A woman has lifted the lid on how inflation has skyrocketed already high food prices in Hawaii after spending nearly $300 on one of her grocery sprees.
TikTok influencer Kylie Park, who has more than 365,000 followers, went viral after documenting what it’s like to shop for groceries on the island of O’ahu, where a gallon of milk now costs nearly $10.
Grocery has always been expensive in Hawaii because it’s mostly imported from the mainland, but she claims the price of some everyday items has doubled in the past year.
TikTok influencer Kylie Park, who has more than 365,000 followers, went viral after documenting what it’s like to shop for groceries in Hawaii
A loaf of sweet bread at a grocery store on O’ahu costs $8.49. “It used to be $4,” she noted
“I’m going to show you guys how expensive groceries are in Hawaii,” she said before grabbing a loaf of sweet bread from the shelf. “It’s $8.49 for this sweet bread. It used to be $4.”
Park continued to collect items as she walked through the store. Next came a six-ounce container of organic blueberries that cost $6.49.
She then pointed out that a 52-ounce bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing cost a whopping $15.59. The 36-ounce bottle wasn’t much cheaper at $11.49.
Compared to mainland prices, Walmart’s website offers bottles of the same size for $10.00 and $5.98, respectively.
Grocery has always been expensive in Hawaii because most of it is imported from the mainland, but she noted the cost is even higher due to inflation
A 52-ounce bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing cost a whopping $15.59. The 36-ounce bottle wasn’t much cheaper at $11.49
A 12-pack of Stonyfield Organic Kids’ Strawberry Yogurt Smoothies retails for $8.49
“So here’s the big ticket item,” she said as she snagged a gallon of milk that sold for $9.49.
A 12-pack of Stonyfield Organic Kids’ Strawberry Yogurt Smoothies retailed for $8.49, but that was nothing compared to the cost of kids’ cereal.
An 11.5-ounce box of Cocoa Pebbles Crunch’d Cereal retailed for $7.99, while a 19.5-ounce box of Fruity Pebbles sold for $8.99 — or $7.99 for buyers with membership cards.
A 12-pack of Annie’s Organic Chewy Granola Bars is $12.99 for non-members and $8.99 for members. A bottle of Simply Orange juice was also on sale for $6.99, just $0.50 off the original price of $7.49.
“So here’s the big ticket item,” she said as she snagged a gallon of milk that sold for $9.49
An 11.5-ounce box of Cocoa Pebbles Crunch’d Cereals sold for $7.99, while a 19.5-ounce box of Fruity Pebbles sold for $8.99 — or $7.99 for membership card buyers
A dozen eggs were sold at the grocery store for $7.89
Without a membership, a bag of Mission tortillas was $7.49, a 12-pack of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn was $9.99, and a 24-pack of Dasani water was $10.99.
A dozen eggs sold for $7.89, sliced sandwich meat was about $8, and a pack of bacon originally cost $10.99.
Park revealed at the end of the video that her grocery order totaled $297.
“There’s so much more where that came from,” she wrote in the caption. “I know it’s expensive everywhere now [because] of inflation, but my goodness.’
A bottle of Simply Orange juice was on sale for $6.99, just $0.50 off the original price of $7.49
A 24-pack of Dasani water sold for $10.99
According to recent data from Move.org, Hawaii is the most expensive state to buy groceries. The average cost of groceries in Honolulu is $556.76 – $200 more than the national average of $355.50.
Park’s video comes at a time when many are reeling from the skyrocketing cost of food in their own areas.
Inflation eased in November and rose at an annual rate of 7.1 percent, but food prices remained high. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, home food prices increased 12 percent compared to the same month in 2021.
The price of eggs shot up a whopping 49.1 percent. Canned fruits and vegetables saw an 18.4 percent increase, while cereals and baked goods were up 16.4 percent. Milk also recorded a significant increase of 14.7 percent.
Without a membership, a bag of Mission tortillas costs $7.49
Sliced sandwich meat cost about $8, while a pack of bacon originally cost $10.99
Park revealed at the end of the video that her grocery order totaled $297
Park’s video has been viewed more than 1.1 million times and many were shocked by the prices. Others, however, insisted their mainland grocery stores have similar price points
A report by Moody’s Analytics showed that families spent an estimated $72 more per month on groceries in December than a year earlier.
However, many companies are also posting record profits during periods of high inflation, leading to accusations of price-gouging from squeezed Americans.
Non-financial corporate earnings hit a record high of $2.08 trillion in the fiscal third quarter, The Hill reported in late November.
“There are other factors that contribute to inflation that haven’t been given enough attention,” subcommittee chair Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) said at a September hearing of the Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee of the Regulatory and Consumer Protection Agency House Reform Committee.
Inflation slowed to 6.5 percent in the last month of 2022 – the slowest growth since October 2021
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, home grocery prices increased 12 percent in November 2022 compared to the same month in 2021
“One of those factors is extreme price increases — in other words, companies are raising prices far beyond what is necessary to offset higher costs, even when accounting for shifts in supply and demand, resulting in the highest profit margins we’ve seen in the past 70 years.” have seen .’
Park’s video has been viewed more than 1.1 million times, and many were shocked by the price of milk and ranch clothing. Others, however, insisted their mainland grocery stores have similar price points, with the exception of a few items.
“Apart from the milk, everything is the same price here in Michigan,” one person wrote, while another admitted “how I gasped at the price of the ranch and the milk.”
“My stepdaughter lives in Hawaii and it’s always been more expensive there,” another noted. “A lot is everything that is flown or transported by boat.”