Where to do your grocery shopping this weekend, for the most savings

Ever wondered which retailer is the best for you in terms of the most affordable, best loyalty benefits and shopping experience? A personal finance company has added up the costs for consumers.

JustMoney collected data on the three major retailers – Checkers, Pick n Pay and Woolworths. They listed the rising food costs due to the Russian war in Ukraine and natural disasters in KwaZulu-Natal as the main reasons for the high food costs.  

They compared a list of 13 basic goods at three leading supermarket outlets, including a loaf of white bread, small pack of bananas, 2.5kg bag of sugar, 80 Freshpak rooibos teabags, one litre of long-life milk, two litres of cooking oil, 410g tin of baked beans, nine rolls of toilet paper, 2.25-litre bottle of Coca-Cola, 16 pieces of uncooked chicken, 2kg bag of potatoes, 2kg bag of white rice and 2kg Sunlight 2-in-1 washing powder.

Most Affordable retailer:

JustMoney found that Pick n Pay was the most affordable retailer when it came to the prices for the basic goods. Comparing the price of 16-piece uncooked chicken packs, Pick n Pay’s cost R83.82 on the day of purchase, versus R124.18 for a similar item at Checkers and R186.28 at Woolworths.

A 2.25 litre bottle of Coca-Cola at Pick n Pay cost R13, compared to R17.99 at Checkers and R20.99 at Woolworths. 

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Their research found Checkers was the most affordable in 2021, with the cost of these household baskets coming in at R368.71 at Checkers, R411.99 at Pick n Pay and R442.34 at Woolworths.

This year, including the addition of cooking oil, the totals were R519.71 at Pick n Pay, R521.06 at Checkers and R624.16 at Woolworths.

The best option consumers have is to do their research before shopping and do comparisons on specials and on the shopping apps. 

Best loyalty benefits

Checkers: 

It was found Checkers Xtra Savings cards offered immediate savings, unlike Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper cards. 

A nine-roll Rose Collection toilet paper pack was reduced from R69.99 to R59.99, two bottles of 2.25 litres of Coca-Cola went for R30.99 (usually R17.99 each or R36 overall), and a 2kg bag of Spekko white rice came in at R24.99 versus R32.99 without an Xtra Savings card. 

Best shopping experience 

Woolworths ranked highest in terms of shopping experience once again. The stores’ designs were praised for their comfort as much as convenience, and products are visually appealing.