General supermarket discussion

[tuapekastar]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

As a result of poor past experiences (with quality of cut rather than 'offness') the only meat products I even contemplate buying from Woolies (it is my 'local' SM) are whole chickens and chicken breast fillets (and not the house brand), minced beef ('premium' only) and their 'premium' rump steak, solely for the purposes of making a beef curry or similar (and even then, I'll usually buy these at the butcher, but defer to WW out-of-hours). Pork, lamb, most beef cuts, including steak that I intend to cook and eat as steak is all bought from butcher or say specialty chicken shop. I have not considered, for example, eye fillet steak from WW for years and years, just based on past experience (and it's funny how you can look at these sometimes and the cut looks all right inside the packaging, but when you get it home and remove it, well, the previously out-of-sight bits are all fat/gristle/yuk). That said, and a slightly different case, my mum bought an entire fillet of beef from Costco a while back for a very good price, and pronounced it excellent - and after having a piece I could only agree.

 

[Cossie]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

I sometimes go to the Mawson WW where there is a dedicated meat counter and a butcher (well I assume he is as I have seen him boning out joints etc). All the meat I have had from the counter has been excellent. There is a butcher at Griffith who is quite good but very expensive as it is rather boutique.

Odells at Griffith is good, by chance I was at Mawson yesterday, it is a much better woolies than our local at Erindale, but it is much bigger as well. I tend to use woolies as I was left some shares when Mum died, been watching then slowly drop in value........... I'm waiting for them to pick up (in my dreams!), then I'll offload them.....

 

[awkwardpaws]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

"Supermarket wars heat up with mid-day discount times" - times of day that Channel 7 believes groceries are being discounted daily..

https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/wat...s-provide-shoppers-with-more-discounts/#page1

 

[love_the_life]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

There are 17 WW stores in Canberra (well 18 now with Franklin open). 12 used to have production meat departments. 9 of those 12 were to have the butcher shops with the other 3 to go case ready only, until they changed their mind about Kippax and put the counter in there as well (after they had gotten rid of all the butchers as Kippax wasn't going to have them anymore).

Thanks for the figures Himeno. Interesting indeed. The Mawson store meat counter is only a new addition, maybe a few months. I hope they keep it as the meat I have had from there has been very good. I make a point of visiting the store if I am down that way. If it not patronised sufficiently I can see it disappearing.

 

[blackcat20]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

As a result of poor past experiences (with quality of cut rather than 'offness') the only meat products I even contemplate buying from Woolies (it is my 'local' SM) are whole chickens and chicken breast fillets (and not the house brand), minced beef ('premium' only) and their 'premium' rump steak, solely for the purposes of making a beef curry or similar (and even then, I'll usually buy these at the butcher, but defer to WW out-of-hours). Pork, lamb, most beef cuts, including steak that I intend to cook and eat as steak is all bought from butcher or say specialty chicken shop. I have not considered, for example, eye fillet steak from WW for years and years, just based on past experience (and it's funny how you can look at these sometimes and the cut looks all right inside the packaging, but when you get it home and remove it, well, the previously out-of-sight bits are all fat/gristle/yuk). That said, and a slightly different case, my mum bought an entire fillet of beef from Costco a while back for a very good price, and pronounced it excellent - and after having a piece I could only agree.

We bought some rib eye from Costco the other week and it was delicious. It helped they they were cooking some so you could try it before buying.

For eye fillet, we only buy at Coles. The quality is really good and each piece is individually vacc packed.

 

[Cossie]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

We bought some rib eye from Costco the other week and it was delicious. It helped they they were cooking some so you could try it before buying.

For eye fillet, we only buy at Coles. The quality is really good and each piece is individually vacc packed.

Our little miss really likes that meat, she eats better cuts than we do!

 

[Milefest]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

I too refuse to use a self serve check out.

Would rather go elsewhere.

Curious as to why?

 

[chelzmalee]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

I too refuse to use a self serve check out.

Would rather go elsewhere.

I was lining up at the local IGA for a staffed checkout, when a staff member came along and said "Would you like me to take you through self serve?" - she scanned all my items for me, bagged them, and all I had to do was pay.

This makes me wonder whether that's their way of keeping the customer happy while cutting down on staffing.

 

[ellen10]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

I love our local IGA!
They never let you queue at the manned checkouts. always opening up another.
They employ a lot of our local older women, who are always friendly.
Their fruit & vegies are much nicer than Woolies.
The only drawback is a smaller choice of products. But since the Woolies rewards letdown I shop there much more.

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

We bought some rib eye from Costco the other week and it was delicious. It helped they they were cooking some so you could try it before buying.

For eye fillet, we only buy at Coles. The quality is really good and each piece is individually vacc packed.

