Dean Mayhew stops large Tesco shops but keeps using tattoo

Dean Mayhew says he has stopped doing large grocery shops at Tesco because he considers the supermarket too expensive for his family, although he still occasionally buys a meal deal there using the Clubcard barcode tattooed on his wrist. Mayhew, 34, a father of three and scaffolder from Bideford, Devon, says he has not done a weekly shop at Tesco for more than a year. He said a midweek shop for a few days’ food was costing his family around £200, and that he now shops at Morrisons or Asda, which he considers cheaper. His account reflects his own household experience and assessment of prices. A Which? comparison of 93 groceries across eight supermarkets found an average basket cost of £186.71 at Asda and £193.45 at Tesco. Tesco’s total fell to £187.71 with a Clubcard. The comparison offers a separate snapshot of basket prices, rather than evidence about Mayhew’s personal shopping costs. Mayhew’s tattoo was made in July 2022, when he had the Clubcard barcode inked on his wrist so it could be scanned at checkout. He says it still works, though he sometimes has to ask cashiers to scan it because they do not initially believe it is real. He says he occasionally uses the tattoo when...