Easter has expensive codfish, optimism and sold out eggs – 06/04/2023 – Market

Even with prices on the rise, people from São Paulo are going shopping this Easter. The rush to the stores is to guarantee lunch and the exchange of eggs on Sunday. The high prices are a reason for complaints, but they do not scare away the clientele.

Shopkeepers celebrate. In the Municipal Market, in the central region of São Paulo, the owners of the fish stalls estimate sales between 5% and 10% higher in 2023 compared to 2022, despite the fact that a kilo of cod does not cost less than R$ 100.

In the Chama Supermercados network, which serves the east zone of São Paulo and cities in Greater SP, sales are expected to be 20% higher. At Cacau Show, where eggs sold out, the bet is to sell 40% more.

This occurs despite the fact that the most traditional products of the date recorded an average increase of 12% compared to last year. The index is more than twice the inflation, which is accumulated at 4.81% between April 2022 and March 2023 according to the IPC-S (Consumer Price Index).

The egg (increase of 27.31%) and the onion (22.67%) are the great villains of the period. Fish, usually consumed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, also exceeds 10%: tuna (12.97%), canned sardines (11.46%) and cod (10.91%).

The report of Sheet toured supermarkets and chocolate stores in the east, central and north zones of São Paulo, as well as the Municipal Market, this Thursday (6). Promotions and variety are the main means of attracting customers. The high movement tends to intensify even more until Sunday.

Three days before Easter, the Municipal Market of São Paulo registered intense movement of the search for cod for the holiday supper. Most local merchants believe that this year’s sales will be higher than last year’s.

The price increase did not affect fish sales, according to stall owners and employees. In addition to the traditional codfish gadus morhua, which costs less than R$100 a kilo, the pits offer other salted fish options, which can be cheaper, found for prices starting at R$89.90 in the case of shredded fish.

The stalls at Mercadão that offer the product are never empty and the employees never stop, serving more than one customer at a time. Despite the optimism of consumers, the biggest complaint from merchants and customers is the price of fish.

“We have received complaints about the prices, mainly because it is a clientele that has been going here for a long time, so they end up noticing and complaining”, says Kauan Alex, responsible for one of the stalls that sell the product.

As a way to get around this increase, the strategy of many is to offer varieties of types of cod, ranging from nobler cuts for demanding customers to the simplest ones for those who just want to have a fish that resembles cod for supper.

Among the customers surveyed by Sheet, many say they researched before making a purchase to celebrate the holiday. “I’m buying shredded cod, because I think the price of those others is absurd. It’s really out there, I think it’s an exploitation, but, so as not to let Easter go unnoticed, we’re taking one that is more affordable”, says Helena Moraes, 50.

The guess of traders is that the search for desalted cod increases for those who left the purchase for the last minute.

Search for chocolate leads to queues in stores and a lack of eggs

In the Cocoa Show stores, in addition to the queue to enter several units, some eggs are sold out. It is no longer possible to find options with character gifts such as Harry Potter and Care Bears, football or even the traditional ones, such as pistachio and thousand leaves.

The stakes are high, with sales 40% higher than those of 2022, which is in line with customer purchases, says Daniel Roque, vice president of marketing and sales at the chain. “In these last days before Easter Sunday, sales have grown a lot; we noticed that consumers left to carry out their purchases this week.”

About demand, he says that the eggs that were most successful are actually sold out in most stores across the country. “For this Easter, it is still possible to find several other products from the children’s line, which come with collectible gifts”, she says.

Queues also took over an Americanas unit in the central region, reaching doubles in the corridors. With empty egg racks, consumers heard by the report said they had not done price research before going to the location.

The shopping basket varied. Many opted for Easter eggs, but some favored candy boxes and chocolate bars. Even with some eggs on offer, they claim that the cost-benefit is not worth it.

“Easter is the true ‘Black Friday of chocolate’ for Americanas”, says Aleksandro Pereira, the chain’s commercial director, recalling that the strategy was to offer all types of products, from the simplest to the premium ones.

In 12 months until January, the prices of chocolate bars and bonbons accumulated a high of 13.61% in Brazil, according to the IPCA (National Index of Prices to the Extended Consumer).

This is the biggest change since February 2017. At the time, products had risen 17.23% in 12 months, according to data surveyed by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).

Salary payment leverages sales, says supermarket manager

For Alessandro Rodrigues Correa, manager of one of the Chama Supermercados stores, the increase in sales is related to two factors: overcoming the pandemic, and the date on which Easter this year will be celebrated, just after the 5th, when the salary payments.

“It is better than in previous years. Until 2022, there were still restrictions and many fears with the pandemic. What is also helping is the issue that Easter fell on the payment date. People buy supplies for the month and already take the bonbons”, he says.

He claims that sales have responded to promotions made by the network, which will have a special operating scheme on the holiday and hopes to sell 20% this year. The strategy took into account the 8.49% increase in sales from January to March this year, after discounting inflation.

“We adhered to the entire mix of the main brands and also negotiated a brand with a more affordable price to serve our public with lower purchasing power. The most assertive strategy was to anticipate purchases and assembly of the vines in all stores”, says the network.

Customers develop their own strategies to celebrate the date

Among consumers, there are those who have developed their own strategies to guarantee the purchase of chocolate, even with high prices. This is the case of physiotherapist Mônica Pantaleão, 38, who preferred to buy early this year so as not to break her budget. The strategy was research.

With two daughters, Alice, 13, and Sofia, 4, the biggest concern was not leaving any of them without the chosen Easter egg. “I already bought them from everyone in advance. For the girls, I bought one of the eggs at the supermarket and the other at a store to guarantee what they wanted. The prices at the store were very good, but at the supermarket, I’m finding it more salty.”

Nurse Mara Ferreira, 43, says she opted to buy boxes of chocolates so as not to let her children go without chocolate, because she found the eggs expensive. She negotiated with the 15- and 17-year-olds and will give money as a gift. “They’re big, so I’ll give them some money to buy the chocolate they want.”

To save on fish, she and her sisters are going to share the cost of lunch on Easter Sunday, to be cooked by their mother. “She buys things and we divide them into three, between me and my sisters. I don’t know the prices of fish, but I saw that cod is very expensive. To fit everything in the budget, I take less”, she says.