Supermarkets ARE dearer: watchdog
The Consumer Council has confirmed prices of some essential goods have shot up in the past few weeks - and that supermarkets charge more for all of them than corner shops. In one case, a supermarket charged more than double. It also found evidence of hoarding.
The council carries out an annual price survey. It took 11 items for which prices rose by more than 10 per cent last year and compared their prices on March 27 and again on Monday at five supermarkets, three grocery stores and frozen meat shops and three pharmacies.
Over those 19 days, one supermarket had raised the price of a pack of three 900ml bottles of corn oil from HK$60.60 to HK$93.90, an increase of more than 50 per cent. Over the same period, one supermarket had raised the price of an 8kg bag of Thai rice from HK$67.90 to HK$74.50.
'Prices have increased between March 27 and April 14, it's a quite significant change and it's likely that prices will continue to go up,' a spokesman for the council, Ron Hui Shu-yuen, said.
The council also found the same packet of frozen shrimp dumplings, or har gau, cost HK$7.30 at a grocery but HK$14.90 at a supermarket. Chicken sausages cost 71 per cent more at one supermarket than at a grocery, and a bottle of light soy sauce 57 per cent more.
Fred Li Wah-ming, the Democratic Party's spokesman on consumer affairs, said people should take the time to compare prices in the shops and urged them to save money by shopping at wet markets.