By Rorisang Modiba
- Youtuber creators James and Rob compared 44 similar grocery items at Checkers and Morrisons, leaving out specials and promotions from the total.
- The British basket was cheaper by R3.09, but South Africa still beat Britain on meat, eggs and fresh fruit.
A grocery basket in Britain came out cheaper than a similar basket at Checkers in South Africa.
YouTube creators James and Rob compared 44 grocery items at Checkers and Morrisons. They left out specials and promotions and tried to compare similar products where they could.
The final totals were almost the same. The Checkers basket came to R2,383.38, while the Morrisons basket came to R2,380.29.
That made Britain cheaper by just R3.09.
But the tiny gap does not mean every shopper would get the same result. The comparison depends heavily on what goes into the trolley.
South Africa still came out cheaper on several fresh food items. Rump steak, eggs, peaches, milk and wine were cheaper locally.
Britain did better on imported and branded items. Coffee, dishwasher tablets, olive oil and Starbucks pods were much cheaper in the Morrisons basket.
Some items barely moved the final total either way. Bread, spaghetti, Coke Zero and shampoo showed almost no difference between the two shops.
The creators said the test was not scientific. It was one basket, at two shops, using similar items where possible.
But the result still surprised viewers because many people expect groceries in South Africa to be much cheaper than in Britain.
The comparison shows how much a grocery bill depends on the kind of products a family buys. A basket filled with meat, eggs and fresh produce may still favour South Africa.
A trolley with coffee, branded goods and imported household items can quickly swing the other way.
Pictured above: A Checkers grocery basket was compared with a Morrisons basket in Britain.
Image source: File
