Inflationary pressures @ Lucky's? The results

The previous post gives an overview of prices @ Luckys as of today, 12 April, 2008. The list follows as much as possible the list as published on 7 February 2008 containing prices recorded in the period February 1-5, 2008. The exceptions are few and are from my own maintained list which was not fully published as some products had little value in the overall comparison. The Lucky prices were those that were recorded on February 5, 2008.

In this overview there are 66 products which are compared. The cost of these products on the 5 February was 132,95 $US. Today's prices are exactly 4 $ US more expensive or 3,01%. On the basis that between then and now are 66 days, then this corresponds to 16,6 % increase on an annual basis.

More expensive were the aforementioned Orchid butter (+72%) and Wall's vanilla ice cream / Mama's noodles hot cup (both +25%). Others were peanut butter, rice, chocolate products, dairy products, soybean oil and sugar. Two products became cheaper, salsa sauce and margarine.

However, quite noticeable were that cheaper products / smaller helpings increased in price. If the price for each product on February 5 2008 is considered to be 1, then the increase corresponds to 5,3% or on an annual basis 29,4 %!

Back in February I commented on how the price rise on annual basis at Lucky's was higher than 25%; it was actually 27,01%. So since then inflation has continued to stay high and become even higher.

Compared to the start of price observation prices on a limited number of products at Lucky's (17), prices have increased by 17%, which is huge on annual basis. So don't postpone your new year shopping!

Inflationary prices @ Lucky's? The numbers

Product	Specification	5 February	5 April
Tea bags	Lipton, packet, 100 bags	3,95	3,95
Peanut Butter	Healthland, local 440 gr	2,50	3,05
Peanut Butter	Ligo, 340 gr	1,80	1,80
Jam	Best Foods, orange, 280 gr	1,10	1,10
Jam	Hero, Blackberry, jar, 340 gr	2,40	2,40
Hazelnut Cream	Nutella, jar, 375 gr,	5,25	5,25
Pretzels	Pringles	1,45	1,45
Cashew nuts	New Rain, 100 gr, salted	1,35	1,35
Raisins	Ligo, carton, 312 gr.	1,30	1,30
Eggs	10 pieces	0,95	0,95
Butter	Orchid, fresh, packet, 227 gr.	1,80	3,10
Magarine	Flora original, 500gr	3,90	3,55
Fresh milk	Dutch Mill, plastic bottle, 2 liter	3,80	4,05
UHT milk	Foremost, 1 ltr	1,25	1,45
Yogurht	Dutch Mill, small cup	0,50	0,60
Dishwashing liquid	Sunlight, flacon, 900 gr	0,80	0,80
Green tea	Oisho, platic bottle, 0,5 ltr	0,60	0,60
Green tea	Zena, with lemon, 0,5 ltr	0,55	0,60
Cola	Coca Cola, can	0,40	0,40
Soda	Schweppes, bitter lemon, 0,33 ltr	0,60	0,60
Tang	Orange flavour, pack, 750 gr	2,75	2,75
Fruit juice	Ceres, various, 1 ltr.	1,45	1,45
Fruit juice	Ligo, apple, 1 ltr	1,50	1,50
Fruit juice	Berri, 2,4 ltr	2,90	2,90
Batteries	Duracell, AAA, 4 pieces	1,80	1,80
Sugar cubes	Hales, 500 gr	0,75	0,85
Sugar	Mitr Pohl, 1 kg	0,55	0,60
Sugar	Equal powder sachets, 50 x	2,40	2,40
Salt	Prung Thip 1 kg	0,45	0,45
Sunflower Oil	Sunbeam, flacon, 1 ltr	2,70	2,70
Vegetable oil	Healthy Chef (soy) 0,75 ltr	1,35	1,60
Soy sauce	Maggi, Sprinkling and dipping sauce, 200 ml	0,70	0,70
Mustard	Clovis, 200 gr jar	2,15	2,15
Slasa suace	Healthland, local, 215 gr jar	2,55	1,85
Coconut milk	Chaokoh, tin, 160 ml	0,50	0,50
Tomato ketchup	KK 320 gr	0,50	0,60
Cheese	La vache qui rit, triangles, spreadable	1,80	2,00
Cheese	Lemnos, feta	5,10	5,10
Cheese	Devondale, light & tasty, 250 gr	4,20	4,20
Toilet paper	Cellox, soft	0,90	0,90
Beer	Imported, Heineken, can, 0,33 ltr	1,00	1,20
Diapers	Huggies Dry, m22	4,70	5,10
Cornflakes	Kellog's, packet 275 gr	2,75	2,75
Instant formula	Similac 2, 400 gr	7,40	7,40
Instant formula	Foremost 1, 400 gr	4,10	4,40
Toothpaste	Colgate, 200 gr	0,95	1,00
Shampoo	Sunsilk, 400 ml,	3,30	3,30
Soap	Lux, 4x85 gr	1,05	1,05
Deoderant	Rexona, 25 ml	1,00	1,00
Spaghetti	Gallo, packet, 500 gr.	1,00	1,05
Pasta	Barilla Fusulii	1,60	1,60
Instant noodles	Mama cup, 60 gr, pork	0,40	0,50
Rice	New Rain Organics, 1 kg	1,45	1,60
Ice Cream	Walls Vanilla, 60 gr	0,40	0,50
Ice Cream	Magnum Classic	1,40	1,50
Meat	Spam can, lite	3,80	3,80
Meat	Tuna chunks in vegetable oil, Roza, can 155 gr	0,80	0,85
Meat	Sardines, Ligo, 425 gr, can	1,25	1,25
Choclate	Mars, 60 gr	0,55	0,65
Chocolate	M&M's, 55 gr	0,55	0,65
Chocolate	Cadbury's raisins and nuts, 250 gr	3,80	3,90
Cookies	Oreo, 150 gr	0,95	1,05
Wine	Stump Jump, white, 2005	11,50	11,50
Insecticide	Raid Multiinsect, 600 gr	2,25	2,25
Detergent	Breeze Colour, 650 gr	1,15	1,15
Fabric softener	Fineline, refill	0,60	0,60

Khmer New Year

It's Khmer New Year time of the year. Supermarkets are packed, staff are pissed off (at least at Lucky's) and there are spectacular prices to be had.

For instance butter, last week a packet of 227 gr was $1,90, yesterday an astonishing $3,10! Orchid (the packer in Thailand) used to be one of cheapest brands and is now by far the most expensive, at least $0,50 more expensive than other brands, even though there packets are slightly heavier.

How come? Who's profiting from this? And why doesn't the supermarket clearly indicate the change in price?

Who care's anyway?