[Nic in NZ]

Hi
we arrived in NZ in Sept last year with work visas and are now putting our ITA in this week. I was only just told about this site this week, wish i had known about it earlier, all good advice and shoulder to cry on in the first few weeks of being here would have been handy but we came through the living in an empty house and knowing only one other family in our area( Whangarei).
We are settling down now and finding our feet and making new friends which is very important.
Love to here from other people in our area for a but of a chat.
Nicola, David, Kathryn (4) and Hannah (1)
:cheers

[AliJax]

Welcome Nic - I bet your an old hand when it comes to NZ, We've been here since 2nd Jan & already landed a couple of jobs cars BBQ & we're lovin it.

_________________
Theres Me AliJax, LindaJax & LucyJax (4)

[tigerlily]

Thanks for joining! I'd be very interested in your impressions of the area you are in, as a new comer. Welcome!

[lindajax]

Hi there,
Alijax's missus just sdaying welcome!
Linda x

[eric_amanda]

Hi Nicola

We are in Whangarei too!! We are living at Vinegar Hill and have been here since just before you, August 2004. Where are you living?

I have three preschoolers Edward (4 in a couple of weeks) Harry (2 in April) and Max (13 mths).

We have well and truly found our feet and the boys are into lots of preschool things.

If you want to meet up some time let me know :yes

At last I am not alone!!!!

Look forward to hearing from you and welcome to the forum.

Best wishes :cheers

Amanda

[Carol]

Hi Nicola and welcome....


Carol

[Diny]

Welcome Nicola

What a shame you've only just found us!

Diny

[Nic in NZ]

Amanda,

I have sent you a PM with my phone number but being new to the site i proberly sent it a few times!!!

Look forward to hearing from you

Nicola

[Milliemoo]

You've had it now Nic..... you'll be on this site everyday! :mrgreen: :P :mrgreen:

Milliemoo :nice1

[Beach Kiwi]

I'd been in New Zealand for over 40 years before *I* found this site! ;) :mrgreen:

[kiwidollie]

It is rather addictive!

Also very friendly and helpful....... WELCOME :cheers

Nice to be able to chat to the people who've made the big leap. We're hoping to be over when our son has taken his GCSE's in the summer, providing of course that we get the house sold and all that kind of stuff.
x

[Kim39]

Better late than never. Welcome to our world..........


Kim

[eric_amanda]

Hi Nic

I Pm'd you last night to say that I had not got your PM!!

Give me a call and we can arrange a get together at some point. You never know our paths may have crossed already!

Speak to you soon

Amanda

[bbq]

welcome Nic!!

cheers

alex :nice1

[sarahw]

Welcome Nicola! Its a great site! :nice1

[Timbo]

Yeah, another future addict. :laugh
Welcome Nicola. Good to have another Northlander on board.

[Nic in NZ]

Amanda,

Our paths will have crossed i go down vinigar hill every week to take the kids to swimming lesson in tikipunga. i will give you a bell at the weekend. i am off to Pack and Save today!!!!

Nicola

[Diny]

Oh God I love Pak n Save !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ooops sorry ..... veered off topic. :uhoh

Diny

[eric_amanda]

Nicola

Just tried to call you, and then read this!! :oops: :oops: Left message on your machine!! Give me a call either this evening or over the weekend, I will be here.

It's funny. That lady at Tikipunga seems very popular, I know a few people who use her and she comes well recommended. Swimming lessons is about the only thing we don't do yet, although it is on the list of things to do.

And its amazing how many people use Vinegar Hill as a short cut, :? good job we live away from the main road!! :P

Diny, what is it with you and Pak n Save??? :P

Amanda

[dave k]

Oh God I love Pak n Save !!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Diny

:eek

You have to be joking, right?

On the rare occassions that my girlfriend drags me to the P&S in Kilburnie it drives me crazy!!! There's no baskets so you have to push a massive trolley round...there's no space to get down the aisles ( I've taken to just leaving it near the checkout and carrying all my shopping round with me, dumping it in the trolley every now & then..), I can never find anything I want, the prices seem to fluctuate wildly for no reason, the till girls process everything like it's some kind of Olympic event and they'll be penalised for slowing down ...and they ALWAYS ask me for id to buy booze!!! I'm 35 for Chrissakes!! And I never have my passport on me, so I have to sheepishly leave it.
OK, so it's slightly cheaper than other stores...but I'll take Moore Wilson's ANYDAY.

