The movement of consumers in São Paulo supermarket stores is returning to a normal pace, according to the São Paulo Supermarket Association (Apas).
On Wednesday (24), the first day of quarantine in the State of São Paulo, sales grew 18.2% compared to February 25 (a Tuesday).
Although this increase was similar to that seen on Monday last week (16), which indicates stability in the sales flow as such.
Price increase
However, due to high demand in recent days, the association found that some products had increased in price – an initiative that came from suppliers and was passed on to supermarkets, according to the entity.
“Apas members have sought to negotiate with their suppliers but, in some cases, they have to pass on their costs,” says the note.
According to the association, joint work with the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Abras) and the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), of the Ministry of Justice, is being carried out to prevent abusive practices.
Supermarket movement
However, the items that suffered the biggest increase were long-life milk (up 54%, unavailable for purchase); beans (up 67%, unavailable for purchase), garlic (45%) and potatoes (90%).
The most sought-after product, however, remains off the shelves. The supply of hand sanitizer has not yet returned to normal in supermarkets.
“The industry is struggling to meet orders and supply should return to normal soon,” says Apas.
Among the shelves, a notice stating that “to encourage conscious consumption”, the chain limited the sale of products, such as water, sugar and soybean oil, per customer.
The employee, who was rearranging the shelves, told the reporter that new shipments arrive every morning. However, demand has been so high that one or another product has run out while others were in stock but had not yet been replenished.