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COST OF LIVING

Cost of living: What are Norway’s best comparison sites for saving cash

With inflation pushing up the prices of most consumer products, people living in Norway are increasingly resorting to using comparison sites to make sure they get good deals – or at least that they don't get ripped off.

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In this article, we will go through some of the best comparison sites you should use in Norway if you want to save money. Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash

The cost of living crisis is exerting significant pressure on the personal finances of most Norwegian households.

According to a recent survey carried out by Norstat for the Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Oslo office, 70 percent of Norwegians are worried about their personal finances.

Furthermore, 77 percent say they will likely be able to afford to spend even less in the future as prices continue to rise.

The inflationary pressure in Norway has made comparison sites, which help users compare deals and save cash, more popular than ever.

In this article, we will go through some of the best comparison sites you should use in Norway if you want to save money.

Prisjakt

The price comparison site prisjakt.no is likely the most popular – and biggest – site of this sort in Norway.

Prisjakt.no enables consumers to compare product and service prices between a number of online stores so that they know they’re not paying more than they need to.

The site shows the lowest prices at the top of its product pages, as it is not possible for stores to pay to get a better position on Prisjakt – which is a nice consumer-oriented guarantee.

Along with price comparisons, you can also find other helpful information, including shipping costs and stock status, the price history of products, and reviews.

You can also get notified when the price is reduced or when a store receives a new product in stock, which can be a great timesaver.

Things to look out for: When it comes to the downsides, some consumers complain that the company is too strict when it comes to managing store reviews – especially critical ones.

Prisguiden

While Prisjakt is often considered the top comparison site in Norway, Prisguiden is a close second and is generally considered its leading competitor.

This price comparison site has been helping Norwegian consumers find great offers for more than 20 years. They cover around 700 stores and have 9 million products from 1,200 product categories on the site.

Prisguiden offers standard options such as price alerts, product price history, and a comprehensive page with the top deals of the day and week.

Things to look out for: Some users of the site claim that the number of stores included in the overview does not enable consumers to find the best offers, while others believe the search results include too many foreign stores and suspicious sites.

Kelkoo

Founded in 2000, Kelkoo is a shopping portal that helps users search through millions of products from hundreds of online stores in order to reach a more informed purchase decision.

The portal checks product data and prices from the online stores it covers several times a day and updates its result pages.

It offers thousands of trusted brands such as Apple, Sony, Philips, Microsoft, Nike, Adidas, Bosch, and Miele, as well as Norwegian household names such as Elkjøp.no, XXL.no, G-PORT / G-MAX.no, Jernia.no, and Megaflis.no.

Things to look out for: Note that the search results are not too extensive at times, and it might not be apparent which store is based in Norway and which isn’t at first glance (you’ll need to visit the pages Kelkoo.no recommends in the search results to find out).

Finansportalen

If you want to compare banking, financial, and insurance services, then Finansportalen.no is the place for you.

Finansportalen is a service offered by the Norwegian Consumer Council, which aims to give consumers the power and option to make good choices in the financial services market.

The portal offers a number of digital tools that help consumers compare banking, pension, insurance, and investment products.

Mattilbud

Sometimes shopping around is the only surefire way to save some cash. However, with all the legwork involved, it may not feel like it’s worth it.

Luckily, Norway’s Mattilbud app lets you collate and compare all the offers currently available in all of Norway’s major supermarkets.

The app shows you all the offers available in the supermarkets in your local area. Mattilbud includes prices and offers from Meny, Joker, REMA 1000, Bunnpris, Matkroken, Kiwi, Spar, Coop Prix, Coop Mega, Coop Marked, Obs, Extra and Europris.

Strømpris

Strømpris.no is another free service offered by the Norwegian Consumer Council. The site makes comparing prices and finding better electricity deals easier.

The comparison service is based on mandatory reporting from the power companies based on Norwegian regulations on reporting for power supply agreements.

That means that the companies are obliged to report their agreements to Strømpris.no by themselves.

