The Store You Choose Matters More Than You Think

If your grocery bill feels like it’s creeping higher every week, you’re not imagining things, and where you shop might be making a bigger difference than you think. We hit the aisles at three supermarkets across Belize City, comparing the cost of everyday essentials, from breakfast basics to household must-haves, to see just how much prices can vary from one store to the next. For families already juggling tight budgets, those small differences could mean real savings, or added strain, at the checkout. So, how far can your dollar stretch depending on the store? Paul Lopez takes a closer look.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Grocery prices aren’t consistent, and we went to check. We visited three Belize City stores, Publics on the northside, 88 Shopping Center on the southside, and Sam’s downtown, to compare how costs change from one location to another. Equipped with a list of grocery items, including dishwashing liquid, corn flakes, chopped ham, Suavitel laundry detergent, canned tuna and tomato paste, among other things, we looked at each item store by store.

 

Publics supermarket sells the two hundred grams Dak Chopped Ham at $4.39, the cheapest of the three stores. Sam’s carries the same product at a cost of $4.65, the highest of the three stores, while 88 Shopping Center is somewhere in the middle, at $4.50 Cents. Of the three stores, we also recorded the cheapest price on Mazatun canned tuna in Publics Supermarket, at $2.95. Sam’s carries the same product for $3.25, while 88 Supermarket struck middle ground at $2.99. Some items cost more at smaller shops and there’s a reason why. Sam’s Mart manager Erica Matus explains why a Belizean-owned business can’t always match the prices of larger supermarkets.

 

Erica Matus, Manager, Sam’s Mart

“As a Belizean owned business, the challenge we face is buying in quantity where the bigger chains can buy more, so they get a lower cost.”

 

Controller of Supplies, Lennox Nicholson, confirmed volume of purchase has significant influence on retail prices.

 

Lennox Nicholson, Controller of Supplies, Supplies Control Unit

“You may have two establishments selling the same item. One would have made a purchase of one hundred cases, while the other one may have bought twenty-five cases. And, in getting the supply of their product, normally when entities purchase in large bulks like that there is a better bargaining position to get a better price per case.”

 

But Sam’s was not the most expensive when it came to certain products. They sell a bottle of 1.9l Suavitel laundry detergent for $6.95. That same bottle is thirty cents more at Publics Supermarket, $7.25. Of the three stores, we found the most expensive box of Fans Cornflakes inside 88 Shopping Center at $7.50. Sam’s have been able to strike a pricing middle ground at $6.95, while the lowest price was recorded at Publics Supermarket, $6.85. Notably, according to Nicholson, location is becoming less of an influence on retail prices.

 

Lennox Nicholson

“What you find is that there is a general practice if it is a rural area, the price is just higher and if it is further away from Belize City the price is higher. But when you drill down and look at the invoice to show what they acquired the good for, there is not that significant cap between what an establishment in Belize City is acquiring for, compared to what an establishment in Belmopan is acquiring for.”

 

At $2.50, a bottle of four hundred milliliter Axion dishwashing liquid is cheapest inside 88 Shopping Center, while Sam’s carries the same product for $3.95. To up its competitiveness Sam’s Mart has introduced its own line of poultry products.

 

Erica Matus

“The whole chicken is $2.90 a pound. Then we have chicken wings that come bagged, $5.95 a pound, and neck and back at $1.00 a pound.”

 

For shoppers, the takeaway is clear, comparing prices can make a difference, even within the same city. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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