Two months ago I bought a 250gm packet of Nature's Delight dates from my local Tesco, 119 baht, not cheap but delicious. A couple of weeks ago the price went up to 129 baht... okay...

I was in Jusco last week and saw some but no price label on the shelf. Bought a couple of packs and they were 149 baht...

Friday I was in Villa near Ploen Chit Skytrain and their price? 249 baht!!!

Just got back from Jusco and their price is now 219 baht, a 50% increase in a week and the stock has exactly the same expiry date as the pack I bought last week.

Does anyone have any idea why dates lately seem to have become a better investment than even gold?

Buy them from around the cake supply shops in Pahhu Lat, near Little India, they are 100-120Baht ish for a KG bag..... lasts a looong time in the date scones...lol

Oz

Or...you can do like me and stop buying them...

Maybe just because Eid ul Fitr -the end of ramadan- is coming in the middle of next week.

Dates are favorites among presents and offerings during that celebration.

Basic supply and demand law... especially regarding the fact that they are imported.

The Ramadan theory makes sense for Villa on Suk, frequently see middle eastern people shopping there.

Have to wait and see if the price comes down later next month but it's a product with a shelf life of a year so sounds more like profiteering than simple supply and demand to me.

Oz, good tip about Little India. I wondered why I hadn't seen basic dates for sale in the bigger supermarkets.

The Nature Delight dates are on a whole different level to the ones you are buying though, hard to go back once you've had the Deglet Nour variety.

They taste fantastic. No fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and plenty of potassium and fiber.

Mosan, think I might be doing the same for now although I have to do some travelling in the region over the next few weeks so I might see what they sell for in other countries.

we buy them in our local market loose..60-90 baht a kilo..big box is marked "Ramadan" brand I notice..from Egypt I think. Probably price is up for Ramadan although only a few Muslims around here..

No hijabs to be seen where I live either so I suspect there aren't many Muslims shopping at my local Jusco.

The dates I mention are imported from Israel and as a premium product they will never be found for a 100 baht a kilo but while you get what you pay for, one baht per gram like Villa are now charging is a little over the top.