The totally off-topic thread

[Mal]

Aah groceries and the UK. Dirt cheap compared to Australia.... And that's with the 20% VAT (admittedly doesn't apply to most grocery purchases anyway)

 

[Flashback]

Friend of mine who lives in Exeter (UK) recently posted this up on her Facebook Wall, showing that she managed to buy all of the items in the picture below from Marks & Spencer (apparently one of the more "upmarket" or expensive supermarket chains in the UK) for the princely sum of ten British Pounds Sterling.

For the complete record, she purchased:

• sugarfree cranberry lemonade 500ml
• sugarfree ginger beer 500ml
• 3 x canned soups
• 6 x fruit mince pies
• 1 bag spinach leaves
• 1 litre milk
• 3 bananas
• 6 tomatoes
• 6 hot cross buns
• 1 bag Maltesers

...and I should probably preface here that she works in health, is single and (obviously) leads a very healthy lifestyle! (She's not vegetarian from what I can guess / gather, though most of the food she has created and posts onto her Wall at times would be suitable for vegetarians)

But the main discussion was how much was groceries in Australia (or other countries, for that matter)? I don't think you could get everything in that list for $17 or even $20 in Australia, unless a lot of it was on special / in the Reduced To Clear basket. But to explain the discrepancy:

• I think we get paid slightly more on average compared to in UK (not sure about, say, those receiving social security benefits), but for most professions for like-for-like jobs, you would get paid more in Australia than in UK.
• Other things are much more expensive in the UK, e.g. renting a place to stay.
• There are far more supermarket chains and a much larger demographic (in numbers and concentration) to target, hence ideal and intense competition ensues.

On the other hand, except for bread, milk, eggs, seasonal produce and a few other staples (flour, sugar), maybe we are "overpaying" for our groceries in Australia?

What do you all think?

Yes groceries are cheaper here, however the wages are also much lower. Much much lower! However as the AUD continues to fall... it is starting to look better by the day

 

[Flashback]

cove you will be happy to hear that they are discussing bringing in new laws to cap the rates that are being charged on payday loans. "Some loans can reach as high as 4000% APR" :mrgreen:

 

[cove]

Thanks for the news update on the payday lenders in the UK. I saw one on the SciFi channel in London where you could borrow 100 pounds and repay 200 pounds a week later. Of course that makes it pretty easy to do the math unless of course they are offering a 25% discount that flashes on the screen.

 

[markis10]

For the complete record, she purchased:

• sugarfree cranberry lemonade 500ml
• sugarfree ginger beer 500ml
• 3 x canned soups
• 6 x fruit mince pies
• 1 bag spinach leaves
• 1 litre milk
• 3 bananas
• 6 tomatoes
• 6 hot cross buns
• 1 bag Maltesers

...and I should probably preface here that she works in health, is single and (obviously) leads a very healthy lifestyle! (She's not vegetarian from what I can guess / gather, though most of the food she has created and posts onto her Wall at times would be suitable for vegetarians)

But the main discussion was how much was groceries in Australia (or other countries, for that matter)? I don't think you could get everything in that list for $17 or even $20 in Australia, unless a lot of it was on special / in the Reduced To Clear basket. But to explain the discrepancy:

• I think we get paid slightly more on average compared to in UK (not sure about, say, those receiving social security benefits), but for most professions for like-for-like jobs, you would get paid more in Australia than in UK.
• Other things are much more expensive in the UK, e.g. renting a place to stay.
• There are far more supermarket chains and a much larger demographic (in numbers and concentration) to target, hence ideal and intense competition ensues.

Close to $20 would seem to be the Woolies cost with a few substitutions and of course the need to be closer to Easter, only the Malteasers are on special:


Trolley(9 items) $17.29 $2.00 savings
Checkout
Grocery (9 items)
sort by
Special Maltesers Share Pack 12pk 144g


1
$2.50 ea $2.50
Fresh Tomato Roma Red each


6
$0.49 ea $2.94
Fresh Banana each


3
$0.39 ea $1.17
Homebrand Full Cream Long Life Milk 1l


1
$0.99 ea $0.99
Fresh Spinach English each


1
$2.98 ea $2.98
Homebrand Canned Soup Tomato Condensed 425g


3
$0.89 ea $2.67
Diet Rite Ginger Beer 1.25l


1
$1.17 ea $1.17
Diet Rite Grape Cranberry And Boysenberry 1.25l


1
$1.17 ea $1.17
Homebrand Mince Pies Fruit 6pk 300g


1
$1.70 ea $1.70

I often suspect the "special" price is what we really should be paying, in the case of fruit and veg that will mean pricing equivalent to the farmers markets.

 

[Buzzard]

Mrs B. & I both received a 1.5x SC offer for one week only, travel now up to Feb 22.
Not so excited about a 1.5 but can't take advantage anyway.
Already flying this w/e to SYD, all Dec booked out with Christmas functions, no suitable flights in Jan and difficult to go as staff on leave (school holidays) and from the 26th we hit the road for a month travelling up the NSW south coast, Blue Mountains, Port Stephens and New England.

 

[serfty]

At the Oaks (pub Neutral Bay, Syd) you can pay up to that mark for a steak you need to cook yourself. Man, have I cooked some steaks on those grills!

My favorite was a cook yourself Lunch at Phillip's Foote followed by a short walk to Circular Quay for a taxi to SYD T3 in time for the 3pm bar opening ... :mrgreen:

 

[JohnK]

Aah groceries and the UK. Dirt cheap compared to Australia.... And that's with the 20% VAT (admittedly doesn't apply to most grocery purchases anyway)

I love to hear the excuses used most of the time to justify the high prices in Australia.

Oh and those that shop at IGA and think that it is better than Woolworths/Coles? Is there a secret? I saw an iceberg lettuce the other day for $4.99! :shock: Some items on special but the majority more expensive.

