Ramadan price basket: What consumers say

Based on my purchases this Ramadan so far, prices are higher than last year. My weekly Ramadan budget is approximately Dh800 for my family of three adults and two kids. This would not include any extras such as pastries, sweets or dates. The discounts and offers during Ramadan, as far as I have seen, seem worth it if people buy in bulk. [As this is not the case with me], they don’t concern me.

Like every year, there are Ramadan special offers, and I can see a slight drop in the prices but the high volume of Ramadan groceries [one has to purchase] offsets the discount. My Ramadan weekly budget is usually ... around Dh1,500. Among all the items, I find meat and fresh fish to be the most expensive. Offers and discounts, at first glance, look very attractive. Prices do go down for some products, but I think it is a gimmick.

I believe the prices at the moment are stable. My impression is there were more discounts last year. I don’t really have a weekly budget for Ramadan. The products 
I find the most expensive are main food items like beef, for example. Offers and discounts [are] to just make us buy more. When we see a 25 per cent discount or a buy 2 and get 1 free deal, it entices us to start buying. I wouldn’t say that I am a big fan of these deals.

The discounts and offers are not on the main items that I buy. These offers are for marketing purposes obviously but they do bring benefits for consumers as they usually purchase a lot of [groceries] during Ramadan. My average weekly spend during Ramadan is Dh500-Dh700, with the bulk of expenses going towards items like fish, chicken and vegan foods, which don’t have discounts. There has been a slight increase in prices as well compared to last year.

The prices in co-ops are affordable and during Ramadan, there is a great drop in prices as compared to other times and also the offers and deals are very attractive. However, I find big differences in the prices of items in supermarkets and hypermarkets. The prices across Sharjah are same as compared to last year. We don’t really have a limit in terms of a Ramadan budget because when we have visitors, we have to shop for more items.

I think the deals and offers [in many hypermarkets] are misleading people . They are very expensive compared to prices in co-ops. I have visited most of the markets in Sharjah and noted the prices and now I have a good idea about the prices of basic items in each place. Also I see no difference in the prices now; they are the same as it was during other times. I don’t have a budget for Ramadan. I buy what is required.