The Price of a Sandwich

I think quite a lot about the lunchtime "meal deals" in every supermarket. You know the ones, where £3.00 gets you a sandwich, crisps, and a soft drink. Bargain.

At my work, we sell an absolute truckload of these deals (and you can switch it up, for pasta salad, a chocolate bar, and a smoothie). There's even the option of fruit, coffee or an energy drink. We get all kinds of people buying these, from harried mums shopping with toddlers, to tradesmen, high schoolers and older people. They save somewhere between one and three pounds off the price of the individual items, so it's great value. Or is it?

I'm not going to get all negative about the original prices, since I do like my workplace and would quite like to stay employed. In any case, the prices are similar in other supermarkets too. But I can't help noticing the alternatives. Most days I make a jam sandwich and bring it to work for my lunch (cost, about 10p) plus I have a refilled water bottle. If I wanted to add a snack into the mix, it would be another 10p for a piece of fruit. Total cost: 20p.

If I really felt deprived, I could have ham salad on my sandwich (40p), bring a muesli bar or a bag of crisps from a multi-pack (20p), and add in a can of soft drink also from a multi-pack (40p). Total cost: £1.00. If you did this for a year, that's a difference of £520, or £728 for the first option.

There is nothing wrong with a business making a profit. It's what they do. They're not cheating anyone when you can clearly see the prices on the shelves. But I can choose exactly how much profit I give to supermarkets by voting for the option which is kinder to my wallet.

Free food: baking potatoes, 3 mangled sandwiches (£2.90 worth)
Yellow stickers: two chicken pies (54p off)