Embargoed until 7.30am, Friday 3 June 2011
Media release:
Pak 'n Save cheapest supermarket
Pak 'n Save has once again scooped the award for being New Zealand's cheapest supermarket in a Consumer NZ survey.
The chain has dominated the survey for the past 11 years. This year it was six to 10 percent cheaper than its nearest
competitor in each of the seven centres surveyed.
Consumer NZ CEO Sue Chetwin said the difference between the cheapest and most expensive Consumer shopping trolley was
greatest in Christchurch at $24 and least in Auckland at $11. Shopping around for milk was very worthwhile - you could
save over a dollar on a 2-litre bottle in Auckland and Wellington.
Chetwin said shoppers were sent out with an identical list of 40 top-selling items to buy. They visited Pak 'n Save
first and if they could not find a brand or pack size specified on the list, they substituted the item and bought it in
all stores. "That makes it harder to compare between cities but within cities prices are easily comparable. "
Competition for second and third places was extremely tight between New World and Countdown in the South Island,
Wellington, South Auckland and Tauranga, with only a few dollars separating them. New World was a clear second over
Countdown in Auckland's North Shore but Countdown reversed this in Palmerston North.
Chetwin said grocery prizes rose 5.5 percent in the year to March so this year Consumer doubled the number of basic
items on the list by adding frozen and canned food, and spreads to the traditional basics such as bread, milk, sugar and
butter.
Consumer tips for supermarket shopping
Don't shop when you are hungry. With a full stomach you are less susceptible to the free samples and promotions designed
to tempt you to buy more Get to know your local supermarket layout so you can avoid temptations Take a list and stick to
it - it's the key to avoiding impulse buying Join the store's loyalty programme - Fly Buys or One Card - to maximise
discounts Take advantage of multi-buys or stock up on good specials Don't buy items just because they seem like bargains
Check the unit price - smaller items are sometimes cheaper than the larger size
ends