A new price comparison of Israeli supermarket chains has revealed dramatic differences in the cost of basic household purchases, with shoppers potentially paying nearly NIS 3,000 more for the same full basket depending on where they shop.

The weekly comparison, presented by Tzvi Tessler on Kol Chai’s “Hamoked Hatziburi,” examined two categories: a smaller basket of laundry products and a comprehensive household basket containing hundreds of items.

The results showed especially large disparities in laundry products, where the difference between the least and most expensive retailers reached 31.04%. In the full household basket, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive chains amounted to NIS 2,860.24.

For laundry products, Rami Levy Mehadrin ranked as the least expensive retailer overall, with the basket costing NIS 369.50. Yesh Bashchuna was the most expensive, at NIS 484.20 — a difference of NIS 114.70.

Among the major supermarket chains, the laundry basket prices were:

Rami Levy Mehadrin — NIS 369.50
Netto Chisachon — NIS 375.50
Yesh Chesed — NIS 381.40
Osher Ad — NIS 397.40
Shefa Birkat Hashem — NIS 419.80
Shuk Ha’ir — NIS 447.90

Among smaller and neighborhood-oriented retailers, the results were:

Netto Chisachon Bashchuna — NIS 375.50
Zol U’Begadol — NIS 387.20
Machסanei Hashuk Mehadrin — NIS 413.40
Maayan 2000 — NIS 418.00
Carrefour Market with mehadrin hechsherim — NIS 436.20
K.T. Import and Marketing–Mishnas Yosef — NIS 461.60
Good Market — NIS 469.70
Shefa Birkat Hashem Karov Labayit — NIS 479.80
Yesh Bashchuna — NIS 484.20

Overall, the laundry basket was cheapest at Rami Levy Mehadrin, at NIS 369.50, and most expensive at Yesh Bashchuna, at NIS 484.20. That represents a difference of NIS 114.70, or 31.04%.

The rankings changed when the comparison was expanded to the complete household basket. Osher Ad emerged as the least expensive, at NIS 11,057.90, while Rami Levy Mehadrin finished a close second, just NIS 162.40 higher. Good Market ranked as the most expensive, with the same basket costing NIS 13,918.14.

Among the major chains, the full-basket rankings were:

Osher Ad — NIS 11,057.90
Rami Levy Mehadrin — NIS 11,220.30
Netto Chisachon — NIS 11,846.48
Yesh Chesed — NIS 12,046.36
Shefa Birkat Hashem — NIS 12,563.25
Shuk Ha’ir — NIS 13,374.73

Among neighborhood and smaller retailers, the full-basket prices were:

Machsanei Hashuk Mehadrin — NIS 12,170.10
Netto Chisachon Bashchuna — NIS 12,284.97
K.T. Import and Marketing–Mishnas Yosef — NIS 12,879.11
Carrefour Market with mehadrin hechsherim — NIS 13,015.17
Zol U’Begadol — NIS 13,173.37
Maayan 2000 — NIS 13,347.53
Shefa Birkat Hashem Karov Labayit — NIS 13,497.73
Yesh Bashchuna — NIS 13,742.61
Good Market — NIS 13,918.14

The full-basket comparison therefore showed Osher Ad as the cheapest retailer, at NIS 11,057.90, compared with Good Market at NIS 13,918.14. The NIS 2,860.24 difference amounts to 25.87% of the cheaper basket’s price.

The most striking percentage gap in this week’s survey was found in laundry products. A shopper purchasing the basket at Rami Levy Mehadrin instead of Yesh Bashchuna would save NIS 114.70 on a single purchase. Even among the major chains alone, the difference was substantial, ranging from NIS 369.50 at Rami Levy Mehadrin to NIS 447.90 at Shuk Ha’ir.

The difference becomes considerably larger when looking at a complete household shopping basket. Osher Ad’s NIS 11,057.90 total was NIS 2,860.24 below Good Market’s NIS 13,918.14 price. For families making large purchases repeatedly throughout the year, differences of that size could translate into substantial accumulated savings.

The comparison also found that the major supermarket chains generally continue to offer lower prices for a complete shopping basket. Machsanei Hashuk Mehadrin, the cheapest retailer in the neighborhood-store category at NIS 12,170.10, was still NIS 1,112.20 more expensive than Osher Ad. One exception appeared in the laundry category, where Netto Chisachon Bashchuna charged NIS 375.50 — exactly the same as the larger Netto Chisachon chain and the second-lowest price in the entire comparison.

The findings underscore how significantly a family’s choice of supermarket can affect its expenses. For frequently purchased products such as laundry detergent, fabric softener and cleaning supplies, even relatively modest differences can add up over the course of a year. When a complete household basket is considered, the price gap can already reach thousands of shekels in a single broad comparison.

{Matzav.com}