The biggest grocery buying spree of the year in the chareidi
community in Israel starts shortly before Rosh Chodesh Adar.
The early-birds already set out on Purim-purchasing missions
last weekend, but the peak comes the week before the
holiday.
Purim is a real reason to celebrate at all of the
supermarkets. Second only to Pesach in sales volume, the
Purim season generates the biggest rush of the year. Bar Kol
is anticipating a 50 percent increase in sales during the
first two weeks of Adar. Shefa Shuk forecasts 25-30 percent
growth above average and Alef confirms that business will
increase demonstrably. All of the supermarkets are suggesting
that we drop by for a visit.
Meanwhile the cash registers are very quiet in the general
population, where the number-two holiday in terms of sales is
Rosh Hashonoh. There the shlach monos on display
— if they have any — include gifts instead of
food items, and therefore buyer traffic is at near-normal
levels. Shefa Shuk notes a 5-10 percent increase in sales at
its secular branches, which may be due to the chareidi
consumers who shop there.
"The branches are ready for the rush with baskets, new
packaging materials and a large assortment of sweets and
canned goods," says Ayal Diamant, director of trade and
marketing at Bar Kol. Purim shopping is the largest purchase
of the year in terms of quantity (for Pesach, consumers buy
fewer items at a higher cost) and forces us to make the
necessary preparations. "We were ready in advance to take in
goods and to lay in extra stocks to prevent the annual
repetition of shortages in seasonal products that become
irrelevant because of chometz," notes Alef management.
Neither is the management of Shefa Shuk taking any chances.
By Shvat they were already getting ready for Purim. "Every
year there is a certain shortage. In order to prevent it we
are working to make goods available on the shelves six weeks
before Purim."
"On Purim, everything sitting on the shelves gets snatched
up," says Diamant. "Especially the small containers, such as
the 50-gram Nescafe cans and small cans of fruit. Even the
boxed chocolates, which are not in demand in the general
sector, are still a hit. The low price is the determining
factor, and of 20,000-30,000 boxes no trace remains."
He says that besides small baskets, the biggest sellers are
187-ml bottles of wine, 100-gram bars of halva (over 50,000
bars in two weeks — ten times the amount sold in a
regular month) and 100-gram cans of tuna spread. In recent
years there has been greater demand for ready-made packages
prepared by the leading companies.
Shefa Shuk notes the price of the hottest item, small bottles
of wine, has risen (in part due to the increased deposit),
bringing down demand. The manufacturers have nearly stopped
making them and have switched to bigger bottles, says the
store management.
The primary goal is to lure as many shoppers as possible to
the store. "The stores will be packed anyway. The only
question is who will attract the most customers," says Shefa
Shuk. Since low prices has become the message conveyed by all
of the supermarkets another distinction must be sought.
"Our day-to-day war is over prices," says the Bar Kol
management. "Everyone compares prices with everyone else and
constantly matches the competition. Therefore another
advantage is created at the chain. By us it's the Purim
campaign of giving out wine with purchases above 50 shekels
worth of products from the major suppliers. We have 70,000-
100,000 bottles of wine at our disposal. The uniqueness of
Bar Kol is the enormous and bewildering assortment of
products, in additional to the top kashrus of all of the
products, meaning children can be sent without worrying about
halachic matters."
Alef is not out to find new ways to stand apart and claims to
offer the lowest prices. "We pledge to be the least expensive
at every point in time and during Purim to provide the lowest
price experience."
Whatever you do, don't forget: everyone will be glad to help
make you happy on Purim as long as you are sure to make them
happy, too...
