BECOME A SMART SHOPPER

Grocery shopping is commonplace for most of us who at one time or another have had to go to the market, supermarket or shop. While many of us will have more disposable income at hand as a result of bonuses, remittances and loans, most of us will still return to our homes without necessary supplies and no money. The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) believes this is due to the increase in goods on our market at this time, the ‘hike’ in the prices of commodity and other items and consumer failure to plan ahead, a situation which is easily remedied by following the guidelines, set out below:

Budget & Make a List
This is so you wont forget! Especially at Christmas and other holidays. A list can assist you to forecast your final costs, prioritise your needs, serve as a record of your overall expenditure and the cost of individual items over a period of time. So don’t dispose of the list as soon as you have finished your shopping, instead, keep it and staple your receipt to it. For this merry season, we at the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) remind you to include on your list, items that would not ordinarily be there such as fruits for cakes and to allocate more funds to meet this extra cost.

Eat first
Supermarkets today boast pastry sections, aisles full of snacks and other goodies. Eating prior to one of these visits will therefore aid you to resist these and other temptations especially during this holiday season, when shelves are loaded with extra goodies.

Shop Around
Be sure to compare Prices and find out about Return Policies. Look for Discounts before you buy your food items. Where possible, use coupons as these add up to significant savings. Always choose stores with good track records of customer service.

Buy Store Brands
Many stores now have their own labels on certain products, these are called store brands, and are often less costly than the regular brands. This may be attributed to the reduction in the cost for developing “pretty” labels, a cost that is usually passed on to the consumer.

Read the labels
This is very important. Labels provide details about the product that isn’t hyped by the manufacturers and sellers. The label gives vital information such as, what ingredients have been used which is very critical for persons with allergies, who made the product and other information such as the fat and calorie content are useful for those of you watching your weight.

Keep Receipts
Your receipt is your proof of purchase, so hold on to them! If something goes wrong and you find yourself without a receipt, then you may have difficulty getting any form of redress.

Beware of advertising tools
Marketers use several tools to get you first to see and then buy their products. Knowing what these are can help you avoid falling victim to them. One popular tool is to put products at eye level or at the end of the aisle in boxes or barrels so look below and above for better bargains. Another tool is the use and promotion of brand names. Generic/alternative products serve the same purpose with a smaller price tag. So look at function and price rather than brand names.

Buy in bulk
Getting together with friends and relatives who need to buy the same product will enable you to buy in bulk and save. You may also find that buying durable products, such as canned goods at wholesales or when they are on sale in large quantities may also prove more economical.

Time
Following all of the other steps is dependent on the amount of time you have allocated for this process. Allowing yourself enough time will mean that you don’t rush to the closest supermarket and buy the first items you see. Proper time management will enable you to do your comparisons and select the store and products that best suit your pockets and taste.

Watch the scanner and cash register, so you can point out when you are wrongly billed.