Offering tips on creating value for money on your grocery shopping on any budget.
This blog is designed to help you become an astute shopper.
Tips on How to save money.
Tips on achieving better value for money on your spend.
Tips on buying economically, to use the compound savings to spread your budget further.
Blog 3 - Open Sale medicines
Pharmaceutical products can take years and many millions of pounds to develop and test before the product is allowed onto the market either as a prescription only, sold supervised over the counter in a pharmacy or from open sale in the supermarket medicines section. This research and development cost is reflected in the price when it eventually comes to the market. Most medicines are initially sold under licence exclusively by the manufacturer who makes the product, to recover the development costs of the product. Once the licence period has expired then the product can be copied by other manufacturers and sold under a different brand. these alternative brands are known as generic brands. Like Supermarket own label they are significantly cheaper than the originating brand, as the generic supplier has had no significant development costs. The major difference with medicines is the formula and dosage of the product will be same as the brand, and as such will deliver the same result as the brand but at much greater value for money.
Example:
Generic paracetemol price 19p - unit price 1.2p
Anadin original price £1 - unit price 8.3p
Generic Ibuprofen price 25p - unit price 1.6p
Nurofen Ibuprofen price £1.98 - unit price 12.4p
If your supermarket has an in store pharmacy. Always check if the product you wish to buy is available in store in the medicine section first. There is a significant premium on pricing in the pharmacy.
Example:
Gaviscon 600 ml in store Asda £8.00 - unit price £1.33 per 100 ml
Gaviscon 300 ml at Asda pharmacy in store price £6.59 - unit price £2.20 ml
Asda heartburn & indigestion liquid (generic brand of Gaviscon) price £4.40 - unit price 90p ml
This blog is the property of The Astute shopper and Citizens Advice 1066. Content from this blog must not be shared or reproduced without permission of Citizens Advice 1066.