The ACCC’s supermarket inquiry has shone a spotlight on Coles and Woolworths’ high prices. But 76 per cent of shoppers still head to either store for their primary grocery shop.
Aldi has again beaten Coles and Woolworths in a government-funded shopping basket comparison.
Consumer advocacy group Choice released the results as part of its quarterly survey, sending mystery shoppers to 104 stores across the country in September.
Here is a breakdown of the costs between Aldi, Coles, Woolies and IGA (without specials) from its most recent report:
- Aldi: $50.63
- Coles: $67.90
- Woolworths: $69.29
- IGA: $77.57
And for most products for most people, that’s fine. But for some products, many people will have a genuine preference for the name brand. And it only takes one or two of those before the inconvenience of going to two different shops will lead people to going to Colesworth instead. The same reason people tend not to go to separate grocers, delis, and butchers.
For example, these days my usual breakfast is Vita Brits. I prefer them over Weet-Bix because they are lower in sugar. A quick look at Choice backs me up on this, with neither Weet-Bix nor the Aldi alternative appearing in their low sugar or low salt best-of list. (Though apparently I could switch to the Woolworths homebrand product.)
A while ago, my go-to was Cornflakes. Health was less of a concern there than texture and taste. And I did try the Aldi product once, and it was frankly terrible.
For other people it might be a children’s snack/lolly. Or a particular washing powder/liquid/tablet. Or a particular variety of a particular fruit. But people are time poor, and a lot of people won’t go to two places if they can get everything they need from one place.
Another way to look at it is people don’t have the energy to go to both stores.