It's Too Expensive Here!

[Chaya]

Economists in A24 expressed today that the new Energy utility rate Tarifazo is only 30 % of the actual local Generation Cost???

The new Energy rates are now higher or the same as regional average ? Conclusion STOP Local Generation and Only Import Energy

Solution. Bring in an outside consulting and accounting company to research where the local inefficiencies are. I'm sure a lit will be found in workplace inefficiency after years of socialist rule. Bring in new world class management. Fire the high paid committee meeting blow hards who think work is about talk rather than action. Restructure operations from top to bottom. Then and only then will Argentina have a chance of moving out of a third world energy hell hole into the first world.

Government Business in so many places in Argentina has been turned into a place of political patronage. The Government sector and Government granted monopolies look more like nursing homes full of people who spend their days doing nothing.

I don't think people realize how serious ad things became here. Major change is the only solution IMHO

 

[gracielle]

Your comments are laudable but not realistic. This is Argentina.....not Chile or Uruguay. Definitely not Finland. Argies have more similarities with the Greeks in their acceptance of graft and corruption and their selection of politicians. Perhaps this time with Macri at the helm some changes will be accomplished.

 

[chris]

As an update to the discussion of food prices, here are some prices that I paid the other day at ACME (most items) and WHOLE FOODS (the jam) in Philadelphia (second largest city on the East Coast of the US). Both markets are located in a high rent district, so it's not likely the prices could be higher elsewhere in the city. Some items were on sale but so much is on sale at ACME that you could select only sale items and do very well. Quoting full retail prices is not realistic given the constant sales that take place. Prices in USD

Red leaf lettuce: $1.49
Sweet corn - five for $2.00
Kraft Lucern Pepperjack $2.00 package
12 Brown eggs $2.79
Quart whole milk $1.29
St Dalfour(French) jam $5.29 (sells for $100 pesos or more in BA)
Arnold bread $2.49
Box of tissue $1.49 (judging by the weight and how tightly packed the tissues are, must contain several times more than the same size box in BA) that sells for over thirty pesos.

This is just a small sampling but my impression is that you can shop for food in the US and get a lot more for your money especially if you buy what is on sale - and there is a lot on sale.

As for wine that people say is so cheap in BA, it is only cheap if you buy the low end brands. I went to the Wine Shop in BA recently and paid over 120 pesos for what the salesman called an economy brand. At the Pennsylvania State stores (especially the specialty stores) there are loads of bargains on wine from everywhere in the world every day, for example I bought:

MOUTON CADET ROSE $9.99
PROPHECY SAUVIGNON BLANC MARLBOROUGH $8.99

 

[semigoodlookin]

As an update to the discussion of food prices, here are some prices that I paid the other day at ACME (most items) and WHOLE FOODS (the jam) in Philadelphia (second largest city on the East Coast of the US). Both markets are located in a high rent district, so it's not likely the prices could be higher elsewhere in the city. Some items were on sale but so much is on sale at ACME that you could select only sale items and do very well. Quoting full retail prices is not realistic given the constant sales that take place. Prices in USD

Red leaf lettuce: $1.49
Sweet corn - five for $2.00
Kraft Lucern Pepperjack $2.00 package
12 Brown eggs $2.79
Quart whole milk $1.29
St Dalfour(French) jam $5.29 (sells for $100 pesos or more in BA)
Arnold bread $2.49
Box of tissue $1.49 (judging by the weight and how tightly packed the tissues are, must contain several times more than the same size box in BA) that sells for over thirty pesos.

This is just a small sampling but my impression is that you can shop for food in the US and get a lot more for your money especially if you buy what is on sale - and there is a lot on sale.

As for wine that people say is so cheap in BA, it is only cheap if you buy the low end brands. I went to the Wine Shop in BA recently and paid over 120 pesos for what the salesman called an economy brand. At the Pennsylvania State stores (especially the specialty stores) there are loads of bargains on wine from everywhere in the world every day, for example I bought:

MOUTON CADET ROSE $9.99
PROPHECY SAUVIGNON BLANC MARLBOROUGH $8.99

You make a good point about sales. In the UK (I presume it is similar in the US), major chains have a load of stuff on sale all the time. Enough that as you said, you could get by solely on sale items. Also, in the UK, supermarkets have their home brands that can be crazy cheap. Sure, a lot of the stuff is crap (but certainly not all of it), but if you wanted you could live on TESCO or Asda home brand goods for little money. Yes, supermarkets have their own brands here, but it is not cheap like in the UK and is not as widespread across as many products.

 

[chris]

Yes, supermarket sales in the US are constant and there is a huge variety. If one brand is not on sale another will be. Store brands are generally good but you can buy premium brands on sale all the time.

 

[UK Man]

You make a good point about sales. In the UK (I presume it is similar in the US), major chains have a load of stuff on sale all the time. Enough that as you said, you could get by solely on sale items. Also, in the UK, supermarkets have their home brands that can be crazy cheap. Sure, a lot of the stuff is crap (but certainly not all of it), but if you wanted you could live on TESCO or Asda home brand goods for little money. Yes, supermarkets have their own brands here, but it is not cheap like in the UK and is not as widespread across as many products.

One thing I haven't noticed here compared to the big supermarkets in the UK is the sale shelf where they sell items especially fresh produce that is about to go past its sell by date. I assume here they just throw the stuff out rather than sell it off cheap which seems a bit odd.

 

[chris]

Also have you noticed how some items like Easter chocolates and pan dulces are sold at FULL price after the holiday has passed?

 

[sam3g]

Are people actually raising dollar-denominated prices in order to makeup for the peso inflation???

 

[Noesdeayer]

sam3g:
You're joking,of course,unless you are a very recent arrival here.
Argentines raise prices to hedge on inflation? Come on,now.What makes you think that?

 

[Rich One]

Very expensive here...!! my senior conserje/portero makes US$2,000 per mo.