Price increases have added more fuel to the fire in the price wars and promotions of the supermarkets and more than one consumer will be confused with so much oscillation about whether the supermarket in which they buy is really good for the average price.
In fact, it is something difficult to know in a scenario like the one we are dealing with, since nothing lasts more than two weeks and everything, in general, has risen at once. creepy way.
But still, within this framework of rate escalation, there are chains with less wide margins that allow their clientele to breathe with somewhat tighter prices, and this is what the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has made public today in its already traditional annual study.
They have all increased prices
If in 2022 supermarkets registered price increases highest in 35 years that its supermarket study is in force, this 2023 is not far behind, since the products in the shopping basket have increased by 14.1% and all chains have raised their prices.
Unfortunately, although salaries and pensions have also increased, family budgets have decreased in purchasing power, leaving them 2011 levels. In this way, choosing a supermarket with good prices allows families to save something within this general increase in prices.
The study analyzes 1,108 establishments in 65 Spanish cities (all provincial capitals and other large towns). In addition, it records the prices offered by the main chains in their supermarkets on-line to make purchases online.
Regarding the basket analyzed, 236 productsfresh products are included (fruits, vegetables, meat and fish), those from leading brands and the economic basket (with the cheapest products from the basic consumer establishment, such as milk).
As for the chains, the increase in price levels affects all supermarkets, although not all chains have transferred it with the same intensity.
Within the large chains E. Leclerc, Supeco, Carrefour Express and BM Urban are the chains that rose the most, above 15%. On the contrary, Eroski and Eroski City and the Masymas chain have been the ones that have increased the least, remaining below 10%.
The cheapest and the most expensive
However, in the ranking of the cheapest stores are the Alcampo stores in Murcia and Coia (Vigo). Alcampo is the cheapest store in 23 of the 65 cities in the study, while Mercadona It is in 21 locations in the study, and is generally among the cheapest, such as Lidl.
The most expensive establishments visited by OCU belong to the chain Sanchez Romero in Madrid (Arturo Soria and Castelló).
Likewise, OCU also makes the average of each supermarket and hypermarket globally, so the cheapest chains are Dani (among the local ones) Tifer (among the regional ones) and Family Cash and Alcampo among those of national scope.
The most popular chains
In the middle of the ranking are the most popular chains such as Carrefour and Aldi. At the other extreme, the most expensive are amazonThe Commissary, Coaliment and Sánchez Romero.
This means that between the most expensive and the cheapest store in a city there is a difference of 1,056 euros per year average. Thus, consumers who choose well will save 17.5% of the budget they allocate to their shopping cart. In some cities, the possible savings are much greater, which implies that there is greater diversity of commercial offer.
The cities with the cheapest basket
The entity estimates that the average expenditure per household on food and drugs per year amounts to 6,019 euros, which it calls the OCU Basket. The cities where you can buy this basket for less money are Córdoba and Teruelalthough with little difference compared to Burgos, Cádiz, Castellón, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Jerez, Lugo, Palencia, Puertollano, Vigo and Zamora.
At the other end, The Palms Gran Canaria is the city with the highest price level, followed at some distance by Madrid, Palma and Getxo.
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*Some prices may have changed since the last review
Likewise, Galicia, Murcia and La Rioja are the cheapest autonomous communities and the island communities, Balearic and Canary Islands They are where it is most expensive to make the purchase.
Photos | Michael Burrows/Pexels and Greta Hoffman/Pexels.
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