The Outlier’s grocery basket: January 2023
Every month we take a look at the in-store prices of the same basket of goods across six major retailers – Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar, Food Lover’s Market and Woolworths.
Image: DALL·E/OpenAI
Every month we take a look at the in-store prices of the same basket of goods across six major retailers – Shoprite, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Spar, Food Lover’s Market and Woolworths.
Shopping list
Our grocery basket is made up of 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 store brand sunflower oil
- 2.5kg Iwisa maize meal
- 2.5kg Selati white sugar
- 2-litre store brand milk
- 2kg Tastic rice
- 2.5kg Snowflake cake flour
- 175g bar of Dettol Herbal Soap
- 9-pack of 2-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.
January’s basket
For the second month in a row, Food Lover’s Market, our new addition, ended up being the most affordable option out of the six retailers in our comparison. This month, Spar’s basket was the most expensive, R51.54 more expensive for January’s basket of nine staples compared with Food Lover’s.
Notebook
- For our methodology, a full set of prices, collection notes and republication guidelines, please go here: The Outlier grocery basket: Our methodology
This post was edited on 26 June 2023 to update editorial style. No material changes were made.