The price difference of the same product in packed Compared to supermarkets and markets is very marked in the Dominican Republic. Although it has its explanation, there are products that can have a difference in prices that can exceed RD$50 per pound.
“It is important to highlight that the prices in the sales of these products are characterized by the fact that in most cases they have more comfortable prices than in the packed and, many times, that supermarketsbecause in the markets merchants They are wholesalers, who buy directly from suppliers and producers. In addition, they play the role of being retailers,” said Antonio Cruz Rojas, president of the National Council of Merchants and Entrepreneurs of the Dominican Republic (Conacard).
He adds that, in the case of supermarketsthese commercial establishments have the advantage that they do not have intermediaries, but instead buy directly from the producer.
“The difference is also that the supermarket, the category or quality of the products is much higher. In the case of garlic, it is category A garlic; a higher category than the one sold in the markets and packed”, indicated the Red Cross, adding that the executives of the supermarkets they are a little more aware of what the competition is, so they are more conservative when it comes to authorizing prices.
When the official prices are revised (Pro Consumidor and the Ministry of Agriculture), products such as bulk rice are shipped to the public in the packed between RD$27 and RD$30 per pound. In the supermarkets the average is RD$25.81 and in the markets between RD$27 and RD$32 per pound.
In contrast, the pound of red beans in the packed costs between RD$70 and RD$90, in the markets at RD$70.83 and in the supermarkets the price is around RD$79.
Another product is chicken, whose pound is around RD$69.88 and RD$72.33 in the supermarkets. In the packed The pound of white meat is dispatched between RD$80 and RD$90.
Likewise, in the markets, the pound of chicken meat is around, on average, RD$71.33. In the case of eggs, depending on the brand and quality, in supermarkets prices are between RD$6.4 and RD$8.19. In the packedEggs are sold in two units for RD$15 or a single egg for RD$8. In the markets this product can cost RD$6.36.
Another product that is demanded by consumers is the banana. The supermarkets sell this product, on average, at RD$16.47 per unit, a price below that offered by the packed (between RD$18 and RD$25) and markets RD$19.17.
“The supermarkets They know customer service very well and listen very well to the economic advisors for the sale of the product. However, the products of supermarkets have a superior category and that are different from the markets and packed”, said the head of know.
He added that the packed They don’t buy in large quantities like the supermarkets and markets. The colmaderos are supplied in the market, which indicates that they already have an additional cost, different if they bought directly from the producer.
“The products that are sold in the colmado are of a lower category than the one that is sold in the supermarketsbut the grocery store is not very aware of what volume sales management is, contrary to the supermarkets who do know the sale by volume, not by margin, as is the case of packed“said the Red Cross.
“The packed they sell more expensively because their purchasing level is weaker, because while a supermarket buys you 50 quintals of garlic, a grocery store buys you 10 and 20 pounds, or a quintal,” he added.
He indicated that the grocery store has another disadvantage, which is selling on credit to many consumers.
