How the A-B-C Price Rating System Works
Inflation cooled to 3.9% in January 2026 — the lowest in months — and the Bank of Jamaica just cut interest rates for the first time since May. Good signs. But walk into any supermarket and you'll feel the gap between the headline number and your grocery bill.
The same bottle of cooking oil costs J$297 at one store and J$430 at another. That's a 45% swing — on the exact same product, right now, across 19 stores we track.
Most price comparison tools answer one question: where is this item cheapest right now?
BuyersMarket answers a different question: is this actually a good price, or should I wait?
That's what the A-B-C rating system does. It's inspired by Malaysia's Hargapedia app, which has been downloaded over 1.3 million times using a similar approach. We adapted it for the Jamaican market using our database of 111,860 historical price records across 18,217 products and 31 stores — with real scraped prices, not government surveys.
The Three Ratings
A — "Grab It!"
Current price is within 2% of the 90-day low.
This is the best price this product has been in three months. If it's a staple you buy regularly — rice, flour, cooking oil, tinned mackerel — this is when to stock up. Prices at this level don't last indefinitely.
B — "Fair Price"
Current price is within 10% of the 90-day low.
A reasonable price. Not the absolute best, but not inflated either. If you need the item now, buy it. If you can wait, it may drop to an A.
C — "Hold Off"
Current price is more than 10% above the 90-day low.
The item is priced higher than usual. If you can defer the purchase, waiting for a better price is likely worth it. Our data shows prices tend to cycle — what's a C today often returns to an A or B within weeks.
Why 90 Days?
We chose a 90-day window because it captures enough price history to identify meaningful trends — seasonal shifts, post-hurricane recovery, promotional cycles — without being so long that the baseline becomes stale. Jamaica's annual headline inflation fell to 3.9% in January 2026 (Bank of Jamaica, February 2026), down from 4.5% in December 2025. The decline was driven largely by falling food prices as agricultural supplies improved. A 90-day window keeps the baseline relevant to current market conditions.
Real Prices, Real Savings
Here's what the price spreads look like right now in our database:
| Product | Cheapest | Most Expensive | You Save | Stores Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Grain Rice (800g) | J$259 | J$567 | J$308 | 12 |
| Baked Beans | J$216 | J$330 | J$114 | 23 |
| Cooking Oil (Vegetable) | J$297 | J$430 | J$133 | 19 |
| Counter Flour | J$263 | J$341 | J$79 | 21 |
| Dark Sugar | J$376 | J$478 | J$103 | 15 |
| Milk Powder | J$128 | J$235 | J$107 | 18 |
That rice alone — buying at the right store saves you J$308 per bag. Now imagine timing it right too, catching an A-rated price instead of paying a C-rated markup.
A Real Example: Kendel Corned Beef 7oz
One of Jamaica's most-bought pantry staples, tracked across multiple stores:
- Mastermac: J$347 — lowest price in our system
- Loshusan: J$365
- Sampars (Hot & Spicy): J$389
- Loshusan (Eve brand): J$412
- Coolmarket (Eve brand): J$498
Same product category. J$151 difference between the cheapest and most expensive. The A-B-C system tells you whether that J$347 price is genuinely near the bottom — or just looks cheap compared to today's alternatives.
If the 90-day low at Mastermac is J$340, then:
- J$347 (2% above) = A rating — Grab It!
- J$374 (10% above) = B rating — Fair Price
- J$400+ (18%+ above) = C rating — Hold Off
The same product at the same store can shift between ratings over time as prices fluctuate. That's the point: the rating tells you about timing, not just location.
What the Ratings Don't Do
The A-B-C system is not a quality rating. It doesn't tell you which brand of corned beef is better. It tells you whether the current price of a specific product at a specific store is historically high, fair, or low.
It also doesn't predict the future. A C-rated item won't necessarily drop to an A next week. But our data shows that price cycles exist — especially for imported staples affected by exchange rates and shipping schedules — and patience is often rewarded.
The system is less useful for fresh produce, which swings wildly with season and supply. Sweet potato, for example, ranges from J$300 to J$1,320 per kilo depending on the week. For those items, the dashboard still shows you the cheapest store — but the A-B-C rating carries less weight.
How to Use It
- Before your shopping trip: Check the dashboard for A-rated staples. Plan your list around what's at its best price right now.
- For non-urgent purchases: If a pantry staple is rated C, consider waiting. Rice, flour, sugar, and cooking oil are shelf-stable — there's no rush.
- For perishables: Buy what you need regardless of rating. Produce and dairy can't wait.
- Stock up on A-rated items: When a staple you use weekly hits an A rating, buy extra. That's the whole point of timing.
The A-B-C system works best for the items that make up the foundation of the Jamaican grocery basket: rice, flour, chicken, cooking oil, sugar, tinned mackerel, corned beef, and condensed milk. These are the items where timing your purchase can make a real difference.
Explore ratings for 18,217+ products at buyersmarket.app/dashboard.
Sources: Bank of Jamaica cuts policy rate to 5.5% · Cooling inflation intensifies rate debate · Jamaica food inflation data. All product prices from the BuyersMarket production database, current as of March 2026.