Brits are like Goldilocks across most products with the exception of two: sausages and mattresses
At one time or another most people have found themselves staring at several versions of the same product, wondering whether or not it makes a difference if they buy the cheapest version, an expensive version, or one from in the middle.
Now new YouGov Omnibus research asks people whether it’s better to buy bottom, mid, or top of the range across 25 products commonly found around the home. The results reveal that Brits are like Goldilocks – favouring the mid-range option in almost all cases, with only two exceptions: mattresses, and pork sausages.
Basic foods
At 42% vs 39%, pork sausages are one of only two items where Brits are more likely to buy the most expensive option over a mid-priced product.
For all the other basic foods we asked about, most people go mid-range. In the majority of instances top of the range comes second and the cheapest versions come third. This was especially true of the other meats on the list, with 39% saying you should go top range for beef mince (compared to 42% mid-range) and 35% for whole uncooked chicken (vs 44% mid-range).
Baked beans are the most controversial food on the list. While half (50%) say it's best to buy mid-price beans, the remaining consumers are evenly split between preferring the cheapest option (21%) and favouring the top of the line (22%).
Everyday essentials
Brits go mid-range for every single one of the ten household essentials we put to them, with this sentiment being strongest for cleaning products (64%), toilet paper (62%) and washing powder/tablets (also 62%).
The household essentials people are most likely to recommend paying top whack for are batteries (31%), and toothpaste (28%). At the other end of the spectrum, kitchen roll (33%) and tissues (29%) are the essentials where Brits are most likely to just buy the cheapest option.
Household items
As already stated, mattresses were one of the few items where Brits are more likely to recommend buying top-range over mid-range. In fact, the majority of people (56%) say that paying for a top quality mattress is “well worth it”, compared to 38% who say buying a mid-range model is best. Only 2% believe you’re better off just buying the cheapest one available.
For all the other items in this category, (kettles, microwaves, toasters, irons, duvets, cookware and vacuum cleaners) Brits recommend buying a mid-range model, although a large minority of people (38%) also say you should buy a top of the line vacuum cleaner.
