SHOP TILL DROP

SHOP TILL DROP

Hello again, 

Now that we have already spoken about the basic food habit of Ukraine, now let’s talk about the places where you can actually find them. 

Recap one on one, 

What are the two places that you can visit to buy food and groceries? 

Yes, 1. Supermarkets and 

        2. Rynok

                                       Rynok

                                   Supermarket 

Since we have already spoken about Rynoks in Ukraine, let’s talk about Supermarkets. Today we shall talk about the main Supermarket chains available in Ukraine and how they match up to each other when it comes to product quality, quantity, freshness, longevity and most importantly price. 

Some of the most popular chains of Supermarket in Ukraine are:

ATB Market

ABSOLUTE

MANDARIN

METRO CASH AND CARY

FURCHET

ARSEN

WEST LINE

INTERMARKET

MEGA MARKET

SPAR (EUSPAR)

So, what makes these supermarkets or brand chains special or rather I should say, unique to each other? 

To an average shopper, honestly speaking NONE. For an irregular shopper, who hops into one of these stores once in a blue moon, the differences shall seem inconspicuous if not irrelevant. 

BUT 

When it comes to regular marketing from any or several of these venues, the minor yet specific differences between products, their price, brand and longevity become important and in the long run, cost-effective. 

But please do understand that these effective measures are directed only towards the person among us who wants to be economic and is on a budget. If you are one of those mega millionaires for whom the price tag is an irrelevant waste of paper (they should have made more money from that paper instead, because your bank runs short of money every time you write a cheque), you definitely can skip this specific blog post :P 

But for those who actually have a string on their purse, which strains when you lean towards being a profligate.. You BETTER READ THIS!!!!

Now, let’s be specific about what criteria we are going to talk about while comparing these supermarket chains: 

• Quality of product
• Quantity of product
• Freshness and Hygiene of product
• Price of the product
• Ease of access to the specific chain store (No. of outlets in the city)
• Cost returns/benefits/Discount cards/Redemption points 

Stop 1: ATB MARKET

Well, ok.. let’s face it, ATB is for people who wants to save money (read students, homeless, jobless, poor people’s destination) . There you go, I said it out loud. If you want to hear the clink in your clutch after you walk out of that door, every time you go shopping with a bagful of products in your hands, then yeah ATB is your one-stop solution. But sadly, like all other cheap articles in this world, there are some catches involved here as well. Let’s delve into them one by one: 

Quality of product:

Sorry, but not the best quality there is. There have been times I have opened a pack of meat only to barge out of the kitchen door retching, running for the bathroom. The stench as you might have already guessed was unbearable. But at the same time, if you are opting to buy vegetables and dairy products, the quality is standard if not better than the other competitors. 

Take home wisdom: LOOK BEFORE YOU BUY, BETTER GIVE IT A SNIFF OR TWO. 

QUANTITY of product:

Since this is a European market we are talking about, so yeah, 1 KG is generally 1 kilogram in quantity and mass everywhere. I haven’t come across a scale with a magnet stuck under it’s bum. Scales are electronic and automatic here. 

Take home wisdom: Don’t make a fool of yourself, by asking if it is really 2 kg. 

Freshness and Hygiene:

Hmmm… a tricky one. Well it kind of waxes and wanes here. If you are on a good day, you might actually find the most marvelous of the products, freshly arrived from the farm, all sparkly and shiny. But, heavens behold, you end up there on a clearance sale day, well please follow the first wisdom. ALWAYS COMES IN HANDY. But the awesome part is, if you can take the stench, the clearance sale is ALWAYS the cheapest. This is a hugely popular aspect in European countries and in United States. Sometimes it is also referred to as Yard Sale. 

Take home wisdom: I told you ALREADY!!! READ THE POST!! 

PRICE OF THE PRODUCT:

Now this is why ATB is the boss. You can be assured that no one offers it any CHEAPER than ATB. Any product, no matter what !! comes at least 5 % cheaper than any other stores out there..  

WHY ? sorry, no idea, beats me. 

Take home wisdom: If you are in a money crunch, you know where to go

EASE OF ACCESS:

Well, it is fairly well distributed but I have noticed a tendency of ATB to be near a Rynok. Again, the reason beats me, perhaps to flaunt to the Rynok people that ATB gives it cheaper.  So, rest assured, if you are near a Rynok, be aware that you are near an ATB

DISCOUNT OPTIONS:  

None offered. 

Well there ya go, now you are the pro about at least one super market chain that you can expect to find in almost any city in Ukraine, especially in the eastern part. All you have to do is be aware of the pros and cons of each and make an educated decision. How to do that, well that’s my job to help you make one.  In the nest post, we shall talk about a few more of these supermarkets and about their “SECRETS”

Until then.. Adios.

ATB Promotional Video.. watch it, it's almost like BIG BAZAAR.