With customers desperate to save every penny, here is a handy round-up of all the various discounts, price cuts and freebies on offer from major high street outlets.

As many people struggle financially due to the high cost of living, major retailers are helping with discounts, freebies and offers to ensure that customers are getting as much value for money as possible.

The British Retail Consortium has compiled a guide to direct shoppers to where the best offers on the high street.

Aldi

Aldi has been acknowledged as the cheapest supermarket in the UK for the past 14 months running, and now it is offering price cuts on its own-brand staples such as bread, milk and butter. It has also cut the cost of certain fruit and veg lines.

In addition, the discounter has entered into a partnership with giving platform Neighbourly, and donated 700,000 meals to charities, food banks and community groups during the school summer holidays.

Aldi has also committed to a pay rise for staff with all store staff to be paid at least £11.40 per hour, rising to £12.30 nationally, and £13.15 within the M25. Warehouse selectors now receive a minimum starting salary of £13.18 per hour.

Aldi has also donated 80,000 items from its Mamia baby range to charities and food banks that help new parents/carers on low incomes.

Asda

Asda has implemented thousands of roll-back prices. In mid-July, it announced that it had cut prices on 226 own-label products including fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen meat and fish products, cupboard staples and popular ready meals. It has continued the rollout of its new ‘Just Essentials’ range, with 267 lines available.

The supermarket is also offering kids the chance to eat for £1 ‘All Day, Every Day’ at Asda cafes, with no adult spend required. Meanwhile, adults can also grab a half-priced meal after 3pm.

Asda has also rolled out new loyalty programme ‘Asda Rewards’ which enables customers to earn pounds, building up a Cashpot to spend in-store or online.

When it comes to its staff, Asda has increased the hourly rate of pay to £11.11 from July 2023 – equating to an increase of 18% since beginning of 2022. It has removed the 12-week qualifying period for ‘colleague discount’ in stores and online; new staff can now save 10% on their shopping from their first day of employment.

Co-op

Co-op has reduced prices on 600 products and also introduced member-only pricing across 200 everyday essential lines, including milk, egg, bread, bacon, and chicken.

There has also been increased pay for all store-based employees, with hourly rates going up between 4.2% and 5.3%. Employees can apply for an interest-free rent deposit loan to help with the cost of renting a home.

Iceland

Iceland has a 10% discount offer for customers who are over the age of 60 every Tuesday. The supermarket is also offering interest-free loans of up to £100 with ethical lender Fair for You to be repaid in £10-per-week instalments. Plus the discounter has now brought back its 1p meal deal.

It has also launched ‘Shop Smart, Cook Savvy’ in partnership with energy company Utilita to help customers better understand economical cooking.

Iceland’s staff discount has been extended so staff now get 15% off instead of 10% off their shops.

Lidl

Aldi’s rival Lidl is offering reduced prices on everyday staples such as bread, milk and butter. The discounter has also partnered with Neighbourly to help encourage more donations from customers to food banks.

Staff pay has been increased up to £12.30 an hour based on length of service, and inside M25 will rise to £12.85, increasing to £13.15 an hour, depending on length of service.

M&S

Marks and Spencer is offering lower prices on their food ranges. Staple grocery items, including bananas, milk, bread and beef mince, across its Remarksable range, will also be reduced.

It has launched a ‘Kids eat free’ deal at its cafes during the school holidays throughout the whole year. The offer is that children can eat a £3.95 meal deal for free every time a customer spends £5 or more.

M&S has also partnered with Neighbourly on ‘Gifts That Give’ campaign to donate £1m to 1000 local community groups.

Morrisons

Morrisons has reduced the prices of 47 lines, including mince, tomatoes, butter and cupboard staples such as squash and cereal. In May, a total of the prices of 1,353 items were frozen in their stores, including milk, bread, salad onions, lettuce, and lemonade.

Morrisons has also started stocking 40 of its own-brand savers products at more than 500 Morrisons Daily stores.

In addition, kids’ meals come free when adults spend over £4.49 in their cafes. There is also a free jacket potato and beans for any shopper who ‘asks for Henry’.

Ocado

From April to July 2023, Ocado reduced the price of more than 1,200 lines of staples, including milk, pasta, and chicken. It has also expanded its ‘Own Range’ by 30% over the past 12 months, giving customers more than 750 products to choose from, and plans to expand further in the months ahead.

Ocado is currently offering new customers 25% off £60 on their first order and unlimited free deliveries for three months.

Poundland

The budget retailer has added thousands of ‘Value Products’ to its £1 store price, as well as launching an online initiative called ‘Value Heroes’ that offers a range of household staples for £1, as well as a 1p sale on one product every Wednesday.

Poundland has also rolled out frozen food to 20 further stores, meaning approximately half of its stores now sell chilled and frozen food.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s is offering deals, with price cuts for milk, butter and bread. Low prices are also being offered on everyday essentials such as toilet paper, dishwasher tablets, cereals and tinned tomatoes.

The deals last for at least eight weeks at a time, and reduced price items are available both online and in store.

The supermarket also offers free kids’ hot meals or lunch bags with the purchase of any adult hot main meal in cafes across school holidays. During term time, kids eat for £1 with the purchase of any adult hot main meal.

Sainsbury’s has expanded the Nectar scheme to include meat, fish and poultry, making around 3,500 products available on discount as a result of the promotion.

Sainsbury’s staff pay has been increased to at least £11 an hour, with store and depot colleagues receiving free food during shifts for next six months.

Tesco

Tesco’s has cut the prices of 500 lines of staples since April 2023, and have frozen prices for another 1,000 items.

Meanwhile, a ‘Kids Eat Free’ café deal is available to Clubcard holders with any purchase (no minimum spend).

From April, staff outside London will be paid at least £11.02 an hour, up from £10.30. Staff also receive free food in Tesco canteens, as well as free toiletries including deodorant and sanitary products in stores.

Waitrose

Waitrose has lowered the prices for half of its products by 10%, with bread, butter, beef mince, chicken thighs, tomato ketchup and caster sugar all included in the offers.

In June, the supermarket announced that it had reduced the price of over 200 products.

The supermarket’s value range, ‘Essential Waitrose’, offers customers more than 1000 products. The myWaitrose loyalty scheme offers personalised discounts, and a free coffee every day with any purchase.

Clothes and car discounts

There is also good news for clothes shoppers, as Primark is lowering the price of selected ranges of kids’ wear for their autumn and winter collection. Additionally, there will be price freezes for essential children’s wear to help parents for the new school year.

Online store Very is offering expanded value ranges across fashion and homewares, and school uniforms will cost on average 20% less than its own-brand range.

Meanwhile, motorists should take notice of deals from Halfords, as it is expanding its ‘Never Be Beaten on Price’ promise and is offering a significant 25% reduction on MOT prices.