Part 1: Shopping for Groceries / The Malaysian Student's Guide to Birmingham

Please note that this is written from a personal view and is not meant to be a formal guide. All information can be subject to change and should be verified. The information provided is based on my own experience.

The Malaysian Student's Guide to the UK 

PART 1: Shopping

Groceries 

There are many grocery stores in the UK, ranging from low-cost to premium, and the selection of stores usually depends on your region in the UK. Within the vicinity of the University of Birmingham, the main retailers you'll find are ALDI, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Marks and Spencer. There's definitely no lack of choice when it comes to getting your daily groceries around here. In terms of prices, ALDI is generally more affordable, followed by the mid-tier Tesco and Sainsbury’s and the more premium Marks and Spencer. There are a few more stores available for those staying in the Vale, but as I have stayed in Selly Oak throughout my university life I will be writing more about those in particular. 

When entering a store, you have the option of getting either a trolley which you will need a £1 coin to use (this is not paid and can be returned once your return the trolley) or a basket.

If it's your first time in a UK grocery store, you'll notice that groceries are actually pretty cheap! This is why it's a lot cheaper to cook for yourself than to eat out. Certain products are actually cheaper even after currency conversion than in Malaysia such as milk and other dairy products. There's also wider variety; you have the option of fresh or UHT milk and a wide selection of different creams from single cream to crème fraiche. Milk is sold in pints and a 2 pint bottle of fresh milk will put you back about 90p at the time of writing. Oh, and milk in the UK is divided into skimmed, semi-skimmed and full milk which vary in fat content although all are usually priced the same and it is up to your personal preference. 

Milk Varieties in the UK (source)

Potatoes are incredibly cheap and you have a wider variety than your typical Malaysian supermarket. You’ll also find that seasonal fruits such as berries and avocados are a lot cheaper while tropical fruits common in Malaysia cost a lot more. In the vegetable section, you'll find some packs of vegetables that are washed and ready to eat like baby spinach and iceberg lettuce. If you're lazy to wash up your vegetables before cooking or to save time, these are ideal for you! 

At the checkout counter, you'll find automatic conveyer belts where you will load your goods for scanning. There will be 'Next Customer' signs placed beside the conveyer belts for you to separate your items from other people's. Be courteous and place one both before and after your items if possible! It lets the next person know where to put their items behind yours. 

ALDI's Next Customer sign

Bring your own bag!

This applies not only to grocery stores but also to retail stores . I would say that the BYOB system in the UK is well established and most people bring their own bags to pack their items. You can buy reusable bags at the till for about 5p to 10p, depending on the quality of the bag. The cashier will usually ask you if you need a bag at checkout. Most retailers have a free replacement policy if your bag is used until it is damaged. I would say put a bag in each of your backpacks or handbags if you tend to forget to take a bag when you go out. Not all places charge for bags though, from my last experience Primark provides free bags although in support of the environmental movement, I would will recommend you bring your own bag.

Be prepared to pack your own bags.

At payment counters, the cashier usually only scans your items and places them at the end of the counter where it is up to you to pack your items into your bags. Collect your scanned items in your basket/trolley first and pay before packing your items at the provided packing area instead. 

Use contactless payments.

Once you’ve got yourself a debit card, you’ll unlock the wonderful world of contactless payments. It’s similar to the payWave system and e-wallet contactless payments in Malaysia, but much more well established. You can use contactless payments with your bank card or with your phone if you’ve enabled it for payments under £30. It’s extremely convenient and you can definitely survive without carrying around cash all the time. You can refer to the Finance section for more information!

Join customer loyalty programs!

Most grocery retailers have loyalty programs such as the Clubcard program by Tesco and the Nectar program by Sainsbury’s which get you more bang for your buck. They usually offer points collection and can help you save on your groceries! For example, Sainsbury’s Nectar card is not only used for Sainsbury’s but is also used in a few other retailers. On the Nectar app, you get a selection of bonus items every week which, if purchased, will give you a substantial amount of bonus points that can later be redeemed as vouchers on sites such as eBay.

