Miniature bakery goods‚ marshmallows and breakfast cereal along with finger-sized spices‚ cleaning products and deodorants are putting the fun into shopping for everyday items‚ and fast becoming addictive to South Africans.

With the rand's buying power shrinking‚ consumers are feeling a little cash-strapped. But South Africans are being lured to the supermarket by the chance to shop in miniature.

The "Little Shop" at Checkers offers 29 items of iconic South African brands and follows on last year's craze‚ the mini Stikeez campaign that Pick n Pay introduced with a range of 24 figurines.

South Africans are enjoying the "minis" so much‚ they've taken to social media to share their photos of adult play-time.

"All the little things‚" said Megan Kelly‚ who already has a good selection.

Nicole Dirks ‏@NicoleDirks was looking for friends to share with‚ asking: "Starting my collection! Who has some mini tomato sauce and bread so we can get lunch started?"

For every R150 you spend at Checkers or Checkers Hyper nationwide, you will receive a Little Shop mini grocery collectable. People who collect all 29 items can enter a competition to win R10‚000 and also get R10‚000 for their school. So collectors are being encouraged to swap their mini items with their friends on social media and a National Swap Day is even being planned for July 30.

The problem with a new craze is that there's a fear of missing out.

Shaylene ‏@Shay_M10 shared her worry‚ tweeting "I never get them yet. I want them" while Thandiwe ‏@Lee_Naomie sounded relieved to have got a start‚ commenting "My first collectible‚ This is so cute".

Parents of school-going children who remember being hounded to collect all the Stikeez may want to call on the extended family to help them this time around.

Shopper Tracey Chananie was promising to hand over her first set‚ tweeting "The granddaughter is going to be so happy".

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