Why you could be getting a bum deal on your toilet paper – and which supermarket offers the best value
SHOPPERS could be getting a bum deal on their bog roll as our investigation reveals five out of six supermarkets give you less paper than they say on the pack.
The Sun compared the average number of sheets it says you should get on a four-pack of supermarket own-brand toilet roll with how much you actually get.
Supermarkets do, of course, give themselves some wiggle room by stating that the number of sheets per roll is only an "average" figure.
But of the six major supermarkets we looked at, just the one - Sainsbury's - wiped out the competition by containing the exact same number of 220 toilet tissues on all four rolls as it said on the packet.
The only other bog roll to scrub up to this standard was branded toilet roll maker, Andrex, which also gave the promised 200 sheets per roll - proving it's not just a flash in the pan.
When it comes to value for money, Sainsbury's pack costs 20p less than Andrex though at £1.80 compared to £2 - and you get a whopping 80 more sheets per pack on average.
Lidl comes bottom of the pile on sheets
At the bottom of the table came Lidl, which had the joint cheapest bog roll alongside Aldi at £1.59 a pack.
It promised an average of 220 sheets per roll but when we counted we found it seriously lacking - with just 212 sheets on each of the four rolls.
This means you'd be caught short by 32 sheets in just the one pack - enough to send anyone loo-py.
Discounter Lidl told us that pack sizes vary with some containing as many as 40 extra sheets.
Other supermarkets stood on more of a middle ground with the most expensive own-brand bog rolls of all the supermarkets from Morrisons (£1.95) and Tesco (£1.90) missing eight sheets in each pack.
Aldi's (£1.59) four-pack had six fewer sheets than promised, while Asda (£1.75) was missing four.
But it's worth pointing out that while you're getting your money's worth with Andrex in terms of the sheets matching the description, at 200 sheets per roll you're getting around 80 sheets less per pack than supermarkets' own-brands.
In fact, all of the supermarkets' own-brand loo rolls said they contained 220 sheets per roll on average, with only Asda selling less at 190 sheets per roll - a 120 sheet difference per pack.
Now that's something to think about next time you flush.
Size matters
And it's not just the number of sheets you need to watch out for when you spend a penny, as supermarkets also have different average sheet sizes.
Here, Asda was the smallest with the average size of one sheet at 118mm x 104.5mm
In comparison, the largest sheets were offered by Aldi and Morrisons at 125mm x 105mm.
This may only sound like a minuscule difference but it all adds up.
It means the total area of Asda's toilet rolls laid out would be 9.37m2, while Aldi and Morrisons' would be 11.55m2.
Aldi declined to formally comment but it did tell The Sun that its packs will always be within the industry standard of plus or minus 5 per cent of the average sheets stated.
Meanwhile Asda says it sells the thickest toilet roll on the market, which means you end up using less - although as packs don't state thickness shoppers won't know this until they test it out themselves.
An Asda spokesperson said: “Each sheet of our Shades So Soft is thicker than others in the market, which makes it more absorbent and allows you to use less – so our customers can rest assured that they can always enjoy a quality sheet with Shades.”
A spokesperson for Lidl added: "On average, a four pack of our Floralys Super Soft Toilet Tissue contains 220 sheets per roll.
"However, there can be small variations pack-to-pack, with some even containing as many as 230 sheets."
While a Tesco spokesperson said: “On average, a Tesco own brand toilet roll has 220 sheets from start to finish, this does mean you may have a roll that contains a few more or a few less than 220 sheets.”
Andrex and Morrisons didn't respond in time for publication.
More on money
Peacocks is selling unicorn toilet paper for £2.80 – as the mythical creature craze has officially gone loo-py.
But here's why you should DITCH toilet paper for good – for the sake of your health.
And this is why you should NEVER cover the toilet seat in a public bathroom with loo roll.
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