Wallet Watchers☕ - Issue #11

Wallet Watchers☕ - Issue #11

Greetings to all our valued subscribers

In our latest mid-week newsletter issue, we're diving into last month's fascinating blend of budget-friendly groceries and futuristic urban advancements and many other great stories.

First off, we're uncovering the top contenders in the ongoing battle for your grocery budget. Who's offering the hottest deals in town? Stick with us to find out.

Then, buckle up for a journey into Windhoek's transformation into a cutting-edge smart city. From innovative tech solutions to enhance daily life to exciting urban upgrades, we're exploring it all.

Happy Reading!

BUSINESS

Namibia's Grocery Wars: Who's Winning on Price?

The Brief crunched the numbers on Windhoek's supermarket scene to find the most affordable picks for your grocery run.

The Contenders: The folks at The Brief surveyed seven popular supermarkets and three hypermarkets across Windhoek, tracking the prices of a 20-item basket filled with staples like bread, chicken, rice, and toilet paper.

And the Winner Is... 🏆 Choppies Windhoek's reigning low-price champ for standard groceries. Its basket cost N$951.69 in April, an 11.39% increase from March due to hikes in items like washing powder and chicken.

Pricey Pick: Pick 'n Pay took the opposite pole with the highest basket cost at N$1,024.80, thanks to pricier poultry and beef.

The Hypermarket Heavyweights: In the hypermart arena (think super-supermarkets), Metro knocked it out of the park with the most affordable basket at N$977.80.

Onion Outlook: We spotlighted onions this month, and Choppies again reigned supreme with per kg prices as low as N$9.95. Spar took the premium onion crown, averaging N$25.94/kg.

The Bottom Line: While prices continue their upward march, Choppies and Metro currently offer the best bang for your grocery budget in Windhoek's retail battlefield.

Source: The Brief

Groceries A-List: Windhoek's Priciest Picks

Here is a break of the haute couture of Windhoek's grocery scene – the priciest A-grade retailers for your fancy feasts.

The Contenders: The folks at The Brief pitted four high-end supermarkets against each other - Woermann Brock Fresh, Food Lover's Market, Woolworths, and SuperSpar. Then they tracked prices on a 22-item basket loaded with gourmet goodies like beef sirloin, basmati rice, and fancy cheeses.

The Value Victor: Food Lover's Market took the affordable luxury crown, with their basket ringing in at N$1,278.78 in April (a 3.27% increase from March).

...And the Splurge King: Woolworths lived up to its pricey rep, hiking its basket cost by 6% to become April's most expensive option.

Tomato Turmoil: This vitamin C bomb saw scorching price hikes across most stores. Food Lover's Market's 1kg tomatoes soared 75% to N$69.99, while Woermann Brock's hit N$70.99, up 58%.

Oil Slick: Cooking oil also put the squeeze on consumers, with Woermann Brock's 2L bottle jumping 7% to N$85.49.

The Takeaway: While the ritzier retail scene wasn't spared from April's inflation woes, Food Lover's Market currently offers the best high-end bang for your buck in Windhoek's gourmet grocery wars.

Source: The Brief

Amazon Unlocks the African Market, Starting in South Africa

The e-commerce giant is finally breaking into the African continent, and it's chosen one of the biggest markets to make its debut: South Africa.

The Launch: Amazon officially kicked off its online shopping services in South Africa this week, giving the nation's consumers access to its vast global product catalog across 20 categories.

The Perk: Free same-day or next-day delivery from over 3,000 pickup locations countrywide. First order even ships free, with future orders over 500 rand (around $27) also qualifying.

The Strategy: Amazon is leaning heavily on local brands and businesses as it aims to connect millions of South African shoppers with their products through the marketplace model that's served it so well globally.

"Building strong ties with South African sellers is incredibly important," said Robert Koen, managing director of Amazon's Sub-Saharan Africa operations. "We want Amazon.co.za to be their gateway to reaching millions."

The Competition: Amazon's African offensive comes as the online shopping boom hits the continent, accelerated by the pandemic. It'll face off against fast fashion e-tailers like TakeAlot, Shein and Temu that have already gained steam by catering to bargain hunters.

