The avian flu has had a huge impact on South African consumers with eggs and chicken prices being affected by the outbreak.
Month-end usually means grocery shopping in many households, but many of us were left shook when going to our local Pick n Pays, Woolworths, Checkers or Makro stores to find the shelves empty.
Eggs are a staple and one product that can be used in many different ways, in many kinds of dishes and loved by many.
Rows are usually filled with different egg ranges from 6, 18, 30 and 60 packs layed out for consumers to choose from; free range, jumbo size - but now things have changed.
If you do find eggs at your favourite store, it seems that one has to be prepared to pay a fortune for them and in this economy, many are feeling the pinch.
@ms_tourist tweeted: “Eggs are a million rand, Petrol is now R30 a litre, double ply tissue feels like a single ply, a chicken wing is sold as half and charged as a full wing… Ewu, saze sasiphila isifusegi webantu..”
Eggs are a million rand, Petrol is now R30 a litre, double ply tissue feels like a single ply, a chicken wing is sold as half and charged as a full wing… Ewu, saze sasiphila isifusegi webantu.. pic.twitter.com/Im8Ibr5fng
— CertifiedEcoTourismDoyenne (@ms_tourist) October 3, 2023
Ms Tourist is not the only one complaining about the price of eggs or the shortage. Many South Africans are and now are forced to limit the number of eggs they use to stretch them out.
Retailers are also finding themselves in a predicament of how to supply their customers with their beloved eggs and have had to place restrictions on the number of eggs a customer is allowed to buy.
Yes, things are that bad! Woolworths and Pick n Pay have put a cap on their egg sales, with customers being limited to one pack size purchase.
At Woolworths, one is lucky to even find an 18 pack of eggs, with only 6 packs available which retail from R24.99 to R47.99.
At Pick n Pay, if your local store does have stock, consumers can get a 30 pack for R109.99 and at Checkers R99 for a pack. Spar retails a 30 pack for R99.99 - that is if there is stock.
Things have gotten so bad that retailers are not even advertising eggs in their weekly specials pamphlets.