20-07-2025
15 Outrageous Grocery Price Hikes That Stunned Shoppers
When I was grocery shopping the other day, I noticed how good and fresh the asparagus looked. Tempted by the ripe and tender stalks, I reached for the then I noticed the price: $9 for one measely bunch!!! Reader, I kept right on walking and had carrots with dinner instead.
With grocery bills creeping up again, I was curious what kinds of outrageous prices others have been noticing lately, so I asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share the most jaw-dropping grocery prices they've spotted lately, and I rounded up a few more examples on Reddit. Here's what people had to say:
"A single Maruchan ramen packet is forty-seven cents at Walmart right now."
—Flibiddy-Floo"I remember when they were 10 for $1 😭."—Essie-j
"Chocolate chips were $12.99 for off-brand this week."
"I saw an 18-ounce box of Wheaties cereal for $7.99!"
"We were grocery shopping last week, and hamburger was $8.99 per pound. That's way higher than it was a few weeks ago."
—Illustrious-Gas-9766
"The tofu at Whole Foods has been $1.69 for years. Recently, I picked up my regular package, and a new tag caught my eye; it was bright yellow and said 'LOW PRICE' for $1.99. What a scam! It wasn't a huge increase, but it was so misleading to put a 'low price' tag on something that has a new, higher price. It's like they think customers will just blindly trust them and not notice they're being played."
"I just paid $298 at Trader Joe's for what used to cost me $210-$225 in the not-so-distant past."
"I went just walking through the cookie aisle, and one brand that used to be $3 and change has gone up to $4. Most cookies are almost $5, and chips are also now $5. I can't imagine having kids 'cuz those are not lasting very long in your house."
—Hopeful-Ant-3509
"In just the past two or three months, I've noticed multiple things have gone up in price. Last week, I noticed that carrots, traditionally about $1.00/lb in my stores, are now $1.35/lb. I also tend to buy those 10lb bags of chicken leg quarters. Now, in the past few months, they've gone up from $5.50ish to $7.80."
"$13-15+ for soda. I used to love soda, and as a teen in the 2010s, I would buy a twelve-pack a week with babysitting money. They were $4.99 at the time. I shouldn't see a 300% increase in prices in the span of 10 years. Sigh."
"I bought a single peach today as a treat, and it was like $3.40 😭."
—rubatosisopossum
"The price of avocados. I'm in Texas, and the avocados from Mexico or California have never been as high as they are now. A large Hass avocado is $7 right now. The medium-sized ones are $2.50 each, and a tiny one is 79 cents each."
"$21 for a bottle of olive oil that used to be $12."
"Coffee. A year ago, it was $7 for a one-pound can. Yesterday, at the same store, the same brand of coffee was $13.99. Last year, meat cost $3 for a pound of ground beef. Yesterday, it was $8 a pound. Last year, full shelves and coolers. Yesterday, huge empty sections in both. It's only going to get worse the longer the republicans play at governing."
—Jon S., Facebook
"$16 watermelon?!!! I'm looking at you, Costco."
"Ice. I bought three bags of ice (they only came in small bags) and it cost almost $10."
"$7 for a quart of strawberries."
—Cathy R., Facebook
"A 14-oz can of store-brand spray whipped cream at Publix cost $6.99!"
"$6 for mayo."
"Why is a pack of toilet paper $30?"
—Marisa S., Facebook
"The Great Value 32oz ground coffee from Walmart I buy has gone from $10 to $16 in the last several months. The 'cheap' option is no longer cheap."
"A whole seeded watermelon costs $19.99 at Sobeys."
"Peanut butter was two for $5, now it's two for $6!"
—Anonymous
"Donuts. Walmart wanted ten ENTIRE dollars for a half-dozen plain day-old (at best) Krispy Kreme donuts. I never even touched the box; the price on the display was enough to make me walk away laughing. The next morning, I got a freshly made, still-warm donut from the nearby 'expensive' hippie grocery co-op for 69 cents."
"A jar of nuts for $25, wow."
And finally, " Does everything count?"
—messyalligator341"Exactly! All I know is that every week I have fewer bags and a higher bill."—mishybp73
What's the most outrageous grocery price you've spotted lately? Vent to me about it in the comments or via the anonymous form below:
