Supermarket aisles seen quieter than expected ahead of Rosh Hashanah, despite NIS 500m. spent
Israeli shoppers spent slightly more on holiday purchases on the morning before Rosh Hashanah, but retailers saw unusually low foot traffic as prices climbed.
Supermarket aisles were quieter than typical ahead of Rosh Hashanah, despite shoppers spending nearly NIS 459 million on card payments during Friday morning. Retailers attributed the diminished crowds to earlier shopping, overseas travel, and economic pressures. Some branch managers reported that it was rare to see such empty stores, even busier than a regular Friday.
Data from Shva, Israel's Automated Banking Services company, showed a slight 2.7% increase in spending compared to the same period last year. The busiest minute was at 10:56 a.m., when over NIS 3.44 million was spent in 18,000 transactions. Higher prices, rather than increased foot traffic, driven spending patterns. Price increases in major holiday products were the main reason for the slight rise in spending.
Supermarkets remained unusually quiet, with fewer deep discounts and higher prices for key holiday products. Israeli consumers faced higher costs for avocados, onions, chicken liver, carrots, and wine. The price gaps between different supermarket chains ranged around 40%.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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