Top branded products are CHEAPER at Waitrose than Sainsbury’s or Tesco… if you don’t have a loyalty card

Top branded products are cheaper at Waitrose than Sainsbury’s and Tesco for shoppers without a loyalty card, according to the consumer group Which?

It compared the price of 245 popular branded products at supermarkets in February, ranging from Pampers nappies and Carex handwash to McCain potato wedges and Mr Kipling mini Battenberg cakes.

Supermarkets have gone to significant lengths to get more people to sign up to their loyalty card schemes, with many introducing loyalty-card only prices for certain items or bonus points for buying specific products.

Supermarkets like loyalty cards because they provide them with a vast amount of customer data, including names, email addresses and consumer shopping habits. They are also designed to keep shoppers coming back to the same chain.

But shoppers opting not to sign up to a supermarket loyalty card, potentially due to concerns over data privacy, face paying more than customers using a loyalty card for swathes of products in certain supermarkets, according to Which?

In its assessment of the price of 245 branded products in February, Which? found that Sainsbury’s came in as the most expensive for non-Nectar card holders, with the total shop coming in at £942.66. This was 14 per cent more expensive than at Asda, Which? said.

Tesco was the second most expensive supermarket for shoppers not using a Tesco Clubcard to buy the 245 branded groceries, with the total coming in at £916.56.

For shoppers not using a loyalty card, both Sainsbury’s and Tesco were found to be more expensive than Waitrose, where the shop for the 245 branded products in February cost £899.05. 

Which? pointed out that Waitrose was typically ‘synonymous with a more upmarket – and expensive – weekly shop.’

The supermarket has a membership card called My Waitrose, but it doesn’t offer points or loyalty prices in the same way as Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Instead, shoppers receive special offers tailored to them and perks such as free tea and coffee.  

The analysis found several products which were cheaper at Waitrose, including Amoy Straight to Wok Noodles, which were on average £1.25 at both Waitrose and Morrisons, but more expensive at Sainsbury’s and Tesco for shoppers without a loyalty card, at an average of £2.15 –  72 per cent difference.

At the time the research was conducted in February, sea salt and vinegar flavour Ryvita Thins crackers were also cheapest on average at Waitrose at £1.25.  Shoppers buying this product at Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco without a loyalty card would have all paid an average of £2.30, making them 84 per cent more expensive.

However, highlighting how much consumers have to shop around, the largest difference in average price was on Tilda boil in the bag basmati rice (four pack), which was £1 at Tesco without a loyalty card, but £2.25 at Waitrose, representing a 125 per cent increase.

Asda cheapest supermarket overall

The cheapest supermarket overall for the 245 products was Asda, where the total cost for the full shop was £823.58. This was £119.08 cheaper than at Sainsbury’s for shoppers not using a Nectar loyalty card.

A tube of Oral B Pro Expert Toothpaste, which was cheapest at Asda in February at an average £2.24, was most expensive at Sainsbury’s and Tesco without a loyalty card, at £3.95, or 76 per cent more.

Sharwoods Medium Egg Noodles were £1.28 at Asda, but £2.10 at Tesco without a Clubcard, or 64 per cent more expensive, on average.

Which? also found that Filippo Berio Olive Oil (750ml) was £4.98 on average at Asda, against £8 at Sainsbury’s without a Nectar card, where it was 61 per cent more expensive.

Aldi and Lidl were not included in the analysis as they were not deemed to stock a sufficiently large range of branded goods. 

Loyalty cards creating price gulf, Which? says

Which? said there were significant differences in the cost of the same branded product at different supermarkets, particularly if shoppers opted not to use a loyalty card.

In one example at Tesco, Which? found a 200ml bottle of L’Oreal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Shampoo was double the price on average for shoppers without a Clubcard, at £13 compared to £6.50. The higher price was also found at both Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.

The research also found that for a 200g jar of Kenco Smooth, shoppers at Tesco and Sainsbury’s without a loyalty card were charged £8.35, the highest price on the market at the time. 

In contrast, the same jar was £7 at Waitrose and £6.32 at Asda, on average.

Similarly, for Nescafé Gold Blend, Waitrose had the cheapest average price at £6.25, while non-members at Sainsbury’s were asked to pay £8.35.

Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which?, said: ‘Our analysis reveals a shocking truth and shows the impact loyalty schemes have had on grocery pricing. 

‘Branded favourites can actually be cheaper at Waitrose than at the UK’s biggest supermarkets for shoppers who don’t use a loyalty card – something that would have seemed unthinkable until a few years ago.’

She added: ‘If you’ve got your heart set on specific brands, your best bet is to shop around, keep a close eye on the unit price, and stock up whenever you see a good deal – otherwise, you’re likely to end up paying way over the odds.

‘While loyalty cards definitely offer some savings, if you don’t use one you’re better off heading to Asda, where the pricing is usually cheaper on a range of branded goods.’

Big supermarkets came under suspicion of profiteering when food prices began rising in late 2021.

They began to offer discounted prices for those signed up to loyalty schemes such as the Tesco Clubcard or Sainsbury’s Nectar, while non-members paid more.

Loyalty pricing discounts were seen by many as the ‘true’ cost of food, with the undiscounted price a steep mark-up for people not signed up.

In November 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority said its review of 50,000 loyalty priced products showed that 92 per cent offered genuine savings against the usual price. 

That was despite 55 per cent of shoppers thinking ‘usual’ prices were raised to make loyalty deals more appealing, the CMA added in 2024.  

The CMA’s 2024 report found ‘very little evidence’ of supermarkets inflating their standard prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal, but it did call on businesses to increase access to their schemes.