Imagine paying just R2.75 for two litres of milk, and only about R1 for a loaf of sliced bread — an 850g one at that!
A 34-year-old Pick n Pay Hypermarket till slip, shared on Facebook group The Village by one of its 57,000 members recently, reveals not just the staggering increase in the price of groceries, but how many of the small sample of products are now sold in smaller pack sizes.
The 60 items, ranging from basics such as bread, milk, fruit and veggies to baby food, biscuits, refuse bags and a pet’s tick and flea collar, cost a total of R146.77 on May 29 1990 at the Pick n Pay Hypermarket in Ottery, Cape Town.
The prices have increased dramatically, as you’d imagine, but many of the pack sizes have shrunk, thanks to a strategy termed “shrinkflation” — manufacturers reduce pack sizes just enough to save on their input costs, but not enough that consumers will notice, though many of us invariably do.
Price Check | Here's what your mother paid for groceries & it's a shocker
A 34-year-old till slip with 60 items shows both how much prices have gone up and the reduction in pack sizes.
Consumer journalist
Image: Nolo Moima
Imagine paying just R2.75 for two litres of milk, and only about R1 for a loaf of sliced bread — an 850g one at that!
A 34-year-old Pick n Pay Hypermarket till slip, shared on Facebook group The Village by one of its 57,000 members recently, reveals not just the staggering increase in the price of groceries, but how many of the small sample of products are now sold in smaller pack sizes.
The 60 items, ranging from basics such as bread, milk, fruit and veggies to baby food, biscuits, refuse bags and a pet’s tick and flea collar, cost a total of R146.77 on May 29 1990 at the Pick n Pay Hypermarket in Ottery, Cape Town.
The prices have increased dramatically, as you’d imagine, but many of the pack sizes have shrunk, thanks to a strategy termed “shrinkflation” — manufacturers reduce pack sizes just enough to save on their input costs, but not enough that consumers will notice, though many of us invariably do.
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There are only three brand names on the itemised list — Bonnita, Smash and Stork — making a like-for-like then and now comparison impossible. But here’s what’s happened to some of the prices in 34 years, with current prices obtained from PnP online:
Bottom line: to get a true picture of how our grocery costs have escalated over the past three decades, one has to factor in the impact of the twin sneaky practices of shrinkflation — smaller pack sizes — and skimpflation — a reduction in the quality and cost of the ingredients.
• GET IN TOUCH: You can contact Wendy Knowler for advice with your consumer issues via email: consumer@knowler.co.za or on Twitter: @wendyknowler.
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