It has been a long time since we last stepped foot across the causeway.
Who knew that we would ever miss the snaking queues at the customs, or long waits in the car just to get past the gantries?
Bittersweet memories.
Occasional cafe hopping, cheap food tours, shopping for our necessities, massages and haircuts…
Don’t you miss those affordable prices?
So when news broke that we can now shop online for groceries from JB, many were excited to I was curious about the prices that were offered by the site.
We always knew that things were cheaper there because everything’s divided by 3 right?
But… How much cheaper could it be now? 🤔
Being a kiasu Singaporean who’s BIG on good deals, I took the chance to see whether I could still save money on my groceries.
And instead of travelling to get my groceries, my groceries are now crossing the causeway to get to me instead!
Is the price worth getting them shipped across the seas?
Let’s find out.
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TL;DR: Shopping for Groceries From Johor Bahru (JB) Online: How Much Will I REALLY Save?
Given that the website has over 1,700 items (at the time of writing), we shall zoom in on a couple of necessities to weigh the price differences.
For the purpose of this article, we are assuming an individual shopping for her family which includes a young child.
Note: Prices taken from Singapore supermarkets are their original prices and does not include timed discounts.
| Product | Buy JB Website | Giant | Fairprice | Lazada (Redmart) | Shopee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Items | |||||
| Old Town White Coffee (Hazelnut) 3 in 1 (15 x 40g) | $6.18 | $7.20 | $7.20 | $7.20 | $6.63 (3 for $19.90) |
| Nestle Gold Cornflakes - Econ Pack (500g) | $4.20 | $5.70 | $5.65 | $5.65 | $11.37 |
| Maggi Chilli Sauce (500g) | $1.90 | $2.30 | $2.35 | $2.30 | ~$2.20 ($1.50 for 320g) |
| Ayam Brand Sardine in Tomato Sauce (Tall) (425g) | $3.32 | $3.75 | $3.95 | $3.75 | $3.95 |
| Pepsi Regular (1.5L) | $1.90 | $1.65 | $1.65 | $1.85 | $1.85 |
| Indomie Mi Goreng - Special (5 x 85g) | $1.89 | $2.10 | $2.10 | $2.00 | $3.25 |
| Barilla Spaghetti (500g) | $2.50 | $2.85 | $2.85 | $2.85 | $2.25 |
| Barilla Pasta Sauce - Arrabbiata (400g) | $5 | $4.75 | $4.75 | $4.75 | $5.20 |
| Naturel Extra Virgin Olive Oil (500ml) | $8.50 | $8.90 | $8.90 | $8.90 | $9.90 |
| Total Price | $35.39 | $39.20 | $39.40 | $39.25 | $46.60 |
| Household Items | |||||
| Scott Extra BT Regular (20 rolls) | $6.90 | $6.15 | $6.15 | $6.15 | $5.95 |
| Bio-Home Dishwashing Liquid (500ml) | $3.90 | $4.00 | $3.90 | $3.90 | $3.90 |
| Harpic Cleaning Gel (500ml) | $2.90 | $3.80 | $3.80 | $3.80 | $3 |
| Total Price: | $13.70 | $13.95 | $13.85 | $13.85 | $12.85 |
| Personal Care | |||||
| Darlie Double Action Toothpaste (250g) | $4.50 | $4.40 | $4.40 | $4.40 | $4.40 |
| Head & Shoulders Shampoo (480ml) | $8.90 | $9.73 ($14.60 for 720ml) | $8.63 ($12.95 for 720ml) | $9.73 ($14.60 for 720ml) | $9.73 ($14.60 for 720ml) |
| Dettol Hand Sanitizer (200ml) | $6.50 | $10 | $9.45 | $10 | $10 |
| Dettol Hand Soap (250ml) | $2.90 | $3.90 | $3.90 | $3.90 | $3.71 |
| Total Price: | $22.90 | $28.03 | $26.38 | $28.03 | $27.84 |
| Baby Products | |||||
| Johnson's Baby Bath (Regular) - 1L | $7.50 | $8.55 | $6.975 (2 for $13.95) | $8.55 | $7.27 |
| Mamypoko Pants Extra Dry XL 32 Pieces | $16.90 | $19.40 | $16.70 | $19.40 | $21.63 (3 for $64.90) |
| Enfagrow A+ Step 3 Original (1.8kg) | $57.90 | $85.65 | $83.65 | $85.65 | $85.60 |
| Total Price: | $82.30 | $113.60 | $107.33 | $113.60 | $112.27 |
| Grand Total: | $154.29 | $194.78 | $186.96 | $194.73 | $199.56 |
Shipping from Buy JB’s website comes with a $20 shipping fee as well, which closes the gap of the price differences even more.
Price Comparison Across Different Categories
We took a look at products across different categories, including food, household products, personal care and baby items.
