Supermarket price disparities reach up to 165%, Consumer Council finds

The Consumer Council (CC) has published its latest update on the prices of a wide range of products found in local supermarkets.

As in previous reports of this kind, the information is based on a comprehensive survey conducted by the CC, which involved visiting over 100 supermarkets and verifying the prices of 600 goods and products in 14 categories.

The council’s findings reveal significant price disparities in certain products, which may lead to financial strain for consumers.

Topping the list of items that present a significant price disparity is the “Lao Gan Ma Chili Black Bean Sauce (280g),” which the CC verified to have a price difference of 165.3% between different supermarket chains in Macau.

According to the CC, the product costs MOP12.40 in several branches of San Miu Supermarket, while in the ParknShop chain, it is priced at MOP32.90.

A similar issue was identified with “Just Pure Drinking Yoghurt – Original Flavor (215ml),” for which the CC found a price difference of 135.3%. Once again, the ParknShop chain offered the product at a higher price (MOP16), while a large number of branches from Royal Supermarkets offered the same product for MOP6.80.

Another of the products that systematically appears at the top of those with higher price differences is the “Dove 3-in-1 Beauty Cream Bar (90g),” for which the CC found, this time, a price difference of 131.7% between the ParknShop chain (MOP13.90) and the Nam Wa American Goods Yard (MOP6.00).

Significant price differences were also found in “Knife Pure Canola Oil (2L),” with a price range reaching 120.6% (MOP39.90 to MOP88.00). In this case, the most affordable price was recorded at San Miu, while the pricier ones were found at Fok Cheong Supermarket in Fai Chi Kei.

In total, the CC found that at least 30 products had price variations of over 50% between different establishments, with seven of them exhibiting variations of over 100%.

In general, the supermarkets offering the most affordable prices for the majority of the products surveyed are from the Royal chain, followed by San Miu. Those of Tai Fung, ParknShop, Sunsco, Seng Cheong, and Van Kei occupied the bottom positions, respectively.