Vegetables in Warsaw cheaper than Carrefour

I know food is very cheap for some foreigners but I am wondering if anyone knows where in Warsaw you can buy groceries (especially vegetables) cheaper than Carrefour for instance. I am not necessarily looking for organic cream of the crop veggies but if I can find them at a similar price or cheaper to the ones in Carrefour I'd love to hear about it. I have visited quite a few other medium/large grocery stores (Freshmarket, delikitasy etc). but none seem the fit the bill - I tend to go to Carrefour just because of it's size and convenience.

Do you not have a local Bazar or Targowisko? The prices in them can vary but they're often cheaper and fresher than the supermarkets.

Although I tend to buy from street sellers in the summer since there are some everywhere and I don't have time to go to supermarkets, I have noticed that supermarkets are not more expensive. I used to think that street sellers were Polish farmers selling their own production until someone opened my eyes. Street sellers buy from (wholesale or not) markets and then sell on streets. No way the oranges, lemons, pineapples or even grapes they sell grow in .... Poland ;). As to vegetables, it's the same if we look at all their boxes clearly marked "made in Spain, Greece, Italy or wherever else"). This very summer, I even found fruit and vegetables even cheaper at supermarkets (they buy in larger quantities).

In conclusion: no difference as to prices!

Yes. The same place that the bigger shops get them from. The street stalls aren't supposed to be exotic fruit - they get their tax exemption because in theory they're selling their own produce but almost none do.

Biedronka is a bit cheaper than Carrefour. If the OP really does want cheap and doesn't mind a. getting up early and b. buying in bulk, he can also go to the wholesale market himself. I've been an the minimum quantities for some things isn't that big.

Yes, Jon, some years ago, there were farmers selling their own strawberries and apples but over the years it has become very diversified and they sell mostly fruit and vegetables from abroad. I had not realized that the oranges or lemons were ... imported ;). As a result, now it's generally not any cheaper than at supermarkets. I usually buy a lot from street sellers mostly because they are everywhere in central areas.

However, it is so cheap so no need to split hair and travel all around town to save a few groszy on a kilo of something ,)

Me just above as not logged in ;)

Very true, And what you gain on some apples being a fraction cheaper, you lose on the convenience in being able to buy other stuff at the same time.

Time is precious enough without shlepping round 5 different places to save a zloty.

Jon, my neighborhood shop sells (very good) apples at 3 ZL/kilo whereas supermarkets sell them at 1.99 and street sellers sell them at minimum 1.50. Sorry, but unless, you buy 20 kilos per day and every day, you won't bother travelling all over town to save a few groszy ;). I buy let's say some 3 kilos of apples per week so believe me, I don't worry over groszy....

Re imported stuff, on Friday, in front of Willanowska Metro Station, I saw a guy selling ... kakis (I don't even know what it tastes like). I laughed because until someone opened my eyes, I thought the sellers were farmers selling their production ;)

They're supposed to (and they don't pay tax on the stalls on that basis)

If it's genuinely their own or picked wild by them, like a lady selling poziomki or mushrooms on the street (they pay for the space by the square metre by the way) I buy from them. Otherwise, some of those street stalls are part of small chains.

Yes, those selling fruit and vegetables on "fancy" stalls may be part of chains. Not difficult to read the labels on their boxes, everything comes from Spain and the like...