Food Items
| Product | Buy JB Website | Giant | Fairprice | Lazada (Redmart) | Shopee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town White Coffee (Hazelnut) 3 in 1 (15 x 40g) | $6.18 | $7.20 | $7.20 | $7.20 | $6.63 (3 for $19.90) |
| Nestle Gold Cornflakes – Econ Pack (500g) | $4.20 | $5.70 | $5.65 | $5.65 | $11.37 |
| Maggi Chilli Sauce (500g) | $1.90 | $2.30 | $2.35 | $2.30 | ~$2.20 ($1.50 for 320g) |
| Ayam Brand Sardine in Tomato Sauce (Tall) (425g) | $3.32 | $3.75 | $3.95 | $3.75 | $3.95 |
| Pepsi Regular (1.5L) | $1.90 | $1.65 | $1.65 | $1.85 | $1.85 |
| Indomie Mi Goreng – Special (5 x 85g) | $1.89 | $2.10 | $2.10 | $2.00 | $3.25 |
| Barilla Spaghetti (500g) | $2.50 | $2.85 | $2.85 | $2.85 | $2.25 |
| Barilla Pasta Sauce – Arrabbiata (400g) | $5 | $4.75 | $4.75 | $4.75 | $5.20 |
| Naturel Extra Virgin Olive Oil (500ml) | $8.50 | $8.90 | $8.90 | $8.90 | $9.90 |
| Total Price | $35.39 | $39.20 | $39.40 | $39.25 | $46.60 |
When we compared common food items – our Maggi Chilli Sauce, spaghetti and our favourite Indomie Mi Goreng, the price difference is definitely not as significant as 1/3 like our currency difference.
Most items have a price difference of less than $1, which means that your savings would only be slightly significant if you’re getting more items.
Household & Personal Care Items
| Household Items | |||||
| Product | Buy JB Website | Giant | Fairprice | Lazada (Redmart) | Shopee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Extra BT Regular (20 rolls) | $6.90 | $6.15 | $6.15 | $6.15 | $5.95 |
| Bio-Home Dishwashing Liquid (500ml) | $3.90 | $4.00 | $3.90 | $3.90 | $3.90 |
| Harpic Cleaning Gel (500ml) | $2.90 | $3.80 | $3.80 | $3.80 | $3 |
| Total Price: | $13.70 | $13.95 | $13.85 | $13.85 | $12.85 |
| Personal Care | |||||
| Darlie Double Action Toothpaste (250g) | $4.50 | $4.40 | $4.40 | $4.40 | $4.40 |
| Head & Shoulders Shampoo (480ml) | $8.90 | $9.73 ($14.60 for 720ml) | $8.63 ($12.95 for 720ml) | $9.73 ($14.60 for 720ml) | $9.73 ($14.60 for 720ml) |
| Dettol Hand Sanitizer (200ml) | $6.50 | $10 | $9.45 | $10 | $10 |
| Dettol Hand Soap (250ml) | $2.90 | $3.90 | $3.90 | $3.90 | $3.71 |
| Total Price: | $22.90 | $28.03 | $26.38 | $28.03 | $27.84 |
Similarly, the prices of household and personal care items are not too different if we were to get them from the JB website.
In fact, it is observed that online supermarkets in Singapore have frequent timed discounts on some of these common household products, which makes them even more affordable.
So… this is a category I might only shop for if I already have something else in my cart, just to tompang (read: hitch a tide) to make my delivery fees more worth it.
Baby Products
| Baby Products | |||||
| Product | Buy JB Website | Giant | Fairprice | Lazada (Redmart) | Shopee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson’s Baby Bath (Regular) – 1L | $7.50 | $8.55 | $6.975 (2 for $13.95) | $8.55 | $7.27 |
| Mamypoko Pants Extra Dry XL 32 Pieces | $16.90 | $19.40 | $16.70 | $19.40 | $21.63 (3 for $64.90) |
| Enfagrow A+ Step 3 Original (1.8kg) | $57.90 | $85.65 | $83.65 | $85.65 | $85.60 |
| Total Price: | $82.30 | $113.60 | $107.33 | $113.60 | $112.27 |
This category is where we see a bigger difference.
For our parents who are looking to stock up on baby products, this might be worth looking at.
Especially with the price difference in milk powder…
It’s a pretty good discount.
Is Buying Your Groceries Online From JB Worth It?
Besides the cost price of your groceries, there is also a delivery fee.
According to Buy JB’s website, there is a flat $20 delivery fee regardless of weight.
This delivery fee will cover the 7% GST, customs and shipping and petrol that you would spend to drive over.
Since we’ve seen that the price differences are not significant for each individual item, the additional costs incurred from delivery would only be justifiable if you’re getting a truckload of items (i.e. if you’re doing a bulk purchase).
Also, the range of items is currently not as comprehensive as the ones we see in Singapore supermarkets.
This means that bulk purchases might be difficult if you do have your favourite household brands that you prefer for your groceries.
Personal Opinion: Shopping for Groceries From JB Is Still Worth It if It’s Done Physically
After looking through the price comparison for general food and household items, I personally don’t think they are of the prices we see at the stores.
This might be due to many other factors that have driven the prices a little higher.
Because I clearly remember grabbing items off the shelves when I last shopped at JB, as if they were all free.
Well… perhaps it’s also that feeling of being overseas which adds to the whole shopping mood.
And how shiok it felt to be able to divide all the prices we see by 3.
What about you?
Would you use this online grocery service to get your household items shipped across the causeway?
Let us know at Seedly!
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