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The cost of Christmas
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Reports that supermarket giants will rake in a record 13 billion pounds this year on the back of food inflation. Why is it called food inflation when jars are getting smaller. Reports that cranberry sauce is up 25%. Is it time to curb the excesses of Christmas and be more frugal. |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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"There's not going to be an excess of Christmas round here! When I went to order a turkey crown last night they'd run out 
Tom went to buy Turkey legs and they had ran out also...m"
makes you wonder doesn’t it. Are people buying excess?? |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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I've just bought what's needed for Christmas dinner and a handful of treats.
I can't understand why people go so overboard with the food then need to diet. |
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"There's not going to be an excess of Christmas round here! When I went to order a turkey crown last night they'd run out
Tom went to buy Turkey legs and they had ran out also...m"
 . I guess all the turkey wings had flown off the shelves  |
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"There's not going to be an excess of Christmas round here! When I went to order a turkey crown last night they'd run out
Tom went to buy Turkey legs and they had ran out also...m makes you wonder doesn’t it. Are people buying excess??"
Retailers have finally cottoned on to stock contro! |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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I was watching a documentary about food waste. In the United States of all food produced, one third goes into land fill and only 2/3 is actually consumed. I found it shocking. |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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Exactly what I’ll be doing. Enough for me and the dog
"I've just bought what's needed for Christmas dinner and a handful of treats.
I can't understand why people go so overboard with the food then need to diet. "
 |
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"I was watching a documentary about food waste. In the United States of all food produced, one third goes into land fill and only 2/3 is actually consumed. I found it shocking. "
Well America is the land of milk and honey and the average portion in a restaurant is far bigger than here. In the UK restaurants you generally need a bag of chips on the way home. In America they stop eating when they are full and hence the food left on plates. Over here the English are obsessed with doggy bags even if they don't have a dog. |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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"I was watching a documentary about food waste. In the United States of all food produced, one third goes into land fill and only 2/3 is actually consumed. I found it shocking.
Well America is the land of milk and honey and the average portion in a restaurant is far bigger than here. In the UK restaurants you generally need a bag of chips on the way home. In America they stop eating when they are full and hence the food left on plates. Over here the English are obsessed with doggy bags even if they don't have a dog. "
Hoe did I know you would manage to mention a animal in your reply. What is it Tom, with you and the other wonderful species we share the Earth with.. |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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"There's not going to be an excess of Christmas round here! When I went to order a turkey crown last night they'd run out
Tom went to buy Turkey legs and they had ran out also...m
. I guess all the turkey wings had flown off the shelves "
 |
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In my day job I work with quite a few independent retailers.
What is scandalous is they with buying power of one make some pretty reasonable margins on products even price marked ones. For example they can sell cheaper than their nearest Sains Local or Tesco Express on a bottle of soft drink yet still make 50% margin.
Now consider Tesco and Sainsbury buying power and imagine what their margin is.
Worse is fuel. My client pre pandemic made on average 6p per litre pricing at 1p over the supermarkets. During pandemic he was making 12p a litre using same mechanism, was understandable that selling half the fuel but with same running costs something had to happen. But supermarkets got greedy, post pandemic my client was making 15-20p per litre using same mechanism again (1p more than the supermarkets).
The supermarkets got greedy (er)
The government say food inflation is dropping but in reality that should still mean prices are going up. But somehow butter in the height of the food inflation was £2,50 a block (even in Lidl), now it’s £1.85, that’s deflation.
I’ve also noticed branded goods like Marmite, Kellogg Cereals are also coming down in price. Who was ever going to pay £4.50 for Frosties when supermarket own brand were £1.25.
What am I saying? That the supermarkets and big brands got stupidly greedy and over inflated.
They will only learn when we the consumer stop following like sheep. Don’t buy brands buy own brand product. Don’t over spend, buy what you need, shop around.
Go into your local farm food or home bargains and see the price that they charge for branded products compared to supermarkets, it’s sometimes £1 cheaper per item.
