More than 25 million South African consumers saved a combined R7 billion on their grocery bills during the past six months (July to December 2022) through the Xtra Savings programme at Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets.
It has contributed to fending off soaring living costs with Xtra Savings members swiping their rewards cards over 238 million times to benefit from instant cash savings at till points to help make ends meet.
Consumers countrywide continue to switch to Shoprite and Checkers with an additional 1 million members joining the Xtra Savings programme, which was named South Africa’s best retail rewards programme by the 2022 South African Loyalty Awards, during this period.
With an unwavering focus on affordability and accessibility, Shoprite and Checkers will continue to keep prices on everyday essentials and groceries as low as possible.
The following tips will also help cash-strapped South Africans stretch their hard-earned money a little further:
1) R5 offering
At Shoprite, a 600g loaf of bread, a pack of sanitary pads and a selection of nutritious deli meals retail for only R5 each. The price of the subsidised R5 bread has remained unchanged since first introduced in April 2016.
2) Private labels
Affordability-focused private labels such as Shoprite Ritebrand and Checkers Housebrand provide customers with access to uncompromising quality through a range of staple products, at the lowest price possible. In the past year, an additional 676 products were added to the Group’s affordability-focused private-label range.
3) Unit pricing
The unit price is the cost of a consumer product according to a standard unit of measure, which could be per kilogram, per litre etc. When grocery shopping, look at the unit price – included on the PI (Product Indicator) label on the product shelf – in order to make accurate price comparisons between different product sizes. For example, the unit price of a 750g box of cereal may be higher than the unit price of a 1kg box.
4) Combo deals
Bulk buys are becoming increasingly popular in South Africa, and the R99 essential combo available in Shoprite supermarkets nationwide typically include staple foods such as maize meal, flour, rice and oil.