Pilchards Deal for 2 Costs More Than 1 Can in Store, SA Blames Poor Education Quality

• A photo posted on Facebook showed a deal for tinned fish that could have tricked many grocery shoppers
• The post highlighted the misleading savings which were attached to tins of pilchards at a popular supermarket in South Africa
• People discussed the video, and many made jokes about the education system in South Africa as the reason for the bogus deal

The photo of a bizarre grocery bargain from 08 June 2025 went viral. The price tag on a shelf of canned fish did not make sense to most netizens.

Online users shared their reactions to seeing a savings deal that did not make sense out in the wild. Many people commented on the photo with jokes about the grocery store's blunder.

Pilchards bargain fails

In a photo shared on Facebook by Saffa Sisterhood, a store put a deal that did not make sense on their shelves. The price tag read that one can of Lucky Star Pilchards would cost R10 each, and with a supermarket savings card, you could get two for R30. The post caught people's attention as they noticed the wrong maths. See the photo of the tinned fish deal below:

Noodles special exposed

Briefly News reported on a man who noticed that a different grocery store presented its products as a special, but it wasn't. The gent filmed a TikTok video of a Maggi two-minute noodle bulk deal that actually costs more than purchasing a single pack. South Africans shared their reactions after they realised how convincing the misleading special looked.

SA roasts pass rate over bad deal

Many people felt that the error on the pilchards' price tag went unnoticed by staff as a result of the 30% national pass rate. Many people were floored by what a terrible bargain the pilchard deal was.

Deanne-Lyle Denbeigh said:

"Ja Zuma maths hit it on the nail."

Vicki Pretorius wrote:

"This is what the 30% pass mark gets you."

Luigi Lootz wrote:

"Maths lit litting."

Nathan Blythe laughed:

"Yeah that makes complete financial sense!"

Guy Young added"

"Great deal 💥"

Lorretta Pearce commented:

"Maths is a problem in our country."

Natosca Stuurman said:

"Make it make sense? No, don’t worry!"

Cicilia Van Burick remarked:

"What a rip off!"

Debbie May Duncan said:

"That's what happens when you drop school standards. Low pass rate is not going to help people think outside the box or for themselves. Eish, what a joke."

Other Briefly News stories about grocery store deals

• A student impressed people after she did a grocery haul for only R200, for which she budgeted wisely to help her through the month.
• Some content created a competition where they tried to get the best deals for their money at a local Shoprite, and they competed to see who got the best bargains.
• South Africans were invested in in video of a shopper who shared low food prices from Woolworths.
• An Afrikaner woman who went shopping in the United States of America left people fascinated as they compared her haul to typical local shopping.

Source: Briefly News