An investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches found three supermarket chains selling lager cheaper than sparkling Perrier water.
Tesco sold multipacks of Fosters, Carlsberg and Carling lager at 69p a pint and Strongbow cider for 65p a pint. This compared with Perrier mineral water costing 73p a pint.
In Asda, the same beers could be bought for 72p a pint, compared with 76p a pint for Perrier.
And at Sainsbury’s, 20 cans of Fosters lager was 72p a pint while 15 cans of Strongbow cost £8, equating to 69p a pint, 7p less than a pint of sparkling water.
Clearly the bastards are profiteering.
Well yeah. But aren’t they comparing the bottom of the range booze with the top of the range water. What’s the price of a 2l Tesco own label fizzy?
I’m sure I could find some conspiracy, chateaux Bordeaux reds are dearer than “better on chips” Spanish whites if I really tried.
“What’s the price of a 2l Tesco own label fizzy?”
19p, last time we bought, perhaps a fortnight ago. I can update you tomorrow if you like.
Let’s see, Perrier markets itself as a premium brand; Fosters, Carling and Carlsberg as mass-market lagers, so we’re comparing apples and kumquats.
So, how does the price of Perrier compare to Stella or to a good bottled beer or ale, say a proper Budvar or a Tanglefoot?
As a rule of thumb, I don’t trust anyone who buys bottled water.
Obviously, not the full shilling. Alcohol, no problem at all.
Incidentally, always found it amusing one of Spain’s premium mineral waters was the same as our agricultural water. Valued the contents of the swimming pool at better than 100,000€.
In some places bottled water is the only safe option. In some places, such as where I live, the tap water is safe but tastes like it came out of the toilet.
And for Just £2 a month WaterAid gives a child clean, safe drinking water for life.
Supermarkets charge what they think they can get away with, who knew?
The price comparison isn’t just futile because it’s comparing a luxury brand to cheapo brands.
Nobody goes into a supermarket and decides between a bottle of water or a bottle of beer. They’re not substitute goods. People just aren’t standing in the booze aisle, looking confused, mulling over whether to buy a crate of Fosters or a multipack of Highland Spring to quaff on a Friday night.
And according to the ONS, alcohol consumption has been falling for years.
This is despite all the cheap supermarket beers supposedly heralding imminent Drunkageddon.
So piss off, “experts”.
So let’s see; a Dispatches, ahem, investigation will show me that the price of some alcohol as displayed on the bottle is cheaper than the price of another product also displayed on the bottle.
Thanks for that folks; where would I be without you?
P.S. I realise I am supposed to be very concerned at your findings. And indeed I am, in a way.
Capitalism: Giving drunken yobs as well as pretentious Upper Middle Class twats what they want.
What a b!tch.
Our local water used to taste of TCP. It hasn’t done so since water privatisation.
For separate reasons, I know that there is no cause-and-effect there; I’m just indulging myself in a Gruaniad-like argument.
1 litre of own brand paint thinners at B&Q – £ 1.20
Just shows the profiteering bastards don’t care for my health as much as those nice people at Waitrose.
*sigh*
Add Channel 4 to the list of nannying cunts that need privatising.
To paraphrase: Islington arseholes who work for C4 drink Perrier, don’t drink Foster’s, think fact their fizzy frog water is more expensive is a scandal.
I wonder what the cheapest legally-available booze is in the UK, in terms of pence per mole of ethanol.
Not sure where I read it, it may have been in here, but it is about right; a litre of petrol at the pump is cheaper than a litre of bottled water. But that narrative doesn’t get as much attention because the evil oil companies look good.
But is in fact amazing when you think of the costs of exploration, transportation, refining, tax and mark ups.