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Where you buy your groceries could make a substantial difference to what you pay, according to a Cyprus Consumers Association survey that found price gaps of up to 226% for the same products across supermarkets.
Put simply, that means an item costing €1 at the cheapest store could cost €3.26 at the most expensive. That is an illustration of the percentage difference, rather than a specific product identified in the survey.
In a separate comparison, fruit and vegetables checked at the farmers market near GSP stadium were, on average, 26% cheaper than the supermarket averages recorded on the Agriculture Ministry’s e-kofini platform.
For households trying to keep the weekly shopping bill under control, the findings make a case for comparing prices. But the association also says the government’s e-kalathi comparison service needs improvements to make that task more useful.
Big gaps on everyday shopping
The supermarket survey, conducted Sept. 30, covered all products and supermarkets participating in e-kalathi.
It found that 54 items, 11.3% of those surveyed, had price differences ranging from 100% to 226% between the cheapest and most expensive stores.
Nearly half the products had differences of between 50% and 99%, while another 27.3% had gaps of between 30% and 49%.
Those figures describe differences between stores, rather than price increases over time. They nevertheless show how much the choice of supermarket can matter.
Cypriot products generally had smaller price gaps, the association said. It also argued that the platform’s figures showed little sign of strong price competition among most participating supermarkets.
Is the comparison tool comparing what people actually buy?
The association wants the products listed on e-kalathi reviewed, questioning whether items available at only one store can reasonably be described as widely purchased essentials.
Some listed products were available at between one and 40 stores, it said. Limited availability makes it harder for shoppers to use the service to compare a practical weekly basket.
The association also asked the authorities to explain what happened to the 1,000 additional products previously announced for the platform. It said errors in price entries remained, despite being flagged a month earlier.
A cheaper stop for fruit and vegetables
On Oct. 9, the association checked fruit and vegetable prices at the farmers market near GSP and compared them with prices for the same products recorded on e-kofini.
The market prices were, on average, 26% lower. The finding applies to the products surveyed at that market, rather than every item at every farmers market.
The association urged consumers, where possible, to avoid products that have become more expensive, saying changing buying habits can put pressure on sellers to contain increases.
