Want to get spices for a quarter of the price? One mom of five has revealed how in a viral TikTok clip.
“Stop getting ripped off at the grocery store,” Instagram user @athriftymom says.
In the video, which was reposted to TikTok by user @recipes.spot, the mom is seen in the spice aisle of the grocery store. She picks up a bottle of organic bay leaves that cost $7.33. Another bottle (that’s not organic and has less fancy packaging) costs $4.
“Stupid expensive, right? Let me show you my deal,” @athriftymom says.
She walks just a bit down the aisles into the Latinx food aisle, where the same spices are packaged in plastic bags and cost much less than their bottled counterparts.
The TikToker points out that the bag is at least four times more full than the bottles in the other aisle yet costs $1.44—a large fall from $7.33. At that price, a person could buy five bags of bay leaves in the Latinx food aisle for the same cost as the organic bottled ones.
“All about the packaging and where you go. So, we’re getting totally overcharged,” @athriftymom said.
This isn’t the first time someone has noticed the price difference between the pricing in the “regular” spice aisle and the pricing in the aisles with food from different cultures.
Several people have shared this pricing workaround online. One woman found spices for a fourth of the price in the international food aisle, while another found chicken bouillon and vanilla for cheaper from Latinx food brands. One Walmart shopper also noticed the Latinx brands were even cheaper than Walmart’s Great Value brand.
Over the last two years, grocery store prices have fluctuated due to several factors, including supply chain issues, global political events, and demand following the COVID-19 pandemic. The last year was particularly difficult for shoppers who saw grocery prices shoot up at a shocking rate, leaving many struggling to afford their usual grocery haul and meals.
In November 2022, food prices rose 10.6% compared to the same time last year, NerdWallet reported. In November 2023, that number went up by 2.9%. It was not as drastic of an increase, but still a rise in prices instead of a long-awaited fall.
@recipes.spot How do they get away with this? 🎥:@athriftymom #foodhacks ♬ son original – Recipes Spot
The video repost has garnered more than 140,000 views and hundreds of comments on TikTok.
“Why do people post secrets on the internet so that they’re not secret anymore,” a person said.
“OMG SHHHHHHHH,” another echoed.
“Absolutely! Just put it back in the fancy jar!” a shopper said, making a good point that once you have your own spice jars, it’s more cost-effective to buy bagged spices and refill the jars instead of buying jarred spices each time.
The Daily Dot reached out to @recipes.spot via TikTok direct message and to @athriftymom via Instagram direct message.
