While consumer journalists on TikTok seem to be slagging supermarkets almost daily — with plenty of amateurs jumping on the bandwagon — many of the genuinely helpful innovations happening in supermarkets go largely unnoticed.
And it’s often the small ones that matter most.
Take Checkers’ fruit packs. A small innovation, yes — but a clever one. For around R20 you get a neatly packed selection: usually a banana or two, an apple or two, a pear, and sometimes even a nectarine. It’s convenient, it’s portioned, and it removes the friction of thinking, What fruit should I buy?
We all know fruit is healthy in sensible quantities. Years ago, when I saw a nutritionist, she told me that if you’re trying to lose weight you might need to watch fruit because of the sugar content. But for people of normal weight, fruit is part of a balanced diet. A pack like this makes healthy eating just that bit easier — and that’s the point. I bought mine at Checkers Muizenberg, and it felt like a small win.
Then there’s SPAR. The SPAR in Blairgowrie has started specially packing small portions of meat. This is ideal for a two-person household — or someone living alone. These packs are often under R50, which matters when you consider how sharply meat prices have risen in recent years. An article in Die Burger this past weekend highlighted just how drastically meat prices have climbed compared with 2025. Smaller, affordable packs help consumers manage both budget and waste. Again, a small idea with a big impact.
The SPAR in Ferndale prepares ready-to-eat meal packs that are competitively priced — and that’s unusual. Most supermarkets price cooked meals at a premium. These, however, are accessible, and that makes a difference for people who are time-poor but still want something decent to eat.
At SPAR Fish Hoek, I’ve noticed another smart move: smaller vegetable packs. The other day I picked up a finely shredded coleslaw pack for R10. Perfect size, good price, and no wastage. With items like coleslaw, which only last a couple of days in the fridge, smaller portions make far more sense than the big tubs that end up being thrown away.
My shout-out to Pick n Pay is for the Ottery Hypermarket in the Western Cape. The big hypers still do something many stores have stopped: live cooking demos. Last week we were greeted by two cheerful middle-aged ladies stirring enormous pots of macaroni with chicken and a mild spice blend. The tasting portion was delicious — and we walked away with the recipe. That kind of human interaction creates warmth and memory, not just a transaction.
You see, it’s not always the big, flashy changes that count. It’s the quieter improvements that make everyday life easier for shoppers. And at this time of the month — especially in January, when budgets are tight — anything that stretches money, reduces waste, or saves time is deeply appreciated. That’s how trust is built.
It also makes you think about the people inside these supermarket chains who push these ideas through. Every innovation has its naysayers. Getting even a small change approved in a large organisation is not easy. So hats off to those who persevered.
A final note on Woolworths. They remain the only supermarket where I reliably find proper Italian-style biscotti. Their spice range also stands out. Their white pepper is genuinely pungent — not the weak dust you sometimes find elsewhere — and their chilli and paprika are consistently fresh. These are small quality signals, but they add up.
In retail, loyalty is rarely built by grand gestures alone. More often, it’s built one fruit pack, one small meat tray, one R10 coleslaw, and one warm in-store interaction at a time.
