Holiday Shopping Basket Prices Drop 1% Annually, But Rise Significantly Since Pre-War

A recent survey by the Consumers Council reveals that the average price of a holiday shopping basket has decreased by approximately 1% compared to last year. However, when measured against the period before the war, prices have surged by 7%. The basket, comprising 456 common products, saw significant price increases in items like avocados (up 31%), red and white wine (up 7%), and honey (up 4%). Conversely, prices dropped for breakfast cereals (down 13%), canned tomatoes (down 8%), and fabric softeners (down 9%).

Rami Levy was identified as the cheapest supermarket chain, with a total basket cost of 5,986 shekels. Super Yuda was found to be the most expensive, with the same basket costing 8,904 shekels, a difference of 49%. Among urban chains, Neto Saving in the Neighborhood was the cheapest, while Super Yuda remained the most expensive, with a 33% price gap. In the discount chain category, Rami Levy was the cheapest and Victory the most expensive, a difference of 13%.

When comparing price reductions over the past year, Rami Levy in the Neighborhood led with an 8.7% decrease, followed by Pri Ha'aretz Supermarket (6.2%-) and Carrefour Hyper (5%-). In contrast, Cheftz Hachaim saw the largest price increase at 7%+, followed by Super Yuda (6.6%+) and King Store (2.4%+). Carrefour chains performed relatively well, partly attributed to discounts offered as part of a controversial tender by Economy Minister Nir Barkat.

Significant price disparities were also observed for individual products across different chains. For instance, frozen salmon fillet ranged from 48 shekels at Neto Saving and Hamafitz to 109 shekels at Mini Super Alonit, a 127% difference. Fresh beef shoulder varied from 59.50 shekels at Osher Ad to 99.90 shekels at Yash Hadash and Yash Bashchuna, a 68% difference. Fresh chicken breast showed the largest gap, selling for 24.90 shekels at Salah Dabah and 152% more at 62.70 shekels at Super Yuda.