Zimbabwe’s Economy Stabilizing
Have just been to the supermarket and, although consumer prices in Zimbabwe are still shockingly high, I did notice a downward trend. There was a time, not so long ago, when it appeared as if the new dispensation was becoming overwhelmed by increases in prices across the board.
Even the black market price of the United States dollar was, during this period, on an upward trajectory that had many predicting that it would reach the one as to two ratio within a couple of months.
Things have since settled down, with a hundred US Dollars buying you about 140 virtual dollars on the black market. This, perhaps, has been contributory towards the stabilization of consumer prices in Zimbabwe.
Here are a few of the prices that are currently obtaining at okay supermarket;
| Item | Current Price in $ | Previous Price |
|---|---|---|
| Probrands Masi 500ML | 0.59 | 0.60 |
| Tomatoes | 1.30 | All over the place |
| Rabroy Salad Cream | 2.50 | Can't remember |
| Farmgold Jam | 1.75 | Can't remember |
| Ricoffy 100G Tin | 1.89 | 2.50 |
| Hulletts Brown Sugar | 1.95 | Unchanged |
| Red Seal Self Raising Floor | 1.89 | 2.50 |
| G V Baked Beans | 0.99 | 3.00 (not the same brand) |
| Bakers Inn Bread | 1.00 | Unchanged |
| Ideal White Rice 2KG | 2.39 | 3.50 |
| Sable Mixed Chicken Cuts 2KG | 6.99 | $9.00 (Other brands) |
| Colgate 100 ML | 1.49 | Unchanged |
| Geisha Bath Soap | 0.95 | Unchanged |
| Vaseline 250 ML | 2.49 | Unchanged |
| Pain Eeze Tabletts | $1.60 | Unchanged |
Changes Uneven
You will notice that the changes that have occurred have been pretty much uneven. While the prices of some goods have gone up, others have remained stagnant. The price of a bar of Geisha Bath soap, as an example, has largely remained the same while that of Rice has been oscillating all over the place.
Thankfully, a box of pain killers still costs about the same, which should be a relief to those who are looking to quieten the headache of trying to balance incomes within the prevailing environment.
Unscientific
Note that this survey is unscientific, since I am too lazy to actually go out and check what the actual prices previously were. If you know what has changed by how much, please fee free to inform me. Thanks in advance. A couple of days ago, I warned people about the blight of fake light bulbs across the country.
You can read that article for more information on that. Today I almost bought the wrong type. Not many households in Zimbabwe use the screw type light bulbs and I didn’t notice that I had picked one till the till operator brought it to my attention.
