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 White Plains, NY - The results of a “market basket survey” conducted by the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection show that prices vary widely from store to store and a savvy shopper can save as much as $47 on a typical grocery list simply by shopping in one store instead of another.
The survey, conducted last week, shows that a consumer will pay $116.06 for a select group of 45 items at ShopRite in Cortlandt Manor while the same purchases will cost $163.40 at Gristedes in Scarsdale.
“That’s quite a difference and it makes it clear that shoppers often pay more than they have to,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “In times like these, every penny makes a difference – and $47 is a lot of pennies. This is a wake-up call to everyone that supermarket prices can vary widely from store-to-store.”
Inspectors from Consumer Protection visited 10 supermarkets – a mixed sample of those available to consumers in Westchester – and calculated the total cost of a ”market basket” of 45 items in each of the stores. The items included basic staples that might be found on any shopping list, such as bread, flour, milk, butter, cereal, coffee, soup and steak.
For comparison, inspectors also determined the average cost of the designated items -- $134.65.
In addition to Gristedes, the more expensive stores were found to be D’Agostino in Rye Brook ($154.68) and Key Food in Pleasantville ($139.94). The less expensive ones were DeCiccio’s in Ardsley ($131.49), Pathmark in Port Chester ($129.90), A&P in Thornwood ($128.10), C-Town in Eastchester ($127.67), Stop ‘n Shop at the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers ($125.45), A&J Met Foods in New Rochelle ($124.42), as well as ShopRite in Cortlandt Manor.
“In these tough economic times, we’ve revived the market basket survey, which was last done in Westchester in 2002,” said Gary Brown, director of Consumer Protection. “We’ll update the data periodically so that consumers can easily compare the prices at supermarkets throughout the county.”
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