Supermarket under fire for budget range price hike as shoppers say they're buying the cheapest of everything

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A supermarket is under fire for the increasing the price of a shopping essential from its budget range. The hike in the cost of Asda's Just Essentials tea bags brings the price of a basket of basic groceries to an all-time high in our weekly comparison, at £12.20.

Since March last year we have been monitoring prices of the same eight essentials at the main six supermarkets. When we first started the comparison, the bill was less than £10 in every store.

That was for 160 tea bags, as well as coffee, a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, a pack of chicken breasts, a pack of mince, beans and butter. Read more: Lidl shoppers 'nearly hit the floor' over 'disgusting' price of ham At that time Asda was the third cheapest retailer behind Aldi and Lidl.

Yet over recent weeks the supermarket has ranked most expensive, topping £12 for the first time last week and reaffirming its position this week after increasing each 40-pack of tea bags from 31p to 35p.