Supermarket Sleuths: This bulk tuna purchase is not what it seems

I'm pretty sure I wasn't searching up Sirena tuna when this ad appeared on my phone. I think I was just talking about it.

I was remembering how my dad used to eat it. He'd put it in a bowl and mix it in with some finely sliced onion and a splash of red wine vinegar. He'd then pile all that onto a nice crusty bread roll and that would be his lunch, or quick dinner.

It was shortly after sharing this anecdote and realising that I had run out of Sirena tuna that an add for a bulk-purchase of Sirena popped up from one of my favourite discount apps/websites Catch.

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The offer was 12 x 95 gram tins for $28.50. That works out to be... $2.37 per tin which is pretty good.

I almost bought it immediately because to run out of Sirena tuna in my household is just unacceptable and tantamount only to running out of olive oil or passata.

But then I thought to quickly run it through the calculator and look it up on the Coles and Woolies apps.

Coles was selling individual tins of Sirena tuna at 95 grams for $2.95 and Woolies was selling them for the same. Although both supermarkets will regularly place them on sale for $2.30 and that's usually when I stock up, but that's not the case this week unfortunately.

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So it seems Catch was selling Sirena tuna for the lowest price, but that's before you add in the delivery fee.

If you add in the delivery fee of $8.95, that means you end up paying $37.45 which works out to be $3.12 per tin.

Catch does offer free delivery if you sign up to OnePass which cost $4 per month or $40 a year. Their Click and Collect service is also $8.95.

Or, I could buy Aldi's version, Yellowfin, which is a very low $1.29 but it does take some getting used to.

It's not as good as Sirena, but it's not bad at all and my partner Shamus swears by it. As tinned tuna goes, it's a bit of a bargain.

And if I serve it up like my dad used to, with the onion and a splash of red wine vinegar, I'd hardly be able to tell the difference.

The moral to this story is that bulk purchases are not always the most affordable choice for your family and really need to take the time to crunch the numbers properly before you buy them or you will end up spending more than you need to. Although I do love Catch, as my order history demonstrates, and did stock up on my daughter's favourite CrispyFruit snack, two new Wii remotes, a Wii sensor and a new toilet seat while I was on the site.

I also spoke with Brendan Sweeney, Managing Director of Catch, and he said the site has seen an increase in grocery item sales of late.

"In recent months we've seen a bigger uptake in customers buying grocery items including packaged and canned food items such as tuna," he explains.

"Buying in bulk not only saves money, but it's also an incredibly convenient way of shopping for pantry staples which are delivered straight to your door.

"At a time when Aussie households are facing growing cost of living pressures, we know families everywhere are looking for value and savings. They're looking for price competitiveness, delivery options, speed and a broad product range that an online marketplace like Catch offers. That's why the work we're doing at Catch is focused on delivering value for families who are a really important customer base for us."

He reminds customers there is a 30-day free trial with OnePass members currently on offer at the site.

And there are some other bulk purchases on the site at the moment in addition to the Sirena tuna. These include Kellogg's cereals including Corn Flakes, Special K and Sultana Bran in packs of two or three.

Breaking down the Corn Flakes offer, two 725 gram packs for $12 works out to be $6 each.

Also on offer, Mi Goreng noodles, 15 packs for $11.82 which works out to be just approximately 80 cents each and Val Verde Diced Italian Tomatoes, four for $7 which ends up costing $1.75 each.

But once again, with all bulk purchases, take the time to figure out the per unit price to ensure you are paying the lowest price possible when compared to your local supermarket, and always factor in delivery fees when ordering groceries online.

And don't forget to factor in that delivery charge or there is a OnePass 30-day free trial on offer at the moment that could make for a good opportunity to stock up.

Products and prices displayed are subject to region and availability and are accurate at the time of publication.

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