THEn an Italy where the increases continue to bite, albeit more kindly than expected, There are those who managed to find the secret to cut the family shopping of thousands of euros. A family of four could reserve in their piggy bank up to 3,700 euros in a year, simply choosing where to fill the cart. This is what emerges from New investigation by Altroconsumo on Italian supermarketswhere the price differences seem to draw a treasure map for attentive consumers.
Shopping cart, discount stores to really save money
In the panorama of large retailers, the discount stores are confirmed by the undisputed sovereigns of savings. Eurospin has regained the throneoffering discounts that touch 40% compared to the national average. It is a return to the top after a period of fogging, which shows how the battle of prices is always open. But the world of discount stores is not a monopoly: Arredi is placed as a faithful scudiero in second placeWhile In the market and Lidl they compete for bronze on equal merit. It is interesting to note how to meet the first traditional chain you need to go down to the seventh step, where we find Ipercoop, a clear sign of how deep the gap between different distribution models is.
The “mixed expense”, intelligent choice
Everyone has their habits and manias when it shops and, Not all consumers are willing to give up their own brands of the heart or limit yourself to the cheapest products only. For those who practice the “mixed expense”that balanced approach that combines convenience and quality, there is no shortage of surprises. Among the discount stores, In the market it stands out as the sample of versatilityallowing annual savings that touch the 2,800 euros.
A figure that makes you think, especially if compared with the results obtainable in traditional hypermarkets, where even at the best of the hypotheses, choosing family, the saving stops at modest 208 euros per year.
Same product, double price: the search for Altroconsumo reveals how the choice of the supermarket can determine the economic destiny of families (Getty Images)
Famila, Esselunga or Coop? The most convenient supermarkets in the otheroconsumo ranking
From the analysis, then, a curious phenomenon emerges: The more known, the wilder the price of price oscillations become the more known. The same branded products can cost double depending on the chosen point of salewith differences that exceed 100%. Famila confirms the queen of branded products, followed by giants such as Esselunga and Ipercoop.
But it is precisely here that the attentive consumer can make a difference: with a maximum saving of 506 euros a year, those who know where to look can transform loyalty to the brand into an economic advantage.
When the supermarket becomes a personal brand
In the world of brand products of the supermarket, Carrefour has been able to build an empire of convenience. His shelves offer the best quality-price ratio, with savings that can reach € 3.308 per year. Interesting to observe how, even within the same group, we take Conad, there are significant differences: Conad spacefor example, offers more aggressive prices than brothers Conad and Conad Superstoredemonstrating how commercial strategy can also vary under the same flag.
Wallet geography: North VS South, the expense that divides
As in many other areas, also with regard to shopping, Italy is divided into twowith an imaginary line that separates convenience and high costs. In the north, competition is fierce and consumers benefit from it. Venice surprises everyone by winning the first place for savings, followed by Como and Veronacity where the competition between chains has created a real paradise for those who shop. In the South, however, the panorama changes drastically. In Naples and Casertathe difference between the most expensive and the cheapest supermarket is so reduced that annual savings does not exceed 50 euros.
The weight of the shopping cart on the family budget
But there is an even more dramatic aspect that emerges from the numbers: The incidence of food expenditure on family income. In Puglia, Calabria and Campania, filling the cart can weigh almost 20% of the house budget, a percentage that doubles compared to more fortunate regions such as Trentino-Alto Adige. It is the so -called “two -speed Italy” that is also reflected in the shelves of supermarkets: on the one hand regions where shopping is a manageable investment, on the other territories where every euro spent for food has a much greater specific weight.
The silent revolution of conscious spending
What, in conclusion, emerges from this photograph of Italian retail, It is the portrait of an increasingly strategic consumer. It is no longer just about choosing where to shop, but to develop a real commercial intelligence. The possibility of saving thousands of euros per year It is possibleIndeed, But it requires information, planning and the ability to look beyond consolidated habits.