Aldi Teams Up With Mensa To Help Consumers Save Money
Mensa has joined forces with Aldi in the UK to create a new “savvy shopper test”.
Britain’s shoppers can now find out just how good they are at household budgeting and navigating supermarket aisles to spot the best deals.
In its first partnership with a supermarket, the world’s largest IQ society has created a set of ten questions that aim to help British consumers understand more about how to save money by becoming more aware of their spending habits.
In trials, only a quarter of shoppers achieved 80% in the savvy shopper test– (the Mensa pass mark), which the retailer said demonstrated an opportunity for people to improve their everyday financial know-how and save money on their weekly household budgeting.
The test is part of the discounter’s new School of Aldinomics campaign, which is supported by TV money expert, Emmanuel Asuquo. He has provided tips and advice via a newly launched online portal that claims could help shoppers save up to £600 a year to help combat the current surge in the cost of living, with inflation at a 30-year high.
Aldi stated that the initiative was prompted by research that showed when it comes to grocery shopping and budgeting, the nation could do with a “little savvy know-how”. 45% of people were found to go to the same supermarket out of habit, with only 24% researching which is the cheapest, and even fewer (16%) using their phones to compare prices whilst in the supermarket.
Asuquo commented: “With just over a quarter of people being deemed ‘financially savvy’ by the Mensa test, it’s clear that there’s work to be done and that’s why I’m working with Aldi to create the School of Aldinomics, to show how simple decisions can make a big difference to everybody’s budget. Whether it’s budgeting advice or simple swaps, I will help the UK apply the Aldinomics way to their everyday personal finances and as a result, save up to £600 a year.”
The Mensa Savvy Shopping Survey revealed that the ability to take in and fully understand promotions and deals whilst in the supermarket proved to be one of the biggest challenges, with less than 1 in 4 people (23%) correctly answering the question:
If a 1L bottle of juice, normally costing £4, is reduced by 25%, and the 500ml bottle of juice, normally costing £3 is reduced by 1/3, what is the cost of the best value juice?
This suggests that even simple things like using the calculator on a smartphone to assist when doing the shopping would make a big difference.
Cath Hill, Chief Executive Office at Mensa, said: “We usually devise puzzles to test the logic and speed of thought of people in the UK, so it was both interesting and challenging for us to create a test that could gauge the shopping savviness of the nation. Life is about learning and improving so we hope that this test and the School of Aldinomics will enable the UK to upskill itself and become more Aldinomical.”
