Supermarket price watch: Who’s offering the CHEAPEST groceries this week?
As the cost of living spirals out of control for many South Africans, The South African website seeks to enrich the lives of its readers.
The cost of living continues to spiral out of control for many South Africans.
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The South African website is seeking to help enrich the lives of our readers, because why should you be paying higher prices at one retailer when you can save a little somewhere else?
We’ve got you covered with the latest in our series of grocery basket price comparisons between five of South Africa’s favourite supermarkets.
In Week 42 of 2023, who will come out on top between Makro, Checkers, Shoprite, Pick n Pay and Woolworths?
Let’s delve into the cheapest groceries this week and the price fluctuation compared to last week.
HAS ANYONE DETHRONED MAKRO?
| Rank | Supermarket | This week | Last week | % change |
| 1. | Makro | R645.26 | R688.30 | 6.25% decrease |
| 2. | Shoprite | R709.84 | R767.33 | 7.49% decrease |
| 3. | Checkers | R714.75 | R793.83 | 9.96% decrease |
| 4. | Pick n Pay | R726.84 | R835.83 | 13.04% decrease |
| 5. | Woolworths | R776.84 | R861.83 | 9.86% decrease |
WHAT’S IN THE GROCERY BASKET?
We’ve compared 16 common household items to establish which supermarket is offering the best prices – both on individual items and for the entire basket – this week.
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TO NOTE
– We do not consider discounts or card-holder specials in this comparison.
– When the exact name-brand items are not available, we use the nearest alternative house-brand alternative (as stated at the bottom of this comparison)
– Due to the ongoing egg shortage in the country due to the avian flu outbreak, egg prices have been excluded from this week’s price comparison
– Due to fluctuations in prices both inland and at the coast in South Africa, the prices below are based on those payable in Gauteng
| Product | Checkers | Shoprite | Woolworths | Pick n Pay | Makro |
| 500g Fatti’s & Moni’s spaghetti | R19.99 | R19.99 | R22.99* | R19.99 | R14.95 |
| 400g smooth Black Cat peanut butter | R49.99 | R49.99 | R43.99* | R44.99 | R43.75 |
| 1kg Jungle Oats | R44.99 | R36.99 | R45.99 | R46.99 | R41.45 |
| Joko Strong Quality Teabags 100 pack | R54.99 | R54.99 | R49.99 | R54.99 | R44.45 |
| Albany Superior Sliced White Bread Loaf 700g | R19.99 | R18.99 | R19.99* | R18.99 | R18.99 |
| Sunfoil Pure Sunflower Seed Oil 2L | R87.99 | R87.99 | R79.99* | R87.99 | R74.95 |
| Iwisa Super Maize Meal Bag 2.5kg | R38.99 | R38.99 | R38.99 | R39.99 | R29.95 |
| Selati Pure White Sugar Bag 2.5kg | R64.99 | R64.99 | R57.99* | R68.99 | R53.58 |
| Clover Full Cream Fresh Milk 2L | R34.99 | R34.99 | R38.99* | R35.99 | R35.95 |
| Tastic Long Grain Parboiled Rice 2kg | R37.99 | R41.99 | R41.99 | R42.99 | R41.95 |
| Snowflake Cake Wheat Flour 2.5kg | R42.99 | R42.99 | R41.99 | R43.99 | R45.95 |
| Dettol Original Bath Soap 175g | R17.99 | R17.99 | R17.99 | R17.99 | R16.95 |
| Rama Original 70% Fat Spread 500g | R32.99 | R32.99 | R57.99* | R34.99 | R30.99 |
| Frisco Original Instant Coffee & Chicory 250g | R49.99 | R49.99 | R94.99* | R49.99 | R53.45 |
| Nulaid Grade 1 Large Eggs 30 | R0 | R0 | R0 | R0 | R0 |
| Coca-Cola Original Less Sugar Bottle 2L | R25.99 | R25.99 | R25.99 | R25.99 | R20.50 |
| Twinsaver Luxury Twin Ply Toilet Paper 9 Pack | R89.99 | R89.99 | R96.99* | R91.99 | R77.45 |
| TOTAL | R714.75 | R709.84 | R776.84 | R726.84 | R645.26 |
*Please note that when the exact same brands are not available (Woolworths) we used the nearest and cheapest house-brand alternatives. Specifically, Spaghetti 500g, Smooth Peanut Butter 400g, White Sandwich Bread 700g, Sunflower Oil 2L, White Sugar 2.5kg, Fresh Full Cream Milk 2L, Stork Country 40% Fat Spread 1kg, Nescafé Classic Instant Coffee 200g, Free Range Large Eggs 18pk, Super Soft 2 Ply Toilet Paper 9 pk.
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