The cost of living crisis strikes again, as Tesco has raised the price of its meal deals for all shoppers, and people are absolutely livid about it.
Some are so devastated by the move that they’re even calling it the “final straw”.
The leading supermarket retailer is a place that workers are often seen making for in droves on their lunch break to grab themselves a bite to eat, along with a snack of their choice and a drink to wash it all down with – but it seems that tradition has now got a whole lot more expensive, and people are not happy about it.
The average price of a meal deal at most supermarkets was known to be around £3, but since the rising cost of living crisis has been continuing to make its impact felt nationwide, this price has been steadily climbing.
Tesco grabbed headlines for hiking the price of its meal deal up to £3.50 back in March of this year, but keeping it at £3 for those with a Clubcard, but now, the supermarket has taken it one step further – even for Clubcard customers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tesco has put the price of its meal deals up to £3.90 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The price of a meal deal has now jumped up from £3.50 to £3.90 for all customers, and then from the competitive £3 up to £3.40 for those with a Clubcard, which is the first time the loyalty card holders have seen changes to their meal deal price in quite some time.
This significant change comes after the Tesco meal deal has spent 10 years being priced at £3.
ADVERTISEMENT
The supermarket revealed that more than 70% of its customers currently use a Clubcard, but with food prices said to be currently rising at their fastest rate in 42 years, it has presumably left the retailer with no choice but to hike the price.
Tesco insisted its meal deal still represented “great value”.
But since news of the price hike broke, hundreds of shoppers have been taking to social media to share their anger and remember the good old days of £3 meal deals.
ADVERTISEMENT
The UK is a shambles but the news that hurt me the most is tesco meal Deals now being £3.90 😭😭
“The UK is a shambles, but the news that hurt me the most is Tesco meal deals now being £3.90,” one shopper exclaimed on Twitter.
Another added: “TESCO MEAL DEAL PRICES INCREASING AGAIN?????? £3.40 WITH A CLUBCARD ????? cost of living crisis is so real,” while a third said: “Tesco meal deal is now £3.40 with clubcard?!?!?? MAKE IT STOP!!!”
“Seeing Tesco meal deals now cost £3.90 was my final straw,” another customer said.
Tesco has increased the cost of a meal deal just less than three weeks after claiming it was “inflating prices a little bit less and a little bit later” than its supermarket rivals, and comes after chains of all sizes continue to fiercely compete for market share.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
Trending
The simple hack that can save healthcare workers and teachers money on their holidays
Danny Jones
With cost-of-living pressure ever-present in the background of most everyday lives, finding some spare pennies for a getaway feels more difficult than ever, and if there’s anyone who deserves discounts on a holiday, it’s healthcare workers.
That’s why, when we became aware of the simple hack that can save those working in healthcare services money on holidays, we thought we’d help spread the word.
We’re sure lots of you working within the sector already know plenty about this booking strategy, but for anyone who doesn’t, how do you fancy saving up to half a grand on your next jolly?
In fact, even those working in education can cut their costs, too.
With searches for ‘holiday voucher code’ up by 73% on Google, and even the likes of TikTok seeing ‘money saving tips’ up by 45%, travel agency TUI have decided to team up with the Health Service Discounts platform for 2026.
Providing those who work for the NHS with a ‘Holidays for Heroes’ (HfH) access code on various popular peak-season trips, this exclusive discount can be added on top of all other seasonal TUI deals, including the company’s ‘First Choice’ package holidays.
With the HfH code alone guaranteeing workers an extra £100 off their bookings, play your cards right, and you could get up to £500 in total discounts overall.
How to access the healthcare ‘Holidays for Heroes’ deal
Separate from standard Blue Light card savings, here’s how it works, and don’t worry, it’s all very simple:
As mentioned, education workers can also benefit from similar money off, with an extra £50 per person through the TUI x Discounts for Teachers partnership, as well.
Ella Foden-Lynch, Partnerships Manager for TUI, said in a statement: “Getting away is absolutely vital for wellbeing, especially for those working in high-stress healthcare and education roles.
“With the cost-of-living crisis still putting a strain on household budgets, we know how hard it is to stretch your pay to cover a much-needed family break. By unlocking these exclusive TUI deals, we hope to give our key workers the realistic recovery time they deserve without the financial worry.”
So, for those of you healthcare heroes and teachers looking for a well-deserved break, we urge you to find an affordable holiday that suits you very soon. With cheaper airport pints also inbound later this year, here’s hoping you save even more spends for when you’re away.
The new James Bond game is full of Easter eggs – including a nod to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Even if you’re not a big gamer, you may have seen that a rather popular new James Bond game recently dropped: 007 First Light – and if you’ve played it yourself, you will have no doubt come across many Easter eggs and references throughout, including one to Manchester United.
As we happen to be currently playing it for ourselves, we’ll admit that hearing any mention of our hometown or even just quintessentially UK nods that any Brit would enjoy was likely to result in putting a grin on our faces.
That being said, apart from whenever the next FIFA—sorry, EA Sports FC drops, we weren’t expecting to hear Man United brought up in one of the biggest video games of the year.
In fact, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that nobody has this on their 2026 bingo card.
Credit: @CaptPierce93 via r/Manchester (screenshots shared to Reddit)
It may just be a slightly tongue-in-cheek throwaway line in a cutscene, but it’s still been enjoyed by many around the world.
As player ‘CaptPierce93’ writes in his caption of his Reddit post sharing the snippet: “The game has a good splash of product placements that don’t get overwhelming; an earlier portion of the game even has radio chatter of a Manchester City and Liverpool match as well.”
He’s right as well: we’ve come across lots of different little interesting nuggets and cameos during our limited playtime, and it’s safe to say we’re looking forward to seeing what else we can spot.
While any Mancunian or true, dyed-in-the-wool United fan will no doubt squirm a little at the use of ‘Man U‘ (we’re thinking like when people ‘Manny’), it’s still pretty cool nonetheless.
You can see the specific scene in full down below.
Such a surreal few seconds.
There’s something very satisfying about hearing ‘Greenway’ – played by recognisable British actor Lennie James (Snatch, The Walking Dead, Blade Runner 2049) – utter the words “Stretford End”.
And before you ask, no, he isn’t a Red: the South Londoner is a Spurs fan and is also said to have a soft spot for Valencia, as it happens.
We’re pretty sure there aren’t any other Manc references to keep your eye out for, but we’ll let you know if we stumble upon more as we continue playing the game.
There’s something about videogame Easter eggs, in-jokes and refs like these that we never tire of; you just never know what little tidbits are going to inspire someone…
Emily Sergeant -
24th October 2022 
