Firmly into the second quarter of 2024, inflation rates continue to weigh on the average American shopper.
In a viral TikTok with over 1.6 million views, content creator JB (@big_riig) shares his woe at having spent $123 on “barely” enough groceries to cover two nights of dinner.
“Am I the only one who feels like they just can’t do this anymore?” JB asks in the video.
“I just got back from the grocery store,” he says. “Let me show you what I bought.”
He pans to a small pile of groceries on his counter, including four medium-sized bags of chips, individual bags of squash, carrots, and celery, a frozen pizza, a couple of cans of tomato sauce, an onion, Italian sausage, and cheese. Given the brand of the pizza, it appears he went shopping at Safeway.
“A few snacks for my kids, and dinner for them tomorrow night, the pizza. That’s it. I didn’t even buy the organic stuff, I bought the cheapest stuff,” he lists off.
He then challenges viewers to guess how much he spent on the modest amount of groceries. “Take a guess. Take a guess at what it cost and you’re probably wrong,” he presses.
“$123. That was with all of my discounts, for barely two nights of dinner. I remember when I could spend about $120 and get groceries for a whole week,” he recounts. “And that was breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all of us.”
“Now $123 is gonna get me through the next two days. I can’t do this much longer. Financially, I can’t,” JB says firmly.
“I don’t wanna spend the money, but it’s also just killing me. And I make decent money, so something’s gotta give here,” he vents as the video ends.
In the comments section, users shared JB’s concerns over the rising prices of groceries and how their financial well-being has been negatively affected by it.
@big_riig ♬ original sound – JB
“Make more money than I’ve ever made and am more broke than I’ve ever been. I feel you,” one user wrote.
“I think most of us are in the same boat,” another viewer said, followed by the broken heart emoji.
“Yep. $150 [used to be] a luxury week. Now? $200 gets us through it,” came another user’s comment.
According to the Washington Post, U.S. grocery prices have jumped 25% over the last four years, which outpaces the overall inflation rate during the same period (just 19%).
In addition to inflated prices, Bay Area locations of the grocery store Safeway recently made the news for allegedly overcharging customers for food in their stores. Reports from Marin County’s Department of Agriculture, Weights, and Measures reveal several North Bay Safeways practiced overcharging in 2022 and 2023 on cheese, produce, laundry detergent, and other products.
The company paid out a settlement of over 2.25 million dollars in 2014 after being accused of the same practice throughout the state of California.
The Daily Dot has previously reported on grocery inflation as experienced in Canada, where a shopper at the Canadian grocery chain Metro came across a small veggie platter priced at $45.
With no end in sight for the rising prices for food across North America, whether due to inflation or illegal overcharging by retailers, it is unclear for many Americans how much more their finances can stretch.
“Something’s got to give. Between groceries and gas, we’re done,” commented one person under JB’s video.
The Daily Dot has reached out to JB via private TikTok message and Safeway by email for more information.
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