Oh dear, Paul this just gets worse and worse for you.

I didn't say rising electricity costs were the only cause of rising supermarket costs. But they contribute whereas you and others seems to think its all about supermarket greed.

Equally I didn't say supermarket costs went up by 6.3%. In fact I specifically said they didn't go up by that amount - have I lost you yet?. We don't know how much they went up by but we do know they went up and that leads to rising costs for supermarkets and therefore rising prices at supermarkets. (Are you lost yet?).

Have you found any evidence for your claim that the supermarkets are paying less this year than last year - oh I forgot, Paul doesn't provide or look for evidence, he just fabricates lies and then pretends they are reality.

"There's an inquiry , we're told, the first of many, by the
Australian government looking at food prices to ensure
they're fair."

Food prices rose by 2.3% in the year to June. So of course the government has an enquire as to who they can blame for it - answer anyone but the government.

Electricity prices rose by 6.3% (actually 14.7% before the subsidies issued last year to hide the government's failures) so of course the government DOESN'T have an enquiry which might find that the wrong person (ie government policy) was the cause.

The old saying for government - never hold an enquiry where you don't already know the answer or are able to fudge the answer.

mhaze,

Firstly you only write as if the only place we buy from is supermarkets which we generally don't and then leave out pharmacies which have an exclusive stranglehold on the retail marketplace, plus political parties wrapped around their little finger due to political donations, but these things you choose to ignore.

I even provided links to the AFR regarding pharmacies, hardly a left leaning publication, a more conservative, free market one and in principle I am in favour of free markets when it comes to retail and purchasing so the consumer has more rights and the ability to access items at lower prices.

As the link highlighted: "Another win for the monopolists, a law to shield pharmacists from competition will take Queensland back to the last century."

It's something I agree with in terms of reality, pharmacies being shielded from competition are taking parts of Australia back to the last century.

No one including myself is dismissing inflation as an issue. In terms of electricity that also has a retail element, with a limited number of sellers and the production market is also limited, so naturally you will pay more in that area as a result also. It's a circular effect, a negative one and the consumers are the ones loosing out - and the farmers paid a pittance for their product.

On electricity prices and manipulating the market:

http://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/crime/qld-governmentowned-electricity-generators-facing-class-action-over-price-manipulation/video/c2e1609755ec6bd6dfee154c7a5e99e1

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-03/demand-power-tariffs-shock-to-australian-households/103913030

Farmers paid: "Outraged farmer wants supermarkets to 'be accountable' for massive profits as they 'bluff the public' and rip-off farmers"

http://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/outraged-farmer-wants-supermarkets-to-be-accountable-for-massive-profits-as-they-bluff-the-public-and-ripoff-farmers/news-story/09d750d568d36c3511b49ed29e1daab7

mhaze you have the opportunity to admit here that those with the power control prices and do have a huge say on what we pay in a range of areas, but you choose not to - why?

Mhaze, unlike you who claims to be "in the know" about what the big supermarkets are paying for electricity, that's a joke they're not about to tell an old coot like you what they pay, or don't pay. I never assumed anything, you did that for both of us.

You said; "So Paul, you don't actually know (if) they (supermarkets) are paying more or less or the same as non-business" Correct, just like you dopey! Other than the fact electricity is a cost of doing business for the supermarkets, I can't say what the impact it has on prices at the check-out, nor can YOU! You sure you did high school commerce, being clueless as you are about business.

Nathan,

"Firstly you only write as if the only place we buy from is supermarkets".

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

I can't imagine why the conversation devolved into talking about supermarkets!!

Nathan wrote: "then leave out pharmacies which have an exclusive stranglehold on the retail marketplace, "

This is from the most recent release on June 2024 inflation talking about inflation in the past year...
"Pharmaceutical products fell 0.6% ".
But its only the ABS, what would they know?

Paul who claims he doesn't make assumptions about prices... "They could be paying 20% less this year than last." In Paul's fantasy world, electricity prices went up everywhere EXCEPT supermarkets. Oh dear.

The best Yahoo "news" can come up with on the inability of people to cope with the largely fictional increase in the CPI is that - shock, horror - boozers are not shouting a round in pubs!

No chance of adjusting by giving up the drug altogether, of course; it is needed to make them feel better about the hard times.

Teetotallers seem to manage OK without numbing their brains.