“They Wasted Paper”: SA Retailers’ “Save R0” Specials Have Mzansi in Stitches on Social Media

South African retailers have been caught running discount specials that save shoppers absolutely nothing, and the pics doing the rounds on social media have left Mzansi in tears of laughter.

Images shared on Reddit and other platforms show in-store “SAVE” promotions at popular grocery chains that advertise savings of R0 or 0c, with the full price remaining exactly the same.

The discount that wasn’t

The posts, shared on 19 May 2026 by South African social media users, show shelf price tags at well-known supermarkets proudly urging shoppers to swipe loyalty cards or take advantage of special deals. One tag promises savings on a bottle of wine priced at R79.99, only to reveal the “Xtra Savings” discount is a grand total of zero cents.

Another shows rusks sitting at R39.99, the normal price and R39.99 with a loyalty card. A third shows popcorn on a “SAVE” promotion running for nearly three months, with the saving sitting at a solid R0.00. The comments under the posts were flooded with sarcasm and disbelief from South Africans who have seen it all.

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Many joked about rushing to the store to take full advantage of the historic savings. Others asked whether they needed to swipe their loyalty cards to access the R0 discount. The laughter was universal, but so was the frustration underneath it.

South Africans dealing with rising food costs and loyalty programme fatigue found little comfort in being asked to celebrate saving nothing. What is clear is that Mzansi’s sense of humour remains very much intact, even when the savings are not.

See the post here:

More discounts on Briefly News

• A shopper shared photos revealing that a Mr Price jeans' sale price was one cent more than its original price.
• The iconic Woolworths carrot cake received a discount, causing excitement across social media and sending shoppers rushing to stores.
• A woman flexed her how she paid R9.99 for KFC after she got a discount code, and South Africans were amazed.

Source: Briefly News