Are we off our trolleys?

THE_cost of shopping has increased by 19.6 per cent in one year, according to Shilpa's weekly shopping list.

GulfWeekly's consumer champion Shilpa Chandran has been on a weekly mission to check the prices of a typical trolley load of shopping.

She has continued to visit some of the kingdom's leading supermarkets and has made regular subtle changes on her list of items to ensure she keeps the stores on their toes.

But this week she once more ventured back to the original five outlets in her first survey to see what changes had occurred. Two of the branded items in the first list were no longer stocked by the stores. So, to ensure a fair result, she removed them from the list in a special price comparison study.

The service to readers started back in July, 2007. An original list of 18 popular items cost shoppers between BD17.545 to BD21.495.

Removing the two items no longer stocked produced a price of 16 items between BD14.770 and BD16.295.

Those same items in March, when we revisited the stores following a story on inflation, cost between BD16.800 and BD18.980.

In four months, the same items now cost shoppers between BD17.325 and BD19.970.

Taken annually the difference relates to an EXTRA BD132.860 and BD191.100 out of your purse.

So why the rise in basic necessities - from eggs, rice, cooking oil to fruits and vegetables? Furious shoppers have been left counting the fils and feeling bemused.

Maya Deepak, 30, from Zinj, said: "Soaring food price, especially for essential commodities like milk powder, rice and oil has made us think twice before we pick a brand from a store.

"We are forced to compromise on quality by picking up a brand which is cheaper than the ones we usually chose of known quality.

"When we have to purchase fruits and vegetables at times we kill our desires to meet the monthly budget. With the rising prices, what else can we do?"

One particularly frustrated shopper who asked not to be named, added her woes: "We have noticed a drastic increase of the cost of unavoidable grocery items like milk, oil, rice, vegetable, atta (wheat flour) and coconut.

"These increases are affecting us a lot. It must be extremely difficult for people on low incomes whose salaries remain fixed.

"I think the supermarkets have to take a step to control the price hikes. We cannot run around the island to find the cheapest rates as they appear to change daily!"

Kareem Jawad, divisional manager of Jawad Supermarkets, said: "There isn't much we can do when it comes to increased prices.

"Our customer-base is broad and people have not come forward to complain about it as I guess they are accepting the fact that increases in commodities is a global issue.

"Prices are, however, facing a gradual increase and it isn't happening overnight. For instance, over a period of two years the price of a two litre bottle of cooking oil gradually increased from 850fils to today's price of BD2.250.

"The main contributory factors are the increase in air freight charges due to an increase in oil and fuel.

"In Jawad, we try to keep our prices as low as possible and to ensure we are competitive."

As well as supermarkets and cold stores raising prices as goods become more expensive, restaurants are also feeling the price strain.

In Hoora, for example, restaurants would sell readymade meals to single residents living in the community who often did not cook at home. Now the service has ceased at a number of outlets owing to the increased cost of ingredients.

Baiju A C, purchasing manager of Al Osra Restaurant, said: "We used to sell one readymade lunchtime meal for 700fils ... each bag weighed between two and two-and-a-half kilogrammes.

"Every meal was offered with four or five curries alongside fried fish or chicken, rice and some extras.

"We have stopped this service as it is getting too costly with prices of most ingredients skyrocketing."

l Editor's note: We have not added Lulu Hypermarket and Lebanon Trade Centre because they were not included on the original list.