CIUDAD JUAREZ – The Castruita family is spending Saturday afternoon shopping at a grocery store in Mexico. Crisscrossing the border is a family tradition for Cristina Castruita and her husband.
“We’ve been doing it since the kids were babies, especially because the formula is half the cost in Mexico that it is in El Paso and it’s a better name brand too,” she said.
Now that the boys, Tomas, 8 and Alfredo,10 are older, she saves on brand-name laundry detergent. Alfredo has his own price saving favorites in Mexico.
“A lot of fruits; they’re bigger, less expensive. They taste better.” He said. His pick for summer? “The watermelon tends to be nicer.”
Shopping across border
Along the border some families, like the Castruitas, find savings by grocery shopping in Mexico. While inflation has fallen slightly, prices at the grocery store are still much higher than they were before the pandemic.
Generations of Americans on the border have looked to Mexico for lower prices and a wider selection. And vice-versa. Families from Mexico often cross into the U.S. for certain items including clothing and electronics. U.S. cities on the border have long-benefited from Mexican shoppers pumping up retail sales.
“That’s sort of the holy trinity of retail economics when consumers can have access to lower prices, better quality and more variety,” said Tom Fullerton, University of Texas at El Paso professor in economics and finance.
Fullerton points to a survey by the city of El Paso right before the pandemic that found local residents spent about $352 million dollars a year on groceries in Mexico.
Fullerton tracks the economic outlook in this region in an annual report. If higher U.S. tariffs are imposed, he expects that to affect the behavior of shoppers not just in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez but all along the border.
“Everywhere up and down the border from Brownsville to San Diego, they’ll cross the border and take advantage of lower prices as a consequence in what in effect will amount to an additional sales tax, a federal sales tax on items that get imported,” Fullerton said.
Cheaper Gas and strong dollar
Another factor that determines how often people shop in Mexico is the price of gas. That’s important for motorists who may find themselves idling in long lines waiting to return home to the U.S.
The dollar-to-peso exchange rate is also key. Juarez resident Diana Garcia said she sees El Pasoans all the time at her grocery store.
“A lot of people come here to shop, especially because of the way the dollar is now,” she said referring to the strength of the U.S. currency.
For U.S. shoppers it’s important to know what is allowed or prohibited from crossing the border. For example, eggs are not allowed. Certain fruits and vegetables are banned because they may carry agricultural pests.
Frequent shoppers like Castruita said the family can still enjoy some of their favorites by washing and eating that fruit while in Mexico including “mandarins, guayabas, starfruit.”
Variety and Flavor
Variety is another reason the family shops in Mexico, said Castruita. “We buy a lot of things like yogurt, because not only is it cheaper but we have really exotic and different flavors available.”
The dairy section in Mexican grocery stores is much larger than the U.S. and includes a variety of styles of yogurt, cheeses and cream. Coffee creamers come in flavors like “Chocolate Abuelita” the traditional Mexican chocolate brand with a hint of cinnamon or the candy bar “Carlos V.”
Castruita also shops for condiments and staples in Ciudad Juarez. “We prefer Mexican ketchup also and of course, tortillas. We buy them in bulk and freeze them,” she said.
Beyond chasing cheaper grocery prices, it’s a way of life on the border that nourishes families in several ways, said Castruita. The kids get a haircut, they enjoy a meal, and time with relatives – all in Mexico.
“I like to come buy in Juarez to support the people, to save myself some money, to expose the kids to their culture. And just fun. It’s cheaper and delicious.”
