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‘We’re such a sad, sad excuse for a country’: Woman records her culture shock over affordability of Chinese groceries

‘Chinese grocery hauls are insane because they can actually afford food.’

Photo of Anna Good

Anna Good

Woman talking(l), Bags of groceries(r)

Americans are pivoting to other social media apps following the news of a potential TikTok ban in the United States on Jan. 19, 2025, with many signing up for China-based Xiaohongshu or “RedNote.” From thirsting for Chinese hotties (while harassing them with “Raw, next question” comments) to trying to overcome a language barrier, navigating the culture of a new social media app has been a learning experience for many Americans. 

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One woman (@danabanafofana) on the Chinese app, pointed out the biggest culture shock of all: That people in China can afford to buy food in a way that she couldn’t even imagine for herself.

Screenshot from RedNote of a woman in large glasses talking about Chinese grocery hauls. Text overlay says, 'because they can actually afford food.'
@danabanafofana/RedNote

“Listen, I didn’t think that the culture shock of joining RedNote would be watching grocery hauls. Chinese grocery hauls are insane because they can actually afford food,” she said in her video on RedNote.

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“You guys, you guys. What one woman—it would have cost me, oh my god. This is so sad. America is, I already knew but it’s like so sad. We’re such a sad, sad excuse for a country.”

Screenshot from RedNote of a woman in large glasses with her hand covering her mouth in shock.
@danabanafofana/RedNote

The cost of living in the United States is 144.9% higher than in China when you take rent into account, with restaurant prices in the United States being 219.2% higher than in China and grocery store prices being 111.2% higher than in China, according to Numbeo.

The rising cost of buying groceries isn’t by chance or due to a supply chain issue but rather is a calculated decision made by the food industry to increase profits. In an article from Bloomberg, Professor Isabella Weber, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, explained why these price hikes have been happening: “That supply shocks allowed corporations to tacitly collude, hike prices, and rake in record profits…This is a form of implicit collusion. Firms do not even need to talk to one another to know that a cost shock is a great time to raise prices.”

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According to an article published by Forbes, “across all grocery categories in all channels of trade, prices are up nearly 30% since 2019, while unit volumes are flat. What does this mean? Average shoppers are spending more money and coming home with less food.”

@danabanafofana’s RedNote post was reposted on X, formerly known as Twitter, where folks chimed in with their own experiences and opinions.

“Chinese people eat a lot of fresh fruits & vegetables which are plenty & cheap, and nobody goes hungry. That’s due to deliberate Chinese govt policy assuring food security. It’s probably a huge shock to Americans who don’t have a functioning gov’t that works for the people,” wrote @nailatrahman.

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Tweet that reads, 'Basically all Chinese can afford a continuous of fruits and vegetables, even if we change one type daily and cycle through a month none stop. Surprise'
@gabriel_ljyxiao/X

Others wrote about the vast price discrepancy of specific items, such as cartons of eggs.

Tweet that reads, 'Just bought a huge bag of 25 to 30 eggs for 2 USD hahaha, I feel vindicated moving to China a decade ago'
@gabriel_ljyxiao/X

Another person added, “Someone was asking the price of chicken around the world, last week. Guess who had the highest prices. Germany, US, Canada and Australia. And they were all about the same price, with Germany being the most expensive and Australia being a few dollars less.”

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Tweet that reads, 'just wait till Americans on RedNote learn what education, rent, healthcare, public transportation or a new electric car costs, if they think affordable food in China blows smoke on what they spend in the USA. + cities have huge common spaces for the public to hang out or dance!'
@CaptainCrusty66/X
Tweet that reads, 'Re: groceries, I feel like a problem with Instacart is that they make the delivery person also do the shopping. This is a waste of time, and is prone to mistakes. in China, apps like Meituan and Ele.me make the shop deal the order & packaging, while the driver only delivers.'
@CaptainCrusty66/X
Tweet that reads, 'oh yah? but do they have a 5 pound tub of twizzlers? no? checkmate'
@justkevooo/X
Tweet that reads, 'American cultural shock after watching reels of Chinese urbanite upper class I guess it still works. Bravo to China for doing a literal 'Soviets see an American grocery store' meme but on Americans.' with a photo of the meme attached.
@justkevooo/X
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Tweet that reads, 'Those hauls are not by someone making like 3,000¥ a month. Yes it’s cheap here but I’m American. Everything is cheap to us'
@_SoleilFleur/X
Tweet that reads, ''The more you know, the more you realize how much you don't know.' - Aristotle'
@_SoleilFleur/X

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