Your comment got me thinking about a Documentary I once watched inflight ( can't remember which airline but I think it may have been QF or BA) in relation to Costco and their meat purchasing. Costco apparently ( unless things have changed, which I doubt) purchase all cuts of beef with a minimum meat marbling score of 2, which I doubt the big two do all cuts of red meat.

https://www.ausmeat.com.au/custom-content/preview/ham/pdf/MSA.pdf

Also the meat quality Costco have been able to source from Australia has resulted in Costco exporting red meat to its Canadian Stores in recent times due to its high quality and lack of supply in Canada.
Now that's a big rap for the Australian red meat industry.
http://www.beefcentral.com/trade/ex...quality-beef-gap-for-costcos-canadian-market/

 

[JohnK]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

I have never had a problem with meat purchased at Woolworths or Coles. If not consumed that day then it gets frozen. I have had meat in the frezer for 18-24 months perhaps more and it is still ok but lets not go there.

Fruit and vegetables go in the fridge as soon as purchased. Lettuce lasts for weeks longer than use by date. Potatoes go in the fridge and they are still fine after months and months in the fridge.

Last week I bought 2 x 24 cans of Pepsi max for $9.90 each and 2 x 24 x 600mL bottles of Frantelle for $5.50 each from Woolworths. Cooked BBQ chicken is ~$7? I am sure I can get similar at other supermarkets but I can't be bothered running around.

 

[Himeno]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

Thanks for the figures Himeno. Interesting indeed. The Mawson store meat counter is only a new addition, maybe a few months. I hope they keep it as the meat I have had from there has been very good. I make a point of visiting the store if I am down that way. If it not patronised sufficiently I can see it disappearing.

They installed them in the impacted NSW/ACT stores just after Easter (it was meant to be late Feb/early March, but got delayed).

The NSW/ACT stores impacted were:
Butcher Shop: Dickson, Gungahlin, Woden, Mawson, Conder, Airport, Belconnen, Weston Creek, Tuggeranong, Kippax, Queanbeyan, Wagga Wagga, Kooringal

Case Ready: Bonner, Yass, Gundagai, Calwell, Erindale, Cooma, Jundabyne, Jerrabomberra, Hawker, Kambah, Charnwood, Dunlop, Griffith, Griffith North, Cootamundra, Tomora, Wagga North, Leeton, Tumut, Young

I'm not sure what Franklin has, but given the position advertisements before they opened, I believe they have a butcher shop. Not sure if they changed their minds about any other former production stores that were converted to case ready ending up with a butcher shop anyway (like Kippax).

There are some odd things going on at Gungahlin. It is currently under refit and they have positions there which don't exist in any other store.

 

[rogerkambah]

Re: Targeted Woolworths Rewards offers. How to get more Woolworths dollars.

I sometimes go to the Mawson WW where there is a dedicated meat counter and a butcher (well I assume he is as I have seen him boning out joints etc). All the meat I have had from the counter has been excellent. There is a butcher at Griffith who is quite good but very expensive as it is rather boutique.

Good to hear the tip on the meat at WW Mawson, must try it. Meat at Woden is completely different to what it used to be. We don't buy there any more.

 

[Foreigner]

Shopped at Aldi last night. Checkout very efficient. I prefer some of their dry/frozen products than similar lines at Coles/WW. (Seldom buy fresh fruits &veggies from Aldi.)

 

[whatmeworry]

Spotted in Melbourne. Indicative of WW problems.

 

[Buzzard]

1. Think about my WOW shares before you shop elsewhere - I do every time we shop at Coles

2. Keep the WOW receipt. If it goes off you will get a full refund and a free replacement.

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

1. Think about my WOW shares before you shop elsewhere - I do every time we shop at Coles

2. Keep the WOW receipt. If it goes off you will get a full refund and a free replacement.

I feel for you !

I've made and lost a bit of money in the sharemarket in my time, but my best move was buying WOW at $4.10 per share in the late 90's ( oddly enough as Corbett took over the helm) selling at $33.00 per share a few years ago ( I could see the writing on the wall at the time for them in a couple of years down the track).

I think for the WOW share price to shoot up above $30.00 will take quite sometime to recover or some White Knight to come by and make a bid ( although the share needs to crash a lot more for that happen I suspect).

 

[exceladdict]

1. Think about my WOW shares before you shop elsewhere - I do every time we shop at Coles

2. Keep the WOW receipt. If it goes off you will get a full refund and a free replacement.

I once had a number of packets of "vaccuum sealed" coffee (vittoria) that had a slight leak, so the packets weren't fresh - on sale at $20 each. Mentioned in passing when calling up WW online to complain about something else and got 200% back for the coffee. Bargain.

 

[whatmeworry]

Local supermarket now giving 5% off on Thursdays for aged pensioners.

 

[whatmeworry]

Meanwhile Coles thinks it's already Christmas.