What happens when the price at the supermarket checkout keeps rising but your budget does not? 

In our latest instalment of Checkpoint’s new series Crunching the Numbers, we are drilling into the details of the weekly shop from Countdown – which has now rebranded as Woolworths – and Pak’nSave to see how much it has gone up since 2022. 

It is no secret Kiwis are feeling the pinch, so RNZ asked shoppers how much the weekly shop was setting them back. 

One woman said for a household of four it cost them $200. Another shopper said for their household of four with three teenagers it cost $500. 

A single pensioner said he usually paid $100 a week. 

For over two years, Checkpoint has been tracking the price of 36 supermarket items in the same area. Our first shop in May 2022 at Greenlane Countdown cost us $238 and the same items at Pak’nSave Royal Oak cost $217. 

Two years later, that same shop at Countdown Greenlane jumped to $289, while Pak’nSave’s shop shot up to $256. 

Shoppers told Checkpoint they were leaving products out of their trolleys. 

One shopper said she shopped around for her fruit and vegetables at the local greengrocer, which was “miles cheaper”. 

Another said she tried to buy in bulk and told her kids “they’ve got to eat baked beans and two-minute noodles”. 

Compared to our 2022 shop, seasonal veges like carrots and cauliflower were cheaper. A 1kg block of cheese was about $10 or less at both supermarkets and milk stayed the same or came out slightly less. 

A 1kg block of cheese was about $10 or less at both supermarkets in this trial. Photo / 123rf 

But those were exceptions – most of the items on the shopping list cost more. 

That stacked up for shoppers RNZ spoke to who explained how much more their full trolley costs. “For a single person on pension, $20 to $30, I’d say easy.” Another said things had increased 25%. 

Washing and cleaning products came out consistently more expensive. A 48-pack of Finish dishwashing tablets cost $36 at Countdown Greenlane, which is $11 more than in 2022. Meanwhile, 4kg of Persil sensitive washing powder had jumped from $22 at both supermarkets in 2022 to $35 at Countdown and $28 at Pak’nSave. 

A 50-box of Twining’s Earl Grey tea more than doubled in price at Pak’nSave to $7.70, while staples like rice, noodles, canned tomatoes and beans were more expensive at both stores. One kilogram of Fresh and Fruity plain yoghurt more than doubled to $7.40 at Countdown. 

The humble mince was now not so humble. 

One kg used to cost $11.99 at Pak’nSave. It is now $14.99 a kg. At Countdown, it was up from $14.90 in 2022 to $16.90 now. 

The humble mince was now not so humble. Photo / Sylvie Whinray 

Some shoppers told RNZ it had become a luxury they could not afford. 

“Putting meat in front of a teenage boy is near impossible – a piece of steak – it’s so expensive. 

“We’re getting the C-grade meat and paying the A-grade price and that really stinks.” 

For bakers, flour and sugar were also more pricey and a dozen Countdown-branded barn eggs, were up to $9. The cheapest at Pak’nSave was $7.99. 

Butter was no longer such an affordable staple, with the cheapest available option at both stores over $6. 

Down the toiletries aisle, a litre of Palmolive body wash was an extra $4.30 at Countdown and Huggies size 3 Nappies were an extra $7 at Pak’nSave now $23.99. 

With a new report due in the next month from the Commerce Commission looking into the profits of supermarkets, these shoppers said that could not come soon enough. 

- Louise Ternouth of RNZ