Tag: grocery

  • Here’s how Pakistan’s inflation is impacting consumer buying pattern

    Here’s how Pakistan’s inflation is impacting consumer buying pattern

    In Pakistan, the real value of income has been undermined by inflation, while high interest rates have raised the cost of borrowing.

    Record inflation rates have dominated news for the past year, coupled with supply chain problems, material shortages, elevated fuel prices, and vegetable prices that increased by 500 per cent in September.

    According to a poll by Pulse Consultant, which was conducted in August 2022, 78 per cent of Pakistanis think that their country’s economy is going on the wrong path. Inflation has affected 66 per cent of people hard, and 12 per cent of people say their expenses aren’t keeping up.

    Pulse Consultant asked an open-ended question in a nationwide computer-assisted telephonic study in which more than 1,600 people across the country responded and revealed how they are dealing with the current wave of inflation.

    The following are the areas where customers lowered their spending:

    • Reduced Grocery Purchasing – 24 per cent
    • Avoid Going Out – 18 per cent
    • Stop Unnecessary Shopping – 16 per cent
    • Reduced Fast Food – 10 per cent
    • Reduced Overall Expenses -9 per cent
    • Save Petrol – 7 per cent
    • Reduced Children Expenses – 5 per cent
    • Avoid Beauty Parlor / Salon – 3 per cent
    • Save Electricity – 3 per cent
    • Avoid Family Gatherings – 3 per cent
    • Reduced Meat Consumption – 2 per cent

    In Pakistan, CPI inflation increased to 27.3 per cent in August 2022 from 12.1 per cent in January 2022. There are a number of causes for the sudden rise in inflation, despite the fact that core inflation (excluding oil and food costs) is at 18 per cent. The incidence of imported inflation has increased as a result of the rupee’s depreciation. From April through August 2022, the rupee’s value against the US dollar decreased by around 23 per cent.

    Pakistani currency is presently strengthening as a result of the restoration of the IMF package following its derailment last winter. Additionally, even though the oil bill still accounts for around 26–30 per cent of all imports, import reduction has improved the current account situation. The administration has promised to pass along any decrease in oil prices to the public.

    The lag effect of the significant budget deficit experienced in the previous year is one of the other primary causes of the high level of inflation. In contrast to the 4.2 per cent agreed upon with the IMF, the budget deficit during the FY ending on June 30, 2022, reached as high as Rs6,900 billion, or about 9 per cent of GDP.

    In addition, $20 billion in debt, as opposed to $53 billion between 2008 and 2018, was committed over the past four years. As a result, more money is being spent in pursuit of fewer commodities.

    The challenges of recession and skyrocketing inflation are pretty much universal. Despite having low inflation rates, China and Japan’s economies are expected to slow down. Inflation is being fueled by earlier Covid and current high oil, gas, and commodity costs in the wake of the Ukraine war, which is slowing growth.

  • Weekly inflation increases 0.94% as food prices rise

    Weekly inflation increases 0.94% as food prices rise

    Owing to an increase in the prices of food items, the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based weekly inflation for the week ending September 29 increased by 0.94 per cent.

    The items which saw an increase in prices include onions (47.77 per cent), tomatoes (30.29 per cent), tea Lipton (2.50 per cent), bread (1.74 per cent) and non-food item, washing soap (1.13 per cent), according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

    Moreover, the year-on-year trend recorded an increase of 30.62 per cent, mainly due to a surge in prices of tomatoes (224.20 per cent), onions (139.03 per cent), diesel (105.12 per cent), petrol (91.87 per cent), pulse gram (74.56 per cent, masoor (72.42 per cent), mustard oil (64.53 per cent), washing soap (63.33 per cent), cooking oil 5 litre (61.78 per cent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (58.37 per cent), maash (57.36 per cent), vegetable ghee 1kg (55.89 per cent), gents sponge chappal (52.21 per cent), and moong (47.96 per cent), while decrease observed in the prices of electricity for q1 (45.61 per cent), chillies powder (42.73 per cent), sugar (18.27 per cent), and gur (1.92 per cent).

    According to the most recent PBS data issued on Friday, the SPI for the week under review in the aforementioned category was recorded at 205.13 points as opposed to 203.21 points observed in the previous week.

  • Weekly inflation decreases only 0.58 per cent from record high

    Weekly inflation decreases only 0.58 per cent from record high

    According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ending September 8, 2022, decreased by 0.58 per cent as a result of falling food prices.

    In comparison to the previous week’s record high of 45.50 per cent, the yearly trend shows an increase of 42.70 per cent.

