Can you spot the best supermarket deal? Try this quiz

Shoppers seduced by "special offers" and "bogof" deals end up forking out over Â£1,000 more a year on average than planned, according to the Money Advice Service.

The Money Advice Service (MAS) found that three-quarters (76%) of people regularly spend more than they meant to in the supermarket due to special offers and bogof - or buy one get one free - multi-buy deals.

On average, people said they spend £11.14 more than they intended to per shop. As the average shopper visits the supermarket more than twice (2.2 times) a week, the Service calculated that this could lead someone to spend around £1,274 per year more than intended.

The Service also asked more than 2,000 consumers to select the cheapest options when presented with four sets of offers as they might be found in a supermarket.

Just one in 50 (2%) people selected the best-value option from all four sets of offers. Three quarters (74%) of people answered at least one question correctly.

Hunger, boredom and children’s “pester power” were also common reasons people gave for piling more into their trolley than they had intended.

Those who stuck to a shopping list spent £6,374 per year on average in the supermarket - £217 less than the £6,591 typically spent a year by those who do not bother making a list.

The MAS is an independent body set up by Government to offer money tips.

Here are the percentages of shoppers who say they spend more due to certain circumstances, and the average amount extra they say they spend on a shop because of these circumstances:

• Special offers, 76%, £11.14

• Hunger, 59%, £10.87

• Not having a clear idea/plan of what they want to buy beforehand, 49%, £13.44

• End of aisle displays, 45%, £11.91

• Boredom, 31%, £14.53

• Children/pester power, 26%, £15.50

• Till displays, 23%, £16.28

• Tiredness, 22%, £13.94

COULD YOU SPOT THE BEST SUPERMARKET DEAL?

Could you spot the best deal? The Money Advice Service asked more than 2,000 people to select the best-value options when presented with four sets off offers. Just 2% correctly identified the best-value deals in all four cases. Answers below.

1. Of the following options for milk, which represents the best deal?

(a) Six pints of milk for £1.80

(b) Four pints of milk for £1.40

(d) Two four-pint cartons of milk on offer for £2

2. Of the following options for buying 500g of lemons, which represents the best deal?

(a) One 500g pack of lemons costing £1.20

(b) 500g of loose lemons at £2.50 per kilo

(d) Buy one get one half-price deal on 250g packs of lemons costing 70p each

3. Of the following options for buying tomato ketchup, which represents the best deal?

(a) One 460g bottle on offer at £1.50

(b) One 910g bottle costing £2.49

(d) One 1.35kg bottle costing £3.50

4. Of the following options for buying eggs, which represents the best deal?

(a) Six medium eggs for £1.10

(b) Ten medium eggs on offer for £1.50

(d) Two packs of six medium eggs on offer for £2.00

(e) Buy one get one free offer on packs of 10 medium eggs priced at £2.20

ANSWERS

1 d; 2 d; 3 c; 4 e