LIHU‘E — Although the price of gasoline has risen about 25 percent over the last year, it appears the increase has not passed on to consumers at the checkout stand — at least not yet. During October of last year,
LIHU‘E — Although the price of gasoline has risen about 25 percent over the last year, it appears the increase has not passed on to consumers at the checkout stand — at least not yet.
During October of last year, The Garden Island conducted a 39-item price survey at four of the islands largest retail grocery chains: Lihu‘e Big Save, Times, Waipouli Foodland and Safeway. In April, TGI returned to the same markets, averaged out prices from all stores and discovered an overall increase of 18 percent in only six months. TGI’s 12-month survey revealed a different trend, one that challenges perceptions about stores’ pricing.
Collectively, supermarket prices have increased less than 1 percent over the last year ; however, it does not mean prices at individual supermarkets have remained the same.
The survey, conducted all in one day, includes common items available at all stores, such as Cheerios cereal, Skippy peanut butter, iceberg lettuce, bananas, Love’s bread and the lowest available prices for a gallon milk, a dozen grade-A eggs and a five-pound bag of white rice. The tally is what one would pay at the register for the groceries that given day, which means the prices reflect sales and club discounts.
Last year, the checkout stand tally for identical items was the highest at Big Save ($182.75) and the lowest at Times ($169.71). Foodland ($174.31) was the second highest and Safeway ($170.25) the third.
Last month, the checkstand tally showed Times prices have dipped ($163.83), and Safeway’s tally has taken the lead ($189.86). Foodland ($178.95) still has the second-highest prices, but now Big Save ($168.56) has fallen to third place.
Some locals believe that when the Times chain bought out Kaua‘i’s Big Save Supermarkets chain last spring, it raised prices. TGI’s 39-item survey revealed that collectively, prices have dropped nearly 8 percent at Big Save, which kept its name under the new ownership. Meanwhile, Times prices over the last year have fallen more than 3 percent. The Lihu‘e Big Save location closed down in July.
Safeway’s prices are up almost 12 percent compared to last year, while Foodland’s prices are up almost 3 percent.
Some local shoppers also believe chain-store prices vary by location. TGI’s survey discovered this is also not necessarily true.
With the exception of two items, prices at Big Save’s ‘Ele‘ele and Kapa‘a locations were the same last month.
Most of Big Save’s prices now match Times’. Out of the eight items that had a different price, six were lower at Times.
Perhaps most surprising to locals: Foodland store in Waipouli and Foodland in Princeville had almost identical prices. Of four items with different prices, two were lower in Waipouli and two were lower in Princeville. Collectively, the Princeville location was cheaper by 49 cents.
• Vanessa Van Voorhis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or by emailing vvanvoorhis@thegardenisland.com.
