“I used to buy my bicarbonate by the kilo at Sam’s for 80 pesos and now I buy it at a store that sells bulk goods near my house and it costs me 32 pesos per kilo,” says Perla Martínez, a head of a family who, in search of new ways to economize your spending, has given up logo packaging after the increase in some products and foods since last December.
Buying in bulk is a trend that is on the rise. Cuauhtémoc Rivera, president of the National Alliance of Small Merchants (Anpec), details that this scheme was already present in some products such as grains, including beans, rice and sugar, but as a result of the pandemic it has disappeared. extending to cleaning and personal care items. “There is an emerging consumption, in which people adjust their purchases to inflation, incomes have not recovered and prices have not stopped rising,” he says.
Martínez agrees with the representative of the small businesses, since he also buys floor cleaner, chlorine, dish soap and shampoo in bulk, which cost between 5 and 10 pesos less compared to products that have a brand name.
Defining which products were more convenient to buy under this format and where to do it was not an easy task. The head of the family says that she had to try among distributors to prevent the savings from being translated into a poor quality product.
However, the increase in purchases has not translated into an exponential rise for sellers. Norma Liga, who sells cleaning and personal care products in the San Joaquín market in the Peralvillo neighborhood, north of Mexico City, says that there are more people who buy in her business, but with an increase of almost 30% in some of the products you buy, the profit is not that high when accounting for your income.
“Many women, who are the ones who are most in charge of shopping, come for liters of chlorine, clean floors or ‘suavitel’, which is what is sold the most. Even creolin, which is used to disinfect. For about a month they have also been carrying shampoo, conditioner or body cream, ”he explains.
Seeds and dried chiles are sold at another stall in the same market. The owner, Luz Ramírez, says that people usually buy dried chilies, mole and granola at her store, but since the pandemic, people buy more almonds, walnuts, blueberries and chia.
This trend is added to other products that are purchased in small stores, instead of branded products in self-service stores.
“Now I buy in the store and I save about 30 pesos, because I even changed the cheese. Before I used to buy Christmas Eve manchego, at 80 pesos 400 grams, and now it’s panela cheese, 76 per half kilo. The ham came out at 132 pesos per half kilo, and before I used to buy Zwan or San Rafael, 79 pesos for 250 grams,” says Liliana Corona.
An avocado and three eggs
Purchases by the gram are not the only option. According to Cuauhtémoc Rivera, another phenomenon that has been seen since last December is the purchase by the piece among fruits, vegetables or proteins that have had a price increase due to the inflation that has stalked the world since the end of last year.
Alejandra López, who runs a vegetable stand in a tianguis that runs through various towns in the Cuauhtémoc mayor’s office during the week, has noticed a change in purchases since inflation. “People buy only what they are going to use to eat or cook, even if they have to restock later,” he says. “Instead of taking the kilo, buy three tomatoes, an onion, an avocado or three eggs.”
Although some people buy the products in local stores, this does not mean that they do not feel the effect of rising prices. Tonatiuh Torres, a graphic designer from Iztapalapa, says that even in the Central de Abastos, price increases are already being perceived.
“The inflationary rise is very noticeable in some things; for example, last week the chayotes were very expensive, the avocado ‘just’ doesn’t go down and so on with various things. But even so, everything is cheaper than in the flea market in the neighborhood, let alone in the supermarket,” he says.
Avocado is one of the fruits that has raised its price the most. The kilo in markets exceeds 100 pesos, when last year it was common to buy it for up to 50 pesos. Only the first fortnight of May rose 13.38% at a fortnightly rate, according to the National Consumer Price Index prepared by the Inegi.
Despite being one of the most characteristic fruits of Mexican gastronomy, the avocado is not considered within the 24 products that the federal government’s anti-inflation plan considers, so its price is not expected to reach a ceiling, much less let it reduce. “The avocado is already a memory of many Mexicans,” says Cuauhtémoc Rivera.
