A SURVEY of rice prices by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) is making supermarket chains see red, as they question its checks.
On Wednesday, Case released the prices of 10 brands of fragrant rice at eight supermarket chains. The survey compared the prices of 5kg and 10kg bags, 16 products in all, on May 6 and 7.
Sheng Siong supermarket at Ten Mile Junction had the highest prices for seven items.
The price disparity could be substantial. A 10kg bag of Golden Phoenix Fragrant Rice that cost $18.80 at Prime went for $28 at Sheng Siong.
Sheng Siong grew from a local neighbourhood store to a major chain in the past few years with its reputation for competitive pricing.
But a Sheng Siong spokesman said that Case's prices were wrong. She said that the $28 bag of rice actually cost $26.30, different from Case's listing but still the most costly.
Case was also wrong with the same brand's 5kg bag. It reported that the bag cost $15 when it actually cost $13.30, the spokesman said.
She said: 'The prices are so different, it is impossible... Case must have made a mistake. We have never charged such prices for our rice.'
Shop N Save also said the price for its product was wrong. Case said a 10kg bag of Golden Phoenix Fragrant Rice at its outlet cost $19.65, but its actual price was $20.40, its spokesman said.
The survey was done in eight random branches of the major supermarket chains: Carrefour at Plaza Singapura, Cold Storage at HarbourFront Centre, Giant at VivoCity, Mustafa in Little India, NTUC FairPrice in Clementi Central, Prime in Hougang Avenue 1, Sheng Siong at Ten Mile Junction and Shop N Save in Toa Payoh Central.
The cheapest Golden Phoenix rice: $13.30 for a 5kg bag at FairPrice and $18.80 for a 10kg bag at Prime.
Case stands by its survey. Said its executive director Seah Seng Choon: 'Our officers are willing to stand by the prices they recorded...We have no idea why they are giving us different prices now.'
The survey was conducted by six Case officers who visited supermarkets with a notebook to take down prices. Prices were double-checked.
This was part of a series of monthly price surveys published on the Case website at www.case.org.sg
Price checks are not popular among retailers, who argue that they are blunt tools. They say prices are volatile and the basket of goods surveyed is usually too small.
Different retailers change prices according to when their new stocks come in, so prices might dip or rise the next day, said Ms Lau Chuen Wei, executive director of the Singapore Retailers Association.
She said that 'supermarkets can make money on some products and lose on others' and 'comparing a wider basket of goods' would make the survey more accurate.
Mr Goh Chong Theng, general manager of agri-bank Rabobank International, said that while such comparisons were essential amid rising food prices, it was 'not surprising' that it upset retailers.
He said: 'Supermarkets have different cost structures that vary depending on rentals and service levels. You have to look at the shopping experience as a whole.'
