With the price of petrol and groceries spiking substantially, many of us are doing our homework and shopping for the best bargains.
Independent website The Outlier publishes a monthly comparative piece on the price of basic grocery items, so consumers can make an informative choice.
Choosing goods from four major retailers – Checkers, Pick n Pay, SPAR and Woolworths – their grocery basket includes the basics such as 2kg Tastic rice, One store brand 2-litre sunflower oil and 2.5kg Selati white sugar.
When radio host Rob Forbes posted its latest data on Twitter, many were not convinced by the findings, namely that Woolies worked out the cheapest with its in-store total, compared to Checkers coming in as the most expensive.
Woolworths is the cheapest place to shop for a basket of basic groceries 🤔 pic.twitter.com/NsJx45iVVJ
— Rob AF. (@RobForbesDJ) August 17, 2022
People had questions. One tweep asked: “Who sponsored this experiment? And what qualifies as a ‘basket of basic groceries’? So many questions. Data can be manoeuvred to give any answer you want. I am going to go do a Google.”
Another joked: “This study didnt take into consideration the extended bond needed to buy woolies black bags.”
The fact that Woolies entices us with their treats on display didn’t go unnoticed either, and an online user put it: “Problem is it is nearly impossible to ignore the prawn salad, tiramisu and pickled tongue whilst shopping for these basics.”
I mean they know what they're doing 😂
— Rob AF. (@RobForbesDJ) August 17, 2022
An eagle-eyed tweep proposed a plausible reason why Woolies beat its competitors, saying: “Can't remember the source but I recall someone mentioning the results were skewed for Woolies that week because they were running a special on one of those staples at the time.”
In response, Forbes had a suggestion of his own, adding that his Jacaranda FM team were going to start their own basket to track the costs every month.
What has your experience been when it comes to shopping for basics? Let us know in the comments section under this story on social media.