The reasonably low prices of Walmart’s Great Value brand items have always appealed to shoppers. When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck in early 2020, causing the cost of groceries to inflate , Walmart and its partners certainly took a hit.
How great of a hit was examined in a viral video posted to TikTok by user Curtis (@__curtdogg), who compared the prices of several staple Great Value items from 2020 to today.
He shared an August Facebook post in which a woman showed her Walmart mobile order placed in 2020. The items in her cart cost significantly less that year, including a family pack of mesquite smoked turkey breast that more than doubled in price in 2023.
@__curtdogg #magurtii #curtdogg #curttii ♬ original sound – CURTISSS
“If you find yourself wondering why we’re all struggling right now, this is a big reason,” the woman wrote in her post.
Curtis concurred as he went through her grocery order in disbelief, exploring the prices of some name brand items as well. “Totino’s Party Pizza for $4.88 is now $7.64,” he revealed, showcasing the price today on Walmart’s website. “$7 for some pizza that ain’t even good!”
Great Value bacon, the most costly item on the list, jumped up by about $5. Curtis joked about going vegan, saying that it would likely be more expensive than just purchasing bacon.
“What do we eat? At this point, I don’t know,” he said.
“Inflation is real. When these people say they broke, they ain’t lying,” he said before ending the video, which has been viewed more than 3 million times since it was first posted Sept. 3.
The Daily Dot reached out to @__curtdogg via email and to Walmart via its website.
One TikTok viewer observed that food packages have “shrunk” in addition to costing more.
“Some boxes of cereal [that] used to be 14-18 oz are 10-12 now,” they wrote.
Others pointed out that items like bread and shredded cheese now seem to have much longer expiration dates than before inflation.
Many viewers said they can’t afford to fill their carts anymore, instead purchasing only a couple items each trip. “I work at Walmart and people with big families spend about $800 a month on groceries,” one employee commented.
