Small increase in shopping basket

Press, 21 May 1981, Page 10

Small increase in shopping basket

The month’s shopping basket has risen by a mere 19c — one of the smallest price increases recorded since the grocery column began two years ago. Almost every month, readers will have grown accustomed to seeing prices of several items going up each time, adding a dollar or more to the month’s total. But, for this month at least, only two of the items surveyed on our shopping list have gone up in price — dishwashing liquid and, for the fourth time this year, eggs.

Eggs went up by an average of 3c a dozen at the end of April, and each of the four price rises this year has been of a similar amount, taking the price for a dozen No 6 grade eggs from $1.29 at the beginning of January to $1.47 now.

The rise in the price of dishwashing liquid is in line with an increase in sevhral soap products manufactured by Unilevers, Ltd, in Petone. Sunlight liquid, for example, hqs gone up a few cents a container;. A 900 ml plastic container Of Sunlight has gone up from $2.13 to $2.22 (Maximum •_ Retail Price), while Sun dishwashing, powder Tor automatic dishwashers, has gone up from $3.15 for a Ikg pack to $3.27 (M.R.P.). Some lines of washing powder produced by Unilever have also gone up in price. Since April 27, Drive has gone up 7c to $2.50, Persil Automatic has gone

up 4c to $2.53, and cold-water Surf has gone up 3c to $2.15. Most washing powders, held up through industrial stoppages in the last few weeks, have arrived back on supermarket shelves. Bioluvil, however, has not yet made its way down to Christchurch since the shortage of washing powder last month, and it is not known when it will arrive.

Disposable nappies, which are not included in our shopping basket, will go up about 10 per cent in price on

Monday. Newborn disposable nappies will be going up 16c to $2.12; Daytime nappies will be going up 34c to $2.95; Toddlers’ nappies will be going up 31c to $3.60; and Toddlers -jumbo packs of nappies will be going up 40c to. $5.69. (all are M.R.P.), Colgate toothpaste and toothbrushes went up about 5 per cent yesterday, and no doubt other brands of toothpaste will follow with similar price, rises soon. Colgate is not the brand surveyed in our shopping basket, and it will probably be a week or two before these price rises show on the shelves.

On Wednesday, Dettol went up about 12 per cent in all sizes.

The only good news this month is that coffee prices may drop slightly soon. The wholesale cost price of coffee has dropped and retailers have been given incentives to lower prices by about 4 per cent.