There's deals to be found, but do they add up?

SHOPPERS can't help but have noticed that a price war has broken out between the supermarkets, with each striving to offer bigger discounts.

According to consumer experts, supermarket bosses are looking to attract customers with big bargains in anticipation of a post-Christmas slump in sales.

Sainsbury's has lowered prices on 3,000 products in recent weeks and Asda this week announced its biggest rollback for a decade, cutting the prices on 3,600 essential products and cupboard staples.

But while the big bargains may tempt shoppers into the store or to swap brands, are consumers getting a good deal overall?

The Evening News has conducted its own straw poll and found that the cost of an average food basket of everyday items in Tesco and Sainsbury's is in fact more expensive now than it was a year ago, albeit only just.

While the average shopping cost 25.60 at Tesco last year, the price has now risen to 26.04 and in Sainsbury's, too, the bill has increased – from 25.37 to 26.30.

Across the four main supermarkets for the average basket this week, Tesco comes out at the cheapest, ahead of Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.

This could be due to price slashing deals, such as 1 kilogram of green seedless grapes which have been cut down from 4.47 to 1.99, while the same product would set you back 2.24 at Morrisons or even 2.49 at Sainsbury's.

But looking at other household basics, the chains seem almost neck and neck, with the difference between the top and bottom spots just 34 pence.

So with not much to separate the four on cost on everyday goods, are the supermarkets relying on big bargains to bag shoppers.

According to consumer champions Which? more than seven in ten customers said they go for special offers if they see them.

Sarah Dennis, Which? supermarket expert, said: "Often these offers turn out not to be so special and there are certainly ways of tempting people to buy products that they might not otherwise."

According to Which? , nearly two thirds of shoppers questioned for a recent survey said that while special offers at shop entrances were "helpful" or "convenient", there were some tactics that were less than welcome.

Almost three quarters surveyed said they disliked supermarkets moving groceries to different aisles – a tactic commonly used to tempt consumers with other items while they try to track down what they really wanted. And 50 per cent said they were "annoyed" at the way milk and bread were placed at the back of the store – another ploy to make shoppers walk past items they may not have planned to buy.

There's no doubt the supermarkets work hard to get shoppers to spend. And as our basket shows, while there are many deals to be had in the four main stores, the bargains do not apply to every item.

When looking at more luxury or branded items, prices in our shopping basket begin to differ. For example, 200 grams of Nescafe original coffee can vary from 4 at Morrisons to 4.44 at Asda or Tesco.

Graham Bell, spokesperson for the Edinburgh Chamber Commerce, said: "We get bombarded by adverts about promotions and discounts but it is no surprise to us that it is really swings and roundabouts between the big stores.

"Make no mistake: these retailers can control their suppliers because of the huge demand they have and can control their prices."

But it's not just shoppers finding themselves under constant bombardment; the big supermarkets are finding themselves competing even more fiercely from the likes of Lidl and Aldi, offering credit-crunched shoppers plenty of reasons to switch.

Lidl offers 400 grams of Hellmann's Mayonnaise for just 1 compared with 1.67 at Asda and 1.68 at Sainsbury's.

Mr Bell said: "In Lidl you can get a goose for 8 that would be 40 in Sainsbury's. Is it the same goose? No, but it's only 8."

Gordon Henderson, from Edinburgh Federation of Small Businesses, said the clash between the big four supermarket was driving down prices for shoppers – but left local businesses unable to compete.

"When the big supermarkets are openly competing by having a price war in the press it's the small retailers and the people that supply them who suffer," he said.

However, he added: "A local supermarket in a high street does bring opportunities by attracting people to the area to do their shopping."

He said in the recent cold snap people were leaving their cars and taking to the streets to visit local shops instead. Ultimately though, whether you pay 1.99 or 1.96 for your tatties, it comes down to choice.

The Chamber's Graham Bell said: "People look for two main things when they are shopping; price is an issue but so is convenience."

And with the price war looking set to continue, Sarah Dennis from Which? advises customers not to get taken in by offers and to remain aware of the manipulative tactics employed by the supermarkets.

So while the supermarkets, discount stores and local retailers battle for consumers' attention, the continuing competition looks set to benefit customers with an eye for a bargain.

The January deals will likely be followed by an Easter extravaganza, a spring sale and summer price slash.