 

[Pushka]

I love to hear the excuses used most of the time to justify the high prices in Australia.

Oh and those that shop at IGA and think that it is better than Woolworths/Coles? Is there a secret? I saw an iceberg lettuce the other day for $4.99! :shock: Some items on special but the majority more expensive.

Better doesn't always mean cheaper JohnK. Ever bought cheap bananas at Coles and Woolies that turn ugly in a couple of days compared with the slightly more expensive ones from IGA that last until you want to eat them - a few days later?

 

[JohnK]

Better doesn't always mean cheaper JohnK.

What about long life goods such as canned goods, soups?

 

[Pushka]

What about long life goods such as canned goods, soups?

Well, that is different. But I dont buy much of those things anyway so can't compare. But you do know what I am getting at, dontcha!

 

[Simo]

Friend of mine who lives in Exeter (UK) recently posted this up on her Facebook Wall, showing that she managed to buy all of the items in the picture below from Marks & Spencer (apparently one of the more "upmarket" or expensive supermarket chains in the UK) for the princely sum of ten British Pounds Sterling.

View attachment 20923

For the complete record, she purchased:

• sugarfree cranberry lemonade 500ml
• sugarfree ginger beer 500ml
• 3 x canned soups
• 6 x fruit mince pies
• 1 bag spinach leaves
• 1 litre milk
• 3 bananas
• 6 tomatoes
• 6 hot cross buns
• 1 bag Maltesers

...and I should probably preface here that she works in health, is single and (obviously) leads a very healthy lifestyle! (She's not vegetarian from what I can guess / gather, though most of the food she has created and posts onto her Wall at times would be suitable for vegetarians)

But the main discussion was how much was groceries in Australia (or other countries, for that matter)? I don't think you could get everything in that list for $17 or even $20 in Australia, unless a lot of it was on special / in the Reduced To Clear basket. But to explain the discrepancy:

• I think we get paid slightly more on average compared to in UK (not sure about, say, those receiving social security benefits), but for most professions for like-for-like jobs, you would get paid more in Australia than in UK.
• Other things are much more expensive in the UK, e.g. renting a place to stay.
• There are far more supermarket chains and a much larger demographic (in numbers and concentration) to target, hence ideal and intense competition ensues.

On the other hand, except for bread, milk, eggs, seasonal produce and a few other staples (flour, sugar), maybe we are "overpaying" for our groceries in Australia?

What do you all think?

WTF Hot Cross buns Xmas has not even been yet and they are already coming out...

OMG RAnt Over

 

[drron]

Of course when it comes to fresh fruit and veggies we go to our local farmers market-grape tomatoes are my now preferred between meal snack.The ones direct from the grower at Noosa just taste so much better and still useable 3 weeks later.Beats any supermarket.

 

[Simo]

I've used Woolies & Coles online (prefer Woolies) but I haven't tried IGA. I didn't know they did online. I'll have to tell my mum that. When I introduced her to the interweb, she wasn't in favour of online grocery shopping. I mostly shop for her. But when I'm not around, she tried it & loved it.

Our local IGA does but I do know some don't as our local IGA has a huge range of Gourmet foods and the IGA down on the coast doesn't so they do some deliveries down that way.

They also have a great range of food for people with dietery needs as well.

 

[Simo]

Of course when it comes to fresh fruit and veggies we go to our local farmers market-grape tomatoes are my now preferred between meal snack.The ones direct from the grower at Noosa just taste so much better and still useable 3 weeks later.Beats any supermarket.

Little Miss Simo will only eat strawberries that we get from the Hinterland and around us.

We where away and purchased some from a chain supermarket and she said they are Yucky...

She is getting to be a Gourmet food hound as she will not drink Pauls or Dairy Farmers Milk but will only drink Maleny Dairies milk as it fresh from just around the corner.

If we only have a little bit of Maleny Daires milk we have to stretch it by putting some of SWMBO light milk in with the Maleny Dairies milk but can not show her that we have done it.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

many lament the old days when flying could be a special experience... even glamorous.


we were called passengers back then... embarking on a journey.


these days we seem to be reduced to having a simple commercial relationship... we are 'customers' not passengers.


while I think the term 'guest' is dumb (nothing about us being a guest.. we have paid for the ticket)... so we really need to be relegated to customers?


or is it just me? do others prefer to be called customers?

 

[Simo]

I think Passenger mainly due to the reason is that we are travelling.

To me a customer does not involve carriage.

 

[drron]

Little Miss Simo will only eat strawberries that we get from the Hinterland and around us.

We where away and purchased some from a chain supermarket and she said they are Yucky...

She is getting to be a Gourmet food hound as she will not drink Pauls or Dairy Farmers Milk but will only drink Maleny Dairies milk as it fresh from just around the corner.

If we only have a little bit of Maleny Daires milk we have to stretch it by putting some of SWMBO light milk in with the Maleny Dairies milk but can not show her that we have done it.

We drink Maleny milk as well.Down here on the coast Coles actually stock it but not Woollies.IGA and B fresh at Warana also stock it.B Fresh at Warana is our go to place for rarer delicacies.

 

[Pushka]

Mine is Paris Creek organic milk. Surprisingly all supermarkets carry it. It has as much shelf space now as the cheap milk in our local Coles, such is the demand for it.

 

[Simo]

We drink Maleny milk as well.Down here on the cast Coles actually stock it but not Woollies.IGA and B fresh at Warana also stock it.B Fresh at Warana is our go to place for rarer delicacies.

I have never been to the Maleny Woolies for political reasons.

The Woolies in Beerwah Stocks Maleny Daires Milk.

The IGA at Maleny has a good range of rarer delicacies.

I like Beetroot chips but not many at a time.