CONSUMERS should think twice before venturing out to shop for basic provisions, the Consumers Association warned yesterday, saying that with prices fluctuating more than 40 per cent from one supermarket to another, consumers were being taken for a ride and would be wise to consider shopping in cheaper stores.
The warning came following yesterday’s publication of a recent study by Intercollege’s Research and Development centre. The project aimed to pinpoint what, if any, price differences existed from one local supermarket to another over a sample of 48 products. The study was carried out over four days, December 4-9, and examined 15 supermarkets in Nicosia, eight in Limassol, seven in Larnaca and six in Paphos.
“We were astounded by the results,” said Consumers Association President Petros Markou, with Nicosia turning out to be the least expensive place to shop for groceries, followed by Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos.
However, Nicosia had the highest fluctuations in prices: “In Nicosia, 13 products fluctuated in price by over 40 per cent, in Limassol 10 and Larnaca and Paphos five,” he said.
For example, in Nicosia the price of a bag of 45 gram Lays crisps fluctuated up to 90 per cent from one shop to another, pork chops up to 117.17 per cent and one kilo of potatoes up to 150 per cent. In Limassol the price of pork chops fluctuated by 210.94 per cent, greenhouse cucumbers by 87.5 per cent and Diet 7-Up and Coca Cola by 48.81 per cent. In Larnaca pork chops had a 75 per cent fluctuation and one kilo of tomatoes varied up to 66.67 per cent. In Paphos, Nescafé fluctuated by 109.68 per cent and Greek coffee by 62.5 per cent.
The researchers split the different prices into three categories: the 0-20 per cent difference range, the 20-40 per cent band and the over 40 per cent group.
In Nicosia and Limassol, 23 of the 48 products were in the first category, but in Larnaca and Paphos these numbers reached 38 and 36 respectively.
In the second group, 12 products in Nicosia had a 20-40 per cent difference in price; these included deodorant, cognac and insect repellent. Limassol had 15 products in this group, including margarine, flour and eggs; Larnaca had five and Paphos six. Thirteen products varied from shop to shop by over 40 per cent in Nicosia; they included toothpaste, panadol and oranges; there were 10 products in Limassol, including baby shampoo, mincemeat and chicken; and five in both Larnaca and Paphos.
“Although only five out of 48 products in Paphos had a 40 per cent difference in price, this might be because all the prices are higher than the average there anyway and so they are forced to keep financial differences smaller,” said Markou.
And while there were fluctuations between individual products, it was difficult to establish a trend: “We are talking about a difference in cents,” an Intercollege source told the Cyprus Mail. “In other words, overall, once the basket of goods has been bought and paid for one supermarket might be £4 more expensive than another.” In essence, it would depend on the individual consumer, and whether he wanted to spend a few pounds more in one supermarket over another, he said.
Nonetheless the ball was in consumers’ court, if they felt prices were very high.
“Shoppers have the power not to go and shop in a particular supermarket. If they boycott a place, it’ll force prices down and improve competition,” said Markou. “There should be laws protecting consumers from these outrageous differences in price and yet nothing is being done.”
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
