Jul 15 2011 |
more articles from
|
Inflation is reflected in smaller grocery purchases
Friday, Jul 15, 2011
Gulf News
Dubai Mothers in the UAE are feeling the pinch of inflation, prompting many to cut down on grocery spending, a study revealed.
According to research released yesterday by electronic payments provider Visa, 94 per cent of 160 mothers polled in the UAE have noticed a significant increase in the “overall costs” of groceries.
As a result, 38 per cent of the respondents have taken measures to reduce their shopping bills by putting less in their grocery carts. Others, about 24 per cent, have changed the kinds of products they buy and about five per cent have moved their weekly or monthly shopping to other stores.
Elaine Stannard is a mother of two children, ages one and four, in Dubai. She said all baby items and most staple goods are getting pricier, causing her grocery bills to rise “dramatically”.
With soaring food prices, the country’s inflation rate rose to a three-month high of 1.4 per cent on an annual basis in May. With Ramadan fast approaching, UAE retailers have been urged to drop prices by 50 per cent during the fasting month, when food costs usually increase.
Looking into the shopping habits of UAE households, Visa also found that that the majority of mothers in the UAE (96 per cent) prefer to do their own grocery shopping rather than rely on household help.
Almost half of the mothers surveyed (49 per cent) shop once a week and an overwhelming 80 per cent opt to buy the same groceries every time.
Visa’s study was conducted among 160 mothers in the UAE to beef up consumer awareness on the company’s summer-long debit grocery campaign.
“The size and importance of the grocery sector in the GCC prompted us to focus on this sector,” noted Maysara Ghadban, Visa’s head of marketing communications for Middle East and North Africa.
AHMED KUTTY/Gulf News Archive
Studied picks
A supermarket in Abu Dhabi. With soaring food prices, the UAE’s inflation rate rose to a three-month high of 1.4 per cent on an annual basis in May.
daily shopping
cash preferred option
More grocery shoppers, particularly mothers, still prefer to buy the household’s daily essentials with cash rather than plastic.
Visa’s survey showed that 30 per cent of the mothers surveyed favour cash as the best payment option, while 28 per cent said they are regularly using debit cards at grocery stores.
During the first quarter last year, Visa reported that debit card payments across the region increased by 25.6 per cent.
Visa, which is promoting the benefits of debit cards over cash, has shared a few tips on how mums can trim their grocery bills:
n Look at your overall budget. Know how much you can realistically afford to spend on food each week before you head out to the shops.
n Keep a list and stick to it.
n Eat before you shop
n Shop around to compare prices and find the best deal.
By Cleofe Maceda?Staff Reporter
© Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
Zawya Comment Policy
-
Zawya encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You agree that when you add content to this discussion your comments will not:
1.1 Contain any material which is libelous or defamatory of any person, is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory or causes damage to the reputation of any person or organisation.
1.2 Promote sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age or any illegal activity.
1.3 Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
1.4 Be threatening, abuse or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
1.5 Be used to impersonate any person, to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person, or be likely to deceive any person.
1.6 Give the impression that they represent Zawya.
1.7 Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse. - The content posted on www.zawya.com is created by members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of Zawya. Zawya reserves the right to review all comments prior to posting and edit or delete any contribution, but Zawya is not responsible for and can not be held liable for any content posted by members of the public on www.zawya.com.
- Zawya is not responsible for the availability or content of any third party sites that are accessible through www.zawya.com. Any links to third party websites from www.zawya.com do not amount to any endorsement of that site by Zawya and any use of that site by you is at your own risk.
- By submitting your comment, you hereby give Zawya the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comments worldwide, in perpetuity.
Copyright © 2012 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved. |
provided by www.zawya.com |
Post Your Comment