As far as budget shopping goes, B&M is arguably the cream of the crop - with shoppers frequently taking to social media bargain groups to tout their daily finds at second to none prices.
And amidst an ongoing cost of living crisis, with no end to inflation in sight, the budget retailer is attracting more customers that ever in a bid to see their cash stretch further.
But just exactly how well does it compare with your average major supermarket like Tesco? Especially when you factor in enticing Clubcard deals and their Aldi Price Match scheme - which many shoppers depend on to keep their outgoings according to a strict financial plan.
Emma Gill of the Manchester Evening News recently did a big B&M shop for mostly food and toiletries to show exactly how it matches up with the supermarket. Where possible, she bought exactly the same product, and if any weights differed she adjusted the prices accordingly.
Both sell the big brands like Heinz, Warburtons, Fairy, Carex and Cadbury, so she made sure these were among the items in her trolley.
She also made sure she was buying some products from Tesco's Clubcard and Aldi Price Match schemes to make for a fairer comparison.
Here's what she found out...
While Clubcard meant Tesco's price was cheapest for some items - such as three Cadbury Twirls for £1.20 compared with B&M's £2.07 - in many cases it brought the price to the same as B&M's. Yet with other items, even when they were on a Clubcard offer, B&M was still cheaper.
A 390g box of Cheerios for example will set you back £2.70 at Tesco, reduced to £1.50 with Clubcard. Yet at B&M the standard price is £1.29. A 500g tub of Flora Lighter is £2.25 at Tesco, or £1.50 with Clubcard - yet again the offer price is the same as B&M's.
And the budget retailer has its own offers for shoppers to take advantage of. Its three for £3 on Heinz Spaghetti and Sausage for example, works almost 30% less than Tesco's £4.20.
Tesco did have some standout prices, like three tins of chopped tomatoes for £1 compared with 45p each at B&M, and a 500g bag of penne pasta for 32p against B&M's 75p, but overall most items not on Clubcard or Aldi Price Match - 16 out of 36 products - were either the same price or more expensive at Tesco.
Overall the full shop cost £66.55 at Tesco and £65.93 at B&M.
What is clear amid the current cost of living crisis is that retailers are keeping a very close eye on each other's prices. It's no coincidence that B&M has reduced its 90g Aero mint bar from £1 to 89p - the exact same price it's being sold for at both Tesco and Aldi.
But customers are keeping a close eye on prices too and if anything our comparison shows it's well worth shopping around to get the best deals on offer. And if you do shop at Tesco, it's well worth picking out the Clubcard deals where you can. As they say, every little helps.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “With household budgets under increasing pressure we are absolutely committed to helping our customers, by keeping a laser focus on the cost of the weekly shop.
"We have significantly increased the number of value lines we offer and whether it’s price matching basics to Aldi prices, promising low everyday prices on household staples, or offering exclusive deals and rewards through thousands of Clubcard prices – we’re more committed than ever to providing our customers with great value.”
B&M v Tesco
- Fairy laundry gel 2 x 24 wash £7.49 / 35 wash £6 or £5.50 with Clubcard (equates to £7.54 for 48 washes)
- Carex handwash 500ml £1.59 / 250ml £1 (equates to £2)
- Cheerios 390g £1.29 / £2.70 or £1.50 with Clubcard
- Bleach 750ml 45p / 49p
- Fairy washing up liquid 433ml £1 / £1
- Richmond skinless sausages 8-pack £1.25 / 12-pack £2 (equates to £1.33)
- Tetley teabags 240-pack £3.50 / £3.49 Aldi Price Match
- Unsmoked back bacon 300g £2 / £1.75
- Cathedral City cheese 350g £2.69 / £3.60
- Soft and Gentle deodorant 150ml £1.15 / 250ml £2.30 (equates to £1.38 for 150ml)
- Ambrosia custard pots 4 x 125g £1.69 / £1.75
- Heinz Beans and Sausage 2 x 415g £2.20 / 2 x 415g £2.80
- Chopped tomatoes 400g 45p each so 3 for £1.35 / 3 for £1
- Heinz Spaghetti and Sausage 400g £1.10 each or 3 for £3 / £1.40 each so £4.20
- Aero mint 90g 89p / 89p Aldi Price Match
- Jammie Dodgers 140g 50p / 70p
- Diet Coke £4.20 per 10-pack so 2 packs £8.40 / £4.19 a pack or 2 for £7 with Clubcard
- Right Guard deodorant 250ml £1.45 / £1.45
- Colgate Total Original toothpaste 75ml £1.48 / £1.49 Aldi Price Match
- Paracetamol 16-pack 29p / 29p
- Ibuprofen 16-pack 39p / 29p
- Gillette Simply Venus razors 4-pack £1.99 / £2.50 or £2 with Clubcard
- Pasta penne 500g 75p / 32p Aldi Price Match
- Soreen malt loaf 390g £1.39 / £1.50
- HP Brown Sauce 450g £1.89 / £2
- Warburtons medium white loaf £1.10 / £1.10 Aldi Price Match
- Soreen lunchbox loaves 5-pack £1 / £1.50
- Warburtons sandwich thins 6-pack £1.15 / £1.20 or £1 with Clubcard
- Warburtons potato cakes 6-pack £1 / 75p
- Doritos tangy cheese 180g £1.25 / £1.99 or £1.25 with Clubcard
- Cadbury Mini Rolls 10-pack £2.50 / 10-pack is £3 but packs of 5 are £2 each or £1 with Clubcard so equates to £2
- Walkers crisps £1.50 per 6-pack, or 2 for £2.70 / £1.65 per 6-pack or £1.35 with Clubcard so equates to £2.70
- Flora Lighter 500g £1.50 / £2.25 or £1.50 with Clubcard
- Twirl Orange 3 x 69p - £2.07 / 60p each or 3 for £1.20 with Clubcard
- Jaffa Cakes 10-pack 79p / £1.20 or 80p with Clubcard
- King Pot Noodle 80p / 99p
Total: B&M £65.93 / Tesco £66.55
*Two products that appear in our photos - Snack a Jacks and Carex bath and shower gel - are not included in the comparison as they were unavailable at Tesco. We also compared a different pack of razors to the one that appears as Tesco doesn't sell that particular pack.
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