MIAMI BEACH—In one of the newest Publix stores located on Collins Avenue, a special Passover display was in place even before Purim. The display was just to the left of the main entrance on the second floor with a huge mountain of matzohs serving as the bookend to cake mixes, grape juice, chocolates and much more. This scene is repeated in some of the other stores of the chain as it is in an even larger set at Winn-Dixie in Aventura.

Similar Passover selections were also in evidence at Ralph’s and Jewel Osco as the Passover season went into full swing. In Monsey, the huge Evergreen store launched a 10,000 square foot separate Passover store with an unprecedented array of products. The separate Passover store allowed Evergreen the luxury of continuing to sell its year-round products without having consumers crisscross aisles to search for the Passover items. In Brooklyn, Mountain Fruit also launched its separate Passover store directly across from its year-round store. Other independents designated special section of the store. At Pomegranate, several aisles were in the midst of making the transition to Passover as were such stores as Goldberg’s, ShopSmart, KRM, and Moisha’s.

In what must be welcome news for consumers, the stores are emphasizing lower prices. One store was advertising hand-made Shmura Matzoh for as low as $9.99 a lb. when the market price ranged from $16- $25 a lb. Passover has become a highly competitive time of year because of the significantly larger baskets. Stores attempt to lure shoppers from distant communities with loss leaders and cheaper prices. Evergreen, for example, is telling customers that “there is no need to travel to Brooklyn for the cheaper prices.” At Pomegranate, the parking lot was full of license plates from New Jersey, Connecticut and even Massachusetts.

By Kosher TodayStaff Reporters