And one of the main reasons for that is waste. Home Bargains and similar don’t have massive fresh produce aisles; the supermarkets hate for their fresh produce and chillers to look empty so they overfill them. They have a large amount of waste as they can’t sell everything they stock, so they overprice ambient items to compensate for the waste.
We as consumers have to get smarter, and have to stop being the easy target to the man.
I go once or twice a month to Lidl to get things that I always need, pasta/tea/coffee kitchen staples etc with long life.
I pop in for fresh food I need every two to three days. Only buying things I have planned to cook. Very little ends up in waste.
We as consumers have to be smarter more frugal and stop overbuying, it’s the only way the supermarkets will be forced to drop prices. And it is the same for all things.
If we all started buying the things we need rather than the things we want or that marketing people convince us we want and stopped trying to keep up with everyone around us we would make them all reconsider.
The biggest problem is shopping at the big companies, people believe that they will get better deals, but it’s not true. Those big retailers have expensive marketing campaigns. Shareholders to pay and lots of head office costs and management to pay.
My client the small independent retailer has himself to fund, and maybe his kids music lessons or football boots.
Big businesses have been taking the piss for years and it’s got worse since the pandemic. Vote with your wallets! |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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"In my day job I work with quite a few independent retailers.
What is scandalous is they with buying power of one make some pretty reasonable margins on products even price marked ones. For example they can sell cheaper than their nearest Sains Local or Tesco Express on a bottle of soft drink yet still make 50% margin.
Now consider Tesco and Sainsbury buying power and imagine what their margin is.
Worse is fuel. My client pre pandemic made on average 6p per litre pricing at 1p over the supermarkets. During pandemic he was making 12p a litre using same mechanism, was understandable that selling half the fuel but with same running costs something had to happen. But supermarkets got greedy, post pandemic my client was making 15-20p per litre using same mechanism again (1p more than the supermarkets).
The supermarkets got greedy (er)
The government say food inflation is dropping but in reality that should still mean prices are going up. But somehow butter in the height of the food inflation was £2,50 a block (even in Lidl), now it’s £1.85, that’s deflation.
I’ve also noticed branded goods like Marmite, Kellogg Cereals are also coming down in price. Who was ever going to pay £4.50 for Frosties when supermarket own brand were £1.25.
What am I saying? That the supermarkets and big brands got stupidly greedy and over inflated.
They will only learn when we the consumer stop following like sheep. Don’t buy brands buy own brand product. Don’t over spend, buy what you need, shop around.
Go into your local farm food or home bargains and see the price that they charge for branded products compared to supermarkets, it’s sometimes £1 cheaper per item.
And one of the main reasons for that is waste. Home Bargains and similar don’t have massive fresh produce aisles; the supermarkets hate for their fresh produce and chillers to look empty so they overfill them. They have a large amount of waste as they can’t sell everything they stock, so they overprice ambient items to compensate for the waste.
We as consumers have to get smarter, and have to stop being the easy target to the man.
I go once or twice a month to Lidl to get things that I always need, pasta/tea/coffee kitchen staples etc with long life.
I pop in for fresh food I need every two to three days. Only buying things I have planned to cook. Very little ends up in waste.
We as consumers have to be smarter more frugal and stop overbuying, it’s the only way the supermarkets will be forced to drop prices. And it is the same for all things.
If we all started buying the things we need rather than the things we want or that marketing people convince us we want and stopped trying to keep up with everyone around us we would make them all reconsider.
The biggest problem is shopping at the big companies, people believe that they will get better deals, but it’s not true. Those big retailers have expensive marketing campaigns. Shareholders to pay and lots of head office costs and management to pay.
My client the small independent retailer has himself to fund, and maybe his kids music lessons or football boots.
Big businesses have been taking the piss for years and it’s got worse since the pandemic. Vote with your wallets!"
Thanks for your valuable insight.