The Bigger Picture: With rising internet and smartphone penetration driving more Africans online, major retailers are doubling down on e-commerce investments across the continent. South Africa represents an advanced starting point for Amazon to test the waters before potential broader regional expansion.

Source: Business Insider Africa

Maize Meal Prices Poised for an Increase

Namibia's beloved maize meal staple is about to get pricier. Brace your grocery budgets.

The Backdrop: The Namibian Agronomic Board (NAB) recently set the floor price for local white maize delivered to millers at a sky-high N$7,554 per metric ton from May 1-14. That's a whopping 35% spike from last year's N$5,595 level.

The Culprit: Seems South Africa's white maize frenzy is to blame. With Namibia importing most of its maize from its southern neighbor, the high demand there is driving up costs.

"Millers will have to mark those prices up even higher when they sell to consumers," warned NAB spokesperson Loide Uahengo.

The Method: NAB calculates a fortnightly maize floor price at the start of each marketing season on May 1. This baseline aims to protect farmers from price swings when holding grain for extended periods.

If the weighted average price on the South African Futures Exchange (Safex) tops NAB's floor, that higher Safex price kicks in instead as the new floor.

The Outcome: For the May 1-14 period, Safex's N$7,554 average beat out NAB's initial N$5,884 floor by a mountain-high 22% margin. So that lofty Safex price is now the mandatory minimum millers must pay.

The Bottom Line: With such a steep increase in the starting wholesale price, a spike in maize meal prices on Namibian grocery shelves is virtually inevitable in the coming weeks. Time to tighten those belts.

Source: The Namibian

TECH

Windhoek Gets Smarter on Crime-Fighting

The City of Windhoek is teaming up with telecom giant MTC to deploy cutting-edge tech in its battle against urban crime.

The Deal: The two inked a partnership agreement earlier this week to establish a "smart city" concept aimed at enhancing security and connectivity across the capital.

What's In It:

• MTC will support the city's "safe city" initiative by providing funds for procurement and installation of CCTV surveillance equipment to boost monitoring capabilities.

• Exploration of additional futuristic crime-fighting solutions is also on the table.

• The telecom will streamline approvals for new network sites to expand affordable internet access citywide.

The Bigger Picture: Beyond just security, the pact serves as a framework to drive Windhoek's smart city transformation through enhanced service delivery, operational efficiency, and data-driven solutions.

The Win-Win: For MTC, it's an opportunity to cement its role as a digital pioneer by leveraging smart partnerships. For the city, it tackles a key priority - public safety - using modern tech as a force multiplier.

The Endorsements: "These CCTV systems will act as a major deterrent and create a safer environment for all," touted City CEO Moses Matyayi, while Mayor Queen Kamati praised MTC's innovation cred.

The Bottom Line: In today's digital age, the old "walking the beat" approach alone won't cut it for urban policing. This public-private tech collaboration could give Windhoek's crime-fighting capabilities a much-needed upgrade.

Source: The Brief

Google Simplifies 2FA Setup: No More Phone Numbers Needed

Big news from Google! They're making it even easier to set up two-factor authentication (2FA) to keep your accounts secure.

Here's the deal: Instead of giving your phone number right away, you now have the option to choose a "second step method." That could mean using an authenticator app or a hardware security key.

This change is all about beefing up security. By skipping SMS verification, which can be less secure, you can opt for a time-based one-time passcode through apps like Google Authenticator. Or, if you prefer, you can link up a hardware security key.

If you're using a Workspace account linked to a company, there might be some extra steps, like still needing to sign in with a password depending on your organization's settings.

This update is rolling out to all Workspace users and folks with personal Google accounts.

And get this: Since Google introduced passkeys last year, over 400 million accounts have started using them.

So, next time you're setting up 2FA, keep an eye out for these new options to help keep your accounts safe and sound.

The Verge

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Attitude of Gratitude

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others." Marcus Tullius Cicero's words ring true as research by neuroscientist Alex Korb confirms the brain-boosting benefits of gratitude. So, start your day by counting your blessings and cultivate an attitude of gratitude that will fuel your success.

Source: Alex Korb: "The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time" (2015)