Is Food Really So Expensible? Continue Of The $13.000 Thread

[scotttswan]

What about the industry that relies on people shopping in supermarkets and verdulerias? Think of all the jobs that will go if everyone stops shopping in supermarkets and verdulerias!

Surely its similar with the imported electronics that are dissembled in china, shipped to Buenos Aires, trucked down to and then reassembled in Tierra del fuego, then trucked back up to Buenos Aires to be sold?

If we can get rid of the middleman in one can we not also get rid of the middleman in another?

 

[Rich One]

I also live in Recoleta and it takes 30 minutes by 9 de Julio and the highway. I spent 20 minutes buying the vegetables and fruits and about 30 minutes at the fish warehouse but only because I arrived late. If you arrive before 7 it is an in and out. Next time I plan to go at 10.15 PM in the night just after they open.

I don t agree with you that you need a whole family for going there. I love melons and there are a lot better. I bough a box of super sweet melons (7) for 50 pesos. Besides my appartment there is a verduleria where they cost 20 pesos and they are tasteless.

I don t go there because I need to save money. I look for variety and quality. Verdulerias are full of fruits flies and I don t like the idea of eating its worms. The quality they offer is low, when you go to the CM you realize that they just sell the cheapest but super expensive.

People who needs to save money goes after midday and there are a lot of free buses from government for helping them to ge there.

Fish and seafood, on the other hand, are super fresh there (It was alive 12 hours before) and there is a lot more variety, inclusive alive seafood. If you like sashimi you need super fresh fish.

Regards

if it suits you that is OK ,,,, ! driving time according to you takes 30 minutes for me 45 minutes ...... may be?
Good luck

 

[Bajo_cero2]

if it suits you that is OK ,,,, ! driving time according to you takes 30 minutes for me 45 minutes ...... may be?
Good luck

I went there at 6.30 am, there was no traffic at all. 30 minutes.

 

[Rich One]

I went there at 6.30 am, there was no traffic at all. 30 minutes.

Set up the Alarm at 5 am to drive to MC....!! not in a million years...
Enjoy

 

[Bajo_cero2]

That is your personal desicion after being properly informed, not based in ignorancy.
The MC is opened until 2 PM.

However, this is not a church and I m nor a priest, so, I m not looking for making you a believer, I really don t care where you do buy your groceries.
Regards

 

[French jurist]

I usually buy at the Mercado concentrador of Jose C Paz (I recommend it for people living in GBA Norte, it's also very easy to find & safe) since prices are about the same as in Mercado central (except fruits & vegetables which are even cheaper in Mercado central, for the meat it's equal). There's less choice though but there's a lot less people, and no fishery unfortunately. In the Mercado concentrador of Jose C Paz, you can enter & make all your purchases within one hour.

I went for the first time at Mercado central the other day (after sleeping 4 hours, cool), arrived at 6am.
Meat is about 30/60% cheaper (depends on the quality) than in CABA, fish is about 20/30% cheaper (but fresh!) and fruits & vegetables can be up to 80% cheaper. I bought 20 kilos of tomatoes (great quality) for 60 pesos (cost 8/11 pesos per kilo in CABA?).

Margins up to 400% on fruits & vegetables are really hard to explain, except by irrationally fueled prices (in France, fruits & vegetables bought in retail places are usually priced the double of the central market prices).

Here are a few examples of what else you can find in Mercado central:

Baby diapers, 72x pack, 56 pesos (a bit cheaper than on Mercadolibre, way cheaper than in retail places).
Dried tomatoes (good quality), 200 grams bags (a liter of olive oil can be found for 45/50 pesos), I think I paid 25 pesos per two bags.
Dog collar for my chihuahua (leather is of a great quality, the metallic spikes are weak) -> 40 pesos
One kilo of Müsli --> 20 pesos (350 grams cost about 23/24 pesos in retail places).


For people living around Pilar, Don Torcuato, etc. the Mercado concentrador of Jose C Paz is worth a visit, at least once (it's on Ruta 24 which connects to Panamericana = straight drive). There also are Mercados concentradores in the provincias (Posadas, Neuquen and likely other places).

 

[dennisr]

If the the Mercado offered peanut butter, dove soap, maple syrup, tampon applicators.....expats would awake at 3am in the morning and hitchhike to the Mercado. Offer them some everyday food at low prices and it is FU. All about priorities.

 

[lamarque]

Great info frenchie, i never went to the central market but i would like to go some day, specially for fresh fish and fruit, tomatos in recoleta are 20 per kilo so if you bought 20 kilos for 60 pesos that make 3 pesos per kilo is a diference of 666% wtf

 

[Bajo_cero2]

This picture shows only the farmer´s market.

This website offers deal from CM delivered to your home:
http://www.labaratadelcentral.com.ar/

Where is it?
http://maps.google.c...ed=0CIkBEPwSMAA

How to arrive?
http://www.mercadoce.../comollegar.php

(with video)
http://www.alcentral...omo_llegar.html

Follow MC in FB:
http://www.facebook....111347542277383

Official website:
http://www.mercadocentral.gob.ar/

How to find the fish market:
http://www.alcentral...r_pesquero.html
(once you are close, just follow the other cars)

Regards

 

[arlean]

This is GREAT information. Someone suggested car pooling. It would be not just economical but fun. I can see lots of opportunities here. I have two dehydrators. What an inexpensive way to have as many dried tomatoes as you could possibly use in a year! Wonderful in spaghetti sauce and other things. I am not settled in where I am going to stay or I would have a freezer. For anyone who wants to shop economically I think a freezer is worthwhile. Especially seeing this post. I like to buy cleaning products in bulk. This looks like a good place. We could develop this way further on possibilities. I have some questions:

(1) Do you know if they have an organic section?

(2) Does anyone know if there is a similar wholesale organic market?

(3) Was this market originally at the Abasto shopping mall? I read some information (but in Spanish, not my strong point) that appears that it was moved from Abasto and Abasto redone into a shopping mall. Is this accurate?

(4) If someone were retired and didn't need to live in town, are there any attractive neighborhoods to live that would be convenient to this market?

Thanks for all of your contributions. I enjoy them all.