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TikTok Video Shows Woman Stressed by High Grocery Prices As She Pushes Full Trolley in Store

Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at 11:07 AM by Nothando Mthembu 3 min read

A video of a South African woman looking stressed at a grocery store has gone viral, as many people relate to the struggle of rising food prices
The high cost of groceries is due to a number of factors, including global food price fluctuations, the weakening rand, and loadshedding
Many South Africans are feeling the stress of rising food prices and are forced to make difficult choices about what they can afford to buy

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The high cost of groceries is a major challenge for many South Africans.

Woman stressed at high grocery prices — A woman was stressed by the high prices of groceries while shopping. Image: @anitabuhlemeyi/TikTok
Source: TikTok

A video of a Mzansi woman looking stressed at a grocery store struck a chord with many netizens.

A video posted by @anitabuhlemeyi on TikTok shows a woman staring into space before shaking her head in disbelief as she stands against her trolley, full of grocery items, from food to cleaning products.

Why is food becoming so expensive?

According to International Monetary Fund, South Africa is a net importer of food, so it is vulnerable to fluctuations in global food prices. In recent years, global food prices have been rising due to a number of factors, including extreme weather events, supply chain disruptions, and the war in Ukraine.

The rand has also weakened significantly against major currencies in recent years, making imports more expensive, News24 reports. This has had a knock-on effect on the price of groceries, as many of the ingredients and processed foods that South Africans consume are imported.

Loadshedding has caused significant disruptions to the food supply chain in South Africa. According to UFS, food producers and processors have to rely on generators to operate during power outages, which adds to their costs. These costs are ultimately passed on to consumers through higher food prices.

South Africans relate to woman's struggle

Many netizens responded with comments indicating that they could relate to the stress and struggle of rising prices of groceries.

Nomonde Gulwa861 responded:

"That’s why we need counselling after buying groceries."

Gee. U wrote:

"Kushubile, okunye kusazosala nje tillini."

Tracey_Cpt responded:

"This was me yesterday. It's like Russian Roulette at the till."

Ngwana Mtsonga replied:

"Be grateful that you can afford it."

Edwaanprins commented:

"Leave the trolley and go to Tops."

T. LN said:

"Even if you buy no name brand. The numbers will still kill you."

Sengiphiwe commented:

"Learn to stockpile, dear, you won't go wrong. I don't push big trolleys on paydays. I target sales and stockpile."

What R650 gets you in Korea: South African woman shares grocery haul

In another story, Briefly News reported that a South African woman living and working in Korea took to TikTok to share a video showing how many grocery items she was able to purchase for R650.