Many people have years of photos stored on their mobile phones. But one woman discovered more than memories in her cell. Instead, she found pictures of Walmart grocery prices from 2019.
In a video with over 2.8 million views, TikToker Heather Paul (@heatherbeather88) zooms into the background of photos of her child in a Walmart cart five years ago.
First, a 28-pack of assorted Frito-Lay chips is priced just under $10. She then shows a screenshot of the current price: $22 to $30 for the same chips, depending on the retailer.
Second, she shows that one bottle of Hidden Valley ranch dressing was $4.19. Now, the same bottle retails for over $8. A liter of Mountain Dew was 3 for $5. Now, just one bottle is $3.
A Boston Market Salisbury Steak frozen meal was around $2—now it’s $4.
Paul’s video validates what many shoppers have noticed: Skyrocketing grocery prices spanning the last few years.
“Do you think they’ll ever help us? I seriously hope so,” the caption reads.
How much have grocery prices risen?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), grocery prices have increased by an average of 25% since 2019. However, as Paul points out, the price of many items has more than doubled. In the comments section, viewers discuss the increase.
“This is not inflation. It’s price gouging,” one suggests. Price gouging is the frowned-upon—and sometimes illegal—practice of hiking up prices more than reasonable, typically by 50% or more.
“And they say inflation is only up 20%! Mmm no. It’s more like 200%!” another says.
“Had nothing to do with inflation. These companies knew they could get away with raising prices for no reason,” a third adds.
Shoppers react
In the comments, shoppers react to the sharp price increase.
“I knew them a box of chips hasn’t always been 21 bucks,” a viewer writes.
“They’re trying to lie to us, but we know. We need to demand prices go back to 2019 + 3% for each year, and that’s it!” another says.
“The moment I realized shopping at Whole Foods and Wegmans was just as expensive as shopping at any other grocery store, I knew it was getting bad,” a third adds.
Others specifically criticize Walmart.
“Walmart is no longer the cheap grocery store,” one says.
@heatherbeather88 Do you think theyll ever help us? I seriously hope so. #inflation #prices #price #grocery #shopping #food #budget #middleclass #economy #recession #momsoftiktok #momtok #fypシ #fy #foryoupage ♬ She Knows – J. Cole
“I tried to view my receipts on my Walmart account to do this and they wiped all my orders from before 2020,” another claims.
The Daily Dot reached out to Paul via email and TikTok direct message for further comment. We also contacted Walmart through media form.
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