Inflation may be causing most Americans to tighten their belts, but one woman’s tale of paying $7 for a single apple generated a lot of conversation on social media.
A Boston-based “influencer” using the name @via..li on TikTok shared a video in which she recounted her purportedly pricey purchase, which has since gone viral and reignited debates surrounding food inflation and affordability, according to the New York Post.
In the since-deleted clip, the young woman can be seen pulling out an apple from a Whole Foods Market bag outside the store, clearly upset.
Whole Foods has long carried a reputation as an ultra-premium, “thoughtfully sourced” grocery chain that caters to trendy shoppers who aren’t on a tight budget — earning it the nickname “Whole Paycheck.”
“I literally just did my grocery shopping at Whole Foods and look at this. Look at this,” the woman said in the video. “Guess how much this is. This is an apple. It’s called a SugarBee f***ing apple, apparently — and look at it. The size of my palm.”
She said she assumed the apple would cost around $2 to $3 but was shocked when it rang up at a whopping $7 at the register.
“I scanned it. Seven f***ing dollars!” the woman raged, holding up the fruit. “Seven!”
“Genuinely, what economy are we f***ing living in that it — it costs $7 to buy an apple?” she asked.
“I could have sworn like some other apple that I bought from here was not f***ing $7, ” the woman continued. “That’s crazy. That’s crazy. Like $7 for a latte? OK.
“This apple better be tasting so f***ing good.”
Although she deleted the TikTok post, her video was shared on X, where it ignited a debate about the cost of the apple and the price of groceries in general.
“I don’t understand how people do regular grocery shopping at Whole Foods. Every time I’ve ever gone there, everything they sell is over priced. I guess if you have the money and it’s convenient, but even then it seems like going to someplace more affordable is worth it,” one X user wrote.
“I looked it up and sugarbee apples are a hybrid between a [Honeycrisp] and an unknown variety. They aren’t available year round, they’re supposedly really good, and are one of the most expensive apples you can buy,” another person contributed.
Others pointed out that Whole Foods’ price for the Organic Sugarbee Apple is typically $3.99 per pound, and it’s highly unlikely the woman’s apple weighed enough to make it $7.
“On average a pound will give you 2-3 apples. Maybe her anxiety was leaning on the scale,” one X user joked.
Rising food prices have emerged as one of the most acute inflation pain points for consumers across the nation. Groceries have surged 21 percent since 2021, leaving many families struggling to put food on the table.
According to a recent Yahoo Finance/Ipsos survey, over two-thirds of voters cite higher grocery bills as the area where inflation has hit them hardest — more than 50 percentage points higher than other major categories such as gasoline, transportation and housing, Fox Business reported.
Pennsylvania voters: “My grocery bill has more than doubled and I get less. Every single thing has gone up under Biden–everything.”
“I’m not voting for Biden, I’ll tell you that. I would lean more for Trump, I’ll be honest.” pic.twitter.com/68pFEKkPTO
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) April 23, 2024
Last week, a group of protesters stood outside an event for President Joe Biden in Pennsylvania shouting, “Bidenomics has got to go!”
“Bidenomics has got to go!”: Large crowd of protestors chant outside Biden event in Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/OwRuKWm68r
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 17, 2024
You would think that at a time when food prices were going through the roof, a bougie, overpriced grocery chain like Whole Foods would be struggling to make ends meet.
But in March, the Austin, Texas-based company announced it would be “expanding its footprint,” introducing “a new, quick-shop store format designed to provide customers in urban neighborhoods a quick, convenient shopping experience.”
“Expanding our footprint with Whole Foods Market Daily Shop is key to our growth, fostering deeper customer connections, and advancing our purpose to nourish people and the planet,” it said.
Which only goes to prove that regardless of inflation, there will always be yoga pants-wearing artisanal buyers and self-obsessed social media influencers willing to drop $7 on an apple just to complain about it.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
