Dubai: When analysing the cost of poultry, seafood, fruits and vegetables over the past 14 weeks, a few useful trends were observed, patterns that can assist a shopper in saving money in both the short run and even more so in the longer term.
During the course of the last three months, it was observed to be cost effective to buy fresh chicken during the start of the week, especially most Mondays, whereas halfway through the week, seafood and vegetables were seen to be largely cheaper, and fruits could be ideally picked up towards the end of the week, as prices mostly stayed in check!
Pick up seafood every Wednesday!
If you were wondering about which part of the week would be ideal to pick up seafood at a lesser-than-usual cost, the answer is still mid-week. A study of prices over the last three months proved that the cost of fish and shrimp dropped mostly on Wednesdays, while prices were seen higher during the start of the week.
The price of all seafood variants, be it Seabass, Hamour, Kingfish, Salmon, Sea Bream or small-sized shrimp, was seen dropping halfway through the week over the past 14 weeks. So, that would be good news for those seafood-lovers who were looking for cost effective days to shop!
Moreover, when analysing prices, it was also observed that the days prices largely stayed consistantly high was the start of the week, particularly Monday and sometimes on Sunday - so it might be safe to avoid stocking up on seafood soon after the weekend, if you want to take it easy on your pocket and your finances.
Fruits get more cost-effective on weekends
Which day of the week would be best to pick up fruits at a cheaper-than-usual rate? A study of prices over the last three months showed that the cost of all fruits got cheaper towards the end of the week, making weekend an ideal time to go shopping for fruits!
A trend was observed wherein the price of bananas started getting cheaper around mid-week and the cheapest during the weekend, so did oranges. The per-kilogram cost of lemons stayed largely in check the past few months. So, that would be good news for those who are looking for cost-effective days to shop for citric fruits! A similar pattern arose when analysing the cost of apples and lime, which fell slightly towards the end of the week and got comparatively pricier at the start of the week, particularly on Sunday and Monday.
Keep in mind that, as always, the prices did not differ starkly and during most of August and September, the cost of fruits like bananas, apples, and citric fruits like oranges, lemon and lime, all on average stayed largely in check. However, for those fruits that fluctuated, namely bananas, oranges and apples, prices were seen higher at the start of the week on Sunday, and it got cheaper towards the end of the week. Again, proving that the weekend is a great time to shop for fruits!
Most veggies get cheap mid-week!
When it comes to vegetables, prices of items like tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers and lettuce were mostly seen dropping mid-week in the last 14 weeks, or a little over months.
The cost of onions, another common household staple, which largely stayed the same all through last month at Dh1.9 per-kilogram, saw prices spiking to about Dh3 mid-week, before stabilising by the end of the week, which would be received as good news for people looking to plan their grocery costs ahead.
During the months of August and September, the cost of most vegetables spiked at the start of the week, backing a pattern that mid-week is the perfect time to get some vegetables shopping done!
Cost of fresh chicken drops most Mondays
When analysing the cost of poultry, beef and lamb over the past 14 weeks, useful consistant trends were observed, a pattern that can assist a shopper in saving money in both the short run and even more so in the longer term. Over the last three months, it was observed to be cost-effective to buy fresh chicken largely during the start of the week, whereas the cost of other poultry items like frozen chicken and eggs stayed the same in the past three months.
The price of fresh chicken was seen to continue to dip at the start of the week, mostly every Monday - making it an ideal time to buy and stock up on it. However, there were a few instances wherein prices dropped just ahead of the weekend as well. So, be on a lookout when you go shopping this weekend, keeping in mind that a kilogram of the meat is currently at its cheapest price level of Dh12.9, weeks after touching it's lowest price of Dh10.9.
On the other hand, the price of beef and lamb, be it variants from Australia, India, Pakistan or the UAE, have stayed the same, as has been the trend, and did not witness any fluctuation in prices. However, good news for some would be that the per kilogram cost of the Indian variant of beef dropped by about Dh10 in the previous weeks, and has stayed at the comparatively lower price level since.
