“Why Are We Still Here? We Don’t Belong Here”: Gent Can’t Afford Woolies Hot Cross Buns

• A Durban man's hilarious reaction to the price of Woolworths' hot cross buns has gone viral, with the shocked customer abandoning his purchase after discovering they cost R49.90
• In the amusing clip, the gentleman suggests he'd rather buy ingredients and have his granny make the treats instead, while his friend reminds him that the price is normal in Woolworths
• South Africans flooded the comments section with mixed reactions, with some defending Woolworths' quality while others agreed the prices were too steep for basic items

A man from KwaZulu-Natal was left stunned by the price of hot cross buns at Woolworths. In the clip, filmed by a friend, content creator @KxngzubzEntertainment decides to buy himself some hot cross buns but is visibly shocked when he checks the price tag of R49.90.

"Fifty rand for a bag of hot cross buns is too much! Who made those hot cross buns?" he exclaims before deciding to leave without buying them.

He adds that he would rather purchase the ingredients and have his grandmother make them instead.

His friend reminds him they are at Woolworths, known for selling premium products at higher prices. Realising this, the man humorously questions why they're even in the shop, saying:

"Why are we still in the store when we clearly don't belong here?"

The content creator shared this clip in late April with the caption:

"POV: You thought you could shop at Woolworths. Expensive but quality."

Watch the Facebook clip below:

Why Woolworths costs more

Woolworths has built its brand on offering higher quality and fresher products, but this premium positioning comes with higher prices compared to other South African retailers.

Recent research by PriceCheck, a trusted consumer e-commerce platform, compared a basket of 29 popular grocery items across major South African retailers. The results showed that Woolworths was significantly more expensive than competitors, with the same basket of goods costing R2,097 at Woolworths compared to R1,676 at Pick n Pay and R1,618 at Checkers.

What's even more striking is that Woolworths has increased its prices by approximately 25% between 2023 and 2025, well above South Africa's food inflation rate. During the same period, Checkers increased prices by 13% (in line with inflation), while Pick n Pay had the lowest increase at just 7%.

This pricing strategy reflects Woolworths' target market positioning as a premium retailer, catering to consumers who are willing to pay more for perceived higher quality, exclusivity and convenience.

Social media reactions to the clip

@Lizelle Buckley joked:

"You missed the special, it was R48.99 the other day 🤣🤣🤣"

@Camz Lucien defended:

"Ay, but everything tastes better from Woolies."

@Kernan Kell quoted:

"Why are we even here? We don't belong here🤣🤣🤣"

@Callie Nel reasoned:

"It's just meant for a Different market. They make their money from their targeted market. I also never set foot in Woolies, but I understand their mind behind their marketing."

@Janine Cinti admitted:

"Woolworths food is great, but expensive in my opinion."

@Lee Andrew complained:

"Not worth it, very disappointing, other stores sell better hot cross buns for less than half the price and taste way better."

3 other stories about Woolworths

• Briefly News recently reported on a baboon that chased after women carrying Woolworths shopping bags.
• A TikTok creator left South Africans in disbelief after revealing she spends over R6,000 weekly at Woolworths on groceries that only last her family of six for two to three days.
• A South African woman living between Switzerland and South Africa made a heartfelt video listing the top five things she misses most when abroad, including Woolworths.

Source: Briefly News