Every month we take a look at the in-store prices of the same basket of goods across five major retailers – Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar and Woolworths.

Shopping list

Our grocery basket is made up of nine basic goods most people are likely to have in their homes and use every day. The list looks like this

  • 700g loaf of Albany Superior Sliced White Bread, or store brand
  • 2-litre sunflower oil, store brand
  • 2.5kg Iwisa maize meal
  • 2.5kg Selati white sugar
  • 2-litre milk, store brand
  • 2kg Tastic rice
  • 2.5kg Snowflake cake flour
  • 175g bar of Dettol herbal soap
  • 9-pack of two-ply Baby Soft toilet paper, or store brand

If some brands aren’t available, alternatives are used but our aim is to keep the products as consistent as possible every month. For a breakdown of our methodology, click here.

August’s basket

This month, we added Shoprite to the list of retailers in our grocery basket comparison.

Shoprite turned out to be the most affordable option, R2 cheaper than Checkers, R3 cheaper than Woolworths and about R16 cheaper than Spar and Pick n Pay.

Your grocery basket: August 2022
Your grocery basket: August 2022

Notebook

  • In June and July, we used the prices of the 18-packs of two-ply toilet paper. We have since switched over to the 9-pack.
  • For our methodology, a full set of prices, collection notes and republication guidelines, please go here: The Outlier grocery basket: Our methodology

This story was edited to update editorial style on 26 June 2023. No material changes were made.