
- Utterly Butterly 1kg - £1.95
- Carex hand wash 500ml - £1.59
- Pears - 99p
- Anti-bac wipes pack of 80 - 75p
- Elvive conditioner 250ml - £1.99
- Elvive shampoo 250ml - £1.99
- Right Guard deodorant - £1.45
- Napolina pizza sauce 430g - £1.09
- Distilled white vinegar 568ml - 59p
- Roberts thick white bread 800g - 99p
- Soft and Gentle deodorant 250ml - £1.49
- Mr Kipling Battenberg 256g - 99p
- Walker's Baked salt and vinegar crisps - two for £2.50
- Garlic gold spread - 89p
- Soreen lunchbox loaves - 99p
- Sheldon's oven bottom muffins - 99p
- Garlic 4x 55/60mm - 59p
- Warburtons crumpets 9-pack - £1
- Highland sparkling water 8x500ml - £2.19
- Fairy all-in-one dishwasher tabs 16-pack - £1.99
- Flash kitchen spray 450ml - 99p
- Thick bleach 750ml - 49p
- Fairy non-bio laundry gel 2x888ml 48w - £7.49
- Colgate toothpaste 100ml - 99p
- Kitchen foil 15m - 99p
- Ambrosia custard pots 4x125g pots - £1.69
- Apples 1.2kg - £1
- Swing bin liners drawstring 15-pack - 99p
- Galaxy cake bars - 99p
- Sunny dried fruits 6x28g - 89p
- Cookie Crisp cereal 450g - £1.99
- Tunnocks Teacakes six-pack - 99p
- Paracetamol - 29p
- Toilet rolls 18-pack - £4.79
Total £108.41
Home Bargains v Asda (HB / Asda)
- Sliced corned beef 100g - £1 / 125g £2
- Strawberries 250g - £1 / 227g £1.19
- Heinz Beanz 3x200g pack - £1.39 / £1.50
- Bird's Eye crispy chicken (2-pack) - £1.19 / rollback £1.25
- McCain crispy French fries 900g - £1.69 / £2.50
- Mars ice creams 7-pack - £2.25 / offer 3 packs of four for £5
- Lattes 10x14g sachets - 79p / 8x17g 85p
- Chopped tomatoes with herbs 2x400g 45p each - 90p / 2x50p £1
- Laila Basmati rice 1kg - £1.49 / £2
- Little gem lettuce 2-pack - 65p / 75p
- HP Classic BBQ sauce 465g - £1.49 / £2.29
- Utterly Butterly 1kg - £1.95 / 1kg Clover (closest equivalent) £2.50
- Carex hand wash 500ml - £1.59 / 250ml £1
- Roberts thick white bread 800g - 99p / £1.20
- Soft and Gentle deodorant 250ml - £1.49 / £1.70
- Mr Kipling Battenberg 256g - 99p / £1.95
- Soreen lunchbox loaves - 99p / £1.50
- Sheldon's oven bottom muffins - 99p / £1.20
- Warburtons crumpets 9-pack - £1 / £1.10
- Highland sparkling water 8x500ml - £2.19 / £2.70
- Fairy non-bio laundry gel 2x888ml 48w - £7.49 / 2x888ml £9 (roll back to £4.50 each)
- Apples 1.2kg - £1 / 2 x 500g cheapest Farm Stores £1.30
- Galaxy cake bars 5-pack 99p / 10-pack £2.50
- Tunnocks Teacakes six-pack - 99p / £1.10
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