What $40 buys at an Auckland supermarket has divided Kiwi shoppers

The cost of living crisis in New Zealand is showing no signs of easing, with grocery prices continuing to frustrate Kiwi shoppers.

Even basic items are proving to be a real wallet pincher.

One Auckland shopper recently shared their $40 supermarket haul from Woolworths Ponsonby on Reddit, calling it “a joke”.

“This is what $40 buys you at Countdown Ponsonby, it’s actually a joke how expensive Countdown has gotten,” they wrote.

The image included a bunch of bananas, a tray of vine tomatoes, a carton of almond milk, 18 eggs, homebrand pesto, and two cans of tuna.

The post quickly sparked a debate in the comments.

One commenter put it into perspective by comparing it to the amount of time worked needed to afford the basic shop. 

“An hour and 45 min on minimum wage,” they wrote, while another added, “before tax.”

But not everyone agreed the outrage was justified. Some commenters argued the choices made by the shopper weren’t the most budget conscious.

“Out of season tomatoes... almond milk... shopping in Ponsonby... nothing here says cheap,” one person wrote.

Another said: “Looks at price displayed before picking item off shelf. Ignores cheaper alternatives. Proceeds with purchase anyway. Refuses to accept personal responsibility for choices.”

So are grocery prices genuinely out of control, or are some shoppers refusing to find cheaper alternatives before complaining online?

To put things into perspective, if you were to recreate the same haul using the cheapest Woolworths Ponsonby pricing (at the time of writing), you’re looking at roughly $3.75 for a bunch of bananas, $6.80 for a vine of tomatoes (1kg), $2.99 for almond milk on special, $4 for 100g of pesto on special, $14.59 for 18 eggs (non-member price), and $2.78 for two cans of homebrand flavoured tuna.

That still comes in at around $34.91, with current discounted prices.

While the exact total can change depending on specials, timing and brand choices - the debate can go in circles over whether rising prices are the main issue or whether the frustration is not wanting to sacrifice our grocery lists and choices.