Consumer, price test | Testing Big Prices on Beer in Stores: Extreme Differences

The newspaper online: It's spring and good speed in Akerselva. The grass has turned a beautiful color and today the air is warm.

In the evening, there will be a lot of people wearing red clothes here. Bottles will be lifted. Chests will be opened.

We meet four Russians who go to nearby Voss High School. They are surprised to learn of the huge differences in beer prices.

See the large list of 391 beer prices below

– Maybe you don't think much at the time if you just need something quick for an occasion or something like that. All you have to do is pick something up from the nearest store, says Louise.

The Nettavisen test, for example, shows that the price of a liter of Ringnes pilsner can vary from around the fifty mark up to twice that.

-You may sometimes think that a store is a store. If you start checking, you discover it's not quite right, Field says.

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Your choice of store can be crucial, and in fact you risk paying 30 per cent more for your beer if you shop at the 'wrong' store.

But even if you buy the same type of beer from the same store, the price can be completely different.

-It's very shocking. It creates reactions, Robin says.

For many, Russian time costs a lot. Spending on beer certainly eats into the budget.

For example, if you buy a six-pack of Frydenlund pilsner from Extra, it will cost 167.40. In Joker, the same package costs 221.40. This means NOK 54 more and 32 percent more expensive.

– Oh, then I won't shop at Joker's anymore, says Alan.

Big differences

Checking the prices shows that price differences between stores can be significant. In many cases, the cost of the same beer is 20 to 30 percent higher at some chains.

All these strings have been checked:

• Bottom price
• Mega cup
• Collaboration Award
• additional
• joker
• kiwi
• menu
• Official development assistance
• Rima 1000
• Memorizes

The cheapest beer price Nettavisen found was in Oda. There, a can of Tuborg Grøn of six costs 176.40 pints. This gives a price per liter of 51.76. We found the second cheapest price in Meny with Seidel at 51.80 per litre.

Oda Tor director Erik Aag believes it is a great honor to receive the lowest price for beer in the test.

– We work hard to ensure everyone gets what they love at low prices, and we have now adjusted the few prices as we were not the cheapest in this test, says Netavisen.

Expensive in Joker

At the other end of the scale, we found Corona Extra in cans at Coop Mega at 151.21 per litre.

But it is the Joker that often emerges as the most expensive in the Nettavisen test.

-We are a small chain of stores that cannot compete as aggressively on prices as discount chains. But our clients appreciate the accessibility and customer service we offer at Joker, communications consultant Anna Kapler tells Nettavisen.

She adds that there was an error in the pricing for the Ringnes Lite, and that it is actually slightly less expensive, which they are now correcting.

Meny, Coop Mega, and Coop Prix are also the most expensive in some cases.

Low price and supermarket are two different concepts and cannot be directly compared, says Nina Hein, communications director at Meny.

She points out that they have a much larger selection, including beers from several Norwegian breweries.

– So naturally there is a certain difference in price compared to the low price which has a much narrower range, she says, and also points out that Meny also has cheap beer at the same price as Kiwi.

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– Almost ashamed

Rune blogger “Gjerrigknarken” Nikolaisen believes there may be another explanation for the price differences:

– There is another mechanism that applies when it comes to beer. You never see someone standing in the store and studying the price of a liter of beer. It's a little embarrassing, almost a little shamefulHe says.

Extra, Kiwi and Rema 1000 are again among the cheapest in the test, but also Oda and Bunnpris are the cheapest in some cases.

Measurement matters

Primarily, we've stuck to lagers and similar beers. We checked the prices in one store in each chain. For Oda, Meny and Spar, prices are checked online. Selection may vary from store to store. Therefore, the overview does not give a complete picture.

But one thing is for sure: you can save a lot by being a little conscious when purchasing beer.

Many people probably realize that a liter of beer costs less if you buy a pint can than a small 0.33 liter can.

But not everyone knows that the difference can vary greatly, and may reach 40 percent.

Look below: 391 beers ranked by cheapest

At Kiwi we found these prices per litre:

Tuborg green

• 0.5 litre: 56.80
• 0.33 litres: 66.06
• Difference: 9.26
• Percentage difference: 16 percent

Hansa Pilsner

• 0.5 litre: 70.90
• 0.33 litres: 90.61
• The difference: 19.81
• Percentage difference: 31 percent

Friedenlund barrel beer

• 0.5 litre: 67.80
• 0.33 litres: 95.15
• Difference: 27.35
• Percentage difference: 40 percent

Fees affect

One reason why smaller funds are often more expensive is the tax system. There is a basic tax on packaging and it is the same regardless of size. It strongly affects the price of a liter of small can.

– Some people buy a small can and think they won't drink a big can, says Ron Nicolaisen.

– It is preferable to do this quickly and a little quickly. “I think you can save a lot by checking prices,” he says.

He is thinking in particular of Russians, who rarely have huge wallets.

If I saw a Russian studying prices I would think: Look there, clever Russian, Nicolaisen says.

Bottle costs

Primarily, we've stuck to lagers and similar beers. We checked the prices in one store in each chain. For Oda, Meny and Spar, prices are checked online. Selection may vary from store to store. Therefore, the overview does not give a complete picture.

But one thing is certain. You can save a lot by being a little conscious when buying beer.