I always try to support local family run businesses. They know you by name and their products are unique.
Another factor, is big companies have a complex tax structure, so don’t pay much tax as compared to family businesses.
Big businesses squeeze the actual small producers to breaking point. Then gobble up their business. |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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Arm and a leg this year spent £250 on my sister alone shhhh no one say a thing hopefully she doesn’t google
£140 perfume
And a bracelet at £100 then add the next delivery charge in |
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By (user no longer on site) 49 weeks ago
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I’ll buy some treats like party food in the oven for Xmas day evening, and a big roast dinner in New Year’s Day. A couple of gifts for the kids. And that’s as far as mine will go. But I don’t spend without knowing how much I’m spending, those days are far behind me.  |
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"Reports that supermarket giants will rake in a record 13 billion pounds this year on the back of food inflation. Why is it called food inflation when jars are getting smaller. Reports that cranberry sauce is up 25%. Is it time to curb the excesses of Christmas and be more frugal. "
yes I'm going abroad |
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"Not the supermarkets fault it's just people's greed and a need to show off.
Christmas doesn't have to be expensive.
"
This 100%
Christmas really is what you make it
The thing that boils my piss is people tying themselves in knots to give their kids 'perfection' trying to keep up with the social media shit storm they see....no kid needs Elf on a Shelf or Christmas eve boxes. |
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"Not the supermarkets fault it's just people's greed and a need to show off.
Christmas doesn't have to be expensive.
This 100%
Christmas really is what you make it
The thing that boils my piss is people tying themselves in knots to give their kids 'perfection' trying to keep up with the social media shit storm they see....no kid needs Elf on a Shelf or Christmas eve boxes. "
Exactly they prefer to play with the box it came in in most cases |
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"Not the supermarkets fault it's just people's greed and a need to show off.
Christmas doesn't have to be expensive.
This 100%
Christmas really is what you make it
The thing that boils my piss is people tying themselves in knots to give their kids 'perfection' trying to keep up with the social media shit storm they see....no kid needs Elf on a Shelf or Christmas eve boxes. "
Totally agree. |
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"Not the supermarkets fault it's just people's greed and a need to show off.
Christmas doesn't have to be expensive.
This 100%
Christmas really is what you make it
The thing that boils my piss is people tying themselves in knots to give their kids 'perfection' trying to keep up with the social media shit storm they see....no kid needs Elf on a Shelf or Christmas eve boxes. "
The Christmas eve box thing is commercial influence at its worst or best whichever way you look at it. I'm astounded at what people put in them. We used to open the quality street and the last window on the cardboard nativity calendar |
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Nah let them crack on with it, for loads of people with shitty lives, xmas is the time to escape, and if saving up a few hundreds of wonga to spend on excess, is the way they want to do it, then its all gravy |
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"Not the supermarkets fault it's just people's greed and a need to show off.
Christmas doesn't have to be expensive.
This 100%
Christmas really is what you make it
The thing that boils my piss is people tying themselves in knots to give their kids 'perfection' trying to keep up with the social media shit storm they see....no kid needs Elf on a Shelf or Christmas eve boxes.
The Christmas eve box thing is commercial influence at its worst or best whichever way you look at it. I'm astounded at what people put in them. We used to open the quality street and the last window on the cardboard nativity calendar "
Agreed. It's a mini Christmas in itself nowadays |
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No evidence but I feel that any party food has a higher price than normal once it is for the festive season.
Mostly home cooked food here over Xmas so don't notice much change.
What's exceptional for me are all the baking ingredients in December. But it's a highlight and tradition every year so we'll worth it.
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I understand the desire to break the darkness of winter with a big old feast, it's hardly a new thing. There's a lot of pressure on people, loads of adverts have the phrase 'show how much you care' or versions of in them and they almost all show happy families at laden tables or with huge piles of gifts. Capitalism needs to keep us unhappy with what we have and constantly wanting more |
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I'm in!
