Watch on YouTube
Premieres 2 November 2026 at 3pm UK time
Who's Tricking You? · Episode 14
Is "Two For" Really a Deal?
Which? found multibuys that saved nothing, and value packs that cost more per tin. The Old Fox explains why promotions make us buy more, and the 2025 rules on junk-food multibuys in England. Tip: check the unit price and ask if you'd buy two without the offer.
- In 2013 Which? analysed more than 70,000 supermarket prices and found offers such as yoghurts priced at £1 each or 'two for £2', with no saving (Retail Week, 19 November 2013).
- In its 2015 super-complaint, Which? highlighted multibuys that offered no better value and larger 'value' packs that cost more per item than smaller ones, such as tinned sweetcorn (Which? super-complaint, April 2015, reported by Food Manufacture and lovemoney.com).
- The Competition and Markets Authority found examples of confusing or misleading supermarket promotions and asked Trading Standards to issue guidance (CMA response to the Which? super-complaint, July 2015; CMS Law-Now).
- Public Health England found that around 40% of food and drink spending was on promotion and that promotions increased the amount people bought by around a fifth (Public Health England, 'Sugar reduction: the evidence for action', October 2015).
- Since 1 October 2025, larger businesses in England cannot offer volume promotions such as 'buy one get one free' on less healthy food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt (Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021; Sustain, October 2025).
🌐 https://theoldfoxtalks.com
Watch on YouTube Follow on TikTok
Share this story
What the fox said
Two for a pound. Three for two. Is it really a deal?
Sometimes. But sometimes the deal itself is the trick. Let me show you.
In 2013, a consumer group checked seventy thousand supermarket prices.
One pack of yoghurts cost a pound. Or, on offer, two for two pounds.
That's not a saving. That's arithmetic in a party hat.
Another complaint found four tins of sweetcorn cheaper, tin for tin, than the bigger value pack of six.
The competition watchdog looked into it in 2015, and found examples of confusing and misleading offers.
And even honest multibuys have a purpose. Public health officials found promotions made people buy about a fifth more.
More food in the trolley. Often more food in the bin.
Since October 2025, larger shops in England can't run multibuys on many sugary, fatty or salty snacks.
So check the unit price on the shelf label. Do the sum, tin for tin. And ask, would I buy two if it wasn't on offer?
A bargain you didn't need is still money spent. Keep your nose to the wind.
Sources
- In 2013 Which? analysed more than 70,000 supermarket prices and found offers such as yoghurts priced at £1 each or 'two for £2', with no saving (Retail Week, 19 November 2013).
- In its 2015 super-complaint, Which? highlighted multibuys that offered no better value and larger 'value' packs that cost more per item than smaller ones, such as tinned sweetcorn (Which? super-complaint, April 2015, reported by Food Manufacture and lovemoney.com).
- The Competition and Markets Authority found examples of confusing or misleading supermarket promotions and asked Trading Standards to issue guidance (CMA response to the Which? super-complaint, July 2015; CMS Law-Now).
- Public Health England found that around 40% of food and drink spending was on promotion and that promotions increased the amount people bought by around a fifth (Public Health England, 'Sugar reduction: the evidence for action', October 2015).
- Since 1 October 2025, larger businesses in England cannot offer volume promotions such as 'buy one get one free' on less healthy food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt (Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021; Sustain, October 2025).
Spotted a mistake? Tell us in the YouTube comments and we'll correct it.