Are we being diddled? I think we are…

[diffwhine]

A friend has just sent me a photo of a 5 litre container of Shell Helix 15W 40 engine oil taken in a supermarket in France.

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Why therefore is the average price for the same product this side of La Manche over twice the price?

I'm using this Opie Oils link as an example, not to berate them as they offer a good service:

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-92375-shell-helix-hx5-15w-40-premium-multi-grade-engine-oil.aspx?variantid=168685&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwnei0BhB-EiwAA2xuBvZIuXE-omLdrgtNUqTuw0oTcZNrghDFqGdxTWUplfFNjsDfZVLToRoCDs4QAvD_BwE

This is a pretty bog standard spec of oil for old TDIs and so on.

I can only conclude that the cost of living crisis is limited to this side of La Manche and that somebody (probably Shell) is extracting the Michael. That said, there are other brands on that supermarket's shelves which are equally cheap compared to what we have to pay.

Forget the old days of booze cruises, at this rate I'm going to start oil cruises.

[Exile]

The French would probably riot if the price went up.

We have been brainwashed to shut up and accept it.

(And that goes for almost everything).

[Adam1958]

Stock but outs in key dealers used to be a common practice, anyone unfamiliar with the practice, it's roughly as follows.
A rep from brand A goes into a dealer he wants to stick hus stuff, he offers to buy all brand Bs oil at whatever the invoice price was, to replace it with brand As product, plus display units, ongoing stock in SOR, yada yada.

Then the rep bins-off brand Bs stock for whatever he can get for it, generally in a market segment that they don't see as their customer, segment etc etc. The fine detail varies a bit from deal to deal.

Some Aldi middle isle stuff is bought this way I'd imagine. It could be that this oil is just from this kind of buying... or from a gone broke dealer.

I can guarantee you that 50% off oil is hurting someone's balance sheet somewhere.

I'd buy it quick.

Oh... did he check the production date? Sometimes oil gets discounted heavily if a production date rolls past a few years.

[diffwhine]

Stock but outs in key dealers used to be a common practice, anyone unfamiliar with the practice, it's roughly as follows.
A rep from brand A goes into a dealer he wants to stick hus stuff, he offers to buy all brand Bs oil at whatever the invoice price was, to replace it with brand As product, plus display units, ongoing stock in SOR, yada yada.

Then the rep bins-off brand Bs stock for whatever he can get for it, generally in a market segment that they don't see as their customer, segment etc etc. The fine detail varies a bit from deal to deal.

Some Aldi middle isle stuff is bought this way I'd imagine. It could be that this oil is just from this kind of buying... or from a gone broke dealer.

I can guarantee you that 50% off oil is hurting someone's balance sheet somewhere.

I'd buy it quick.

Oh... did he check the production date? Sometimes oil gets discounted heavily if a production date rolls past a few years.

I understand the market game - that bit makes sense in a Lidl type environment. No this is mainstream Tesco type shop and we just used this as one brand and example - its all like that and all current not old stock. Its literally half the price across the board - if not more!  :ranting  :ranting  :ranting

[Adam1958]

Interesting. There must be something massively different with the oil biz distribution model, currency conversion, duties etc.
I can't for a minute believe we in the uk are just being profiteered from. It makes for a great hard-done-by narrative I grant you, I'd love to stick it to the man too. But having worked in the oil distribution business for motorcycles in a past life, I can guarantee you if we thought we could drop the price whilst still making a profit margin we would have, even by a few pence. (15% for the distributor, 30% for the retailer) if we could have shaved anything off to gain market share then we would have. I just can't see a sensible reason for 50% off across all brands, in all retail environments.

[Alan Drover]

Simple answer.
This is Rip Off Britain!!!!!

[Ken]

RIP off most probably as most things are here.
At the start of period of inflation we just had, within about the first week screwfix raised their prices on everything I checked by between 25 and 50%.
There was no justification for it that I could see, just profiteering which is what almost all of the recent inflation was.

[diffwhine]

Out of interest, those prices were in a bog standard Intermarche. Not on offer or anything, just normal pricing.

[Peter Holden]

For over 25 years we have run Citroen based vehicles and since we have had most of them from new and I am obsessive about oil changes I have used Total oils as recommended.  Mostly I have bought ir in France in the hypermarket when it is on offer and have brought it home.  I buy oil filters there too.  I have had some strange conversations with customs at various times on our return to the UK, especially when I have had 5 or 6 4.5l containers of oil on board.  We are off again in a month for a short break so I need to get my shopping list organised.

Peter

[simonbav]

For over 25 years we have run Citroen based vehicles and since we have had most of them from new and I am obsessive about oil changes I have used Total oils as recommended.  Mostly I have bought ir in France in the hypermarket when it is on offer and have brought it home.  I buy oil filters there too.  I have had some strange conversations with customs at various times on our return to the UK, especially when I have had 5 or 6 4.5l containers of oil on board.  We are off again in a month for a short break so I need to get my shopping list organised.

Peter

Have you a trailer? 

[Peter Holden]

Not any more

Peter

[jonhutchings]

Oil prices have got outrageous in recent years, for seemingly no good reason, every time there is some sort of crisis the price goes up quickly, and then comes down very slowly if at all. That said I recently bought 5l of Morris oils Golden film 20/50, from a Lucas classic/Britpart stand at a show  for £20 which seemed like a pretty good deal.

What really annoys me is that increasingly oil is sold in 4l or 4.5l for the same price or more than 5l was. The packaging make it look bigger than it is as well, so if you are not careful you can slip up and buy it thinking it's 5l only to realise that it's 4.5 or 4l
Again this seems to be a british issue. Oil on the continent still seems to mainly be sold in 5l containers.

[Wittsend]

I'm surprised that tis question is asked 

From the day you are born till after you die you/we are being "had" 

    Kerching

Shrinkage is all around us on the supermarket shelves.

10 biscuits when there was once 12 
A handful less cat treats in the bag and so on ....

I doubt anyone in authority gives a *****

Suck it up ... onward to the revolution.

[Alan Drover]

"Born Free, Taxed To Death!"

[diffwhine]

I'm sure our continental cousins would be a bit less accepting of the situation than we are.

As it happens, I have a friend who works for Shell and deals with the retail sector. I plan to push back quite hard on this. Can't blame Brexit for over 100% difference in price. I want to know what's going on here and I've got my Mr Grumpy hat on. I plan to push this one a bit as I think it's outrageous.