A MAJOR supermarket has made a “sneaky” change to its hugely popular meal deal plan.
Retail giant Sainsbury’s has stunned shoppers after it increased its favourite lunch combo price for the first time in three years.
Sainsbury’s has hiked up the price of its meal deal combo by seven per cent, shooting the price to £3.75 from £3.50.
Shoppers were left in disbelief after the sudden change in price as they now claim the change was “sneaky”.
Many people – who solely rely on such combo schemes to save money for lunch – flocked to social media to share their frustration.
One such customer posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Just nearly fully lost it in Sainsbury’s £3.75 for a meal deal?”
Another person said: “Almost cried bc Sainsbury’s meal deals have gone up by 25p.”
While a third urged the newly-elected labour government to help with the price hike.
In March, Sainsbury’s was accused of ripping off hungry shoppers after yoghurt pots were made a meal deal main course instead of a snack.
Tubs of the fruity dairy curd are promoted as the equivalent of a sandwich or chunky wrap despite being significantly smaller.
Sainsbury’s told The Sun the change has been made across supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol filling stations.
A debate was sparked by a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, who posted a snap of a sign inside a Manchester Sainsbury’s informing customers that “Yoghurts now class as a main”.
One patron fumed: “I picked up a yoghurt thinking it was a side, because who eats a yoghurt for a main?
“When I got to the checkout, I was devastated to find that I couldn’t get the meal deal as I had in fact got two mains – a huge ham and cheese roll and a small yoghurt.”
Last February, Tesco also changed up its meal deal offering by launching a premium version for £5 for those with a Clubcard, while customers without one pay £5.50.
Tesco also continues to offer its regular meal deal offer which costs Clubcard members £3.40, or £3.90 for non-members.
It comes after Tesco upped the price of its regular meal deals for both Clubcard and non-Clubcard holders in October 2022 by 40p.
Co-op charges members £3.50 and non-members £4 for a main, snack and drink as part of its meal deal.
Morrisons charges £3.50 for its meal deals.
The price of Asda’s meal deals varies depending on the products picked.
It comes after Sainsbury’s slashed the price of a £6 posh ready meal to just 10p.
Shoppers were left stunned after one punter revealed her bargain buy from the popular supermarket.
One shopper managed to nab Charlie Bingham’s slow-cooked beef and pork ragu lasagne for pennies.
Thrilled with her finds, they quickly took to social media to alert other shoppers of her 10p bargain.
Her post on the Yellow sticker shopping tips, tricks and hauls group read: “Best buy tonight, decided not to buy at £2.39.
“Store was so quiet that nobody was about when final reductions were made and picked up this beauty for 10p.”
Viewers were quick to weigh in with their opinions in the comments section.
A Facebook user claimed it was “one of the best yellow stickers finds ever” and praised the shopper.
One wrote: “Wow that’s amazing even at £2 but such amazing balls at 10p.”
A second commented: “Well done! I love gambling like that.
Recently, we saw shoppers go wild as they stocked up on yellow sticker buys that had been slashed to just 10p each in Sainsbury’s.
From pizza and cakes to packs of chicken, bargain hunters went wild at the incredible discounts from the popular chain.
One savvy shopper also got his hands on a huge haul of 10p food.
Thrilled with his finds, Kulbir Singh Rana took to social media to alert other shoppers.
Previously, we saw a man clear the shelves when he spotted a bargain in Co-op, leading trolls to hail him “greedy”.
