Supermarkets Shopping

If your goal is rock-bottom prices on everyday staples (like bottled water, eggs, milk, pasta, and trash bags), look for the "Big Three" Turkish discount brands.

You will find small, no-frills neighborhood versions of these scattered right along or just off the main D400 highway in Incekum and neighboring Avsallar.

BİM: The undisputed king of budget shopping in Turkey.

BİM operates on a "wholesale price for retail" model.

You won't see fancy displays or many recognizable international brands here; instead, the shelves are packed with high-quality private-label goods. Their dairy, rice, and pantry staples offer the absolute best price-to-quality ratio.

A101: BİM’s fiercest competitor. A101 operates on the same low-cost blueprint but generally stocks a slightly wider variety of goods, occasionally mixed with discounted name brands and small household electronics.

Şok (pronounced Shok): Matches BİM and A101 on basic pantry prices, but Şok frequently boasts slightly better, fresher, and more consistent fruit and vegetable sections than the other two discounters.

Crucial Budget Note: To keep costs low and adhere to specific corporate policies, none of the "Big Three" hard discounters (BİM, A101, or Şok) sell alcohol or tobacco products.

When you need international brands, specific toiletries, pork products (rarely, but sometimes found in expat-focused sections), or alcoholic beverages, you must step up to the mainstream chains. While their base prices are higher than the discounters, you can still shop them on a tight budget using the right strategy.

Migros: The most prominent mainstream chain in the region. Migros uses a letter system (M, 2M, 3M) to indicate store size. A small Migros Jet or standard Migros along the highway handles daily essentials, while the larger multi-M branches in nearby Avsallar or Alanya act as massive hypermarkets.

The Budget Strategy: Download the Migros Money App or ask the cashier for a digital loyalty card. Migros runs aggressive, rotating "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" (1 Alana 1 Bedava)

promotions and steep discounts on household goods that frequently beat discounter prices.

CarrefourSA: Very similar to Migros.

To save money here, look explicitly for their white-label, store-brand items (simply labeled Carrefour). These items—especially local olive oils, cheeses, and pulses—are excellent quality for a fraction of the name-brand cost.

For fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, olives, and nuts, skip the supermarkets entirely and head to the traditional weekly open-air market.

When: Every Saturday.

Where: Located in the Yeşilköy neighborhood, set up along D400 Street right in front of the Incekum Municipality building (İncekum Belediye Binası).

Why it saves you money: Local farmers from the surrounding Antalya and Alanya districts bring their seasonal harvests directly to the stalls. Toward the end of the day (around 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM), vendors heavily mark down their remaining produce to avoid hauling it back, allowing you to snag incredible deals on tomatoes, cucumbers, citrus fruits, and fresh herbs.

Budget Grocery Shopping Hacks for Incekum

Watch out for "Tourist Pricing" at Local Mini-Markets: Small, independent convenience stores located directly inside or adjacent to five-star resorts often print prices in Euros or Dollars rather than Turkish Lira (TRY). Avoid doing your primary shopping here; a bottle of water can cost up to five times more than it would at a BİM or A101 just a 10-minute walk away.

Bring Your Own Bags: Hard discounters like BİM and A101 charge a fee for plastic shopping bags. Bring a reusable tote or a backpack to save a bit of change and make walking back to your accommodation easier.

Cash is King at the Pazar: While every major supermarket chain seamlessly accepts international credit and debit cards, the Saturday open-air market stallholders strictly prefer Turkish Lira cash, particularly for smaller transactions.

Look for "Aktüel" Days: BİM (usually on Tuesdays and Fridays) and A101 (usually on Thursdays) have special promotional days called Aktüel.

They bring in limited-time non-food items—like beach gear, sunscreen, flip-flops, and small kitchen tools—at heavily discounted prices. Look for the colorful flyers posted right at the store entrances.