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Shoppers give views on PriceSmart Portmore

Published:Thursday | April 14, 2022 | 12:05 AM
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Tamara Redwood
Photo by Ainsworth Morris
Tamara Redwood
Gillian Stanton
Photo by Ainsworth Morris
Gillian Stanton
Julian Rhone
Photo by Ainsworth Morris
Julian Rhone
Coleen Clarke Stephens
Photo by Ainsworth Morris
Coleen Clarke Stephens
Sherry S. Bahrambeygui, chief executive officer of PriceSmart Inc, greets Leon Thomas, mayor of Portmore, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the new store in Portmore, St Catherine, on Monday.
Kenyon Hemans/Photographer
Sherry S. Bahrambeygui, chief executive officer of PriceSmart Inc, greets Leon Thomas, mayor of Portmore, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the new store in Portmore, St Catherine, on Monday.
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With the opening of PriceSmart’s 50th location in Portmore, St Catherine, on Tuesday, shoppers flocked the megastore, with persons coming from as far away as the western Jamaica town of Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth, for the sole purpose of getting better bargains.

The Gleaner took to the streets and asked some shoppers in the Sunshine City if they would change their allegiance from other supermarkets and wholesales to become fully committed to the shopping club.

Coleen Clarke Stephens:

“No, because sometimes we don’t have the money in that bulk, so we have to go to the corner shop dem. But when we have the money, we just come and come buy in a bulk at monthend time.”

Gillian Stanton:

“There are some things that I can get at other supermarkets that I could not get at PriceSmart. For example, for Christmas, at Family Pride Supermarket, they cut a ham that cost $4,000 in half so that ordinary people who can get a slice of ham for Christmas for $2,000. PriceSmart won’t do that.

“I go to Progressive [Supermarket]. I don’t go to MegaMart because I just think their pricing is ridiculous. I would go to Progressive if I can’t go to Kingston. I’d rather drive to town to go to not only PriceSmart, but also to Family Pride in Havendale [and] Lee’s on Red Hills Road.

“I want to see if [PriceSmart Portmore] is comparable to the one in Kingston, which I think it should be, and I’m hoping that the prices are the same or even better. Also, I’m happy that I don’t have to drive into town, even though I still prefer Kingston than Portmore because everywhere opens earlier in town.”

Tamara Redwood:

“To be honest, I would not commit to shopping at PriceSmart only. It’s not all the time you have the money to come and do that big shopping at once. Sometimes you know you have to do the little backup. So definitely you wouldn’t change that. You can’t change that.”

Julian Rhone:

“You can’t change it because some a di little corner shop dem you have to run go buy when you run outa little something. You can’t change it entirely, but here so is more convenient where we can make one big shopping.”