Want a website that reveals the cheapest store for your weekly shop? Done!

Wouldn’t it be great if we could compare supermarket prices online before we go shopping? Well now we can with Quidu.ie where we can clearly see which supermarkets offer the best deals. Soon it will also enable us to draw up our weekly shopping list and automatically see which store is cheapest, says Quidu co-founder BEN O’BRIEN.

Your site is the first that lets us compare prices online. What’s next?

Our most requested feature is to allow users to select their weekly shop and automatically be told the cheapest supermarket for their shop that week. We aim to have this live on the website in the coming weeks. In future, we also aim to collaborate with Irish brands to showcase their products.

Any tips on how to make the most of the site to save money?

By using the Watchlist feature on our website, users can easily view the price changes for their commonly purchased goods. This can allow them to know if it is a good time to potentially stock up while the price is lower than usual. Outside of the website, we recommend that everyone avails of supermarket loyalty programs. Aldi seems cheapest (Lidl isn’t included on Quidu) but are other supermarkets matching it with their own brands?

Aldi is known to price better on average, but product-to-product this isn’t always the case. Our homepage hosts a Cost Comparison section, for comparing everyday products and, as of writing this, SuperValu boasts the cheapest eggs, for example. Tesco has an ongoing campaign for price-matching Aldi across an array of products.

Could we save a lot by being more careful in how we shop?

It really comes down to specific product choice. Take a sausage and rasher sandwich, for example. Averaged out across all supermarkets, the average price of the sandwich is 223% more expensive than the lowest price product available in any given supermarket. I know that no one lives on sandwiches alone, but the same logic can be applied to almost all product categories. I think shoppers should assess which product brands they buy out of habit, and which they buy because they are just a better product. Applying this to their regular purchases is an easy way to get more for your money.

Should we avoid big brands if we want to save money?

Don’t feel obligated to buy brand names. A lot of the own-brand products on shelves are of a similar quality to the brand names, yet a fraction of the price. Some of them are even made in the same manufacturing facility as the brand names!

What was your first job?

I worked in a restaurant for several years after I left school and while in college. It wasn’t mind-blowing pay but I got to work with my friends.