Fighting back against supermarkets

It is common knowledge that when a Tesco (and other any other big supermarket) opens in an area, its prices undercut local shops/stores and then increase, as local businesses close or struggle to survive.
Once the Tesco store has established itself, it begins to increase prices and make more profits, depending on the demographics of the area and on products customers are buying, using its clubcard/credit/debit card data to snoop on you, the customer.

So prices at Tesco in one town, will match the prices of the same goods in a Tesco store in another town right? WRONG!

Of course it is the case that prices are made to fit the area where the store is placed. This does not benefit the customer and smacks of exploiting the lack of competition.
One example of this happening, was when a customer enquired as to why the price of Tesco fuel was 1p a litre more in our town as opposed to the neighbouring town 2 miles down the road.
The store manager revealed that it was because there was less competition in our town, for petrol.
When the customer quite rightly pointed out that the delivery truck delivered the same petrol to both Tesco stores and that the introduction of a Tesco store and its pricing, had closed some of the smaller outlets supplying petrol in our town, the Tesco store manager simply repeated the same "lack of competition" excuse for charging customers in our town, 1p more per litre.

So from this we can surmise that in areas where sales of a branded product are strong, the price will be higher there to increase Tesco profits. In essence, pricing by demographics and not based on actual cost to get the product on the shelf (as local stores/shops must do). Another reason to steer clear of loyalty cards.

So how can you buy the exact same product, from the exact same Tesco store and the exact same shelf, yet pay two different prices?

I have been watching Lurpak butter for two weeks now. Asda did the old "Offer 2 for £2 whilst increasing the individual price" routine (a common way of introducing higher prices with them)
Tesco, on the same day, also increase their Lurpak, but did not put on any offer.
It is now, as it has been for two weeks prior to this posting, been £1.50 per pack.
Yet I can get the very same pack for just £1 - from tesco, from the same store from the same box.
Checking Tesco price checker online, where customers place an order and this is shopped and packed at the store round the corner from us then delivered to our house, reveals that tesco are charging customers who visit the store, 50p MORE for the same product!

I questioned their "customer service staff" today - the answers I got, says it all;

"It is because we want to get people shopping online instead of coming into the store" - This is because cash shoppers cannot be tracked and traced, buying online involves registering with tesco and submitting details of where you live, what you spend, what you buy, what prices you are willing to pay, etc.
You only have to do it once and they can tally your data with data from the store. The staff member continued,
"Yes it is the same product and we do provide online orders from here to the area" - I then pointed out what a complete rip off of their customers this is, to which he replied, "I agree, I am sorry but that's tesco's policy!"

There you have it, straight from the horses mouth.
Check your shopping instore against their online price checker and see how much more you have paid for the same products off the shelf rather than order online.

UPDATE:
Within 48 hours, our Tesco branch had caved in and reduced the price of Lurpak 250g to £1 - it remained at this price for a week.
Just over a week later the shelf price increased back to £1.50 a pack, even though the same product from the same shelf, if ordered on line, remains just £1 per pack.
Obviously, with asda's price being £1.50 a pack, the way tesco's do business they are quite happy to have a supermarket monopoly, comparable pricing to the "rival" supermarket nearby, instead of offering the people who use tesco to shop, real value for money.... disgraceful!