Supermarket aisles seen quieter than expected ahead of Rosh Hashanah, despite NIS 500m. spent

Supermarket foot traffic was unusually light on the morning before Rosh Hashanah, despite shoppers spending NIS 459 million in credit card purchases between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., a 2.7% increase from last year. Retailers attribute the quiet to earlier shopping, overseas travel, and economic pressures, while price hikes on key holiday products drove the spending increase.

Supermarket foot traffic was unusually light on the morning before Rosh Hashanah, despite shoppers spending NIS 459.06 million in credit card purchases between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., a 2.7% increase from the same period last year. Retailers described the scene as unprecedented, with a branch manager telling Walla that crowds were barely present, attributing the quiet to earlier shopping, overseas travel, and economic pressures. The spending increase was driven primarily by price hikes on key holiday products: avocado prices jumped 44.3%, dry onions 39.3%, fresh chicken liver 21.3%, and packaged carrots 19.6%. Overall fruit and vegetable prices rose 7.3%, while wine increased 6.3%. The Institute for Retail Research also found major price gaps of around 40% between different chains for whole fresh chicken and chicken schnitzel, indicating weaker competition and higher prices for consumers.