Discount supermarkets in Europe

Here's an interesting article from The Economist about food retailing in Europe.

Seems like in Germany, and western Europe, discount supermarkets are becoming more and more popular. Here's how they work - Discounters stock a fraction of the goods that a normal supermarket offers, resulting in fewer suppliers, a high volume of purchases and sales, and massive economies of scale. You would find 16 brands of tomato ketchup in a normal big supermarket, for example, but only 1 brand at the discount supermarket. This results in generally 30-50% lower prices for groceries.

Interestingly, these discounters appeal not only to the lower income group but also the middle class consumers. This is because, due to economic concerns, many people simply make the most rational decision, i.e. to buy where it is cheapest. It's no surprise therefore, that discount supermarkets are gaining market share (up to 30%) across western Europe.

I wonder if this concept will gain traction in this part of the world. There's no reason for it not to because consumers here face the same economic reality. Anyway, it's good to know there is a massive price-war among retailers as it means better bargains for consumers. Of course, we also hope to achieve the same effect through the PriceChat community.

Happy sharing!

Getting things together for my Korea trip!

I’m in the midst of preparing for my trip to Korea next week. It has been a year since I came back and needless to mention, my craving for Korean food is getting more and more intense. I can’t wait to taste my all-time favourites 설렁탕(seol long tang), 돼지국밥 (twae ji kuk bap), 삼계탕 (sam kye tang)… to name a few. More importantly, I'm eagerly anticipating the 삼겹살(sam kyeop sal) + 소주 (soju) sessions with my friends over there. Come to think about it, I’ve officially “quit” drinking since I came back to Malaysia for good, despite the “occasional” few sips of beer here and there. ^^ Attention to all beer lovers like me, Calsberg Green Label Beer Can (6 x 320ml) is selling at real cheap price at Jusco now compared to other marts. It's about RM6 cheaper. When I saw it, I stocked it up, since beer doesn't go bad.

I really look forward to visiting my professor, lab members and fellow Malaysian friends who are still struggling with papers and journals. I guess I will need at least a 24” luggage to fit all the food stuff my Malaysian ex-uni mates requested, and also for my shopping over there. To my utmost surprise, while our marts are stocking up more and more Korean instant food, my Korean friend actually requested for Maggi curry instant noodles! There was once I shared my Maggie curry noodle with her in the dormitory. She must have found my cooking nice ^^

So far I’ve bought some local seasonings, instant noodles, and few boxes of moon cake to bring over from my groceries shopping at Jusco Taman Maluri. And not forgetting, since I’ll be away for a week time and won’t be cooking, I’ve stocked up some food for my dear as well (Look, how thoughtful am I!) I’m quite confident that he is able to cook decent pasta, noodles and some simple meals. So I’ve got this good deal from Jusco, Leggo’s Pasta Sauce Primavera (575g) is only selling at RM 8.90 and it comes with a free water-proof apron! Actually we are not cooking enthusiasts but cooking our own food is simple and economical. I am sure everyone is aware that food costs have increased and cooking at home is definitely a way out.

Lastly, a friendly reminder to people out there.. please remember to check your itemised receipt every time after paying. I bought one pack of Australia carrots but the cashier charged me another pack of peeled baby carrot which I did not buy. I wonder how this can happen as the product was not even in my cart. In fact this is not the first time this has happened. There was another time at Jusco Mid Valley where I was being charged twice for a tray of sushi priced at RM 18.90. But because of the vast price difference I noticed it immediately. If I weren't alert, I might have been ripped off by the mart as well. So let’s make it a practice to step aside and check through the receipt every time.

So all in all, I managed to save up a good amount of grocery expenses from a few super good deals. Now whenever I find good deals, I'll stock them up and share the prices with the rest of you. I'm sure many of us will benefit since we're able to offset the increase by honing our price comparison skill. ^^

Weekend Shopping

I have to admit, grocery shopping isn’t exactly one of my favourite things to do. And in all honesty, I would not go through the trouble of checking or comparing prices on brochures beforehand since I am aware that all the stores here try to differentiate themselves a little bit by offering some products with lower prices the other one does not. I used to think that shopping in a couple of places will never be cheaper than buying everything in one place unless the prices are vastly different. I guessed it won’t differ much unless I shop in bulk.

Last weekend, I was on the hunt for a new shampoo to treat my itchy scalp and surprisingly saw Head & Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo 400ml on the promotional item rack at Tesco. It was priced at RM17.49. So without further ado I dropped it in my trolley thinking that this must be a good buy since it’s a promotional item. Surprisingly after checking through PriceChat, the price at Carrefour is RM18.85 for 750ml and if I knew earlier I would get 350ml more for only an additional RM1.40!

After some soul searching, before my next trip to the store I actually had my shopping list done. Hoping that making a list and sticking to it will keep me from buying too much junk and it will also save some money on the grocery bill^^. Since I was in the mood for a snack and didn’t want to load up on fat and other unhealthy carbs, I was planning to buy my favourite Post Banana Nut Crunch and Dutch Lady UHT Milk to go with it. After comparing prices at PriceChat, surprisingly I found that Post Banana Nut Crunch is priced at RM5.99 in Cold Storage KLCC but RM10.15 in Tesco Extra Cheras where I often visit. It is a big difference of nearly 70%. Despite being labeled ‘posh’, this place isn’t as expensive as we think. We can actually find good bargains in this least expected place. Armed with this ‘knowledge’, I could just grab it from Cold Storage KLCC one day on my way back from work. It is not too much hassle for me to do it anyway. On the other hand, I could get Dutch Lady UHT Milk during my next trip to Tesco since it is almost 30% cheaper there. By doing this I could save up altogether RM6.16 for one box of cereal and two packets of milk.

Since I can’t avoid grocery shopping, referring to PriceChat would make it a more pleasant and faster process and most importantly, it helps me save! All I need to do is plan my shopping list and journey a little bit. It truly revolutionised my grocery shopping experience!

Welcome!

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the PriceChat blog! There's so much to write about but I'm quite busy at the moment. Hope you'll excuse me. Enjoy the site and happy sharing!