Pourquoi de tels écarts de prix au marché des Capucins ? Actu Bordeaux a mené l’enquête
Through Writing Bordeaux
Published on
The people of Bordeaux know it: capuchin market, we find everything. And above all, at all costs. 2.95 euros broccoli here. 3.95 euros there. Ditto for potatoes, which sell for between one and two euros per kilo.
But what justifies these price differences? Actu.fr conducted the investigation.
Distinguish between producers and resellers
Benoît Leuret, director of the Departmental Directorate for Population Protection, recalls in the preamble: “The principle of free pricing is granted by article L.113-1 of the Consumer Code, prices are freely set by companies. »
On what basis? Mikaël, installed this Friday in the central aisle, provides some answers:
I am the producer of 80% of the fruits and vegetables that I sell. For those who come from my home, I vary the prices according to my production. This year, for example, I had a lot of leeks so I sold them at a low price.
Above his stall, as with almost all the vendors present that day, stands a wooden sign indicating his status as a producer.
And what does it matter if all the foodstuffs on his stall are not directly from his farm. “We are forced to source certain products elsewhere, to retain our customers, he pleads. And for these vegetables, we are subject to the prices of the sellers. »
The shortage in France drives up prices
Broccoli, for example, does not come from him: “You should know that in France, at the moment, we don’t have any more. On the one hand, it is no longer the season. On the other hand, the cold and very rainy weather did not give us good harvests this year. »
Result, on the stand of Mika, the cabbages met of the market of national interest (MIN) of Brienne. And they grew up in a Spanish greenhouse. “They cost more than in other years, because in Spain they know we are in short supply. So they increase the prices”, blows the producer.
The length of the law of supply and demand, in short, to which all resellers on the market are subject. This Friday, at the Capucins, the average price of broccoli is 3.50 euros.
Beware of deception
But do these producers have the right to present themselves as such when part of their cargo comes from the MIN? “Certainly not”, assures Benoît Leuret, the director of the DDPP. Indeed, if the prices are free, the sellers are on the other hand obliged to inform the consumer about the quality of the product.
“Any positive mention, such as an origin or an environmental claim, if it is false, is constitutive of two years in prison and a fine of 300,000 euros. Pretending that we have no intermediary when this is not the case falls completely within this framework, ”he develops.
And checks at the Capuchins – once every two years on average – have made it possible to identify this type of offense on several occasions, affirms Benoît Leuret.
We are lying to you!
Never mind, in the aisles of the oldest market in Bordeaux, the practice is commonplace.
But it is not so much the controls that worry Mikaël, as the practices of its competitors. “If you are led to believe that broccoli comes from France, you are being lied to,” he asserts, as a warning.
![The price of broccoli varies from 2.50 euros to 3.95 at the Capuchin market](https://static.actu.fr/uploads/2022/02/brocolis.jpg)
Is he right? We will probably never know. But it is clear that two stands away, the sign that overlooks the small green bouquets bears the mention France. As surprising as their price: 3.95 euros.
The cost of working the land? Not at all ! “It’s a price that I had set up a few years ago. This was the average price at the time. I left it like that, quite simply, ”says the one who presents himself as a farmer.
We still dare to ask a question: are broccoli really French? “Absolutely, we had a great year for cabbage. “Ah!
Pulling prices is also energy
Change of place and atmosphere. At the southern entrance to the “Capu”, Wydiane’s stand attracts shoppers like bees around a jar of honey.
It cuts the end of the fat, it gropes for citrus fruits and it exchanges bags at breakneck speed… For good reason, the young woman is literally slashing the prices. Broccoli, to use our example, is displayed there at 2.95 euros. Secret son? This buyer-reseller plays on volumes and margins.
“Twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays, I go to the MIN to get supplies: so they know me, I’m a good customer. I take large volumes, which allows me to negotiate. »
But low prices come at a cost, even if it’s not the hard work of the land. “People don’t take into account the energy it takes from me. I negotiate absolutely all products, to be sure to be able to offer the lowest prices. »
And the quality? “That’s not why people come to see me. They know that here the prices will be low. »
His stand is the cheapest in the whole market, according to him. Something to get other traders talking…
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