By . Nikki Murfitt . Supermarkets losing £100million a year propping up their online delivery services. Experts say that while supermarkets often charge £3 or £4 for each home delivery, the actual cost to them is £20. As a result, they are effectively paying customers to shop with them. Retail analyst Dave McCarthy said: ‘The transition from in-store retailing to online retailing in the grocery market is losing the industry £100million profit per annum. It costs Tesco around £20 to deliver to their customers whoi pay around £4 for the service . ‘When a customer switches from shopping in a store to shopping online, it is a lot less profitable for the retailer, which suffers a double whammy. The store loses profits from the lost sales and importantly, a contribution to fixed costs such as rates, energy and the store manager’s wages. ‘And when the customer shops online, the retailer incurs extra costs for packing the products, paying transportation costs, wages, fuel and for the cost of the vehicle which is an expensive, multi-temperature-controlled vehicle.’ Morrisons and Tesco are among the big supermarkets who are losing out on home deliveries . Mr McCarthy tells a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary to be screened tomorrow night: ‘Discount supermarkets are growing at twice the rate of online shopping, yet the big four keep investing and chasing online custom. ‘How much trade would these supermarkets lose if they stopped online? The answer is not as much as they are losing out to the growth of discount supermarkets.’ The beleaguered supermarket giants – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – have seen combined lost sales of more than £3billion in recent years and have slashed thousands of jobs. Last week, Tesco ousted embattled chief executive Philip Clarke after yet another dire profits warning. Last week, Tesco ousted embattled chief executive Philip Clarke after yet another dire profits warning . The success of discount chains such as Lidl and Aldi has meant that middle class shoppers are happy to boast about how savvy they are with their money, and take pride in the fact that they don’t fall victim to the consumerism being promoted by the big four. Mr McCarthy says: ‘As the recession hit, consumers were forced to go elsewhere and as a result they have experimented by trying products in the discount stores and found what they do and don’t like. ‘The discount stores have a compelling offer. They are providing quality and value for money.’ Dispatches quotes customers saying that shopping at Aldi has cut their grocery bill in half without compromising on quality. One said: ‘That was a big surprise. You think because something is cheap then it is probably going to be rubbish quality but it is just the opposite. ‘I used to shop in Sainsbury’s but felt I was being taken for a ride.’
Customers pay £3 for delivery but price to shops is actually £20 . Double loss for supermarkets when customer decides to shop online . Retailer incurs extra costs for packing the products, paying transportation costs, wages, fuel and for the cost of the vehicle . Supermarket Wars will be shown on Channel 4 at 8pm tomorrow.