BTW AC,

No inflation on our food hampers, the price this year is the same as last year FREE. Got bad news last week our local Wynnum Community Place an outreach of Redlands Community Centre, they have been operating 5 days a week unfunded, (previously 3) looks like closing at the end of September, due to lack of funds, they are a "non-for-profit" rather than a "charity", which is a disadvantage in my book. P/S our mob is doing ok, we're only down about $3k on last year for the first 6 months 2024, but we can sustain that with grants, donations and fundraising. We are lucky to have a couple of big sponsors.

http://redlandcommunitycentre.org/wynnum-community-place/

Hi Paul,
Redlands Community Centre:
- Isn't that a place in Capalaba behind the old Video Ezy store, now charity clothing and other goods?
Which one's closing down?
Also, can my friend in Alex Hills go over to Wynnum, or are there area boundaries to receiving food hampers?

mhaze,

<<This is the first clause in your original post....
"I went into a supermarket the other day".>>

Well, the initial post did actually include pharmacies, and you conveniently left that out of your discussion for a long time. You left that out of your own choosing. Now, that's not my problem, that's yours. The reality is people shop at a range of places, including ones with a complete stranglehold on the marketplace - pharmacies one of them.

<Supermarkets, pharmacies, retailers in general don't have the power to control prices....>

You seem to deny that the retail sector has a real say on what we pay as consumers. The fact is they do, particularly the large players, alongside others. Plus, they also have an impact on our daily lives and so there is a difference between say a figure and actual reality of life.

For example, I am on a lot of medications, plus also vitamin tablets (not a lifestyle choice). Where I live, we only have certain brands of pharmacies in the area, others frozen out due to the current regulations, with the pharmacies in my area taking advantage of the system due to lack of competition. Some items are 50% more expensive than elsewhere. That has nothing to do with inflation at all. It means I have to travel further out to get my medications.

The flow on effects of greed are passed onto consumers, alongside other factors of course, ones I have already acknowledged such as inflation - but all you want to do is continually defend your friends at the pharmacy guild and large supermarkets.

Again Nathan, the ABS found that ""Pharmaceutical products fell 0.6% " in the year to June. That's overall and over all products. It might be that the products you need just happen to be the ones where prices didn't fall but I suspect its more likely that its all about false memory.
If pharmacists do control prices, why did they allow overall prices to drop? Or do you disbelieve the ABS figures?

BTW, if you're concerned about vitamin prices try iHerbs.com which is where I always get mine. That way you can by-pass those greedy pharmacists.

I don't like the idea of pharmacies selling vaping products.
Seems like the wrong fit to me, might as well sell smokes too.

Hi AC,

No problem send them down, don't ask addresses just circumstance, ie name, single, couple, family, number of dependants and ages, accommodated, homeless or couch surfing. If you have a dog or cat, yes, we give out pet food if we have it, as well as hygiene items if needed. Ask if a person is registered with 'Centrelink' but don't look at cards etc, ask a contact number that's optional, only used if we were to give out a "bad prawn". Name can be just first name, but most people give their full name, all details are confidential. Been robed 3 times this year, cops asked us to check if the local they arrested on finger prints for 2 of the break in's had been to us before, yes he had been twice in January.