Shop at the Market Week #3

More shopping done today and this time I managed to get into both Tesco Metro at Bond St and Express at Clarence dock to check prices actually available to those of us living in the city centre without cars rather than the best online prices.

Market       Tesco Online         Metro           Express

500g Beef Mince                
£2.07           £2.00                   £2.00           £2.34

Back bacon                        
£5.72/kg      £6.00/kg               £6.56/kg        £6.66/kg
(best price per kg as pack sizes vary- at Tesco you have to buy 2 packs to get this best price)  

Leeks                                
£2.20/kg       £2.49/kg              £3.98/kg       £3.98/kg

Salmon (fresh fillets)          
£12.09/kg    £10/kg (on offer)  £16.67/kg    £15.91/kg (for 2x 220g packs)

6 large free range eggs      
 £1.20            £1.68                £1.68           £1.76

Total                                
£23.28         £22.17               £30.89          £30.56

Difference                        
0                 -£1.11                 +£7.61         +£7.28


So a big difference, especially on fish and meat. It is also worth remembering that on the market you can ask for any quantity, where as the supermarkets encourage you to buy multiple packs to get the best price. This is great for families but for single people and students with small/ shared kitchens in the city centre this is far from ideal. Today on the market I saw a lady buying just a single slice of ham- no waste, just what she wanted.

Also whilst looking at the fish row on the market I saw plenty of things that you could never imagine finding in the supermarket, all fresh (and some still alive) from the wholesalers this morning...