The unbelievable price spike that left one shopper in shock: What's behind it?
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Inflation has become a growing concern for us all, especially when it affects essentials, like the products we buy in our local supermarkets every week. With inflation running at 30 year highs, we’ve all been feeling the squeeze of price hikes lately.
But for one shopper at a local grocer, that pinch turned into a punch in the gut when she saw the price of bread had suddenly doubled.
Mum-of-two Chantel Lobban set out to do her weekly grocery shop at a local store, but she soon realised that the prices of familiar bread brands had ballooned to double the amount they normally cost.
She said she saw the price hike while out shopping in Adelaide earlier this month.
In a video she shared on TikTok, she showed loaves of bread with well-known labels on the shelves such as Wonder White and TipTop.
‘Bread went from $3.60 to $6.20,’ she said in the clip as she panned to the recognisable brands.
Chantel then showed a TipTop loaf of bread selling for $5.60 and several Wonder White loaves retailing for even higher at $6.20.
‘It’s 8 am and I’m effin confuzzled,’ she said.
Independent grocers (like IGA) are usually pricier to shop at compared to larger supermarkets primarily because chain grocery stores, like Coles or Woolworths have more buying power and can negotiate better with manufacturers and distributors, while independent grocers can’t always do that.
Supermarket giants also sell goods at the minimum margin, which means, at least theoretically, that they increase the volume of sales (and total profit) by lowering their prices.
In practice, though, prices are up everywhere.
Chantel’s followers also expressed their shock at the inflated price.
‘No more toast kids! It’s cheaper to give them Woolies mud cake for breakfast!’ One shared.
‘Trust me, this was me last week…I remember bread being 2 or 3 dollars and now it’s suddenly 6,’ someone added.
While another claimed they bought the same brand at Coles recently and only paid $3.90. ‘That’s weird,’ Chantel responded.
Others weren’t surprised at the price increase and said Chantel should ‘prepare for the pain to increase’ as well.
‘Inflation…we are heading towards another recession,’ one woman claimed.
‘Same is happening in New Zealand. 18 eggs went from $9 to $18 in two days,’ a second wrote.
You can watch Chantel’s video below:
As of the time of publication, Australia’s biggest supermarkets, Woolworths and Coles, both sell Wonder White and Tip Top loaves for $3.90 each.
Drakes, the shop Chantel visited, has since claimed that the prices in the video are incorrect.
‘This is not a price increase nor inflation. There should have been a special ticket on the shelf, showing a lower price,’ a spokesperson for Drakes told reporters.
This comes after experts at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that the cost of living crisis has hit a new high, with inflation rising to 7.8 per cent during the last quarter of 2022. The ABS claimed that the figure marked the fastest annual pace of inflation since the 1990s, and said that this might prompt the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates in the coming weeks to combat further inflation. You can read more about the report here.
In a post on popular social media forum Reddit, Aussies expressed their annoyance over the rising prices of groceries. One shared how they picked up essential and non-essential items, including nappies, fruit and vegetables, cheese, bacon, peanut butter, chicken nuggets and protein balls and paid a total of $170.
‘I did my groceries online today and ended up with a total of $160. Decided to go back through and take out the crap I didn’t really need…there was none,’ one replied.
One claimed that every time they visit the supermarket, they almost always end up paying $75+ for ‘just a few things’.
‘I’m a single guy buying for myself only. I don’t know how families get by,’ he added.
However, it is believed that unpredictable weather – which has been disastrous for farmers and their crops – also played a part in the rising cost of groceries. A year’s worth of wild weather resulted in food shortages in several supermarket chains. You can find more details about food supply shortages here, here, and here.
Do you have further tips for saving money at the supermarket? Share your advice with other members in the comments below! Also, the federal government provides financial assistance and support to Australians struggling to make ends meet.
But for one shopper at a local grocer, that pinch turned into a punch in the gut when she saw the price of bread had suddenly doubled.
Mum-of-two Chantel Lobban set out to do her weekly grocery shop at a local store, but she soon realised that the prices of familiar bread brands had ballooned to double the amount they normally cost.
She said she saw the price hike while out shopping in Adelaide earlier this month.
Chantel said the price of bread had doubled in a matter of days. Credit: Wonder
In a video she shared on TikTok, she showed loaves of bread with well-known labels on the shelves such as Wonder White and TipTop.
‘Bread went from $3.60 to $6.20,’ she said in the clip as she panned to the recognisable brands.
Chantel then showed a TipTop loaf of bread selling for $5.60 and several Wonder White loaves retailing for even higher at $6.20.
‘It’s 8 am and I’m effin confuzzled,’ she said.
Independent grocers (like IGA) are usually pricier to shop at compared to larger supermarkets primarily because chain grocery stores, like Coles or Woolworths have more buying power and can negotiate better with manufacturers and distributors, while independent grocers can’t always do that.
Supermarket giants also sell goods at the minimum margin, which means, at least theoretically, that they increase the volume of sales (and total profit) by lowering their prices.
In practice, though, prices are up everywhere.
The woman said she was confused at the sudden price hike. Credit: princessmusclegirl/TikTok
Chantel’s followers also expressed their shock at the inflated price.
‘No more toast kids! It’s cheaper to give them Woolies mud cake for breakfast!’ One shared.
‘Trust me, this was me last week…I remember bread being 2 or 3 dollars and now it’s suddenly 6,’ someone added.
While another claimed they bought the same brand at Coles recently and only paid $3.90. ‘That’s weird,’ Chantel responded.
Others weren’t surprised at the price increase and said Chantel should ‘prepare for the pain to increase’ as well.
The price of bread has increased everywhere, surging by around 15% at Coles over the last 18 months or so. Source: Pricehipster
‘Inflation…we are heading towards another recession,’ one woman claimed.
‘Same is happening in New Zealand. 18 eggs went from $9 to $18 in two days,’ a second wrote.
You can watch Chantel’s video below:
As of the time of publication, Australia’s biggest supermarkets, Woolworths and Coles, both sell Wonder White and Tip Top loaves for $3.90 each.
Drakes, the shop Chantel visited, has since claimed that the prices in the video are incorrect.
‘This is not a price increase nor inflation. There should have been a special ticket on the shelf, showing a lower price,’ a spokesperson for Drakes told reporters.
This comes after experts at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that the cost of living crisis has hit a new high, with inflation rising to 7.8 per cent during the last quarter of 2022. The ABS claimed that the figure marked the fastest annual pace of inflation since the 1990s, and said that this might prompt the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates in the coming weeks to combat further inflation. You can read more about the report here.
In a post on popular social media forum Reddit, Aussies expressed their annoyance over the rising prices of groceries. One shared how they picked up essential and non-essential items, including nappies, fruit and vegetables, cheese, bacon, peanut butter, chicken nuggets and protein balls and paid a total of $170.
‘I did my groceries online today and ended up with a total of $160. Decided to go back through and take out the crap I didn’t really need…there was none,’ one replied.
One claimed that every time they visit the supermarket, they almost always end up paying $75+ for ‘just a few things’.
‘I’m a single guy buying for myself only. I don’t know how families get by,’ he added.
However, it is believed that unpredictable weather – which has been disastrous for farmers and their crops – also played a part in the rising cost of groceries. A year’s worth of wild weather resulted in food shortages in several supermarket chains. You can find more details about food supply shortages here, here, and here.
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