A supermarket customer’s innocent post showing off his fortnightly big shop at Iceland for nearly £120 has sparked a huge online debate.
Some responded to the picture on Reddit‘s ‘whatsinyourcart’ page with concern over the shopper’s love of processed food, but the bill was the talking point for others.
Several raised eyebrows at the £119.73 total price for the haul which included a large number of frozen products such as Greggs sausage rolls, steak bakes and burgers.
Sausages, lasagna and fish pie were also included in the shop along with long-life milk, Walker’s crisps, Jaffa Cakes, strawberry yogurts, bananas and apples.
The photo provoked a major debate on Reddit at a time when annual supermarket grocery price inflation stands at just under 5 per cent for the latest four-week period.
One said: ‘When did Iceland get so expensive? I do a weekly shop for four people and a dog for this amount and we eat really well – fresh meat, fruit, veg, alcohol, treats, even toiletries and cleaning products are included. I can’t believe this costs so much.’
Another wrote: ‘Basically everything has gone up like 50 per cent over the last two to three years.’ A third said: ‘Learn to actually cook more and you will save, trust me.’
A further post read: ‘You know you could make lasagnas from scratch for way cheaper? And freeze them? And they would taste one billion times better? Ready meals are a total scam from any supermarket.’
An Iceland customer left Reddit users stunned by how much they spent on a shop at the store
| ITEM | QUANTITY | PRICE PER UNIT | TOTAL PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warburtons 6 Sliced Soft White Rolls | 2 | £1.40 | £2.80 |
| Schweppes Lemonade 2L | 1 | £1.50 | £1.50 |
| Viva Semi-Skimmed Long-Life Milk 1L | 12 | £1.20 | £14.40 |
| Viva Whole Long-Life Milk 1L | 12 | £1.20 | £14.40 |
| Walkers Classic Variety Multipack Crisps 12x25g | 1 | £3 | £3 |
| McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Original Twin Pack (18 cakes) | 1 | £2.50 | £2.50 |
| Fox’s Rocky Caramel Bars 5 pack | 2 | £1 | £2 |
| Fyffes Premium Bananas 5 pack | 1 | £1 | £1 |
| Iceland Royal Gala Apples 6 pack | 1 | £1.79 | £1.79 |
| Iceland British Semi-Skimmed Milk 2L | 4 | £1.65 | £6.60 |
| Cheesy Singles 170g 10 slices | 2 | £1 | £2 |
| Müller Light Greek Style Strawberry Yogurt 4x115g | 1 | £2.29 | £2.29 |
| Clover Spread 500g | 1 | £2.60 | £2.60 |
| Iceland Luxury Ultimate Aberdeen Angus Quarter Pounders 4 pack | 3 | £5 | £15 |
| Greggs Steak Bakes 2 pack | 4 | £3.50 | £14 |
| Greggs Sausage Rolls 8 pack | 1 | £4.75 | £4.75 |
| Iceland Beef Lasagne 400g | 4 | £2.50 | £10 |
| Iceland Haddock and Salmon Fish Pie 400g | 2 | £2.50 | £5 |
| Iceland Cottage Pie 400g | 6 | £1 | £6 |
| Richmond Thick Pork Sausages 24 pack | 1 | £3.50 | £3.50 |
| Bags, Picking & Packing | 1 | £1.60 | £1.60 |
| Delivery | 1 | £1 | £1 |
| GRAND TOTAL | £117.73 | ||
| N.B. Total calculated from prices on Iceland website today. Total for shopper on Reddit was £2 higher at £119.73 | |||
On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics revealed the rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation fell to 3.2 per cent in November, from 3.6 per cent in October.
The ONS said the biggest factor driving inflation down last month was lower food prices for bread, cereals and cakes, butter, cheese and pasta
Alcoholic drinks including beer and wine also decreased, but food prices are still higher than they were last year, with the annual inflation rate coming in at 4.2 per cent in November – albeit lower than the 4.9 per cent October rate.
The price of some food and drinks has spiked over the past year, with annual rises including beef up 27.7 per cent, chocolate rising by 17.3 per cent and coffee up 14.5 per cent.
Sarah Coles, head of personal finance for Hargreaves Lansdown, said this means that people’s ‘experiences at the supermarket will still depend enormously on what you buy’.
The Daily Mail has contacted Iceland for comment.
