The same shopping bag with the same 10 basic products cost almost 10% more expensive supermarket was selected among the six largest chains operating in Argentina.
In the photo he took iProfessional about online prices, Carrefour was the cheapest and La Anónima was the most expensive, closely followed by Jumbo at the top of the table. In the middle, Coto, Día and Changomás fought point by point for the pockets of the middle class.
Which supermarket is the cheapest and which is the most expensive?
The comparison was carried out on a basket with 10 identical products, from top brands and in equivalent presentations: milk, oil, flour, pasta, rice, sugar, grass, sliced bread, dishwashing liquid and toilet paper. The idea was very specific: not to compare pears with apples, but exactly the same at Carrefour, Coto, Jumbo, La Anónima, Día and Changomás.
The values requested correspond to the prices published on the websites of each chain, which in some cases may differ from the prices on the shelves.
Carrefour, the cheapest chain
That means: There was a gap of $3,193 between the cheapest and most expensive supermarkets. In percentage terms, filling the same stand cost around 9% more if you chose the most expensive chain instead of the cheapest.
In the middle there was another interesting fact: Carrefour was very close to the “ideal basket”.i.e. what it would have cost to buy product by product in the cheapest supermarket. This perfect combination would have cost about $34,180, just under Carrefour’s total price.
According to the survey, Jumbo and La Anómima are the most expensive supermarkets
In addition, when looking at individual products, Carrefour was at the top or tied for yerba, bread and pasta; Changomás were characterized by milk, oil and rice; La Anónima was the cheapest for flour and toilet paper, and Jumbo was only at the top for sugar.
On the other hand, La Anónima and Jumbo were often at the most expensive end of the table, especially for yerba, bread, milk and various stored products.
The strongest gaps: grass, the big symbol
Although the amounts in pesos individually appear reasonable, The relative differences between chains were very stark when considering each product individually.
There are several factors that influence price differences.
Even in everyday products such as sugar, pasta or detergent The differences between the cheapest and most expensive offers of the six chains were between 10% and 16 percent.
This means that switching supermarkets without paying attention to prices can make shopping significantly more expensive, even if the consumer always buys the same brands.
Why does the same product cost so differently depending on the supermarket?
The question arises: Why do the same herbs, bread or oil cost so differently depending on the chain?
As sources from the industry explain in dialogue iProfessional, There are several factors that caused these differences:
- Different trading strategies:
Some chains have chosen to price high-visibility products (milk, pasta, detergent) and increase profit margins in other categories. Others ran more homogeneous lists without large individual offers.
- Bargaining power with suppliers:
Large corporations with large volumes and a nationwide presence tend to receive bonuses and better business conditions, which are then partly reflected in the final prices.
- Logistics costs and location:
In the case of La Anónima, which has a strong presence in Patagonia and less densely populated areas, freight costs were crucial. “Transportation of goods over long distances with lower sales volume per store resulted in an increase in the final price of several products,” the sector noted.
- Loyalty programs and segmented pricing:
With the evolution of systems such as Mi Carrefour or Plus de La Anónima, a kind of double price list was introduced: one for the general customer and another – more aggressive – for the consumer registered in the performance program.
“Today there is no uniform ranking. The result changed depending on whether the customer only looked at the final price, whether he took advantage of bank promotions or whether he was registered in loyalty programs,” They summarized the sources.
The main photo of this note focused on final prices without promotions in order to compare apples to apples.
When promotions come into play, the rankings turn upside down
The main photo of this note focused on final prices without promotions in order to compare apples to apples. But The daily shopping reality revealed another equally or more important layer: discounts, 3×2, affiliate programs and specific sales.
In this league, Changomás and Carrefour were very competitiveand Coto y Día gained ground in certain products:
- In milk and oil, the 3×2 promotions made Changomás unbeatable, with unit prices falling by more than 30%, closely followed by Carrefour.
- For pasta and rice, the benefits of Mi Carrefour and the direct discounts of Changomás and Día significantly reduce the final cost per pack.
- For detergents and toilet paper, Coto stood out with discounts of 25% and 35%, making it the cheapest product in these products, but without reversing the overall result of the entire shopping cart.
- In the case of sugar, Día’s 10 percent advertising made the leap from the masses to market leadership in this product, behind Jumbo and the rest of the chains.
The conclusion is clear: if you don’t look at the promotions, you’ll pay more. But even when you look at the special offers, the ranking is not always the same: the cheapest chain in the final price, without special offers or discounts, was not necessarily the one with the best offers and vice versa.
If the consumer does not look at the special offers, he will pay more
An important fact: the brand also weighs
For this survey iProfessional deliberately chose top brand products and equivalent presentations to avoid distortions. The goal was to create a comparable shopping cart that would allow us to see the price differences between chains, rather than the gaps between premium products and cheaper options.
In real life, however The consumer has an additional savings tool available: brand downgrading.
“In every category there are second lines, own brands or regional products that cost significantly less than the leading brands,” they explained from the industry. By combining supermarket, advertising and brand, the monthly savings can be significantly higher than the 9% found in this research when comparing only top brands.
What the survey revealed: Map of winners and losers
Given all the data in the table, the general ranking allowed several conclusions:
- Carrefour It was the cheapest supermarket in the price photo with no promotions, leading or leading several key products (yerba, bread, pasta).
- day It was very close and featured discounts on sugar and detergent, putting it first in promotions.
- Changomas It was very strong in store products like milk, oil and rice, winning several times when 3×2 promotions or aggressive discounts were added.
- Preserve In terms of final prices, it almost didn’t seem to be the cheapest, but it gained ground on certain products with strong promotions, such as toilet paper and detergent.
- Jumbo and La Anónima They were generally at the expensive end of the table, with a particular difference in yerba, bread and various stock products, although Jumbo came out on top in sugar by offering the lowest price without promotions.
The price difference between chains for the same product was almost 50% for grass and in milk, rice and toilet paper it was about 20%.
Choosing to go to the supermarket is also a way to save
The survey showed that Even buying the same brands and the same products, as well as choosing one chain or another, significantly changed the final amount of the ticket.
Among the six large supermarkets studied, the 10-product basket cost almost 9% more in the most expensive than in the cheapest, not counting promotions. And as discounts and loyalty programs were added, the card became even more complex, with leadership changing depending on the product.
For the consumer, The message is twofold: On the one hand, it is advisable to know which supermarket is usually more competitive in the usual shopping basket; On the other hand, looking at the promotions and, if your wallet is tight, can be the deciding factor in whether or not you can make ends meet.
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