Woolies and Coles withdraw sale items.

[73 4V XB]

Have a look on line for specials, woolies have 36 items, 32 are chocolate. If this isn’t a blatant money grab what is.
Let’s kick em while their down....

[DOC]

? what Kick em while they are down? mate, they are doing thier best in difficult times to just try and keep up with the demand thrown upon them. Coles donating an extra 1 Million a week into supporting those in need with food, probably all others doing similar?

And plenty of other non-confectionary items on special last night when I was instore?

[Citroënbender]

There were a lot more specials at 6:00 this morning. Odd.

Given Easter festivities are basically canned, I think they’re dumping stock to create storage space for other items.

[MustangStevo63]

The petrol companies are the ones that deserve the kicking , pricing is outraegous

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by DOC

? what Kick em while they are down? mate, they are doing thier best in difficult times to just try and keep up with the demand thrown upon them. Coles donating an extra 1 Million a week into supporting those in need with food, probably all others doing similar?

And plenty of other non-confectionary items on special last night when I was instore?

Coles and Woolies are taking a substantial profit out of our current climate. Regardless of employing more casual staff to fill the shelves to meet the demands, they're the ones benefiting from this. The only time they're not is when something isn't on the shelf. Its the frontline staff who are met with additional pressures. Taking down sale items to increase profits is untimely and unethical.

[jaydee]

I just tried to sign up my 83 year old Mum onto Coles on line for food oredering and get delivered.
There were very few items listed, and after we'd completed our list they said they are not doing deliveries at this time.
So I'm guessing the online store has not been updated in a while hence limited stock.

[raised by monkeys]

Online isn't available currently while ****wits are hoarding.

[Citroënbender]

The bit grating with me, is the complete disappearance of some good value items. Eg, the “Essentials” pasta varieties. Recently went from 65¢ to 89¢ in tandem with the matching Aldi products, then were shopped off the shelves a fortnight back, now despite assurances of ample local product we are offered only Italian made pasta at $2/500g - take it or leave it. 225% of the other (oddly unavailable) item’s price.

[MDS69]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

The bit grating with me, is the complete disappearance of some good value items. Eg, the “Essentials” pasta varieties. Recently went from 65¢ to 89¢ in tandem with the matching Aldi products, then were shopped off the shelves a fortnight back, now despite assurances of ample local product we are offered only Italian made pasta at $2/500g - take it or leave it. 225% of the other (oddly unavailable) item’s price.

The cynic in me wonders if once this has all passed that the pasta that was $0.65 and went up to $0.89 only comes down to say $0.79.

[DFB FGXR6]

I purchased two pizza bases on Sunday at Bakers Delight.

A month ago, these cost about $4.20.

On Sunday, $9.40.

Shameful gouging and will never see my money ever again.

[73 4V XB]

Originally Posted by DOC

? what Kick em while they are down? mate, they are doing thier best in difficult times to just try and keep up with the demand thrown upon them. Coles donating an extra 1 Million a week into supporting those in need with food, probably all others doing similar?

And plenty of other non-confectionary items on special last night when I was instore?

“Kick em while their down” refers to the hundreds of thousands that are lining up for Centrelink payments wondering where their next meal is coming from. Sure they’ve helped during tough times, none more so than the recent fires that devastated the eastern coast of Australia. With the amount of profits made by the big 2, taking staple foods of the specials list while those that can are out there shopping with what they have left, IMHO it’s a kick in the guts.

[CoupeKing]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I purchased two pizza bases on Sunday at Bakers Delight.

A month ago, these cost about $4.20.

On Sunday, $9.40.

Shameful gouging and will never see my money ever again.

If you can get hold of some flour you can make your own large pizza bases for about 25-50 cents each. The price will change depending what you put on top of it. Takes about 15 minutes to make a batch, but from 2 hours to 5 days to proof - depending on what you want.