    The year-on-year increase was driven by an increase in prices of tomatoes (144.25 per cent), diesel (114.08 per cent), petrol (98.73 per cent), pulse masoor (76.34 per cent), cooking oil-5 liter (67.99 per cent), mustard oil (66.53 per cent), LPG (64.98 per cent), washing soap (64.50 per cent), electricity for Q1 (63.03 per cent), vegetable ghee-2.5 kg (62.53 per cent), pulse gram (61.02 per cent), onions (59.97 per cent) and vegetable ghee-1 kg (58.19 per cent), while a decrease was observed in the prices of chilies powder (43.42 per cent), sugar (18.07 per cent) and gur (2.08 per cent).

    As per the latest data, the SPI went down from 222.85 per cent during the week ended September 1st 2022 to 221.55 per cent during this week.

    During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 26 items (50.98 per cent) increased, nine items (17.65 per cent) decreased and 16 (31.37 per cent) items remained stable.

    The items which got more expensive include LPG (10.66 per cent), wheat flour (4.15 per cent), eggs (3.96 per cent), bread (3.27 per cent), pulse moong (2.74 per cent), curd (2.72 per cent), tea-lipton (2.50 per cent), pulse gram (1.65 per cent), chicken (1.58 per cent), milk fresh (1.57 per cent), fire wood (1.54 per cent), potatoes (1.02 per cent), and others

    A reduction was observed in the prices of onions (41.99 per cent), tomatoes (8.11 per cent), bananas (2.51 per cent), pulse masoor (1.37 per cent), vegetable ghee-1 kg (0.55 per cent), cooking oil-5 liter (0.33 per cent), mustard oil (0.16 per cent) and vegetable ghee-2.5 kg and sugar (0.11 per cent) each.

    Highest week-on-week decrease

    Onions: 41.99 per cent

    Tomatoes: 8.11 per cent

    Bananas: 2.51 per cent

    Pulse Masoor: 1.37 per cent

    Vegetable ghee (1kg): 0.55 per cent

    Highest week-on-week increase

    LPG: 10.66 per cent

    Flour: 4.15 per cent

    Eggs: 3.96 per cent

    Bread: 3.27 per cent

    Pulse Moong: 2.74 per cent

    Highest year-on-year increase

    Tomatoes: 144.25 per cent

    Diesel: 114.08 per cent

    Petrol: 98.73 per cent

    Pulse Masoor: 76.34 per cent

    Cooking oil (5 litre): 67.99 per cent

  • Govt announces Rs3 billion subsidy to provide ghee at discounted rate

    Govt announces Rs3 billion subsidy to provide ghee at discounted rate

    The Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Monday that the government would provide a Rs3 billion subsidy to lower the price of ghee to assist the masses.

    She told a press conference that the market price of ghee is currently Rs550 per kg, but it is being sold at Rs300 per kg in utility stores across the country, according to AAJ News

    “The government is bearing a cost of Rs250 per kg,” she added, adding that the price of ghee was Rs150 per kg when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) handed over the office to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2018.

    On the other hand, the government has increased the price of ghee and cooking oil at other retailers.

    She further stated that a 10 kg wheat bag could be purchased for Rs400 at any utility store in Pakistan.

    The minister said that on June 6, about one hundred mobile vans were added to the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) network, citing residents of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) having difficulty obtaining discounted items due to limited distribution of utility stores.

    9,500 new utility stores

    “In addition, on June 9, 500 new USC stationary stations were set up to deliver wheat, and 100 more items are being added today,” she stated. “Since June 6, the USC network has grown by 700 units”.

    Price control committees have also been established, according to her, to keep hoarding and reselling of USC materials under check. The availability of items at utility retailers, she said, was also being watched.

    The minister stated that Rs17 billion had been set aside to give the public with low-cost sugar, ghee, and wheat.

  • Open market: Lemon being sold at Rs1,100 per kg in Lahore

    Open market: Lemon being sold at Rs1,100 per kg in Lahore

    The local price of lemon increased by Rs105 per kg, to Rs770 to 775 per kg, and was sold at an unbelievable price of Rs1,100 per kg in open markets and a few online stores with available stock.

    Due to the district administration’s inability to impose official rates at Ramazan bazaars, consumers are unable to get relief from overbilling and skyrocketing rates of fruits and vegetables in Lahore. 

    High prices of perishable commodities are massively affecting the urban population due to rising production costs and transportation costs from rural production centers to urban areas.

    Read more: Shopkeepers fined in Islamabad for not adhering to DC rates

    Senior administrators and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid surprise visits to Ramazan bazaars, but shoppers were not relieved. Containing volatility and successfully administering official rate lists to bring inflation relief to the public is a task for the new government.

