I slashed the cost of my food shop using free app – Aldi & Lidl were NOT always cheapest on key products

The Irish Sun

5 days ago

KEEPING on top of food shopping prices is no easy feat with ever-changing promotions and special loyalty prices to confuse you too.
But I've found a new way to get the cheapest price - and it's super easy.
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Can AI tell me where to get these items for the cheapest price?
Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun
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It's all thanks to a brainy AI app.
While there are concerns about AI taking jobs - or worse still, causing an apocalypse - some of the more immediate uses can help save you money.
Before you dismiss the idea, it doesn't even require any typing, just your phone and your voice.
I've been testing Google's Gemini AI platform, which will serve as an extra pair of all-knowing eyes and ears as you shop (for the most part).
All you have to do is show the app an item, and it'll find you cheaper alternatives.
No scanning of barcodes, just let Gemini see the item, and it will go on the bargain hunt for you.
If you are one to shop around for the best deal, this could be one to try out, as the app is completely free.
I'm quite fortunate in that I have a Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Lidl, Iceland, B&M and Savers all close by, which makes hopping between different stores that little bit easier.
So how did I get on with Google Gemini for my food shop? While it's not absolutely perfect, the tech certainly helped me save some money.
For reference, I stopped by all the shops mentioned to check whether the prices were correct on July 24.
Google's Gemini AI app lets you chat out loud with shockingly humanlike virtual helper
Diet Coke
Of course, there are own-brand alternatives around, but this is one item we refuse to compromise on.
At the time, Morrisons had an offer on, two for £3.
But Google Gemini informed me that the price can be beaten in a number of places.
Interestingly, it knows Clubcard and Nectar Card prices too.
Tesco had two for £2.75 with a Clubcard, which works out at £1.37 a bottle.
It failed to note that Lidl currently has the same offer.
However, It did correctly inform me of the prices in other supermarkets.
In the end, I decided to get the Tesco deal, two for £2.75, saving me 25p.
Wholemeal bread
When buying bread, I tend to go for Hovis wholemeal medium (800g).
At Morrisons it's £1.39 at the moment - and Gemini informs me it's the same everywhere else.
I'm not fussed about brand on this item though, and will sometimes buy own brand.
Gemini says Tesco and Sainsbury's options are "around 80p" - which is technically correct, though the exact price after checking is 75p at both.
But it also recommends Aldi for "around 59p" and Lidl for "about 75p".
Aldi is the cheapest, but it got the price slightly wrong; it's actually 55p.
As I'm in Morrisons, I ask it to provide me with the price for the supermarket's own brand, which it tells me is 75p too.
So, I go to Aldi and get theirs, saving me 20p.
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is another one where brand doesn't really matter to me.
Morrison's own is 28p for a 500g pack.
Gemini tells me that Tesco's and Sainsbury's own are priced the same.
However, it takes a bit more probing to get Gemini to find the value range.
After a while, it figures out that Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti from Tesco and Asda's Essentials Spaghetti are both 28p as well.
So, everyone is pretty equal on this one and I can stick with Morrisons.
Cadbury chocolate
Back to brands, and Cadbury chocolate is another I refuse to trade for budget dupes.
So let's take my favourite, the Cadbury Dairy Milk bar - and an 180g size.
It's £2.50 here in Morrisons.
I ask Gemini how much it is elsewhere, and it claims that Tesco's is cheapest for £2.45 with a Clubcard.
This is correct.
I did ask if it works out cheaper per gram to buy a different size bar and Gemini got a bit confused, so I'll stick to my 180g bar from Tesco for a little saving of 5p.
Magnum ice cream
It's the time of year for Magnum ice cream, which you can find in packs of three or six.
I'm on the lookout for a three-pack, and £2.75 from Morrisons seems a bit steep.
So I asked Gemini to find a cheaper alternative, and it found me a whopping offer.
Iceland is selling them for £1.75 at the moment, so that's £1 off.
Other items I checked with Gemini
6 pack of eggs
Gemini wrongly told me I could get them for 75p from Lidl - but they didn't seem to stock any of the sort at my local Lidl. The cheapest turned out to be Aldi, for 99p.
Cheddar cheese (400g)
All the main supermarkets offering a basic 400g cheddar cheese had the same price, £2.79.
Iceberg lettuce
Gemini correctly told me that Tesco was cheapest at 69p with a Clubcard, compared to 89p virtually everywhere else, so I saved 20p here.
Fairy Liquid (320ml)
Gemini can help with non-food items too and looks in shops other than supermarkets. It correctly told me that Savers was cheapest for Fairy Liquid (320ml) at 89p, saving me 11p compared to Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsburys where it's £1.
How much did I save in total?
On these nine items alone, I saved £2.91 by going for swaps instead of sticking to one supermarket (Morrisons) and trading one branded item for an own-brand.
The majority of these were highlighted to me by Gemini.
This may not sound like a huge saving, but remember it's just based on a small basket shop.
It's not to say any supermarket is cheaper or more expensive than the other, merely that it does pay to shop around - and that using Gemini could be helpful in that mission.
Tips for using Gemini for shopping
Gemini is still learning so it will make mistakes - but it is a useful aid if used right.
I found I had to really emphasis about what I wanted sometimes.
So, asking "where is the cheapest place I can buy X" wasn't necessarily enough.
At times, it worked better when listing all the supermarkets I wanted to compare the price to.
It also sometimes missed out value ranges unless you made it clear that's what you are after.
Gemini struggled more so with prices for Aldi and Lidl, I suspect this is because there is less information on their pricing online compared to other stores who have online shopping sites.
Overall, it seemed to work best on branded items that you don't want to find an alternative for, such as Magnums were I saved £1.