How to buy products at wholesale bases

21.02.17 219 526 0

Two times cheaper than in the store

When food becomes more expensive, and there is no more money, you have to save.

I found a way to save on food: I buy at wholesale depots. I live in St. Petersburg and I buy two thirds of my products at the Kalinin fruit and vegetable base. In this article I will tell you what a vegetable store is and how to handle it.

Sergey Kompaniets

economical city dweller

What is a vegetable base

The fruit and vegetable base is a large wholesale market. Shops, restaurants and thrifty citizens come here for groceries. The margin here is minimal, some products will cost you half as much as in the store.

Average product prices

Product, kg

Potato

In the shop

21-25 R

16-18 R

Product, kg

Cauliflower

In the shop

280 R

120 R

Product, kg

In the shop

70-160 R

25-75 R

Product, kg

oranges

In the shop

75-120 R

50-60 R

Product, kg

tangerines

In the shop

80-170 R

60 R

Product, kg

In the shop

55-75 R

40 R

Product, kg

In the shop

1400 R

700 R

Product, kg

In the shop

1200 R

600 R

Product, kg

In the shop

50 R

38-40 R

Product, kg

pork shoulder

In the shop

408 R

248 R

Products that you buy in a convenience store, the store itself buys at a wholesale base for half the price.

How the wholesale base is arranged

The city fruit and vegetable base is a platform with dozens of trade pavilions. In the pavilions there are boxes with goods and merchants sit.

The atmosphere here is informal, there are no labels and price tags. The quality of the goods, its origin and price should be asked from the seller.

The food base is a large market where they buy in bulk, usually from 3 kg of each product.

The base does not accept bank cards, and I have not seen ATMs anywhere. Therefore, it is worth withdrawing cash in advance. I advise you to take 5-10 thousand rubles with you, preferably in banknotes of 500 or 1000 R.

The price of a product often depends on the volume of purchases. Buy 10 kg of potatoes at 18 R per kg, and 100 kg at 12 R per kg. But you don’t eat so many products yourself, they spoil faster. Therefore, it is best to shop with friends.

How to shop with friends

My friends came up with "co-op". They go to the base in turn. Before the trip, everyone throws off their shopping lists to the responsible person. He buys at once for everyone and delivers products to homes. He puts a piece of paper with the amount that is thrown off to his card in a bag of groceries.

Now there are ten families in the cooperative. Each participant travels to the base about once every two months and receives cheap groceries delivered to their homes every week. If I had a car, I would join too.

Usually at the base they sell goods in bulk, 10-18 kg each. There are also retail pavilions. Prices are higher there, but you can buy 2 kg of bananas instead of a 20 kg box.

How to bargain

Find out prices from nearby sellers. Don't buy from the first dealer you see. Ask for a price, nod back, and move on to the next one. Prices in different pavilions are different, and you can buy cheaper without haggling.

• - How much do you have potatoes?
• - Twenty rubles per kilo, I sell bags of 10 kg.
• Thanks, I'll take a look.
• - Hey, stop, take two bags, I'll give them for 380 rubles.
• - I'll take it for 350.
• - Well, OK.

Ask to "throw" the goods. Sometimes the price is minimal, and the seller refuses to throw off more. Then I ask you to add to the purchase a little other product for testing. For the seller, a couple of apples is a trifle, but I'm pleased.

• - Will you give three bags for a thousand?
• - No, dear, 1200 is the minimum price. Further at a loss.
• - Okay, I'll take three bags for 1200. Will you add a couple of pears to me?
• - Choose what you want?

Ask for ripe goods. When I buy only for myself, I only ask for ripe fruits and vegetables. They must be eaten immediately, today or tomorrow, otherwise they will spoil. Sellers are ready to give such goods cheaper so as not to throw them away.

How to choose a product

Often the buyer chooses vegetables and fruits in the window, and the seller weighs others - from under the counter. If the seller allows, I put the goods myself: I ask for a package and select what I like.

For all the time I have never been given bad fruit or weighed down. It seems that merchants are interested in long-term work and care about reputation.

If I buy for the future, then I ask you to select not too ripe products. Slightly green bananas will not turn sour in a couple of days, but will ripen for a week.

Where are the bases

Usually the bases are located on the outskirts of the city and outside the city. The largest vegetable warehouse in Moscow is called "Food City" and is located 900 meters from Moscow along the Kaluga highway. Three more large vegetable warehouses in Moscow are located on Kashirsky proezd, 27; on Otkrytoye shosse, 15 and on Amurskaya street, 2a. In total, there are about thirty vegetable bases and branded food warehouses in Moscow and the Moscow region.

In St. Petersburg, go to the Kalininskaya vegetable warehouse (63 Nepokorennykh Ave., bldg. 34, warehouse 2) or to Sofiyskaya (60 Sofiyskaya St.). Even in St. Petersburg, there are about a dozen branded trading warehouses that function as bases.

It is most convenient to come to the base by car, but entry is paid. For example, a pass to the Sofia base in St. Petersburg costs 50 rubles.

You can take a taxi, but it's not very convenient. You can't leave a taxi at the base - you have to let go of the car and then catch another one. It is expensive to travel by taxi, so many get there by buses and minibuses.

I ride a bike with a large rear rack and a large basket on the handlebars, with additional luggage bags attached. And entry is free, and I take away a lot.

My savings

At a time, I take 15-20 kg of vegetables, fruits, nuts and other products from the base. At the same time, exotic fruits are also in my luggage: mangoes, avocados, pineapples. For one trip I spend 2-3 thousand, I go about once a week.

To prevent vegetables and fruits from spoiling, store them on the balcony. Take the food out of the polyethylene and put it in a plastic or wooden box. In the warm season, hide them away from sunlight and heat sources.

Remember

1. At food bases, food costs twice as much. But you will have to buy them in small wholesale, 3-10 kg at a time.
2. It is most profitable to cooperate with friends and buy at once for everyone. The larger the batch, the cheaper the products.
3. Withdraw cash before heading to the base.
4. The base is the market. Therefore, bargain and look for goods cheaper.
5. Find your seller and get good discounts.