Do you know that the price of your light hair oil brand has shot up by 30 per cent in one year? Or that your humble bar of soap costs 10 per cent more than it did six months ago? You may not have realised it, but the recent bout of inflation is not only about potato prices swinging wildly or tur dal becoming pricey. Manufacturers of several consumer goods have been steadily hiking their Maximum Retail Prices (MRPs) as the inputs they use, from palm oil to milk powder, have become costlier. So if you've not paid attention to your monthly grocery bill in recent months, its time to sit up and take notice.

“But what can I do? Are you suggesting I skip my daily bath?” No, we aren't. If you are willing to invest some time and pay closer attention to ‘value' while shopping, you can easily snip 10-15 per cent off your monthly grocery bill. Here are a few tried and tested methods to do that.

#1 Plan your shopping

Before you set out on your Sunday pilgrimage to the department store, make a list of the stuff you need. It's a chore, but you will be surprised at how much time and money this saves. With a list in hand, you are less likely to pick up things that you already have (just in case!) a big stock of. A list will also keep you from giving in to the many temptations of a self-service store - that big bottle of Hershey's chocolate syrup, the new wonder brush with five types of cleaning action or a great new cleaning liquid which removes champagne stains. If possible, while taking along a list, leave the kids at home. Taking the kids along often means a shopping cart full of brands that you may never need, but hold infinite appeal for the kids, thanks to that free toy, sticker or Frisbee.

#2 Where do you shop?

This is very important in deciding the size of your monthly grocery bill. Most of us now follow the standard practice of ordering all the the staples from our neighbouring Kirana store and visiting a plush supermarket for ‘indulgence' products. Now, the problem is that while the Kirana store may offer you discounts to the MRP, the department store in many cases, won't. As the indulgence products - the shampoo, pasta and moisturiser olive oil - account for 60-70 of your grocery bill, your savings at the Kirana store won't really matter all that much.

If you're serious about saving on groceries, start out by doing some comparison shopping. You'd be surprised at how much that refill pack of sunflower oil costs in your neighbourhood store, versus the department store at the mall! As all consumer good vendors in India are required to mention their MRPs on the product, your task is simple. Find out who offers the bigger “offs” on MRP and shop for high-value goods there.

#3 Hunt for value

If you do it scientifically, extracting maximum value from your grocery purchases is almost as tricky as picking the right stock. For one, when comparing MRPs between brands, pay attention to the pack size. Thanks to the pinch of inflation, commonly used products such as soaps, detergent powder, biscuits and noodles no longer come in standard pack sizes. Biscuit manufacturers for instance have been forced to hold their MRPs at Rs 10 or Rs 5, amid rising wheat and milk prices. To do this, they and a few other FMCG makers too, have come up with a simple solution. Hold the price, but reduce the quantity offered.

That's how you'll find that most packs of biscuits in the supermarket don't weigh in at 100 grams, but instead at 89 or 81 grams! So, don't just pick up a brand because its MRP looks cheaper. Whip out your calculator and check the price per gram. In fact, per gram comparisons will also tell you that buying sachet packs of shampoo (6-7 ml each at Rs 3-4) is much costlier than buying larger bottles of 200 or 400 ml. And that opting for refill packs of health drinks, edible oil, hand wash and cleaners can save you 5-7 per cent on the price.

Two, when it comes to staples such as cooking oil or atta, there can be huge price differentials between brands. Some local brands of sunflower oil for instance cost 15-20 per cent lower than comparable national rivals. Private label brands, or brands offered by the retail chain too can help you economise on non-mission critical purchases.

# 4 Tread carefully on offers

Offers or promos are a favourite ploy used by consumer companies to lure you into loosening your purse strings. Volume-based offers such as 25 per cent more may indeed allow you to stock up on essentials at a cheaper price; but with a few caveats. Don't fall for one-plus-one free offers on food or drinks without checking the sell-by date. Quite often, this is used by a company preparing for a relaunch or a store wanting to clear out its perishables.

Also question if you can really glug down two large packs of fruit juice within a week or want to stock up on a year's supply of talcum powder. When it comes to freebies like glass bowls, cricket bats and so on, do ask for packs that come without the offer.

# 5 Double-check your bill

The above exercises may have left you quite exhausted. But if you are keen to grab the bill and dash out of the store, resist the temptation. Pause and check your bill. Given that modern retail stores in India are not all that modern in their efficiency, the counter-clerk can extract a stiff price through incorrect billing. You can be billed for the wrong pack sizes, wrong brands or even products you didn't buy at all!

Of course, some of the above ideas are only for real zealots. But if you follow them, it will be one up for the Indian consumer movement.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW