How much do you really save with a promotion? We analysed all 1'553 food promotions that were in our data on 8 October 2026, from Aligro, Aldi, Coop, Denner, Lidl and Migros. We calculated the discount against the was price the store shows, or took the percentage discount where there is no was price.
The result: the typical promotion is 20% cheaper. Denner leads with a median of 23.1%; Aligro, Coop and Migros are at around 20%. Half-price promotions are rare: at most 2.7% of a store's promotions are 50% or more cheaper.
1'553
food promotions from 6 stores, recorded from 5 to 8 October 2026
23.1%
median discount at Denner, the highest this week (Migros 20.0%, Coop 20.3%)
58.0%
of Migros promotions with a discount are exactly 20% cheaper
36.5%
of Denner promotions with a discount are at least 30% cheaper; at Migros it is 23.9%
Food promotions with a discount or was price. Source: Eini promotions data, Eini calculation, as of 8 October 2026.
The discount by store
The median is the middle value: half of the promotions have a higher discount, the other half a lower one. We only show it if a store has at least 30 food promotions with a discount and these make up at least half of its promotions.
| Store | Food promotions | of which with discount | Median discount | 30% or more | 50% or more | Median previous week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denner | 90 | 74 | 23.1% | 36.5% | 2.7% | 25.0% |
| Aligro | 576 | 576 | 20.9% | 10.9% | 0.3% | 20.6% |
| Coop | 568 | 412 | 20.3% | 26.0% | 2.7% | 20.4% |
| Migros | 210 | 205 | 20.0% | 23.9% | 0.5% | 20.0% |
| Lidl | 37 | 27 | too few with discount (27) | no figure | no figure | 22.6% |
| Aldi | 72 | 2 | too few with discount (2) | no figure | no figure | not shown |
Lidl had only 27 food promotions with a discount this week; the previous week there were enough for a median of 22.6%. At Aldi, only 2 of 72 food promotions in our data have a discount or was price, so there is no value for it.
20% is the norm
At Migros, 58.0% of food promotions with a discount are exactly 20% cheaper, at Coop 47.3%. That is why the median there is almost exactly 20%. Only a quarter of Migros promotions are 27.9% or more cheaper, at Coop 30.0% or more.
Denner spreads its discounts more widely: 47.3% of its promotions are at least 25% cheaper and 36.5% at least 30%. Aligro has the most food promotions, but many small discounts: 10.9% are at least 30% cheaper, and a quarter give 15.9% or less.
Half price is rare
This week there were promotions of 50% or more 11 times at Coop, twice each at Denner and Aligro and once at Migros, and none at Lidl. That is at most 3 in 100 promotions. If you wait for half price, you usually wait a long time. It pays more to buy at 30% or more if you need the product anyway and it keeps well.
Where the discounts are biggest
Most promotions are on pantry items such as tinned food, pasta, sauces, bread and jam: 42.2% of all food promotions. The bigger discounts, however, are on fruit and vegetables and on frozen products, with a median of 24.5% each. Each makes up only around 7% of promotions.
| Category | Promotions | Share | Median discount | 30% or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pantry | 655 | 42.2% | 20.0% | 16.8% |
| Protein | 428 | 27.6% | 21.7% | 23.2% |
| Dairy | 251 | 16.2% | 21.1% | 11.6% |
| Fruit and vegetables | 111 | 7.1% | 24.5% | 24.0% |
| Frozen | 108 | 7.0% | 24.5% | 29.2% |
Is the was price right?
A discount is only worth as much as the was price. We checked Coop promotions against the shelf prices we recorded from 23 to 28 September 2026. We could match 76 promotions unambiguously, with the same name and the same pack size.
For 65 of them (86%), the was price matched the shelf price from the end of September exactly. For 5 it was higher, for 6 lower. Prices change all the time, so a difference does not mean the was price is wrong. For the other stores we have too few pairs to check.
What this means for your shopping
- 20% is standard: a promotion with 20% off is normal. It is worth it if you buy the product anyway, but not as a reason for an extra shopping trip.
- From 30%, stock up on things that keep: pasta, rice, tinned food and frozen products keep for a long time. At 30% or more, it pays to buy for a few weeks.
- Check the price per kilo: a promotion on a large pack can be more expensive per kilo than the own brand without a promotion.
- Plan around promotions: if you base your weekly plan on the promotions, you make targeted use of the bigger discounts on vegetables and frozen food. How it works: Meal plan around promotions.
Method
- Data: food promotions in the Eini data on 8 October 2026, recorded on 5 October (Aligro), 7 October (Coop) and 8 October 2026 (Aldi, Denner, Lidl, Migros). The previous week comes from our weekly snapshot for the week from 28 September 2026.
- Discount: was price minus promotional price, divided by the was price. If there is no was price, we take the percentage discount the store states.
- Median: only with at least 30 food promotions with a discount, making up at least half of the store's promotions.
- Exactly 20%: discount rounded to whole percent.
- Was price check: only Coop promotions that we could match unambiguously to a shelf price in the Eini price data by name and pack size.
- You can find the values for every week and the definitions on the Data and method page.
Where Eini fits
Every week, Eini plans your lunches and dinners around the actual promotions of Coop, Migros, Lidl, Aldi, Denner and Aligro and turns them into a shopping list. The first 3 meal plans are free; after that, the Food plan costs CHF 1 a week. More on the meal planner page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which supermarket gives the biggest discount on promotions?
In the week of 5 October 2026, Denner had the highest median discount on food promotions at 23.1%, ahead of Aligro (20.9%), Coop (20.3%) and Migros (20.0%). Lidl and Aldi had too few promotions with a discount for a value (Eini promotions data, as of 8 October 2026).
How much discount does a typical Migros promotion give?
20%. In the week of 5 October 2026, 58.0% of Migros food promotions with a discount were exactly 20% cheaper, and the median was 20.0% (Eini promotions data).
How often are there half-price promotions?
Rarely. In the week of 5 October 2026, 2.7% of food promotions with a discount at Coop and at Denner were at least 50% cheaper, 0.5% at Migros and 0.3% at Aligro (Eini promotions data).
Are the was prices on promotions accurate?
At Coop, the was price matched the shelf price we had recorded at the end of September 2026 exactly for 65 of 76 promotions. For 5 it was higher, for 6 lower. Prices change all the time (Eini price and promotions data).
Plan the week around the promotions.
Eini plans your week around the promotions of 6 stores and makes the shopping list.
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