As the costs of many different items continue to rise, many users on TikTok have gone viral for sharing their stories of facing unreasonably high prices.
In October of last year, a TikToker put Walmart on blast after increasing the price of a skin cleanser from $6.19 to $10.99. In February 2022, another user similarly called out Walmart, going around the store and documenting various price hikes.
Now, another user on TikTok has gone viral after sharing a meal they purchased from Whole Foods.
In a video with over 386,000 views, TikToker Vanessa (@wanderonwards), an American ex-pat living in Germany, documented a recent trip to Whole Foods while she was stateside.
According to a comment posted by Vanessa, she went to Whole Foods and selected a prepackaged meal as she “thought it would be cheaper than eating out.”
However, when she got to the register, she discovered that her “box of vegetables & 2 chicken pieces” (along with a watermelon soda) cost over $22.
“How does anyone survive in America??” she asks in the overlay text.
@wanderonwards I will never recover financially from this trip ☠️ #america #budgeting #costofliving ♬ follow me if u think carole killed her husband – emily
At first, many were critical of Vanessa’s choice of Whole Foods as a place to potentially save money.
“First mistake was shopping at Whole Foods,” wrote one user.
“At Whole Foods an apple is about $3,” stated another.
“ur definitely shopping in the wrong place if you want affordable,” echoed a third.
There is some truth in these statements. Mashed writes that prices at Whole Foods “currently hover around 25% higher” than prices at competitors like Kroger.
However, other users were quick to point out that this is a common problem in stores across the country, not just in Whole Foods.
“Having just paid 27.00 for a cobb salad and a dr. pepper at a food court in Seattle, I can relate,” admitted a commenter.
“Eating well here is a luxury. Meanwhile I landed in Paris and got water and a salad for $5,” recounted a second.
As for how Americans survive, TikTokers also shared their thoughts.
“We’re not [surviving], just barely scraping by until the inevitable collapse,” said one user.
“We don’t… everyone has debt,” explained another TikToker.
“By the grace of God. that’s how,” declared an additional user.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Vanessa via the website contact form and Whole Foods via email.
