Smart supermart shopping

It pays to be a smart supermart shopper – especially now more than ever, when our battered peso could buy us less and less every day. As the stouthearted would probably say, "When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping."

Peso-savvy shoppers are ever on the lookout for bargains, sale and bonus items, and assorted in-store promos. Don’t you sometimes find yourself queuing up – nay, elbowing/clawing your way through the crowd – at a bread/pastry shop half an hour before the mall closes, when prices are slashed by half? Yes, give us this day our daily bread even as we’re not earning enough dough.

Now, let’s go supermart shopping with uber smart housewife and Shopwise executive Crickette Tantoco, who shares some precious insights in this interview with Consumerline:

Consumerline: With the hard times, what are Filipinos buying at the supermarket?

Crickette Tantoco: Basically, budgets have remained the same and we find that households are downtrading or downsizing their baskets. Popular items are as follows: instant noodles, condiments, canned sardines, and canned tuna.

What foodstuff can our measly P5 buy at Shopwise?

Sandwich spread in 10ml sachets, Maggi Sarap seasoning, Lucky Me instant noodles, ready-to-drink juices in tetra pack, vinegar in 200ml sachets, chocolate crinkles, cake rum balls.

For those who have the money, would you recommend buying in bulk? Some housewives refrain from bulk buying because the maids tend to be more wasteful, especially when they see so much supply of, say, detergent, catsup, cooking oil, etc. in the house.

If a household is disciplined, it makes more sense to buy in bulk than it does to buy tingi, assuming you have the money. It is just a matter of educating the household helpers and other members of the family on the importance of being frugal and conscientious during hard times.

In addition, buying in bulk would decrease the shopping frequency, resulting in less transportation expenses (gas, jeepney or bus fare) and more time saved. The price per unit also decreases with volume (economies of scale). Lastly, if you shop at Shopwise once a month during the first Wednesday of the month, you get double points, which translates to bigger discounts and higher rebates.

Do you see sachet buying becoming more popular as times get harder?

Sachets have become an integral part of a supermarket’s portfolio of products since the year 2000. The popularity of sachets has led to the increased purchase of sachet-based products across almost all categories, with volume increasing year after year. Recently, we have noticed that manufacturers are marketing bigger-sized sachets. This trend is informed by two factors. The first is cash flow (sometimes, consumers just don’t have enough cash at a given point in time to purchase the regular-sized product) and the second is the perception that a sachet provides more value as you are not paying for packaging. The second assumption is false.

If you really think about it, sachets cost more than the regular-sized item inclusive of packaging. Thus, smart shoppers will probably realize that buying sachets will not save them money in the long run, particularly as the sachet sizes are getting bigger and bigger. They will be better off buying the regular-sized item with packaging, and just learn how to ration/conserve the consumption of these items.

How is Shopwise helping shoppers cope with the hard times and get more out of their hard-earned peso?

Even before the fuel price increases, Shopwise has already been providing its shoppers with free transportation in select branches. In our Makati branch, for example, a minimum purchase of P500 earns you a free tricycle ride within the immediate vicinity. We are also constantly negotiating with our manufacturing suppliers for lower prices, special deals, and other discounts on the various products carried by our stores. Concessions given by manufacturers are often passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices, as opposed to the standard practice of adding these concessions to our gross margins. We also offer frequent promotions that feature price-offs and a chance to win exciting prizes through interactive games in-store. Finally, we provide our shoppers with the psychic benefit of a high-quality shopping ambience with affordable prices. In other words, even if a customer is going through financial difficulties, she will still feel good shopping in our stores as the ambience offers her a reprieve, an oasis of quality, amid all her difficulties.

What peso-wise tips can you share with consumers?

• Buy the supermarket private label or in-house brands when you can. While these may not have the same "pretty" packaging as your favorite brand, the quality is often comparable to the manufacturers’ brands. The reason it is priced lower is that the brand is not advertised, does not have expensive packaging, and does not require the kinds of brand building and distribution activities that manufacturers invest in.

• When at work, bring food from your home instead of eating out with your officemates every day. Pack yourself a good, nutritious lunch from the leftovers of dinner or prepare something in the morning. It’s peso wise and more nutritious at the same time.

• Make a grocery list and stick to it. It’s easy to get sidetracked or tempted by the many attractive items on the shelves, and then forget what you went to the supermarket for in the first place.

• Don’t shop on an empty stomach or you may end up filling your cart with all the snack foods.

• Plan your menus on a monthly basis. After you have made your purchases, portion out all the ingredients in plastic bags and mark it per day, per meal, per use. This way, you can account for everything, nothing goes to waste, and you are able to discipline your household. Another plus is you don’t have to contend with leftovers.

• Buy institutional sizes or bigger packs for non-food grocery items (laundry, shampoo, cleaning, etc.) because they cost less, and portion out the usage by buying smaller containers (this can be done for daily or weekly use) so nothing is wasted.

• Plan, prepare, and save for high expense items, such as tuition fees, way before these are due. Set aside a school fund all year long so that when you finally have to pay, the money already exists.

• Use the landline as often as possible. The convenience of a cell phone is unmatched. However, the costs can also be prohibitive over time if you do not discipline yourself. When you anticipate that a conversation will run long, always ask if there is a landline where you can reach the person you need to talk to.

• Carpool to work, to school, and to other places you go to regularly. Not only do you save money, you are also able to cultivate deeper relationships with your officemates, neighbors, and friends.

• Walk instead of riding a tricycle or jeepney for relatively short distances, especially when the rainy season ends. This will not only save you money – it is also a good exercise.

• Always pay your credit card in full, if you can. Interest rates are prohibitive and the longer you delay payment, the more money you lose. Also, cut down on the number of credit cards you own. Annual fees of credit cards are also prohibitive. The more you have, the more you pay. Two should suffice.

• Take pains to properly maintain your cars and appliances. This is cheaper than incurring costly repairs. The same goes for health care: Prevention is always cheaper than the cure.

• If you can, do everything yourself, plan ahead of time, keep your household organized, and save something each month.

Happy supermarket shopping everyone!

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