  • Ramzan Relief Package: Utility Stores Corp announces discount on 1,500 items at 4,000 outlets

    Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan (USC) will sell various food items at prices cheaper than the open market through its country-wide retail outlets as a part of its Ramzan Relief Package.

    The state-owned enterprise is offering discounted prices for 19 food items besides 1,500 total items that will be available at 4,000 stores throughout the holy month of Ramzan.

    Consumers will pay Rs950 for a 20-kilogram wheat flour bag under the package, instead of its original price of Rs1100-1350. Similarly, one kilogramme (kg) of sugar would be offered at Rs85 instead of Rs86-93. One kg of subsidized ghee costs Rs260 at USC, whereas edible ghee costs Rs470 on the open market.

    The price of one liter of cooking oil at USC is Rs407, while the open market is offering the same at Rs500.

    Likewise, one kg of daal channa costs Rs162 at USC, while it is being sold at Rs180-190 on the open market. Similarly, a kg of dal moong (washed) costs Rs170, and the open market sells it for Rs180-200 per kg. Washed daal mash costs Rs268 at USC, as compared to its price of Rs280-320 on the open market.

    Furthermore, one kg of daal masoor costs Rs215 at USC, instead of Rs250-280 in the open market. Sella rice will cost Rs165 per kg, basmati rice Rs155 per kg, and tota rice Rs85 per kg.

    The dates will cost Rs140 per kg, whereas dates on the general market will continue selling for Rs200 and Rs240. The 950gm tea pack costs Rs1,042 at USC, in contrast to its price of Rs1,250 in the open market.

    Read more: FBR records 29.1% growth during July 2021 to March 2022

    Ultra-high temperature (UHT) or pasteurized milk at USC is offered at USC for Rs142, and costs Rs165 in the general market. Squashes are sold for Rs250 instead of Rs290, and squashes and syrups (1,500 ml) are available for Rs437, compared to the original price of Rs495 in the open market.

  • VIDEO: 10-foot-long python slides through grocery store racks

    VIDEO: 10-foot-long python slides through grocery store racks

    A grocery store turned into a snake rescue in Australia when a 10-foot-long non-venomous python slid through the racks to greet a woman customer.

    The 25-year-old, Helaina Alati, was at a Sydney store on Monday when the snake slithered out.

    Alati was not expecting a snake at the supermarket. But fortunately for both parties, Alati is a wildlife rescuer and familiar with snakes.

    “I just turned my head and he was about 20cm from my face, just looking straight at me,” she told the BBC.

    She did a double-take but stayed calm. No one else was around. Recognising it instantly as a diamond python, Alati knew it wasn’t poisonous as it protruded and flicked its tongue.

    Read More: ‘Mr Bean called PM Khan’, viral memes make fun of PM office phone calls

    “He was looking straight at me the whole time, almost like he was saying: ‘Can you take me outside please?’” she said.

    After recording a video, Alati alerted staff and told them she could help them get it out.

    She retrieved a snake bag from her home, returned to the store, “tapped him on the tail and he just slithered in”.

    She then released it away from houses in bushland – a natural habitat for the species around Sydney.

  • Online grocery stores in your city

    Online grocery stores in your city

    After the spread of coronavirus outbreak, people are asked to stay at their homes and practice social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus. Amid all this, people need groceries for their homes and some people might be worried about how to go and get them from the market.

    The Current did some research and listed a few online grocery stores in your city.

    Karachi

    Agha’s Supermarket

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AghasSupermarket/

    Freshiez

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/freshiezpk/

    Fowry

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fowrryofficial/

    Website: https://www.fowrry.com/

    Lahore

    Road Runner

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/roadrunnerpk/

    Grocer App

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GrocerApp.pk/

    Jalal Sons

    Islamabad

    Shaheen Grocers

    Fowry

    Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fowrryofficial/

    Other cities

    Al Fatah

    If you have a branch of Al Fatah in your city then you can order your groceries from there.

  • Robbers ask shopowner for forgiveness after looting his grocery store

    Robbers ask shopowner for forgiveness after looting his grocery store

    After robbing a utility store in Sharifabad, unidentified armed men robbed asked the shopkeeper to forgive them for their offense as they ran away.

    According to the shopkeeper, Atique, two men came at his store and robbed it of two 10 kilograms sacks of flour, at least 10 kilograms of pulses, 10 bags of cooking oil and ghee and five kilograms of various spices. They also took his mobile phone and cash on gunpoint and also looted another employee at the store when he came for work.

    Atique told that before escaping, the robbers asked him for forgiveness. They said to him that this was the first time they had robbed a store. “They said they would not have done such an awful crime if they weren’t forced to by their need,” he said.

    The shopkeeper said that both the robbers were young and had not covered their faces. He complained that although he had informed the police immediately after the incident, they could not be arrested.