A basket of similar goods costs almost 4 euros more in some stores, and the biggest price differences are currently recorded in three product categories - fruit and vegetables, beverages and dairy products. Such results are revealed by the latest price comparison study conducted by mystery shopper and market research agency SeeNext.
As reported by SeeNext, April 9. during the conducted investigation, secret shoppers visited the stores of five of the country's largest retail chains in Vilnius and Kaunas - "Iki", "Lidl","Maxima XX", "Norfa XL" and "Rimi Hyper". A basket of the 24 cheapest consumer goods was selected for shopping, which consisted of goods selected from different food categories: dairy, meat, grain-based products, grocery products, fruits and vegetables, and beverages.
There is a difference of more than 4 euros between the cheapest and the most expensive basket of similar goods
During this study, over 4 euros could be saved by choosing the cheapest consumer goods. The lowest price for a purchased basket of goods was 31,30 euros when shopping in the Lidl shopping network, while the highest price for a basket of similar goods in the Norfa shopping network was 35,45 euros.
Comparing the average prices of purchased shopping baskets revealed that the lowest average was recorded in the Lidl shopping network - 31 euros, in Maxima stores it was slightly higher - over 32 euros, while the average prices calculated by "IKI" and "Rimi" reached almost 35 euros. and the average price of shopping baskets purchased in the "Norfa" shopping network was higher than 35 euros.
The most pronounced price differences are in the categories of dairy products, fruits and vegetables and beverages
According to the research conducted by SeeNext, after grouping the purchased goods according to their type, it was found out in which stores the specific goods cost the cheapest.
During the research, it was noticed that the biggest price differences emerged in three product categories - dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and beverages.
The cheapest milk products could be purchased in the "Lidl" retail chain for 6,55 euros, and the most expensive in the "Iki" retail chain - 8,05 euros, so the price difference was equal to 1,50 euros.
The lowest price of fruits and vegetables was recorded in the "Lidl" retail chain - 2,22 euros, and the highest in the "Rimi" retail chain - 3,13 euros, so the price difference was equal to 0,91 euros.
In the drinks category, the prices of goods differed the most - 2,02 euros. The cheapest drinks cost 8,22 euros in the "Lidl" retail chain, while the highest price of this product category was found in the "Norfa" retail chain - 10,24 euros.
At that time, relatively insignificant price differences were recorded in the categories of meat, grain origin and the rest of the basket products.
The products of the meat category stood out the most in terms of the lowest prices in the "Lidl" and "Rimi" retail chains, where these products cost 7,13 euros each. And meat products, bought in the "Iki" retail chain for 7,47 euros, had a slightly higher price.
The lowest prices for cereal products this month were paid in the "Iki", "Lidl", "Maxima" and "Rimi" retail chains - 3,18 euros each, while the highest price for this group of products was recorded in the "Norfa" retail chain - 3,26 euros .
In the category of the rest of the basket products, which consisted of dark chocolate, sugar, eggs and sunflower oil, it was noticed that the least paid for them in the "Lidl" shopping chain was 4,00 euros, and the most in the "Rimi" shopping chain - 4,38 euros.
During this study, the basket of 26 cheapest consumer goods consisted of: apples (55 mm, 1 kg), bananas (1 kg), potatoes (1 kg), baguette (300 g), spaghetti noodles (400 g), loose long-grain rice (800 g), bulk buckwheat (800 g), chicken eggs (M size, 10 pcs.), sunflower oil (1 l), white sugar (1 kg), dark chocolate (40% cocoa, 100 g), chicken breast fillet ( 1 kg), pork and/or beef cooked sausage (1 kg), Greek yogurt (10% fat, 400 g), kefir in a bag (2,5% fat, 1 l), sour cream in a jar (30% fat, 400 g ), packaged fermented cheese (45% fat, 250 g), fresh milk in a bag (2,5% fat, 1 l), cottage cheese (9% fat, 180 g), butter (82% fat, 180 g), mineral still water (1,5 l), orange juice (100%, 1 l), light beer without collateral (~5%, 1 l), the cheapest vodka without a substitute (38-40%, 0,5 l).
As reported by the mystery shopper and market research agency SeeNext, which carried out the study, before shopping, the products are photographed on the shelf, and the purchase receipt is also recorded - based on this, the prices of the products are analyzed and compared. Without a photo of the product and a note on the purchase receipt, the purchase is not counted in the analysis. If the specified product cannot be found at the point of sale, it is searched for in another store of the same type. If it cannot be found in another store, an alternative product from the corresponding product group is purchased.
The shopping cart is designed in such a way that the products in it can be objectively compared - the products have the same characteristics, maximally similar packaging, and the same type of packaging. This allows the research to compare the cheapest products with the specified characteristics that can be found in all retail chains. It is emphasized that there is a possibility to find cheaper products of the same category (but with different characteristics) in individual supermarkets.
According to SeeNext, no loyalty or discount cards were used during the study, and no deposit fee was included. The prices of the products are shown without discounts and are calculated based on the prices indicated on the purchase receipt. The prices of the discounted products have been recalculated based on the original product prices recorded on the purchase receipt. In cases where the price before the discount is not indicated on the purchase receipt, but is visible on the price list, the calculation uses the price on the price list and not the purchase receipt. If the price before the discount is not indicated on the purchase receipt or on the price list and it cannot be determined, the price printed on the purchase receipt and paid for the product is used in the calculations. If the price of the regular (without promotion) price list differs from the price specified in the purchase receipt, the price discrepancy between the price list and the purchase receipt is recorded.