[DOC]

Originally Posted by 73 4V XB

taking staple foods of the specials list while those that can are out there shopping with what they have left, IMHO it’s a kick in the guts.

Fair enough buddy, just I am not seeing this as I still see staples still on special and mixed where they can be. So if you are seeing it then yes that would be a bad thing and hope that it gets better if so.

At best I am seeing that things are slowly returning to normal given the rush on everything, most if not all people are nice and understanding and that together we can all pull through these times.

[danzvtil]

Specials are organised months in advance and take time to flow through warehouse systems. There is nothing normal about the current supply chain situation. But surely they must be price gouging.
Suppliers need time to manufacture and distribute product, but, will they have production staff or truck drivers available next week? Who knows, none of this is normal.
If you don’t like it, then set up your own super market and deal with the lack of supply and hoarding whack jobs. Careful, you’ll be accused of price gouging at some point :/

[fordomatic]

Aldi is where it's at, haven't had a single issue with not being able to get what I normally would. They also have kept their fruit and veg prices normal, literally the only ones in Australia who have.

[JAYMZ]

Promotional lines have been removed due to inconsistent supply of stock to the stores. There is no shortage of stock, DC's currently running 10x over capacity, plus not enough trucks to deliver the volume to stores is why you see inconsistent stock on show.

[JAYMZ]

Also Pasta prices increased in January due to the lack of wheat available created by drought conditions in growing regions over the past 12 months.

[Citroënbender]

That was my understanding at the time, I hoped the increase flowed on appropriately. 65¢ was so cheap for good quality food, it barely seemed respected for what it was.

Fordo, not the story of Aldi stock around my way (say, from Parramatta to Mt Kuringai).

[oldel]

Originally Posted by 73 4V XB

“Kick em while their down” refers to the hundreds of thousands that are lining up for Centrelink payments wondering where their next meal is coming from. Sure they’ve helped during tough times, none more so than the recent fires that devastated the eastern coast of Australia. With the amount of profits made by the big 2, taking staple foods of the specials list while those that can are out there shopping with what they have left, IMHO it’s a kick in the guts.

You're thinking wrongly, most of the essentials are available in home brand packaging and those products are never on sale anyway.

The specials were normally the more expensive brand stuff that the manufacturer had to be OK with. They can hardly make manufacturers eat the loss of a sale price when they know the shelves are bare and coles/woolworths are going buy anyway!
Most of the stuff that was a bargain in the weekly sales were overpriced name brands and junk or luxury frozen heat and eat meals.
Hoarders are going to buy anything up, and doubly so if it's on sale!

I miss my coles homebrand pasta (69c and better than woolworths). My kid likes the small spirals best. I miss my homebrand coles rice (better than woolworths less starch needs to be rinsed and soaked off). Tinned tomatoes too a little bit more flavour than ww. They are 3 of the reasons why I go to coles, sales or not.

But woolworths better for eggs, flat bread (local lebanese bakery supplies us) and a couple of other things, regardless of sale or not.

But to reiterate - name brands on sale at coles/woolworths were those supermarkets forcing a lower price on suppliers to pay for the sale! That's why home brands were never on sale and why they never knocked much off certain items in the past. So what you're complaining about is why suppliers who need to keep jobs aren't cutting costs to coles or woolworths. Why aren't the supermarkets continuing in bullying suppliers?

[XR Martin]

Seems to me coles and woolies have both used this as the perfect opportunity to cut the hours of the stores.
Ie less overtime. Especially since the overtime rates now are based on how early or late the shift is.

Local Coles now opens two hours later and shuts fours hours earlier.
Woolies is similar.

They claim its so they have time to restock, which is rubbish because everyday there is less and less in the stores. I haven't seen extra on the shelves since this began.

I havnt seen toilet paper in either for nearly a month.
You occasionally see people on Facebook mentioning that they now have toilet paper and post up a photo of just a pallet worth.

[oldel]

Why would they have had all the employment ads for staff if that was the case?

