Compare, then buy

We were driving southward and of course talking food and shopping. The youngest among us, who is an enterprising lady with two kakanin outlets in big shopping centers and a bake shop in the downtown area, mentioned that prices in one particular supermarket was cheaper than in those which we frequented. Thus we spent two days going around and have come-up with the following table. We initially tackled the canned goods and meat sections, focusing on popular items like corned beef and sardines and regular meat cuts. Here is the result of our research. Note: Identical items are not available in all outlets. Prices were prevailing at the time of our visit.

We will endeavor to do this at regular intervals.

Here’s a suggestion for shop owners from our friend Tita Cely Kalaw of the Sinigang Bar in Salcedo Saturday market and at Market! Market! Please instruct your baggers not to make double knots on plastic bags, but instead tie them up like ribbons. This makes it easier to open and the bag can be re-used. We encountered Tita Cely when we re-visited the market to check out what is new. They have an organizers’ desk at the entrance which gives out "Pasasalamat ng Salcedo" Shopping Cards. One fills this up with what was bought (receipted). For every P1,000 total purchase, the shopper gets a small buri basket; for P2,000 a big bayong. New from Tita Cely is pata cooked in gata with mongo. From Hecti’s Food we got sisig (which you must toast). The line, as expected, at Ineng’s barbecue (P29 a stick for pork) is always long, but they have devised a system of placing orders and claiming from both ends of the counter.

The three ladies Michelle, Bessie and Volet are still there. Michelle with her French collection (lamb in milk and duck al orange), Bessie with rellenong bangus and embutido and Volet with all sorts of Pampanga kakanins, including tamales (spicy-ly delicious) and tibok-tibok. From the Weekend Gourmet, you can get cured Angus corned beef with vegetables and lechon-like roast. We spotted Ed Quimson buying from a neighbor’s store. He has paella (P100 a serving) at his Gourmet Food Frenzy stall. We missed Monchet Carballo, who is the representative here of Tierra de España, offering a range of Iberian specialty products, such as chorizos, patés and canned ready-to-eat food like fabada, priced from P175 to P875.

Cost of fruits and vegetables has risen everywhere–mangoes at P80 to P90, tomatoes (regular but tiny) from P50 to P70 a kilo, salad greens at P160 and P180. Nenita Pomelo at a corner store on Wilson in Greenhills, sells for P190 a kilo for the premium (really sweet and juicy) and P180 for the second class.

October is Customer Service Month and our friend Elpi at Meralco has supplied us with info about their MAC (Meralco Appliance Calculator), now installed in some stores. This gives consumers an idea of how much power is consumed by individual appliances and therefore homemakers will be assisted in their effort to save. Can you believe refrigerators consume more then air conditioning units? Check it.

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