Holiday Shopping Basket Prices Drop 1% Annually, Rise 7% 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, ahead of the Rosh Hashanah holiday. However, when compared to the period before the October 7th war, prices have surged by 7%.

The basket, comprising 456 common products, saw mixed price changes across categories. Notably, prices for wine and honey increased by 7% and 4% respectively, while avocado prices jumped a significant 31% year-over-year. Fresh and frozen meat prices rose by 4%, fresh vegetables by 3%, and spices by 2%. Conversely, breakfast cereals and cornflakes saw a decrease of about 13%, canned tomatoes dropped 8%, and fabric softeners fell 9%, contributing to the overall slight annual price reduction.

In terms of retail chains, Rami Levy was identified as the cheapest supermarket for the holiday basket, with a total 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, and Super Yuda again the most expensive, with a 33% price gap.

Among large discount chains, Rami Levy was the cheapest and Victory the most expensive, a 13% difference. In smaller neighborhood discount chains, Neto Saving was the cheapest and Fresh Market the most expensive, a 19% gap. Rami Levy in the Neighborhood, Super Beit HaPri, and Carrefour Hyper saw the most significant price reductions compared to last year, while Hofesh Free, Super Yuda, and King Store experienced the largest price increases.

Significant price disparities were also observed for individual products. For instance, frozen salmon fillet ranged from 48 shekels at Neto Saving and HaMendif 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 Hasad and Yash BaShchuna, a 68% difference. Fresh chicken breast showed the largest gap, priced at 24.90 shekels at Salah Dabah compared to 62.70 shekels at Super Yuda, a 152% difference.