I went to my local woolworths and they had restocked beans and canned veg already. Still not much pasta, and no rice, flour, sugar, noodles and TP but probably because they've been cleared out already.
Like been said before I don't think the deliveries to the actual stores are happening fast enough, and it's take what they get. You get a truck full of stuff that isn't the stuff I mentioned before - you still take it and stock that even if it's ketchup and deodorant etc!

E: hours are less here too, but it's 8pm instead or 9pm. In the morning they open 1 hour later I think, but it's pensioners only.

I got toilet paper from aldi today. I've been looking for it for 3 weeks and all the coles and woolworths I go to (there's 3ea*) still don't have it. I've had to stretch 2 rolls for 3 weeks. Drink a lot and eat less so I need less

*local big shopping centre coles or woolworths still have none. Local small shopping centre coles and other small centre woolworths still have none.

Coles near my kids school still have none, w/w near my exs house have none - all these (6) places I've been checking every second day for weeks.

Regular IGAs and spudshed I check once a week didn't on tues last I checked.

[Citroënbender]

They’ve got Tasmanian Heritage Brie and Camembert style cheeses on special presently. These are made without animal rennet, so are notionally a true “vegetarian” product. Awesome in toasties.

[XR Martin]

There's a video from yesterday of a coles express in Sydney that got what looked like a dozen pallets of toilet paper just delivered. It was stacked 2m high out in the forecourt.
There was no 1 or 2 pack limit as everyone was seen taking whatever their car could take.

[ute83]

Supermarket specials are organised and paid for by the manufacturer or supplier not the supermarkets.

[DOC]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

Seems to me coles and woolies have both used this as the perfect opportunity to cut the hours of the stores.
Ie less overtime. Especially since the overtime rates now are based on how early or late the shift is.

Local Coles now opens two hours later and shuts fours hours earlier.
Woolies is similar.

They claim its so they have time to restock, which is rubbish because everyday there is less and less in the stores. I haven't seen extra on the shelves since this began.

I havnt seen toilet paper in either for nearly a month.
You occasionally see people on Facebook mentioning that they now have toilet paper and post up a photo of just a pallet worth.

If you were on the front lines with all of this you would not be saying that and you would understand the countless hours and effort everybody is putting in behind the scenes to make this work as best it can for everybody.

(and yes speaking from the front lines here)

[Bossxr8]

I got a txt from the fiancee this morning - OMG we have toilet paper. First time we have been able to buy some in over a month.

WTF is the world coming to when you are celebrating getting bloody toilet paper. Somehow these hoarding morons think they will suddenly run out of this first, when most people easily have a month or so supply at their house ffs. Surely they would run out of food before TP?

[98TLS]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I got a txt from the fiancee this morning - OMG we have toilet paper. First time we have been able to buy some in over a month.

WTF is the world coming to when you are celebrating getting bloody toilet paper. Somehow these hoarding morons think they will suddenly run out of this first, when most people easily have a month or so supply at their house ffs. Surely they would run out of food before TP?

[Adamz Ghia]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I got a txt from the fiancee this morning - OMG we have toilet paper. First time we have been able to buy some in over a month.

WTF is the world coming to when you are celebrating getting bloody toilet paper. Somehow these hoarding morons think they will suddenly run out of this first, when most people easily have a month or so supply at their house ffs. Surely they would run out of food before TP?

Unfortunately most people get their news from the Herald Sun or Channel 7 and 9. And the way they have hyped all of this up it’s no wonder everyone panicked.

[DOC]

For those shopping at coles, you can expect the next change to be that you will need to pack your own bags as one of the new measures coming into play.

[CJR09]

Originally Posted by DOC

For those shopping at coles, you can expect the next change to be that you will need to pack your own bags as one of the new measures coming into play.

The reported viability of it on differing substrates is really quite shocking, easy to see how effective it spreads

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ages-groceries

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.105...=featured_home