We all want the most bang for our buck, but where exactly is that to be found?

Every year there’s a price comparison that pits our major supermarket-style retailers against one another, and it offers some decent insight into how they stack up.

You can find 2016’s here and 2017’s here, but let’s leave that in the past. Given that we’re looking at a VAT hike in the not-too-distant future, perhaps now is the time to scope out which supermarkets are easiest on the pocket.

We’ll enlist the help of Business Tech for this one:

[They’re] looking at the average price of a basket of 10 national brands (brands stocked by all stores) across Shoprite, Checkers (both members of the Shoprite Group), Pick n Pay, Spar and Makro, in stores around the country.

The website also tracked price changes of those brands between February 2017 and February 2018 to see how these prices have changed over the past 12 months.

As you can see, all those tested have a slight price increase over the 12-month period in question, but there is one clear winner:

Quite the price differential between Makro and Pick n Pay, right? Of course that’s just a small sample of the goods on offer, so you shop around as you see fit.

A little extra knowledge never hurts, though.

Given the amount of online retailers out there, the same applies to when you’re bargain hunting online. You could spend hours opening up hundreds of tabs, comparing the prices listed, or you could let PriceSpy do the work for you.

Open site, select the item you’re after, and let their extensive database show you the best price out there. What’s more, you can create an alert and set the maximum price you would be willing to pay for that product.

Once that price is reached, on any given e-commerce site they have listings for, you will be alerted.

Their prices are updated every 15 minutes, which means you’re kept up to speed, so save all that clicking around and use the pros.

It also pays for businesses to get themselves listed with PriceSpy, with increased exposure to consumers a major plus. Businesses can now also keep an eye on what their competitors are charging, and PriceSpy’s extensive marketing services will extend well beyond their regular reach.

Here’s hoping your online shopping is made a little easier, and more cost-effective, by the tools at your disposal.

Feel the power!

[source:businesstech]