Completely Incomprehensible - Buying in bulk.

[PhilipDT]

I've been meaning to post a thread about this for a while to see if anybody could help me understand this mind boggling aspect of Argentine life.

Buying the same product in bulk costs more.

In other countries if you buy 12 eggs it is usually cheaper than buying 2 cartons of 6 eggs from the same producer. Not so in Argentina!

The supermarkets always list the unit price and then, underneath, the price relative to some other measure, which makes comparisons all too easy. The huge 1 kilo blocks of butter cost $2.50 more than buying the same quantity in smaller portions. I saved .50 the last time I was at grocery store buy ripping the redbulls I was buying out of their cardboard "case" and having them rung up individually. Same thing with juice, olive oil, saffron, etc. all across the store.

I just don't understand it.

 

[syngirl]

yeah you have to do calculations to figure it out -- especially on products like toilet paper. but it's worth it -- sometimes it's cheaper to buy 3 packs of 200gr of butter instead of one big 500gr -- you get more and I've seen it for up to 20% less. Good reason to exercise your basic math skills while in the supermarket!

 

[perry]

I've been meaning to post a thread about this for a while to see if anybody could help me understand this mind boggling aspect of Argentine life.

Buying the same product in bulk costs more.

In other countries if you buy 12 eggs it is usually cheaper than buying 2 cartons of 6 eggs from the same producer. Not so in Argentina!

The supermarkets always list the unit price and then, underneath, the price relative to some other measure, which makes comparisons all too easy. The huge 1 kilo blocks of butter cost $2.50 more than buying the same quantity in smaller portions. I saved .50 the last time I was at grocery store buy ripping the redbulls I was buying out of their cardboard "case" and having them rung up individually. Same thing with juice, olive oil, saffron, etc. all across the store.

I just don't understand it.

In Argentina if you can afford to buy in bulk that means you must be charged more for the purchase. This was told to me once by a supermarket manager as justification for the higher price. I was increduluos when I heard this response but it seems true that the attitude is that smaller purchases are for people with less means meaning that they are cheaper!

 

[mini]

My very first week I arrived I noticed this. I was looking at the prices and I turned to my husband and asked if I was reading the labels correctly . An Argentine lady next to me turned and looked at me and said "Welcome to Argentina" with a smile. Then we chatted for a little bit. Never go to the bottom of it though.

 

[steveinbsas]

I just returned from Walmart and can confirm that TP is a major exception: A four pack of Elite ULTRA Doble Hoja TP (50 metros X rollo) is about $22 pesos. An eight pack cost just under $30 pesos.

At Walmart six huevos extra grandes de color cost $6.25 pesos, but 30 cost about $22. My local grocer sells six extra grande for $3.50. My nieghbors sell 30 huevos for $15 pesos or less.

I was in a MAKRO store a couple times with a friend of mine who has a memberhsip. MAKRO fits the definition of "bulk" sales more like Costco or Sam's Club. The unit price of items purchased in bulk there were noticibly lower than unit or bulk prices in Walmart or any of the larger grocery stores like Disco or Carrefour.

 

[glasgowjohn]

Beer is different

If you are drinking beer with a friend , get a litre - its much cheaper than 3 x 33cl size ...

 

[syngirl]

I was in a MAKRO store a couple times with a friend of mine who has a memberhsip. MAKRO fits the definition of "bulk" sales more like Costco or Sam's Club. The unit price of items purchased in bulk there were noticibly lower than unit or bulk prices in Walmart or any of the larger grocery stores like Disco or Carrefour.

Makro's owned by Moyano supposedly! Just heard this a couple of weeks ago -- I guess that's why they can reduce prices. Haven't investigated it any further yet.

 

[citygirl]

ohhhhhh - if Makro is owned by Moyano, I will be sad. I shop there but I'm really not a fan of his. If that's true - I'll head elsewhere.

Oh & even there, sometimes it is cheaper to buy several mid-sized packages than one big package. Last time we were there, I bought a bunch of smaller bags of the provenzcal spice mix rather than the giant bag. Ditto on the butter.

It is so bizarre (this should go in the mysteries of argentina thread)

 

[French jurist]

Makro is owned by a Dutch company :
http://www.makro.com.ar/site/makro/pt/empresa/grupo_shv/grupo_shv.aspx

 

[glasgowjohn]

Makro is owned by a Dutch company :
http://www.makro.com.ar/site/makro/pt/empresa/grupo_shv/grupo_shv.aspx

As FJ says Makro is owned by a Dutch company / but only in South America and Asia - the Makro stores in Europe are owned by German retail group Metro