What are you paying?

A SURVEY of a number of supermarkets in Windhoek on a shopping basket of foodstuffs revealed that Pick ‘n Pay Wernhil, followed hot on its heels by Maerua Superspar, were the most economical.

With the ever-increasing cost of living in mind, The Namibian polled staff members, from entry-level through to senior management, on the kinds of foodstuffs they regularly buy, and compiled a shopping basket of these items, comparing prices at 12 supermarkets in the capital.The full shopping basket list was as follows: Milk (2L), Rama (250g), cooking oil (750ml), Top Score maize meal (2,5kg), brown and white bread, eggs (half a dozen), a pack of sandwich ham, cheese, tomatoes (1kg), green pepper, cucumber, lettuce, Wild Island cool drink concentrate, Coke (2L), chicken pieces (2kg), carrots, pumpkin, butternut, potatoes, onion and macaroni (Pasta Polana 500g).Prices for the vegetables and salad ingredients, including the cheese, were taken at a price per kilogramme and for practical purposes the totals were calculated on purchasing a kilogramme of these each. All other items were added as if only one were purchased. It is also important to note that some shops had specials during the price survey and these were ignored, as most of the stores had at least one of the items on the list at a special price.The prices for the shops which had in stock the full basket of items are as follows:Pick ‘n Pay Wernhil: N$313,40;Maerua Superspar: N$322,54;Tré Supermarket: N$329,84;Woermann Brock Ai//Gams:N$365,55.Some shops did not have the full list so the shopping basket prices are as follows, with the items which differ or are excluded mentioned:Woermann Brock Independence Avenue: N$300,79 excluding cheese (averaging N$71,49 per kilogramme across their other stores) and the chicken pack a 1,5kg pack;Checkers Hidas: N$318,61, excluding butternut and pumpkin;Checkers Maerua Mall: N$327,10, excluding cucumber;Woermann Brock Maerua Mall: N$330,80, excluding tomatoes and the chicken pack a 1,5kg pack;Shoprite Katutura: N$331,41, the peppers quoted per pack of four and not per kilogramme;Pick ‘n Pay Katutura: N$336,65, again the peppers quoted per pack of four and not per kilogramme;Hochland Spar: N$372,35, excluding butternut;Shoprite Independence Avenue: N$372,94, the peppers again quoted for four and not per kilogramme.The Namibian will in future be doing price comparisons on various goods and services from time to time in the interests of the consumer.yanna@namibian.com.na