Grocery basket: Woolworths cheaper than Spar, Checkers and Pick n Pay in November

South Africans are seeing a bigger and bigger hole burning in their pockets every month.

From food to petrol and electricity, the cost of living is a major worry for most people.

One of the main contributors to the recent rising inflation was food and non-alcoholic beverages. 

With this in mind, South Africans are looking to save wherever they can. Groceries are often the first thing we look to save a few bucks.

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Prices of food

The Outlier regularly conducts “grocery basket” research by comparing the prices of food items from five of South Africa’s major stores.

It does this by looking at the prices of nine staple foods or products at each store every month.

The stores are:

• Shoprite;
• Checkers;
• Pick n Pay;
• Spar;
• Woolworths.

The groceries remain the same every month as well. They are:

• One 700g Albany Superior Sliced White Bread (or store brand);
• 2-litre store brand sunflower oil;
• 2.5kg IWISA maize meal;
• 2.5kg Selati white sugar;
• One store brand two-litre milk;
• 2kg Tastic rice;
• 2.5kg Snowflake cake flour;
• One 175g Dettol Herbal Soap;
• 9-pack of two-ply Baby Soft toilet paper (or store brand).

Woolworths comes out cheapest

The results of the November survey may be surprising to some. The cheapest stores to buy these staple groceries is Woolworths.

Next is Pick n Pay, at over R10 more expensive, closely followed by Shoprite and Checkers.

Spar is the most expensive at R431.90.

Buying the items at Spar will cost you R39 more than if you shopped at Woolworths.

The Outlier said Spar has been the most expensive option for South African shoppers since September.

It added that prices have dipped at Pick n Pay and Woolworths over the past two months, whereas Spar, Checkers and Shoprite have seen prices rise.

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