Buying Fruit

[JG]

FYI: I went to Jumbo yesterday and found blueberries (from BA province. less than a pint for 4 pesos. had them for breakfast, not bad, green inside so a little tart)
What is your experience buying fruit and veggies in general? The big supermarkets are too far away, especially Jumbo. I live 2 blocks from the San Telmo market and have quite a few vegetable stands in my area, just not any big supermarkets.
At the San Telmo market, as well as all of the local vendors, there are practically no prices on anything. The market is the worst of all, where each vender has 10 signs that say "dont touch" but only 1, lets say potatoes, with a price. i asked how much are the bananas, 5 pesos a kilo he said. Really?
I've lived here for years, and well some days i just dont have the energy. why arent there prices on things? Shopping was a breeze when i was back home this summer.
Further, I thought that going to the same vendor over and over would produce trust. It didnt work.
Do you just choose your items without knowing the price, then when they say "15 pesos" just pay it, trusting them? I think it would be great if they had prices, not just for the reason of trust, maybe i dont want to pay 5 pesos for bananas or the 8 pesos a kilo for green pepper the one on the corner wanted from me.
Is your experience shopping similar?

 

[bigbadwolf]

I've lived here for years, and well some days i just dont have the energy. why arent there prices on things? Shopping was a breeze when i was back home this summer.
Further, I thought that going to the same vendor over and over would produce trust. It didnt work.
Do you just choose your items without knowing the price, then when they say "15 pesos" just pay it, trusting them? I think it would be great if they had prices, not just for the reason of trust, maybe i dont want to pay 5 pesos for bananas or the 8 pesos a kilo for green pepper the one on the corner wanted from me.
Is your experience shopping similar?

I guess they don't have prices because they want to take customers for everything they can: not an uncommon practice in other parts of the world. Or conceivably, they just can't be bothered to post prices. The funny thing is Argentines aren't adroit negotiators: either you pay the price they ask or they make a very modest -- maybe nominal -- price concession. Maybe negotiation is considered a personal affront. I used to buy from Disco because prices were posted -- even though I knew greengrocers often have better and fresher produce.

 

[igor]

In these small neighborhood vegetable stores prices are not posted because they have established clientele who already familiar with prices. I doubt that store owners would consider to be a deal of their life to get an extra peso or two from an occasional foreigner or outsider. It is just not worth it to put all these price tags every day.
It is quite a different story with fancy leather goods stores on calle Florida, naturally.

 

[jimmert]

Dear JG,
If you have been living here for years, how come you dont have a relationship with your local retailers...I cant stand hearing foreigners slating argentines, if u dont like it get out! go home and stop complaining.
Also if you choose to live in the tourist hotspot of san telmo, what do you expect...about time you moved to a cool local barrio with good locals and then you will be treated the same. i live in chacarita/villa crespo and get all my veg from the local shops where prices are posted, 6 kg of potatoes for 3 pesos, 2 kilos of bananas for 3 pesos.
I used to work in palermo and there fruit prices are about 50% higher than other more local, less affluent barrios....if you live with the elite and foreign contingent you cannot expect to buy food cheaply.......my advice is to move to a cooler area of town.
Support local economies also and stop paying crazy prices by shopping at jumbo!!!

 

[chris]

Prices in Argentina are very fluid and this can apply to Argentines as well as to locals. Some merchants are honest and quote the same price to everyone. Foreigners are consisdered to have a lot of money, so they are often charged more. This can apply to fruit stands or to leather shops. While there can be acts of serious dishonesty (as in other parts of the world) most of the time the cheating is petty: the greengrocer who overcharges, the cashier in the subway who returns less change than he should, the taxi driver who deliberately takes the long route, etc. A peso or two, irrelevant to expats, can mean a lot to the majority of people who are struggling to get by.

 

[gracielle]

Not everyone who lives in San Telmo is a foreigner with above average income. There are low income families living in San Telmo. Where do they shop for fruits and vegetables? I have noticed that food prices displayed are higher in Recoleta, Barrio Norte and Belgrano. Middle class barrios such as Caballito, Almagro, Villa Crespo, and Flores have rotating street "ferias" with green grocer stands that sell at reasonable prices. The regular merchants have competitive prices as well. I don't shop for fresh goods at chain stores.

 

[nroza]

Talking about street "ferias"...
They are called "ferias barriales" and they usually work form Tue. to Sat. form 8am to 2 pm.
This link leads you to a chart with days and addresses for these ferias.
http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/produccion/def_consumidor/fiap_trenes.php?menu_id=13527
Producers sell directly through these ferias, fish, daily products, vegetables, meat and more. It is a legal business and have very good prices. No signs but they respect prices for everyone (at least at the one near home).
One more thing, season veggies are fresher and cheaper.
If you have any doubt or need translation with the chart, write to me.

 

[Gaucho]

In my opinion, one of the best places to find quality fruits & vegetables is the Feria de Belgrano. Its not inexpensive, but selection and quality is one of the best in the city. Located at the cross-streets of Juramento and Ciudad de la Paz.