Supermarket Chain Sells iPhones at Discounted Price

The Israeli supermarket chain 'Osher Ad' has launched a sale of iPhone 18 Pro devices, offering the 256GB model for 4,490 shekels. This price is hundreds of shekels lower than the market price from official importers. Thousands of devices are available across ten of the chain's branches nationwide, in five colors: purple, silver, black, white, and light blue. The phones come with a 12-month warranty from DCS Israel.

The attractive pricing is due to the devices being intended for the US market, which means they lack a physical SIM tray and operate exclusively via eSIM. While Apple continues to sell models with a physical SIM slot alongside eSIM capability in most countries, US models are digital SIM only. This omission allows Apple to use the internal space for a larger battery and improved water and dust resistance. For Israeli consumers, this is not an issue as all local cellular providers support fast digital connections via QR code scanning.

This move by Osher Ad follows a trend of supermarket chains offering desirable gadgets to attract customers. Last year, the chain sold the previous iPhone model for 2,999 shekels, with competitor Victory chain matching and undercutting the price. Osher Ad has evolved from a standard supermarket into a department store-like retailer, known for large displays and a rotating variety of products, including electronics ranging from small appliances to scooters and even cars.

Economically, while these non-food items generate significant buzz and draw foot traffic, they are not a primary growth driver for the chains. The strategy of stocking aisles with electronics aims to create headlines and attract customers. However, for consumers, a one-time saving of a few hundred shekels on a device purchased infrequently does not significantly alter the overall cost of living equation.