Plaza Extra East Leads in Lowest Grocery Prices While DLCA Faces Scrutiny Over Market Basket Survey
Despite Plaza Extra East offering the lowest prices on St. Croix, legislators raised concerns about the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs' lack of analysis on grocery pricing trends and the survey's overall impact.
2024-10-25 14:09:32 - VI News Staff
The value of the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs’ Market Basket Survey was interrogated by lawmakers on Wednesday, as DLCA officials appeared before the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection. As part of the department’s mandate, the Market Basket Survey provides consumers with “up-to-date pricing information.” Per DLCA, “the monthly market basket survey helps consumers identify which stores offer the best price for staple grocery items, regardless of the brand.” Information is collected in-store by two DLCA employees each in St. Thomas and St. Croix, and by one employee in St. John.
Senator Milton Potter was interested, however, in the metrics used to measure “the value and impact of the Basket Studies.” He learned from DLCA Commissioner Natalie Hodge that “there's no way to measure the impact.” Director of Consumer Affairs, Matthew Paget, further explained that “there's no specific method that we use to track the effect of it.” The DLCA instead relies on “feedback from individuals regarding the information that we put out.” While Ms. Hodge understood the merit of such a request, she shared that the DLCA does not have an economist on staff. “We just don't have the expert level [or the] competent person on staff to conduct the surveys.”