Shoppers hunt deals after survey

CUSTOMERS are hunting out cheaper groceries after a report showed they could slash their weekly bills if they shopped around.

Yesterday, the National Consumer Agency said 17% of shoppers were taking their custom elsewhere after learning of the survey’s findings.

On Monday, the Irish Examiner revealed grocery bills have risen every month for the past two years.

The agency’s boss Ann Fitzgerald said it was pleased consumers were taking action to cut their shopping bills following the survey.

“Our price survey showed that consumers could make significant savings by breaking up their weekly shopping and going to different outlets,” she said.

The agency compared the cost of groceries between all the leading supermarkets and traditional butchers and greengrocers.

It found Aldi and Lidl top value on own-brand products while local greengrocers and butchers offered the best deals on meat, fruit and vegetables.

Last week the agency carried out a telephone poll of 1,000 adults nationwide and found 640 were aware of the grocery price survey.

Of the 640, 17% said they had acted on its recommendations and changed their shopping patterns while a further 18% were thinking of doing the same.

Last night the Consumers’ Association of Ireland urged all shoppers to follow suit and spread their grocery shopping around.

“By switching to a lowercost retailer, consumers are not only saving money, but their action will force competitors to respond and reduce prices, giving all consumers a better deal,” said chairman James Doorley.

He called on the agency to publish local surveys for Ireland’s towns and cities, so shoppers could hunt for the best value more easily.