Waitrose has faced harsh criticism from shoppers after introducing an 'unaffordable' and 'out of touch' Essentials range amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.
As families are being forced to cut down of luxurious living, more supermarkets are in-turn offering a budget range - including Asda and Morrisons with their Just Essentials and Savers ranges respectively.
The premium supermarket has jumped on the bandwagon, by attempting to offer an affordable budget option for those in need of cheaper groceries who don't want to part ways with their usual shopping hub.
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The Mirror reports however, that shoppers have been left astounded at how expensive the budget rains remains to be. First-time Waitrose shopper, Rebecca Astill has said that despite expecting the fresh food section to be the 'most expensive chunk' of the shop, all the items costing over £1 took her back.
At 80p each, the yoghurts were the cheapest option available at the fridges, with Rebecca saying: "I thought £2.60 for a cheese and tomato pizza was also quite steep, bearing in mind the Pizza Express pizzas are pretty much permanently discounted to £2.50 in Tesco."
Despite the taste being at a premium standard, she admitted that in these current times, that 'taste is secondary to price in a budget range'. And in terms of frozen products, the cost of some items in particular left Rebecca completely bamboozled. With Waitrose offering 10 fish fingers for £2.20, she said she would have easily sacrificed a small amount of taste for a cheaper product 'in a heartbeat'.
And while the cupboard food of the Essentials range was 'a little better priced', Rebecca admitted that she was still left less than impressed on the whole. In particular, she expected that the pasta sauce, pasta itself, potatoes and teabags would be the most obvious to reduce in terms of price.
But she admitted that the only positive of this was that the quality had improved, with the teabags making for a delicious cuppa.
As a Tesco regular, Rebecca said that her basics shop at Waitrose set her back a whopping £31.84. She then disclosed that her usual shop costs her in the low £20 range, and if she opts for an Aldi, it's around £15.
She confessed: "Waitrose is a premium brand, and this IS a budget range compared to their usual stock I think it’s insulting to actually be advertised as so. It all just feels a little out of touch."
A Waitrose spokesperson said: “We're disappointed to hear this and will continue working with our suppliers to keep prices as competitive as possible. At the same time, we're proud of the exceptional taste and quality of our range, noted throughout this review, and our industry-leading animal welfare standards.
"We're also giving customers further ways to save, like our myWaitrose loyalty scheme, which gives customers weekly savings on the products they buy most.”
Rebecca's Waitrose basket breakdown:
Fridge
Apple juice, 1L: £1
Beef Mince 10%, 500g: £2.50
Cheese and smoked ham tortellini, 300g: £1.80
Roast ham slices (seven): £1.40
Mature grated cheddar, 250g: £2.65
Smoked streaky bacon, 250g: £2.75
Yoghurts (two): 80p each - £1.60
Cheese and tomato pizza: £2.60
Eggs, one dozen: £1
Freezer
Frozen French fries, 900g: £1.30
Frozen 10 fish fingers: £2.20
Cupboard
White medium sliced bread: 59p (reduced from 75p)
Tomato and basil pasta sauce, 340g: £1.15
Baked beans in tomato sauce, 220g: 35p
Strawberry jam, 454g: £1.20
Penne, 500g: 85p
Potatoes, 1kg: £1.40
Bourbons, 400g: 75p
Teabags, 160: £2.20
Malted wheat cereal, 750g: £1.35
Multipack of crisps, six: £1.10
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