Retailers Heavily Criticised For Selling Cheap Booze
Supermarket chain Iceland has come in for heavy criticism for selling cider bottles which contain more than the recommended alcohol allowance for an entire week for just £2.75.
Iceland, which began selling Frosty Jack’s, a cider that contains 22.5 units of alcohol, has come in for heavy criticism by nearly every quarter. Doctors, ministers, crime victims and police chiefs have all voiced criticism over the decision which some have labelled as being ‘deplorable and highly irresponsible’.
Frosty Jack’s is cheaper than a pint down at the pub, and offers drinkers an extremely cheap way to get drunk.
Iceland is not the only retailer to make the cider available with Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury’s all heavily criticised for cutting the price of booze such as wine, beer and spirits, which are more often than not, sold extremely cheaply.
Critics in particular have singled out Frosty Jack’s, which they say targets younger drinkers, who can purchase the cider using merely pocket money. The cider which has 7.5 per cent alcohol content, works out to cost 12p per unit.
Iceland has responded by saying that it has only followed the lead set by other retailers. Iceland says it has also reduced the maximum amount of alcohol customers can buy at any one time to 36 litres.
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Campaigners Blast Low Supermarket Booze Prices
British supermarkets have had accusations levelled against them suggesting that they tend to promote irresponsible alcohol consumption habits by selling booze at cheaper prices than bottled water.
Campaigners have accused retail giants including Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s of tacit approval of binge drinking, after the retailers were found to be selling beer at a little over 5p per 100 ml, which is 3 pence less than the typical cost of a 100 ml bottle of water.
The campaigners claim that supermarkets encourage binge drinking through the use of cheap alcohol prices to attract customers to their stores, ignoring the health risks that are associated with excessive consumption of alcohol.
Alcohol Concern’s chief executive Don Shenker said that government policy aimed at dealing with binge drinking was being seriously undermined by the price cuts undertaken by retailers.
“Unless they tackle the problem of cheap alcohol, they are fighting a losing battle.The evidence shows young people and harmful drinkers are drawn to very cheap alcohol. Supermarkets sell alcohol at a loss because they know it gets people into the stores. A lot of these sales are irresponsible.” Mr. Shenker said.
A spokeswoman for the British Medical Association added: “It is a real worry that you can buy alcohol cheaper than mineral water. We have a huge problem with alcohol abuse in the UK, so we want a clampdown on these cut-throat price deals.”
Sir Liam Donaldson, the UK’s chief medical officer last month criticised the cheap availability of alcohol at supermarkets, and recommended the introduction of minimum pricing for booze.
Mr. Donaldson suggested that an increase in the average cost of a six pack of beer to £6 or by 50 pence per can, could save as many as 3,400 lives and reduce the number of hospital admissions by as many as 100,00 per year.
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Supermarket Price Wars Killing Off The Booze Cruise
The traditional British booze cruise, is slowly being killed off by supermarket chains who are aggressively competing with one another in an ongoing price war.
According to research from industry portal The Grocer, a slumping Pound-Euro exchange rate, and cut price deals from supermarkets has meant that consumers no longer have the incentive they once did to cross the English Channel and stock up on cut price booze, since alcohol is now cheaper at the local supermarket.
British supermarket chains are offering alcohol so competitively priced, that alcohol warehouses on the Calais coast no longer offer the value they once did.
Everything from John Smith Extra Smooth to Smirnoff and Bombay Sapphire is cheaper at UK supermarket then at the Calais branches of the chains. Carlsberg, Fosters and Smirnoff are only marginally more expensive, and when added to the cost of travel, the price difference is negligible and not worthwhile.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We have great value promotions on a number of lines in UK stores so there will be occasions when UK store prices are cheaper than those across the Channel.”
The spokesperson noted that middle class consumers were still making the trip to purchase wine and Champagne, since prices for those products continue to be lower across the border.
Earlier in the year Majestic Wine said it had seen a large fall in trade, with the number of transactions dropping 27 per cent and the average customer spend declining 7 per cent.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesman for The Grocer magazine said: “While the plummeting pound was blamed, it is the depth of below-cost supermarket promotions that have really scuppered the viability of the booze cruise.”
“Factor in the ferry, petrol and time and it becomes clear trips to France just to cram alcohol into every nook and cranny of the car are doomed.”
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Awesome Deals Cash To Be Saved With Asda’s Latest Christmas Offers
Asda has some great items on sale this week from every day Christmas items, to mince pies, and booze, with beer, cider, champagne and wine all at very special prices offering great deals. Most items are only on sale till the end of the month, so hurry and get your shopping in whilst prices are everyday low.
Beer & Cider (Multi Beer & Cider Offer)
Asda Is Offering Great Deals On Beer % Cider This Christmas 3 for £20
Berberana Rioja Reserva (Multi Wine Offer)
Asda Is Offering Great Deals 3 for £15
Was £23.98 Now Only £10.00
ASDA Extra Special Rich Fruit 6 All Butter Mince Pies
Only £1.65
ASDA Classic Christmas Pudding
Was £2.18 Now Only £1.00
ASDA Beef Roasting Joint Large
Was £8.48 Now Only £4.00
Andrex Toilet tissue – winter white 12 roll
For Sale for £4.00
Finish Max in One dishwasher tablets 56s
Was £12.72 Now Only £8.00
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Olay Anti wrinkle day cream 50ml
Was £9.75 Now Only £4.00
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
