Since COVID-19, groceries have been much more expensive.
Corporate executives have tended to blame it on inflation, but a lot of consumers just aren’t buying it.
Here is one of those people. “I decided to order my first Instacart from 2019,” TikToker @roomesc says.
He made a video comparing the price of his grocery list before the pandemic to the one he purchased today.
The 2019 order and the current order are both from the supermarket chain Publix, ordered by Instacart.
He doesn’t compare the price of buying Publix directly, so it’s not clear if Publix markup is similar or if it’s mostly an Instacart issue.
His order wasn’t complicated. It includes Pepsi, cookie dough, salmon, spring water and bagels.
Perhaps the salmon was imported, but nothing else seems to be.
So with a bit of simple math, it’s evident that the inflation excuse doesn’t add up.
The total was $62.64 for the current order. “Almost double” the cost of the order in 2019.
“We be struggling out here,” he ends the video.
Note that all the products he purchased are brand name. He doesn’t say why he didn’t choose grocery store brands instead.
Watch the full clip.
@roomesc
Here is what people are saying.
This person pointed out how the pricing effects workers. I bet they get a lot of complaints about the price changes.
I wonder why they would say that? “Out of touch” is a polite way to put it.
I’m curious if and how upselling has changed.
Yikes. Good thing it’s just a treat.
I hate shrinkflation! Do they think we don’t notice?
At some point I’ll probably order groceries online. Maybe I’ll avoid Instacart.
If you liked that story, check out this one about a Costco customer who got their cart stolen… so she hatched a plan to get it back!