FINN

While it’s not exactly a price comparison site, FINN.no is Norway’s biggest online marketplace. It has been on the market for roughly 23 years, and it is one of the most popular websites in the country.

According to the company’s website, on average, Norwegian spends an average of 30 hours on the site every year.

The site has a huge second-hand market, and on a typical day, there are around 300,000 listings and ads available on Finn.no at any given time. That means you’ll often find good deals on FINN – regardless of whether you are buying or selling.

Things to look out for: As is the case with most online marketplace platforms, there are also shady individuals using the site. Exercise common sense and be cautious before you commit to buying or selling anything on FINN. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you’re interested in second-hand deals, you might want to read The Local’s guide on how to buy second-hand and save money in Norway

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SHOPPING

Why there are currently no eggs in supermarkets in Norway

As shoppers across Norway notice empty supermarket shelves where eggs should be, concerns have arisen about the country's egg shortage in the run-up to Easter.

Why there are currently no eggs in supermarkets in Norway

Norwegian supermarkets have grappled with a widespread shortage of eggs since last spring, with the shortages making national headlines numerous times over the past 12 months. 

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about supermarkets in Norway

Recently, the shortages have led to fears that there may not be enough eggs over Easter.

Now, in several Norwegian cities, those fears have started to become a reality.

On March 25th, The Local was able to confirm that several stores in Bergen, western Norway, including Kiwi, Extra, and Coop, had no eggs on their shelves.

Extra even put up a sign stating that eggs are sold out due to the shortage of eggs in the market.

Extra eggs notice

On March 25th, 2024, the Extra Damsgård store in Bergen displayed a sign announcing that they were out of eggs due to a shortage in the market. Photo by: Robin-Ivan Capar / The Local Norway

Norwegian media has also reported empty shelves in Oslo and other cities.

Complaints about egg shortages have been common on social media and in the news in recent days.

The lack of eggs also comes after Agriculture Minister Geir Pollestad promised on one of public broadcaster NRK’s news programmes on March 20th that there would be enough eggs at Easter.

But how did we get here?

A cut in supply – and external factors

Last year, Nortura, a major agricultural cooperative in Norway responsible for the egg market, offered farmers compensation to reduce egg production due to overproduction concerns.

However, since then, demand has increased due to disease outbreaks across Europe and a weak Norwegian krone making eggs from Norway more attractive.

In the winter, Notura decided to make more eggs available for purchase wholesale. More eggs being bought as ingredients in food production has led to a reduction in the number of eggs available on store shelves.  

Increased demand has also affected the situation. According to Nortura’s January forecasts, egg production is projected to increase by 1 percent this year, while sales are expected to rise by 2 percent.

Kiwi eggs

The Kiwi Damsgård store in Bergen was also out of eggs in late March of 2024. Photo by: Robin-Ivan Capar / The Local Norway

Norwegian supermarkets, earlier in March, began to express concerns about an egg shortage over the Easter holidays.

Norway’s Agriculture Minister Geir Pollestad summoned Nortura to a meeting in mid-March, demanding an explanation for the lack of eggs on store shelves in anticipation of Easter.

Furthermore, Nortura found itself embroiled in a legal dispute, facing a lawsuit filed by egg supplier Den Stolte Hane, in which it was criticised for prioritising egg supply to industrial production over ensuring fully stocked store shelves for Easter.

What is being done to address the situation

Nortura has said egg imports must be increased to mitigate the shortage, citing them as a necessity dictated by Norwegian policies and circumstances beyond their control.

Furthermore, in response to the ongoing shortage, the Norwegian government took action in February by maintaining zero tariffs on egg imports.

The goal was to ensure an adequate egg supply by allowing the food industry to source eggs from abroad while using Norwegian farm-produced eggs to replenish grocery store shelves.

Despite these efforts, Nortura acknowledges that achieving sufficient egg availability remains challenging.

In mid-March, the Meat and Poultry Industry’s National Association (KLF) said it was too late to get enough eggs for Easter.

As things now stand, it seems the shortage will persist throughout April.

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