In less than three minutes on the radio, four different brands defend their current promotions on fruits and vegetables, sweets or household linen. All obviously boast in their slogan hammered out all day long the fact of having the cheapest products of the moment.
Between December 2023 and August 2024, a shopping basket of sixteen food and hygiene products carried out in a Tours supermarket revealed a receipt down by 2.45% and 5.17% over one year. While inflation would be established according to the Banque de France at + 2.5% for the year 2024, and that it was + 5.7% in 2023 before a forecast drop to + 1.5% in 2025 , do supermarket customers still pay as much attention to the price of products?
“Obviously, for the past year I have only taken the private labelconfides Mireille as she leaves a store in Esvres. It's because of inflation and even if it falls, we're still careful. » She chose to buy her fruits and vegetables from supermarkets, “because it's difficult to find them cheaper than there, but the quality is not always there”, she regrets.
“We do without branded products now”
Thomas is a regular customer of supermarkets. “At first, I didn’t pay too much attention to the prices. I continued to buy the products I knew but I quickly realized that for the same cart, the price had exploded. So from now on, I look at the prices per kilo, per liter, I compare the big brands and those of the distributors. I also postpone purchasing a product if it can wait for a promotion that will come a little later. »
In a nearby store, the cart pushed by Martine, Lysiane and young Elena is far from overflowing. “There are days when it's not too expensive, and others when it's so expensivethey note without understanding. We do without branded products now. » The two ladies say they go to several stores in the sector, looking for low prices and discounts.
Martine and Lysiane are careful every day.
© Photo NR, Alexandre Métivier
“But we always find something to do. You have to want to cook and make food for yourself. From there, we're on our way. It’s less certain when you decide to take ready-made things that are very expensive and not necessarily very good”they assert.
Food remains sacred
Louise, a young mother, decided not to change anything in her eating habits, despite the rise in prices. Sacrifices tend to be made on leisure activities or outings: “With the children, I try to continue to buy quality things and vary the recipes. They like cheese and cut meat. I still look at the prices because I've always been careful, but it's not the food that's the first problem. »
Suzana is also a mother. “And with children, cakes, yogurts and fruit juices go very quickly. Six months ago, I started to take distributor brands, to calculate a little more. It's cheaper and the quality is the same. For the rest, however, I keep my habits. »
For Franck, it is first and foremost proximity to home that counts in the choice of brand: “And then, in terms of my consumption, I reduced my purchases of red meat because it is expensive. »
