A scaffolder from Devon who had his Tesco Clubcard barcode tattooed on his wrist says he no longer shops at the supermarket for his family's big grocery haul, describing it as a "rip off" amid the rising cost of living.
Dean Mayhew, 34, a father of three from Bideford, Devon, got the QR code for his card inked on his wrist on July 16, 2022, by artist Dan Rossetter, 39, at A Star Tattoo in Chessington, Surrey. He had the tattoo because he kept forgetting to take his Clubcard with him to Tesco, and it still works perfectly at the till.
Why Dean stopped shopping at Tesco
Dean says his changing habits are a result of the rising cost of living, with food and energy prices typically on the increase amid the economic backdrop and the conflict in Ukraine. He now only uses the chain for Meal Deals at lunch on occasions.
"I don't even shop at Tesco anymore, they're a rip off. Even a midweek shop for a few days of food was costing us around £200. I haven't done my weekly shop there for over a year now," he said.
Asda cheaper than Tesco for weekly shop
Research by Which? recently analysed the prices of 93 popular branded and own-brand groceries, including milk, cheese and Hovis sliced bread, at eight of the UK's biggest supermarkets to see how they compared. Asda was cheaper for a weekly shop than Tesco, with the bill at Asda coming to £186.71 and Tesco's coming to £193.45. With a Clubcard, Tesco's weekly shop came down to £187.71.
Dean, who can scan his tattoo at Tesco to gain Clubcard points, said: "Sometimes when I go in there, the cashier doesn't believe it's real - I have to tell them 'just scan it please!' and they're shocked."
Meal Deals and no regrets
Despite not shopping at Tesco for his big shops, Dean says he has "no regrets" about getting the ink. "It's in the past, you know. And it's a conversation starter. It's just a laugh isn't it," he said.
"Every now and then I get a meal deal from Tesco. No one can complain about a meal deal, you know, £3.50 for a drink, crisps and sandwich. I use it for that. But I don't do big shops in there anymore," Dean continued.
