Comments on: What role do supermarkets play in your life?

By: Fi

Fi — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:27:13 +0000

I haven't shopped in Safeway or Coles for over a year. I went into the QV Safeway recently to buy a single, $1.70 item and found the experience so unsettling: the lights, the noise, the garishness, the acres of products, even the heights of the shelves. We talk about society being 'desensitised' to many things, and I believe one of them is how hideous and disorientating supermarkets are, for the express purpose of lulling/subversing people into excessive purchasing habits.

I'm part of AC Neilsen's Homescan program, so every week I send a statistics company details of everything I've bought. Much of the produce and most of the shops I visit can't be identified in the data as they're not catered for in the options given to me to scan - what I find most interesting about that is the bias to keep recording information on what is already the norm, rather than discovering what people are doing outside the box.

My biggest issue with consumption is its excess, and supermarkets indulge constantly in pushing consumers to excess. A lot of grocery bills are high because they include so many products that will languish in fridge/pantry. If I could push society into the European model of buying bread from a shop that makes bread, meat from a shop that carves meat, fresh produce that was picked that week I'd feel so much more content. I know there are arguments for calling supermarkets more convenient, but in so many places we no longer go there because it's convenient, but because they've outgunned any other option.

By: Hungrygirl

Hungrygirl — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:59:05 +0000

I think this is a very interesting conversation.
I use supermarkets but prefer online so I dont have to physically go.I prefer to buy meat and veg at markets or local shops if possible.
I cant believe Ed thought supermarkets in UK are good. I lived in London for a year and Sainsbury and Tesco are great if you want a 'ready meal' (never). Waitrose better but very expensive and everything packaged beyond proportion.

By: utsi

utsi — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:55:37 +0000

I'm with OldCook…Many times I've abandoned a half-laden trolley mid shop because I've stacked a wobbly…me, not the trolley! Now even driving into a supermarket carpark makes me queasy. Am lucky that our little independent supermarket in the village stocks an ok range of items & the owner will do his best to order something in if you ask. That & a local Sunday village market keeps us fed & me sane-ish. What a fab blog this is!

By: harry

harry — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:40:07 +0000

I actually find going to markets and some specialty shops a bit daunting, particularly when you're trying to order in a foreign language (as it is for me in France). I mean, how exactly do you ask for just the right amount of food you want when it doesn't come wrapped up in a supermarket style package? An English friend of mine once ended up with an enormous tub of houmous because he didn't know how to order it properly. And he paid the price for it too!

Another friend of mine went to a fruit and veg shop to get me some ginger (a smallish piece is all I needed) but came away with a big bag of fruit too because he felt silly just buying a 50 cent piece of ginger.

Anyway, I've overcome my phobia of buying from markets, and have learnt over time how to avoid getting stage fright at the shop counter. A few French language tips were also helpful!

By: Lucy

Lucy — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:05:14 +0000

Ran, I find it confusing, too. Why, I wonder did my local Safeway decide to move the sugar from the baking aisle to the tea and coffee aisle? (Answer offered by my helpful marketing/advertising savvy partner is that it is so that one gets confused and has to wander back, passing more shopping 'opportunities' along the way!)

Yep. It's the toilet paper/liver treats (for dog, not me)/toothpaste thing that draws me in at least once a week. It's convenient. But I never, ever buy anything fresh from them. I'd far rather pick and choose my own variety of produce as it's the backbone and bulk of my diet.

When I worked full-time for other people the supermarkets really were a saviour - open late, lots of choice…that choice seems to have narrowed of late, though.

For a while I shopped at Macro Wholefoods, but you know, they've become the most expensive 'supermarket' in Australia. A woman in front of me spent $653.00 on one small trolley's worth of stuff - much of it things she didn't need to buy including bio-friendly cleaning products (from Europe for gawd's sake). I wanted to grab her and show her that a bottle of cheap vinegar and a box of bi-carb soda from the supermarket of your choice is all one needs for a clean home. Needless to say, I only shop there once a month for beans and lentils and the like now.

Gosh. How I've rambled.

But you know what? I detest the Gruen Transfer… nothing I didn't already know, I'm afraid. How clever that advertisers have finlly found a way to get themselves on the ABC. Hmmm…

By: Ran

Ran — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:16:12 +0000

Duncan - thats the other thing i hate about safeway and coles - it doesnt always make sense where they stock things. I have seen couscous in all sorts of not obvious parts of the market (wouldnt it make sense to always have it in the pasta section??? apparently not!)

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:12:55 +0000

Great comments. I just wanted to add that Briish supermarkets, Tesco, Sainburys and Waitrose have always had the edge on Australian ones with better design and more diverse produce. We tend to follow the trends here.Also Coles and Woolies/Safeway tend to stock and price according to the local environs. That's why they differ in range and you'll be ripped off at some. Aldi in contrast is pitching itself as being far more transparent with no difference in pricing across it's stores which is a much more honest approach and shows much more respect for customers. The only thing is whether you'll put up with no brand versus the brand you love. I still remember the wonderful days when the David Jones Foodchain was in St Kilda. They had a notice board where customers could ask questions or for products to be stocked. It was modeled on a famous US-supermarket, the name of which escapes me for now. Staff across the board were empowered to answer questions candidly and it really worked - until the plug was pulled, of course.

By: Duncan

Duncan — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:27:54 +0000

I'm blown away by how interesting and diverse these comments have been. Keep them coming. It's great seeing how we all reach our own decisions about how to manage our circumstances and ideals.

@Ran: my Safeway sells barley… piled at the end of the meat section… go figure.

@Thermomixer: although I agree broadly with the sentiments in the quote, the American supermarket experience is *usually* very different from ours, with far less of the basic ingredient diversity we see here, and far more of the processed stuff.

By: Thanh

Thanh — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:40:52 +0000

I love the Gruen Transfer too.

Here is an article related to supermarkets in the paper today. It's about a national pricing scheme for supermarkets.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/government-to-check-out-pricing-scheme-20080805-3qbz.html

By: Dani

Dani — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:21:34 +0000

I love the Gruen Transfer. Theonly show I am watching at the moment.

Back on topic. I don't love supermarkets. Well the big 2 anyway. I shop at Leos (IGA) when I have to do the supermarket thing. I am fortunate that I am able to buy most things in bulk or from markets (including bog roll!) I make my own cleaning products. Since I recently lost my raw milk contact milk is about the only thing I need to buy from the supermarket. That's only because I can't get the unhomogenised organic anywhere else close to home. I actually can't think of anything else I buy from the supermarket. So for me, the supermarket is a rarity. The luxury of cooking for 4, having a second freezer, large pantry and only being in part time paid employment.

One of my main objections to supermarkets is actually cost. On quality whole goods I can get better prices wholesale or at markets or direct from farmers. Particularly as I buy most things in bulk.

Hope I'm coherent, Lil Miss is climbing on my head.