As the cost of living keeps rising amid soaring inflation, many households across Italy, as elsewhere, are finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet.
READ ALSO: What is Italy doing to cut the rising cost of living?
Food and everyday goods can be expensive in Italy relative to average income, and part of the cost is from sales tax even on the most basic foodstuffs. The government’s recent suggestion of lowering or even scrapping IVA (VAT, or sales tax) on basic food products hasn’t materialised.
Instead, many shoppers are now switching supermarkets to save money, or considering doing so.
Depending on where you shop now, it may be well worth making the switch. A new study from Italian consumer group Altroconsumo showed a family of four can save up to 3,350 euros a year by shopping at discount supermarkets such as Aldi and Eurospin.
For context, the study found Italian families with two children spend an average of 8,550 euros a year on groceries.
While discount supermarkets do allow for considerable savings however they also generally offer lower-quality products which not all consumers will be satisfied with.
Shoppers can also reduce costs by switching to supermarket own-brand items (i.e. items carrying the supermarket logo), available in stores such as Carrefour and Iper-Coop.
In particular, shopping at Carrefour, which is the most affordable supermarket in Italy when it comes to own-brand goods, can allow a family of four to save as much as 3,250 euros per year (savings can amount to 2000 euros for individual consumers).
Consumers who do not wish to part ways with branded products (prodotti di marca) can still save on their shopping, though in this case savings are comparatively lower.
Shopping at Esselunga – the most cost-effective Italian supermarket for branded goods – allows for savings up to 350 euros for single individuals and up to 570 euros for families with two children.
Finally, potential savings are considerably reduced for consumers choosing to stick with a spesa mista, meaning that they generally fill up their shopping cart with a combination of branded items, distributor-brand goods and low-cost goods.
Regional differences
While switching supermarket can mean savings on food bills, exactly how much you'll save varies greatly by region.
In particular, Altroconsumo’s latest report highlighted once again the stark divide separating the north of the country from the centre and south.
READ ALSO: From coffee to haircuts: How the cost of living varies around Italy
Of the 15 cheapest Italian supermarkets, only two are located in the central or southern regions of the boot (Sesto Fiorentino’s Coop-Fi and Spesa 365 in Bari).
More importantly, consumers living in the north and shopping at the cheapest supermarket or hypermarket available in their city can save as much as 18 percent on a branded-goods-only food bill.
In equal circumstances (i.e. buying only branded items at the cheapest local store), consumers living in most central or southern cities can only save between two and three percent.
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