Isabel Contreras, who runs and manages a grocery store in the San Simón Tolnahuac neighborhood, in Mexico City, comments that in her business they have managed to turn around the rise in prices by making an adjustment in the beer supply that they offer to their customers. customers.
“We have changed the beer we sell for the cheapest. I have more Barrilito and Carta Blanca, which is what they look for the most. Although we also have promotions, which depend on what the truck of the brands supplies us with, yes, the loggerheads are the ones that are always looking for, whether the price goes up or down”, says the shopkeeper.
Although it is not only the price. Doña Ana, as customers know the owner of a store and collection office located in Los Remedios, Naucalpan, comments that another of the challenges she has faced during the beginning of this year is the lack of beer in some marks.
“Beyond the price is the lack of beer in the delivery trucks. We lack Model and sometimes Carta Blanca. We have bought in the warehouses nearby, or in the Modelorama, so as not to run out of sales, at least on weekends and we are already thinking that we are going to have to go ahead to have them during the game, ”he says.
The lack of the drink has been a constant in all stores, although there is no marked trend of a specific brand or presentation. The ANPEC representative comments that it is presented by region, with greater emphasis on Guerrero and the tourist areas.
“The shortage occurs in bursts, but it happens often, especially on long weekends,” said the president of ANPEC, in an interview with Expansion.
Regarding the sale of cigarettes, Contreras, who removed the packs from the sight of his buyers, after it entered into force on January 15, until now, this has not discouraged the purchase of tobacco.
“I buy the brands that sell the most, I already know my customers. It’s rare that someone comes in and doesn’t know what they smoke, unless it’s occasional. And if he doesn’t know, then I’ll tell him what I have and that’s it,” says the shopkeeper, who details that during sporting events, cigarette and beer sales increase up to 30%.
Between avocado and hot dogs
For Cuauhtémoc Rivera, from ANPEC, the Super Bowl also means an opportunity for small businesses to take advantage of the sale of other products, apart from cigarettes and beer, including avocados, whose demand skyrockets during the weekend of match.
“Here the market is not so close and the tianguis is put on once a week, so there are those who prefer to buy here the vegetables that we bring from the plant,” says Dona Ana, the Naucalpan shopkeeper. “Yes, guacamole is eaten, but the sauces that are already made are also sold, because they are a little cheaper,” she adds.
The avocado price was boiling over the past year, and from December 2021 to the same month in 2022, its price rose 6.68%. That of Serrano chili increased 82.05%, while the price of lemon decreased 24.36% and that of onion fell 23.97%, according to Inegi data.
Small businesses also hope to increase their sales of soft drinks and snacks, as well as foods such as bread, sausage and hot dog toppings.
“The great challenge is to maintain sales volume with sales margins, you cannot sustain a business with short margins,” he says.