Can a typical household get by shopping exclusively at variety discounters? And what savings might be in store? With the help of the Phillips family from Rochester, Denise van Outen investigated in The Big Pound Shop Swap (Channel 4, 12 August, 8pm).
It turns out: yes, they can. And the savings are big – a whopping £7,000 a year – helped in no small part by the family in question usually spending £350 a month on Ocado deliveries and another £300 at Sainsbury’s.
In the interest of the programme, the Phillipses have conveniently expensive tastes. Mum Salimah spends £2,000 a year on an Elemis skincare habit, which she can cut to £500 with alternative brands from bargain stores. Her £480-a-year Nespresso coffee pod spending can be cut dramatically by substituting Poundland’s Caffe Di Italia ground coffee (which she didn’t like).
Dad Shawn has £560 worth of designer fragrances in his wardrobe, costing up to £100 more per bottle than alternatives from B&M. And their image-conscious 19-year-old son can be decked out head to toe in a £33 Poundland outfit.
The format was reminiscent of Eat Well for Less. But with Salimah noting a lack of fresh veg in the food shop, the premise is closer to ‘eat worse for less’.
While not the “bold consumer experiment” it purported to be, the programme may provide some welcome escapism for families struggling to make ends meet. That’s if they can keep their Poundland dinner down when Shawn claims: “The cost of living crisis is certainly upon us.”
A well-timed and welcome boost for struggling Poundland, the main focus of this first episode. Next week: more B&M.
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