[porknbeans]

I had a look at the Foodland and Woolworths websites, and not only are the sites exactly the same, the prices are too.

I thought Foodland was supposed to be cheaper than Woolies - am I missing something? I understand they must be owned by the same company, but still...

Are there places to get regular groceries that would be less expensive than Woolies? I say "regular" because, for example, ALDI in Sydney is cheaper than Woolies or Coles, but they stock brands I've never heard of and they don't stock everything you'd find in a regular grocery store.

[Familyofmonkeys]

I had a look at the Foodland and Woolworths websites, and not only are the sites exactly the same, the prices are too.

I thought Foodland was supposed to be cheaper than Woolies - am I missing something? I understand they must be owned by the same company, but still...

Are there places to get regular groceries that would be less expensive than Woolies? I say "regular" because, for example, ALDI in Sydney is cheaper than Woolies or Coles, but they stock brands I've never heard of and they don't stock everything you'd find in a regular grocery store.

Foodtown has a card that you can sign up for that will give you discounts at the till when you shop. Have no idea if you can use it in Woolworths too though? In my own experience you tend to find more of the high end market stuff in Woolworths and less of the bulk buy basics, but most items are not priced any differently. I think it is more a case of shopping habits i.e. if you bulk buy the basics in foodtown that are not sold so much in Woolworths you would find grocery shopping (on the whole) cheaper. Same with Countdown (part of same group). Prices not (usually) cheaper, but they have WAY more choice of basics and whole isles full of e.g. crisps/snacks or soft drinks, compared to Foodtown. On the other hand, it can be hard to get hold of more speciality stuff in Countdown and we find their range of Vegetarian is tiny compared to Foodtown or Woolworths.

We have also been comparing the prices in Pak 'n' Save and New World the last few weeks. For alot of items there is very little (if any) price different, although the special offers can and do often differ. We have given up shopping at Pak 'n' Save as we have found it a complete nightmare to find stuff, it takes ages to get around and the cost saving is insignificant for the type of food we buy.

[porknbeans]

<snip>In my own experience you tend to find more of the high end market stuff in Woolworths and less of the bulk buy basics, but most items are not priced any differently. I think it is more a case of shopping habits i.e. if you bulk buy the basics in foodtown that are not sold so much in Woolworths you would find grocery shopping (on the whole) cheaper. Same with Countdown (part of same group). Prices not (usually) cheaper, but they have WAY more choice of basics and whole isles full of e.g. crisps/snacks or soft drinks, compared to Foodtown. On the other hand, it can be hard to get hold of more speciality stuff in Countdown and we find their range of Vegetarian is tiny compared to Foodtown or Woolworths.

We have also been comparing the prices in Pak 'n' Save and New World the last few weeks. For alot of items there is very little (if any) price different, although the special offers can and do often differ. We have given up shopping at Pak 'n' Save as we have found it a complete nightmare to find stuff, it takes ages to get around and the cost saving is insignificant for the type of food we buy.


Thanks so much for your advice. I am less concerned now on finding the one right store (or chain) and will just have to visit them all to see which one has exactly what I want (bulk rolled oats, apple juice or flour for example).

I will make a note of which stores "specialize" in which "kind" of shopping. :nice1

[benandclare]

Thanks so much for your advice. I am less concerned now on finding the one right store (or chain) and will just have to visit them all to see which one has exactly what I want (bulk rolled oats, apple juice or flour for example).

I will make a note of which stores "specialize" in which "kind" of shopping. :nice1

http://www.bininn.co.nz/

These guys will be worth a visit when you get here :nice1

[suzer]

best to go to the asian supermarkets;)

[porknbeans]

http://www.bininn.co.nz/

These guys will be worth a visit when you get here :nice1


I will have to check them out; thanks for the link! :)

[porknbeans]

best to go to the asian supermarkets;)


I am confused by your comment; is it that you think I'm Thai because of my location? (Not trying to be snarky btw, I'm just curious.)

I'm American/Aussie; I live in Thailand because of my husband's work. And I don't care for most Thai food. :D

However - it's probably worth looking at "specialty" stores for more cooking ideas; I tend to only make about three dishes when I have a full kitchen. So thanks for the idea.

[Chiba]

We used Foodtown's delivery service at first, and still do in certain circumstances (e.g. sick kids, weekend away, etc), but now we're Pak-n-Save regulars. Deliveries were hugely convenient, but after a while we just couldn't argue with saving $200 a month - it makes a huge difference to our budget. If you carefully pick out the weekly offers you can save a lot; don't fixate on specific brands.

[porknbeans]

<snip>If you carefully pick out the weekly offers you can save a lot; don't fixate on specific brands.


Solid advice no matter where you are; thank you. :)

(I used to get deliveries from time to time in Sydney - you're right; convenient but pricey.)

Thanks for your reply. :yes

[IanW99]

I had a look at the Foodland and Woolworths websites, and not only are the sites exactly the same, the prices are too.

I thought Foodland was supposed to be cheaper than Woolies - am I missing something? I understand they must be owned by the same company, but still...

Are there places to get regular groceries that would be less expensive than Woolies? I say "regular" because, for example, ALDI in Sydney is cheaper than Woolies or Coles, but they stock brands I've never heard of and they don't stock everything you'd find in a regular grocery store.

I was under the impression that Foodtown (you did mean foodtown didn't you?) and Woolworths were the 'posh' (expensive) versions and Countdown was the cheap version (all owned by Progressive Enterprises) which is why they are the same prices.

Just like Pak 'n' Save is the cheap version of New World.

There are plenty of places that sell groceries that are less expensive than Wollies, certainly Countdown and Pak 'n' Save would normally be a lot cheaper on a weekly shop.

Ian

[akp713]

Foodtown is supposed to be the priciest and usually is, because it doesn't stock it's groceries in the back of the store, everything is brought by truck fresh and they stock more brands and specialty items. They also have a lot of 24 hour stores and stores in the CBD.

The card is the onecard and it works at both Foodtown and Woolworths, one card good for two shops, thus the name. Countdown is cheaper than both but not as cheap as Pak ' Save.

[porknbeans]

I was under the impression that Foodtown (you did mean foodtown didn't you?) and Woolworths were the 'posh' (expensive) versions and Countdown was the cheap version (all owned by Progressive Enterprises) which is why they are the same prices.

Just like Pak 'n' Save is the cheap version of New World.

There are plenty of places that sell groceries that are less expensive than Wollies, certainly Countdown and Pak 'n' Save would normally be a lot cheaper on a weekly shop.

Ian


*double checks websites* It appears I did mean Foodtown. Oops. :roll

Ok, thanks for the information on the stores. :nice1

[porknbeans]

Foodtown is supposed to be the priciest and usually is, because it doesn't stock it's groceries in the back of the store, everything is brought by truck fresh and they stock more brands and specialty items. They also have a lot of 24 hour stores and stores in the CBD.

The card is the onecard and it works at both Foodtown and Woolworths, one card good for two shops, thus the name. Countdown is cheaper than both but not as cheap as Pak ' Save.


I'll look into the onecard. And thanks for the store information. :nice1