The rising cost of living is worrying most Sai Kung people. Kathleen Chong of Sha Kok Mei: “Marks and Spencer’s chicken casserole has gone from $59 to $79, ocean pie’s also gone from $59 to $79 . . . even local restaurants’ prices are up. Dragonboat set meal, just noodles and a drink, is up from $60 to $70. Cooking oil which we use every day $38 to $43 . . . mixed fruit pack, would you believe, $116. I’ve got a gweilo husband. Bangers and mash from M&S is now $79 while before it was $69. Prices vary widely — bread from UK is $29 at Fusion and $49 at M&S . . . French jam in a local grocery shop is $35 and $45 at M&S. You want to make a simple salad: small lettuce $39, little pack of cherry tomatoes $20, honey and mustard dressing very small bottle $39.”
“There’s been a lot of change,” Kathleen says, “Meat from China went very high during Covid but is now down 50%. Rice has stayed stable because China is very good at controlling it. Vegetables have been stable; it used to be that after a typhoon prices would zoom up, but now that doesn’t happen. It is far better to shop around, go to local places, stay away from upmarket places like Marks and Spencer. My husband wants to find Mr Marks and Mr Spencer and knock their heads together.”
Ten-year change in the Consumer Price Index
What’s going on? Hong Kong imports 90 per cent of its food, so external inflation hits us too. International transport and energy costs have risen — thanks very much to Donald Dump and his Iranian war. Hong Kong’s rapacious landlords continue to gouge tenants. China Light and Power keeps raising its rates, up 8.7 per cent since March. Commercial rents have been subdued, hovering, depending on foot traffic, from $50 to $120 per sq ft.
The Consumer Council points at “shrinkflation”: a council study found 62 retail shops had reduced the weight of groceries up to 30 per cent without changing prices. Snacks and biscuits, shrunken in size, were priced 26 per cent higher effectively.
The CC noted delivery services such as Deliveroo and Foodpanda priced fast food at 83 to 91 per cent higher than at the retail outlet. In 20 years the food price index has risen 80 percent. Poor people spend about 42 per cent of their income on food, while middle-income people spend 22 per cent. This means, the Council says, “poor children eat cheaper less nutritious food and seniors on fixed incomes skip food so they can afford medicine, or vice versa.” A few supermarket chains, notably Jardine’s Wellcome and AS Watson’s ParknShop, dominate the retail scene.
Take Miss Kathleen Chong’s advice: “It is far better to shop around, go to local places, stay away from upmarket places . . .”
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