“Inflation, When I Catch You”: 1994 Till Slip Grocery Prices Stun Woman

• A local content creator, Asanda Ndlovu, showed South Africans a till slip for a grocery haul from 1994
• The items included pork chops, Sunflower oil, Colgate soap, and more, costing single figures
• South Africans in the comment section stated that, while it may seem cheap today, it may not have been the case for shoppers back then

A South African woman shared a 1994 till slip showing a grocery haul of 39 items, totalling R146.24. The TikTok video had many South Africans thinking back to their youth, while others pointed out that the cost might not have been affordable for the buyer.

On 29 October, 2025, digital content creator Asanda Ndlovu told the internet that she had received a screenshot of the till slip, but the grocery store remained unknown to viewers. She pointed out that pork chops were once R4.79, which left her in disbelief. Other unbelievable items and their prices included Shield deodorant priced at R7.59, sunflower oil at R2.99, and Colgate soap at 95c.

Read also

"We're going to the Cape Flats": Generous UK man donates Shoprite items to the community

Asanda exclaimed in the caption:

"Inflation, when I catch you!"

1994 Till slip stuns South Africans

Several local members of the online community gathered in Asanda's comment section to reminisce about the good old days, while others expressed their surprise at seeing the ancient till slip.

@teboho_27 spoke about their past reality, writing:

"My monthly groceries were R250 in 2003. 2kg chicken portions were R19.99."

@naturalslaycave said to people on the internet:

"Ja ne, but how much were people getting paid back then on average? I’m sure at that time they thought it was a lot."

@siphomkhulisi, who wondered about rand manipulation, added their opinion in the comments:

"Look at us now. We can't even pay for anything with that."

@groendraak took a trip down memory lane, sharing:

"In 1996-ish, when we went to the public pool, it was R1 for a child and R1.50 for an adult. We used to go to the shop with 50c when I was a kid. They would take the centre page from a magazine, roll it into a cone, and fill that with sweets. Noodles were R1.99 once upon a time. My dad, the youngest of four, spoke about my grandfather filling up the car and buying each kid a cooldrink and chips, paying with a R10 and getting change."

Read also

"I'm not really bothered": South African-British woman loses one of her passports on plane

@mazet9654 told social media users:

"My mom was paying a R2 000 bond for a three-bedroom standalone house with a flatlet in a fancy suburb. Yes, I can believe the slip."

@nthabimosia stated to online users:

"The price is real but still relatively not 'cheap.' I remember my mom would police the use of toothpaste because it wasn’t 'cheap.' If you spread a mountain of Stork butter on your bread, you’d be in the dog box. It looks cheap now, but our parents were gowishing (slang for struggling)! A Streetwise 2 for R9.90 was a luxury."

Check out the till slip in the TikTok video, posted on Asanda's account, below:

3 Other stories about affordable groceries

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a woman in Cape Town showed an old Shoprite till slip from 2004. The list of grocery items included prices of foods that many would consider cheap today.
• A university student was called a smart buyer when he showcased his grocery haul for less than R1 000. The young man's budget-friendly shopping list received applause from online users.
• A South African woman's grocery haul worth R200 amazed local shoppers when she revealed a surprising list of food items she bought on a tight budget. The video inspired some to search for better shopping deals.

Source: Briefly News