Prices
It was love at first swipe. I still remember the first time I held a gleaming iPhone in my hands. The smooth surface. The shiny cover. The high-resolution display. The awe-inspiring idea that the entire bank of human knowledge - from the bible to Wikipedia - resided in my palm.

Today, I am a woman scorned. A woman betrayed. A woman who has fallen out of love with her iPhone. Why?
Quite simply, Apple is ripping me (and you) off blind. And it’s all completely legal. Aussies regularly pay twice what Americans pay for identical IT products, including devices, downloads, software and games.
Continue reading "Why my pricey smartphone is not the apple of my i" »
Australia still has the haves and the have-nots, but more people now see themselves in the ‘have not’ camp. How else can you explain the hue and cry over cost-of-living pressures when Australia is, by all objective accounts, doing quite well? Are we becoming a nation of ‘must haves’?

Another report out today makes clear the blindingly obvious fact that prices will almost always go up, and it’s their relationship to incomes that matter – and on that front, the average Australian household has more disposable income than ever before.
The AMP.NATSEM Income and Wealth Report says the average Australian family is better of by $224 a week in real terms. You can read the full report here.
Continue reading "Good news, Australia! You’re actually doing just fine" »
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skyl says:
Nowadays, as amount of bad competitors a couple of vendors are usually planning false New Era to pick from to meet up with the requirements of prospects. A great deal more name serves as a quality in it all as a result it is vital that you simply keep an… Read more »
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last man standing says:
@Admiral Ackbar You need to check public servant records with a reliable source. Public servant wages are actually higher. Also little more secure. There is a lot of people that have been to the private sector and returned. Speak to them about their experience. There appears several means of describing… Read more »
Tailgating a fussy grocery shopper is a bit like watching porn. All that squeezing, rubbing and sniffing of the stone fruit and the long, fawning glances at the root vegetables. It’s enough to make you grow your own. Or shop at midnight.

Unfortunately for those of us put off by “touch-feely shoppers”, things are about to get worse. Cue Woolworths new “try before you buy” policy on fresh produce, with Coles expected to followed suit.
Woolworths says their policy is aimed at boosting the “quality of their fresh foods”, but to the shopping weary it’s just another chapter in the “great Australian supermarket wars”. A tiresome battle between our major food suppliers with scant regard for what we actually want from our grocery chains.
Continue reading "Shelve cheap imports, Aussie shoppers want home grown" »
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Lapun says:
I live in an area (somewhere close to ‘fairsfair’ I guess) where Woolworths decided to run the opposition out of town and become the only supplier in 30km, of fruit, veges, meat and all things edible - supposedly. I soon learned never to buy anything in a clear plastic bag! … Read more »
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Jordan says:
Actually no fairsfair, the CO2 emissions per kilo of cargo per kilometer travelled by ocean are tiny. Buying local produce where it’s more expensive is one of the least cost effective ways of cutting CO2; in most cases likely even worse than paying yuppies to install solar panels. And if… Read more »
With Australia continuing to have some of the fastest growing food prices in the developed world, you have to wonder if Australian consumers are being milked by the major supermarket chains.

After all, Coles and Woolworths control over 87% of Australian supermarkets over 2,000 square metres. That clearly gives them plenty of market power which allows them to push up grocery prices and hence Australia’s food inflation.
Sometimes, however, they keep us guessing about their real agenda. So while we are hearing a lot about fresh milk prices coming down, we don’t hear much about what’s happening with other prices being charged elsewhere in the supermarket or at petrol bowsers linked to Coles or Woolworths.
Continue reading "Don’t be fooled, the supermarkets are milking us" »
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Clara says:
That’s 2 cvleer by half and 2x2 clever 4 me. Thanks! Read more »
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John says:
“If the Big 2 are artificially increasing prices, wouldn’t that make it entirely possible (and easy) for independents, and even BP to substantially undercut Caltex and Shell” In theory, yes. In practise, it isn’t going to happen except once in a blue moon for Australia’s capital cities. Because of the… Read more »
Have you been getting excited at the rise of the Aussie dollar? Well, you should be. Of course, those planning an overseas trip will be particularly excited. A strong Aussie dollar gets you more foreign currency to spend on that overseas holiday. The benefits of a stronger Aussie dollar, however, should not stop there.

All Australian consumers should be getting excited as the Aussie dollar surges upwards. Why? For the simple reason that all imported products should now be much cheaper.
The economics is simple. Just like a strong Aussie dollar buys you more foreign currency when you go overseas, a strong Aussie dollar means importers can ordinarily buy foreign products at effectively lower prices.
Continue reading "The great import rip-off: why isn’t everything cheaper?" »
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Adrian says:
Have to agree with Bob : - When it comes to looking after your own family, bugger the local stores. I have heard every excuse by these people in the retails business and there isnt one that I would agree with, except possibly that their wholesalers are ripping them off.… Read more »
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BoB says:
And this is why Aussie dollars keep leaving our shores because Aussies are well aware of the price gouging in this country. Fuck the country pride bullshit.., if this government shows no loyalty to its people then my loyalty is to my family first. I have bought most what I… Read more »
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