A supermarket does not need to charge twice as much to make your shopping expensive. An extra KSh80 here, KSh103 there and KSh147 next time can quietly stretch an already tired household budget. Look at this graph. Quickmart recorded the highest total in all three sampled nine-category baskets: • 28 April 2025: Quickmart charged KSh2,268 against Chandarana’s KSh2,188. That is KSh80 more, or approximately 3.7%. • 30 June 2025: Quickmart charged KSh2,242 against Carrefour’s KSh2,139. That is KSh103 more, or approximately 4.8%. • 14 July 2025: Quickmart charged KSh2,283 against Naivas’s KSh2,136. That is KSh147 more, or approximately 6.9%. These are historical Nairobi price checks using the lowest available options in nine categories. Brands could differ. They show where Quickmart cost more; they do not establish today’s prices. Now consider what that July gap means. If the same KSh147 difference persisted, buying that basket four times would cost an extra KSh588. Repeating it weekly for 52 weeks would mean KSh7,644 more. That is money leaving your household without adding another item to the trolley. Yet higher prices do not automatically mean enormous profits. Quickmart’s announced 2025 revenue of KSh50.4 billion and adjusted profit after tax of KSh1.7 billion imply an adjusted margin of about 3.37%—roughly KSh3.37 per KSh100 of revenue. A retailer can charge more and still retain little after its costs. This is why supermarkets need stock to move quickly and customers to keep returning. For shoppers, the lesson is practical: compare the complete basket. Quickmart was cheaper on some individual items, even when its overall basket cost more. One attractive offer cannot tell you what the full receipt will look like. Factor in transport and delivery, too. Convenience can be worth paying for. Just know how much you are paying. The supermarket’s job is to grow its sales. Your job is to protect your money. Before giving a retailer your loyalty, give its receipt your attention.