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In the areas we visited three supermarkets dominated - IGA, Coles and Woolworth. Grocery shopping is a package deal as located nearby you will always find a bakehouse (bakery), a liquor store and often a service station where you can by discount gas (petrol) if you keep the coupons the sales people hand out.
The variety and volume of products rivals North American supermarkets with some peculiarities. You will find whole sections devoted to chocolates, generally big 350g blocks made by Cadburys in every flavour imaginable. We tried snack (my favourite), rocky road, tiramisu, turkish delight to name just a few. Sweets don’t stop there. At the bakehouse you can buy cream buns, jelly doughnuts, tarts, lamingtons and of course breads, sausage rolls, meat pies (with mashed pies on the top – euk!), and cornish pasties. I remember when I was a kid a pie man would turn up at our school during recess selling all types of ties including the much loved steak and kidney pies with mashed peas. Is this still the case?
I found the prices about 20-35% more than North American prices even for locally grown produce. I assume harvesting and transportation costs are expensive – the minimum wage in Australia is over $13 AUD an hour. Don’t forget that your grocery bill will be rounded to the nearest five cents. Why is this? Did you read my post on Australian money?
I didn’t see many signs of any environmental friendly programs such as bringing your own shopping bags. You will always be asked if you want to withdraw money from your bank account in addition to the amount to pay your bill. It seems grocery stores are more convenient than banks with no service fees. How did this happen?
We sometimes bought produce, nine cent avocados and pineapples which are very small, at stalls on the side of the road near Bribie Island. Good price but peeling them was a nightmare. Benoit makes a great guacamole dip.
The variety and volume of products rivals North American supermarkets with some peculiarities. You will find whole sections devoted to chocolates, generally big 350g blocks made by Cadburys in every flavour imaginable. We tried snack (my favourite), rocky road, tiramisu, turkish delight to name just a few. Sweets don’t stop there. At the bakehouse you can buy cream buns, jelly doughnuts, tarts, lamingtons and of course breads, sausage rolls, meat pies (with mashed pies on the top – euk!), and cornish pasties. I remember when I was a kid a pie man would turn up at our school during recess selling all types of ties including the much loved steak and kidney pies with mashed peas. Is this still the case?
I found the prices about 20-35% more than North American prices even for locally grown produce. I assume harvesting and transportation costs are expensive – the minimum wage in Australia is over $13 AUD an hour. Don’t forget that your grocery bill will be rounded to the nearest five cents. Why is this? Did you read my post on Australian money?
I didn’t see many signs of any environmental friendly programs such as bringing your own shopping bags. You will always be asked if you want to withdraw money from your bank account in addition to the amount to pay your bill. It seems grocery stores are more convenient than banks with no service fees. How did this happen?
We sometimes bought produce, nine cent avocados and pineapples which are very small, at stalls on the side of the road near Bribie Island. Good price but peeling them was a nightmare. Benoit makes a great guacamole dip.
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