"Ship Eggs": Sa Woman Reacts to American Grocery Store Culture Shocks in Tiktok Video

• A South African woman filmed herself walking through a large American grocery store, reacting to products she had never seen before
• She compared prices, portion sizes and food habits between the US and South Africa, finding some items surprisingly affordable
• South Africans flooded her comments with laughter and disbelief over pre-crumbled feta and R29 eggs

A South African woman known on TikTok as @tablespoon.of_tinks turned a routine grocery run in the United States into a lesson in cultural differences. She posted the selfie-style walking vlog on 3 October, filming herself moving through aisles of a large American supermarket while reacting to everything from the layout to the packaging.

One of her first observations was that the store did not open with a fresh produce section the way South African supermarkets typically do. Instead, she was greeted by rows of pre-made and pre-packaged foods. Pre-crumbled feta was a particular source of disbelief.

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The TikTokker @tablespoon.of_tink also noted that Americans' relationship with convenience extended to their coffee habits. The high-protein trend caught her attention too, with protein bagels and protein cereals lining the shelves. She was also struck by the sheer scale of everything, from enormous pickle jars to oversized cereal boxes, and pointed out that the store lacked the kind of floor staff South Africans are used to asking for help.

Not everything shocked her in a bad way. She flagged that a dozen eggs cost the equivalent of R29 and butter came in at around R49, though it arrived in four individual sticks rather than a single block. Red meat, however, was a different story. She found the beef chuck expensive and thick-cut in a way she was not used to. She also noted that self-service checkouts were the norm. Watch her full grocery store tour here:

Mzansi Reacts to the American Grocery Store Tour

South Africans in the comments section had plenty to say:

@Megan - Esprit Holistic said:

"No fresh produce at the entrance? 😭😭"

@Sandi M 🧚🏾 wrote:

"Pre-crumbled feta is crazy 😭"

@Rupert'sLetty🇿🇦 added:

"Pre-crumbled feta? So that means I can't have my ceremonial block of feta melting in my mouth whilst I prepare my salad?"

@Desiree wrote:

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"12 eggs R29? Please ship them to me 😩😩😩"

@Here to be shared:

"Nothing about American food makes me want it in my body."

An American defended the American supermarket:

Shelby argued:

"We grocery shop once a week or once every two weeks here, and it’s common to have large families. Everything is massive here for those reasons. We buy in bulk compared to you guys, because most of us don’t go to the store multiple times a week. We don’t have the time for that; many of us have to drive 10 or more minutes to a grocery store. Also, is produce being ‘colourful’ a sign of it not being fresh?"

Other Briefly News stories about South African immigrants

• South Africans relocated to the United States shared positive updates online, highlighting furnished accommodation, full fridges, stipends, and relocation assistance provided upon arrival.
• Tensions between Washington and Pretoria over foreign policy and domestic laws led to reports of increased visa delays and administrative scrutiny for black South Africans residing in the United States.
• Antoinette and her son Clayden, a young artist living with autism, shared an emotional milestone on Facebook after opening their first American bank accounts in Dallas, Texas.

Source: Briefly News