A shopper on TikTok found that her Aldi grocery bill increased in price by 41%, for the same exact stuff, since November 2020, less than three years ago.
The video was uploaded by Amy (@amywaytosave) as one of many videos where she documented price changes across grocery stores. The video has amassed over 343,000 as of Friday.
@amywaytosave Full vide0 on my Y T! The pic of the receipt is a screenshot from my old vide0! #aldi #inflation #groceryshopping #grocerypricestoohigh #groceryprices #pricecomparison ♬ Little Things – Tiqta
“Back in November of 2020, I spent $9.37 for this food at Aldi,” she said in the video. “I was curious to see how much it would cost today, so I returned to Aldi and purchased all the same items. I paid $13.26, which is $3.89 more than I did less than 3 years ago.’
The items purchased include large eggs, white bread, creamy peanut butter, two cans of green beans, Italian sausage, two cans of tomato sauce, baby carrots, and two boxes of macaroni and cheese. In the comments, Amy specified that she bought the exact sizes for each item as she did in 2020.
In particular, the tomato sauce nearly doubled in price, rising from $0.25 to $0.46. Some items, however, stayed relatively stable in price—the green beans only increased by $0.01.
The comments were filled with users vocalizing their frustration at the rising prices. “$5 is the new 99¢” commented one user.
“I love these comparisons for the people who deny price inflation,” remarked a second.
“My salary ain’t gone up 41%,” stated another.
“Aldi isn’t cheap anymore,” claimed one comment.
Aldi has been known to provide significantly below-market prices by intentionally employing strategies to decrease costs, such as avoiding name brands and paying less in rent due to operating in stores that are relatively small in size. Despite these strategies, Aldi has still seen an increase in costs as inflation has risen.
As of April, consumer prices climbed merely 4.9%, the lowest inflation since April 2021, which saw a 4.2% inflation rate. For reference, consumer price growth in November 2020 was 1.2%.
Aldi joins the ranks of other discount stores that have seen similar increases in pricing. Data from Inmarket suggests that grocery products in discount chains have increased by 71% from October 2021 to June.
These increasing prices have affected chains across the country. In January, Amy posted a similar video that documented a 50% price increase from Walmart.
The Daily Dot reached out to Aldi via email and Amy via Instagram.