Use the self-checkout counters.

Most major supermarkets have self-checkout counters equipped with touch screens. They work by checking for the weight of the item you have scanned being placed on the packing area, so put down your item before you scan the next one. Don’t panic if you encounter any problems, there’s usually staff ready to assist. Also, all the counters are well-equipped for both card and cash payments, including returning change in cash! So have fun scanning your own items.

Try grocery delivery.

If you stay too far from a grocery store and don't want to walk that far, major grocery stores have online delivery services for a small delivery fee. Spending a minimum amount usually gets you free delivery so try to share with your friends! Some stores require you to have an ongoing membership while some have one-off delivery options. You get to do your shopping online which also helps you stick to your budget as you won't get distracted by other products on shelves! Quick tip: If you shop in-store and aren't sure about the price of a product, just do a quick search online as the prices online and offline are usually the same. This applies to discounts too! If your product is on sale online it usually is in-store as well.

Bring your ID.

Some stores may ask for your ID when buying medicine like paracetamol or alcoholic drinks. Be prepared with your ID card, usually your BRP as some stored don't accept student IDs. 

SHOPPPING AT ALDI

If you're planning to minimise spending on groceries, you'll most likely get most of your shopping done at ALDI as it is the most affordable compared to other grocery stores nearby. Here are a few tips about shopping at ALDI to make your trip a bit smoother.

ALDI's prices are indeed cheap and is ideal for buying vegetables, meat and other common items. However, ALDI stocks their own private label and other smaller brands and you won't find mainstream big brands in their aisles. This isn't a drawback as I have found their in-house brand to be of decent quality, but if you're looking for a specific brand of item like Ben and Jerry's or Walker's, you won't find it in an ALDI. Occasionally though, they do carry branded items so have a look around all the aisles!

Specifically at ALDI, beware the ALDI Packing Panic (APP)! Unlike other stores, ALDI cashiers scan your items extremely quick thanks to the efficient barcode placement on ALDI items. The tills also don't have much space for you to pack your items in time and this might lead to you panicking to pack your milk and eggs without crushing your loaf of bread and sacred potato crisps. To avoid this, as the cashier scans your items, place them back into your basket/trolley first and finish paying. After you're done, move your items to the packing area provided and do your packing there. 

Getting reusable bags at ALDI is different. Rather than reaching the cashier and them asking if you need a bag, ALDI stocks their reusable bags below the conveyer belt where you should take as many as you need and place them among your items to purchase. 

A typical ALDI checking out counter with bags for purchase underneath.

The queues at ALDI can get quite long especially during peak hours. Don't worry however, they usually open more tills when it gets crowded and thanks to their checkout speed the lines usually move quite fast. 

ALDI doesn't have a loyalty program, but you can still get some cashback on your shopping through other apps such as Receipt Hog where you scan your receipts and gain points!

PRICE TAGS

If you're looking for the cheapest variation of an item, like the cheapest pack of spaghetti, one of my favourite things about UK grocery stores is that they provide price per weightage on the price tag of every item. This mean you get to find the actual cheapest item for what you're getting, rather than just the lowest price for a smaller portion. I used to have to use the calculator on my phone to do this in Malaysia, so it's an incredible convenience that you should put to figure out how to best save your money! 

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I've compiled a small comparison between the grocery stores around Selly Oak to help you understand what's available! 

SELLY OAK GROCERY STORE COMPARISON

	ALDI	Tesco Express	Sainsbury’s Local	Sainsbury’s Selly Oak Shopping Park	The Food Warehouse by Iceland
Prices	£	£££	£££	£££	££
Self-Checkout	Ï	P	P	P	Ï
Loyalty Program	Ï	P	P	P	P
Brand Variety	ê	êêê	êêê	êêê	êêê
Product Variety	êê	ê	ê	êêê	êê
Fresh Food Counters	Ï	Ï	Ï	P	Ï
Distance	êêê	êêê	êêê	ê	ê
Delivery Service	Ï	P	P	P	P

Hopefully you're a bit more prepared to head out and get your groceries in the UK!