In the UK Lidl, Josh & Archie spent £164.47, but the exact same food items from Lidl in Poland came to the equivalent of £96.75.
Josh and Archie
YouTubers have showcased Poland’s growing status as a haven for well-priced goods compared to the UK and other European destinations after flying to Poznan, staying overnight and doing a food shop – all of which was cheaper than the same food shop in London.
The inflation-busting stunt uploaded by YouTubers Josh & Archie to their channel, which boasts 1.47 million subscribers, showed how it is possible to buy a week’s worth of essential items using the same basket of goods employed by the UK government to gauge inflation.
The inflation-busting stunt showed how it is possible to buy a week’s worth of essential items using the same basket of goods employed by the UK government to gauge inflation.Josh and Archi/YouTube
The starting point of the financial experiment sees the pair in Clapham, London, at a Lidl store, the only supermarket chain in the UK that also has stores in Poland.
Josh & Archie purchase the entire list of goods, racking up a bill of £164.47.
The starting point of the financial experiment sees the pair in Clapham, London, at a Lidl store, the only supermarket chain in the UK that also has stores in Poland. Josh and Archi/YouTube
Upon landing in Poland, Josh and Archie headed straight to a local Lidl store and bought the same basket of goods, which, converted from Polish Zloty, tallied up to just £96.75.
The pair booked their flights well in advance, but still spent £56.68 on the round-trip. To save money, the pair stayed with a couch surfing host.
Josh and Archie/YouTube
The pair booked their £13.38 flights well in advance, but still spent £56.68 on the round-trip. To save money, the pair stayed with a couch surfing host.Josh and Archie/YouTube
As the meticulous accounting revealed, they returned to the UK with £11.14 still in their wallets compared to the amount they had spent at the Clapham Lidl.
The video stunt was uploaded to YouTube yesterday, just days after Statistics Poland released the latest inflation data showing that prices were rising year-on-year at a rate of 6.6 per cent, down from a high in February of over 18 percent.
Josh and Archie/YouTube
Upon landing in Poland, Josh and Archie headed straight to a local Lidl store and bought the same basket of goods, which, converted from Polish Zloty, tallied up to just £96.75.Josh and Archie/YouTube
Poland’s GDP per capita has reached close to 80 per cent of the European Union average in 2023, according to European Commission data.
Meanwhile, according to IMF forecasts, Poland’s GDP per capita is expected to reach USD 45,500 in 2023. The figure edges Poland past Estonia, which is the latest country in the region that the Polish economy has surpassed after easing past Slovenia in 2019.
As the meticulous accounting revealed, they returned to the UK with £11.14 still in their wallets compared to the amount they had spent at the Clapham Lidl.Josh and Archie/YouTube
Talking to MailOnline, Josh Pieters said while this experiment may seem like a money-saving hack, it’s more of a commentary on the current inflation in the UK.
“Things are just so expensive now that it is literally cheaper to hop on an aeroplane and fly to another country and buy the same basket of goods – and still save money,” he said.
Josh Pieters said: “Things are just so expensive now that it is literally cheaper to hop on an aeroplane and fly to another country and buy the same basket of goods – and still save money.”Josh and Archie/YouTube
While the cost-saving endeavour proved successful, the pair encountered unexpected challenges. The additional expense of carrying their purchases back home due to luggage limitations on their budget flight took them by surprise.
“Honestly, I thought our plan might have been thwarted by the baggage fee because the flight was obviously so cheap,” Josh admitted.
“But what we hadn’t considered during our initial planning was the need for luggage to transport the groceries back to create the video.
“It was quite a shock to discover that adding a bag could be more expensive than the flight itself, though we still managed to make a small profit.”
Poland’s GDP per capita has reached close to 80 per cent of the European Union average in 2023, according to European Commission data.GUS
While the duo’s adventure appears to advocate flying abroad for grocery shopping, Josh clarified that their primary goal is to entertain and occasionally raise thought-provoking questions.
“The main theme of our content is to find quirky loopholes and solutions, which this video clearly exemplifies.
“You can save money by grocery shopping in Poland. It’s obviously absurd – no one has the time to fly to Poland for groceries, but it’s a humorous loophole.”