What can you buy in the Merca with 2,500 pesos?

Yesterday the facilities of the Agricultural Supply Markets shone with all their splendor. The number of visitors from the early hours of the morning was so great that, in the corridors, the green carts were jammed together, preventing an ideal flow and transit.

Based on this panorama, it seems that the Merca Santo Domingo (Mercadom) continues to be one of the most chosen options by citizens who seek to reduce their expenses in food purchases due to low prices, the variety of products, and the quality offered by their establishments.

A client, Conrad Beltré, assured that he never misses the Merca Santo Domingo fortnightly and the reason, according to what he shared with a journalist from Listin Diario, is because “he has everything he is looking for in one place: groceries, vegetables, fruits, meats, sausages, household utensils, among others.”

Similarly, Miguel Pérez, another visitor, said that he has been coming to the place for some time because he saves much more money than when he buys in supermarkets, specifically around RD$20,000 a month, making purchases of 7,000 pesos every 15 days.

A purchase of RD$2,500?
With some RD$2,500, reporters from Listin Diario made a small purchase from the varied list of food items available in the Mercadom to see how cheap they are.

Have your supermarket list handy and compare:
Of the vegetables, they took two pounds of carrots (RD$15 a pound) for 30 pesos; two and a half pounds of tomatoes (RD$15 a pound) for 38 pesos; two and a half pounds of onions (RD$40 a pound) for 80 pesos; a pound and a half of garlic (RD$93 a pound) for 140 pesos; almost half a pound of tasty chili (RD$70 a pound) for 30 pesos; three pounds of pumpkin (RD$20 a pound) for 60 pesos; two and a half pounds of aubergines (RD$20 a pound) for 50 pesos; and vegetables, coriander, chives, celery, leek for about 70 pesos.

Two and a half pounds of lemons (RD$20 a pound) for 45 pesos; two avocados (Unit at RD$60) for a cost of 120 pesos; and coconut water for RD$50 were the fruits they chose.

While, of the groceries, two pounds of white yautia (RD$50 a pound) for 100 pesos; four pounds of pipiota (RD$30 a pound) for 140 pesos; 12 green bananas (unit of 16) for 192 pesos, 25 green bananas (unit of four) for 100 pesos; and 10 pounds of select potatoes (RD$20 a pound) for 200 pesos.

Meanwhile, for meat, two and a half pounds of boneless beef (RD$200 a pound) for 460 pesos; and almost four pounds of chicken (RD$83 a pound) for 282 pesos; plus a carton of 30 eggs for 185 pesos.

The total purchase was about RD$2,372.

Prices vary a lot
Although the economy is currently impacted by high prices for food products, María Figueroa, who visits the Mercadom with her husband every two weeks, considers that “everything is expensive and prices vary a lot.”

However, he said that with inflation what he does is take advantage of the different seasons and times of the year in which some foods go down and boost the economy.

“Everything has its season, right now we are buying lemons at 17 pesos a pound, however, we have bought them at RD$70 pesos a pound when there are none, because we are not in the lemon season. Also pineapples for five for RD$100, when we bought a pineapple for 70 pesos. So, it’s simply taking advantage of the season,” said Figueroa.

“Right now we have bought tomatoes for eight pesos a pound and RD$10, however, on other occasions we have bought them for RD$32 pesos and RD$30 a pound. We have also bought onions for RD$20 a pound and right now it is 40 pesos. It’s like a balance sheet, but we know that inflation is real,” he added.

Figueroa said that in his opinion the prices that always remain the same “rain or wind” are those of groceries.

About the Mercadom
The Mercadom is located on the Merca Santo Domingo highway, kilometer 22 of the Duarte highway, in Pedro Brand, West Santo Domingo.

It is open every day from 8:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon. Saturday and Sunday are the days that register more citizens.

It has 6 warehouses of 7,200 square meters for wholesalers, six commercial premises, each with 36 thousand square meters, and its facilities cover about one million 300 thousand square meters.

A recommendation? Depending on where you live, locate the right time to go, since you have to travel along the Duarte highway and the traffic jams on this road are constant, if you program it, you also save fuel.

You can also find out about the public transport service.