Basic food basket: how the big 4 supermarkets compare
South African consumers are navigating some rough seas. Rising prices, rising unemployment, a shrinking middle class and this before the full effect of junk status has taken effect.
Not to mention the technical recession the economy entered into in the first quarter of the year.
Consumer inflation rose by 5.4 percent year-on-year in May 2017 - partly due to the rising cost of food.
With R800 in her pocket, Jacaranda FM reporter Slindelo Masikane headed to the shops to speak to consumers about their struggles to make ends meet.
Sli then drew up her own shopping list:
Bread
Milk (1l)
Maize (2.5kg)
Eggs (12)
Chicken (braai pack)
We then headed to four of the biggest supermarkets in the country to see just how much prices vary. The findings might surprise you:
Woolworths:
Bread R13.99
Milk R14.49
Eggs R45.98
Maize R28.95
Chicken R69.50
Total: R172.91
Checkers:
Bread R12.99
Milk R11.99
Eggs R33.58
Maize R23.99
Chicken R58.99
Total: R141.54
Spar:
Bread R12.49
Milk R11.99
Eggs R23.18
Maize 24.99
Chicken 49.99
Total: R122.64
Pick n' Pay:
Bread R11.50
Milk R11.99
Eggs R20.00
Maize R23.99
Chicken R54.99
Total: R122.47
Jacaranda FM News spoke to these consumers at the Balfour Mall in the north of Johannesburg as they were about to go shopping.