However, Yabby, I agree with your views that "C's" are a terrific alternative to shop and the no name brands are on many occasions a good substitute. If only their meat was sold 'fresh' daily, packed appropriately to omit the odour, foulness and taste, along with the prices being realistic.

WW's: pulled a con job on Australians regarding their Home Brands. All of those 'Home Brand' products are now more expensive than other brands they carry, which, in reality, leaves few options of cheap/inexpensive brands.

In summary, I have managed to keep grocery prices down significantly by (a) purchasing toiletries at Aldi or two dollar shops, (b) purchasing fruit and vegies at a couple of local fresh F&V markets, (c) Meat purchases shared between two butchers and occasionally WWs, with in between excellent cuts from IGA [their meat is fresher and less expensive than WWs where I buy (d) the bulk of every day groceries between WWs, Coles and IGA.

Halleluia for Today Tonights program on the new Warehouse opening up in most states! Excellent competition for both WWs and Cs!! I had been awaiting Costco? to open up in most states for the past two years and it did not happen.

If you look at the salaries of the CEO's etc of the big companies and even those of the water board and politicians, you will see that their salaries have been lifted way out of proportion compared to the normal wages, and it is this extra cost on most goods and services that is the increase of your food costs and other living costs. From 1950 to 1970, we had a good treasurer who put the top tax up to 66.6% on a taxable income which would be about $450,000 today. this would have kept the top salaries down to a reasonable level, but it was more than our wonderful treasurers and politicans over the last 40 years could stand, they prefer the brown nose colouring from their close Acquaintance with the millionaires. These politicans have no intelligence, no integrity, no decency and no allegiance to Australia or the Australian people. Look at "tax history of Australia" also look at "Tax history of the US" remembering that the US is in a depression, and their low paid workers - what still exist, are worse off than our workers, but this is no excuse for the stupidity of our politicans.

I recently returned from a few weeks in Italy, during which time I spent about a week staying in a Rome apartment.

We shopped for basic essentials in a nearby (and small) Supermarket where everything we bought was much cheaper than the so-called Australian "discount" megamarkets.

We are being well-and-truly ripped off here by a couple of huge conglomerates that can afford to buy out Service Stations and Bottle Shops at will to expand their empires.

We need far more local competition to keep them in check.

*where everything we bought was much cheaper than the so-called Australian "discount" megamarkets.*

Has it ever occured to you wobbles, that the food processing
industry in Europe, being massive, due to population and volumes
of scale, is far more efficient then the one in Australia?

I can buy canned carrots from Belgium, or canned tomatoes from
Italy, right here at Coles, far cheaper then Australian ones.

Yet if the local supermarkets import these things, they are condemmed
for not selling Aussie food. They cannot win lol.

Large companies like Nestle, Unilever, Heinz, Simplot, operate
globally. In Australia they pay some of the highest wages and
perks in the world, for a relatively low volume of production.
Those costs are passed on.

But just blame Coles or Woolies, its so easy, without a great
deal of thought or research required.

""" But just blame Coles or Woolies, its so easy, without a great
deal of thought or research required. """

It would seem it's you that doesn't get it, Yabby.
Other retailers in "Australia" can supply "Australian Goods" as well as the same imported products far cheaper and of higher quality than your mates, why is that?

You're the first one to jump down everyone's throat when they whinge about free trade, off-shoring and all that by calming it brings cheaper prices for everyone here. But now you're against people wanting to save a few pennies on their grocery bill by not buying from companies that are clearly ripping them off. What's up with that, don't the others buy off you, protecting your own skin perhaps?

FWIW RawMustard, I see very few rip offs in the grocery trade and
usually when it happens, its by small independant operators and
not by the large ones. But I do see lots of aportioning of wrong
blame, for I too have seen the emotional channel 7 programmes.

So I make it my business to do my homework and point out the
realities, when I see them.

Now I know its more fashionable to be a knocker like yourself,
that is why I asked you, how much of your time, 3$ will buy.
You refused a clear answer.

There are many models by which to operate a grocery business,
the Costco one being one of them. How do they do it? People buy
everything in bulk, it reduces their labour costs.

The Aldi/Lidi model has been operating in Germany for decades,
so what they do is not new. They will win a share of the market,
for they suit a certain type of customer. It doesen't suit a
whole lot of people like me, who want choice and variety, along
with value for money. I certainly don't believe that Australian
consumers are being ripped off, as is often claimed. There are
lots of rip off industries in Aus, the grocery trade is not one of them.