[Diny]

Pak n Save .....

I just can't help it. It's chaos, it's tacky, it's like a grocery jumble sale. Everything displayed in it's box with the front cut out of it.

Last time I was there I found a sparrow perching on the cornflakes in the cereal aisle. It's makes me laugh ..... it's as far removed from Sainsbury's as it's possible to get.

I know .... I'm odd .......

There's no way I'd say it was the BEST supermarket chain, but for me it's by far the most entertaining !!!!!!!!

Diny

[Moorf]

The Pak n Saves here are like warehouses in size but they have proper shelves, a deli counter, great bakery section and v. few boxes with holes cut in them! Perhaps the older ones are the less sophisticated :?

[Babette & Andy]

Welcome to the site Nicola. What a shame you only just 'found' us. But hopefully you and Amanda can now share your experiences & kids soon :laugh That is if you guys get hold of each other :laugh

Anyway, good to have you on board.

Babette

[Diny]

The Pak n Saves here are like warehouses in size but they have proper shelves, a deli counter, great bakery section and v. few boxes with holes cut in them! Perhaps the older ones are the less sophisticated

Now that's disappointing :no it was the 'pile it high sell it cheap' approach I liked. Even the sparrow on the cornflake box was OK by me.

Diny

[jesselyn]

http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/mix/hallo.gif
welcome to the forum!

cheers,
jes

[wilson182]

I'm with Moorf,

The pak N save in christchurch is ok :nice1, but then.....I could never afford to shop in Sainburys anyway :nice1

[Nic in NZ]

Pak n save is great as it saves me money on my food bill about $70 a week, just because i have to pack my own grocerys.

Think i prefere the money in my pocket to a few min inconveniance

Spelling was never my strong point!!

[Carol]

Pak'n'Save in Porirua is exactly as you describe it Diny.......

only with more birds....



I use Woolworths
:nice1

[Soon2baKiwi]

Will someone explain to me what's different about Pak'n' Save than, say, Lidl. I imagine that it's something like Lidl but I get the impression that people are not used to packing their own groceries at checkout. I can't remember having someone do it for me when I lived in London and here the only time you get someone pack for you is when they're collecting for a charity. In Conmart when I lived in The Hague(someone in Holland will know what I mean if that's not the correct spelling) you put all your groceries back in your trolley and went off to a corner to put them in bags. Is that Pak'n'Save?? Pleaseeee?

[Diny]

Right ..... it seems that Pak n Saves up and down NZ could be different. The ones I've been to have always been like a warehouse (no ceiling .... right up to the rafters) and the goods have been stacked in their boxes on shelves which are really just metal staging. Yeah they do have a deli and a bakery. I love Pak n Save ....... I think the goods are fine and at a reasonable price. I've always had to pack my own goods .... but there again I do here in the UK (apart from Sainsburys where the check-out dolly packs as she's going along which takes soooooooooooooooooo long .... it makes me itch).

The particular store that had a resident sparrow in the cornflake department was in Kaitaia (far north).

Have you ever been to a cash and carry ........ somewhere like Makro? To me they are a very similar lay-out to Pak n Save.

My fixation with this particular store goes back many years. On one of our 6 month stints in NZ back in the late 80s PB and I travelled from far north (NI) to far south (SI) and always had to call in any Pak n Save we saw .... just one of those daft things we did.

As for the similarity to Lidl????? Hmmmmmm ...... not really.

Diny

[Soon2baKiwi]

Thanks Diny. I'm getting a picture now. It's pretty. :yes :laugh Anyway, when someone starts to pack my bags I'm always watching to see that they're doing it properly :roll:

[Kim39]

Could it be the equivilent of ALDI :no

[Tate6]

Coming from the US, it sounds like Sam's Club here. But they have bulk supplies of everything from food to CD's to furniture to clothing. I LOVE Sam's Club!! So I may be like Diny and travel all over to go to every one!!
And about someone else packing my groceries....they never do it right!! :no
I always separate my things into cold and frozen and then the rest. Then, I ask to have them kept separate. Does it EVER happen??? NO!!! :wah
I prefer to do it myself!!

By the way.....WELCOME NIC AND FAMILY!! :P

Terry

[Diny]

Ahh ... Sams Club sounds abit like 'The Warehouse' (where everyone gets a bargain). No doubt there's those who will disagree.

Might I add that I also have to visit any Warehouse I pass too. In fact I'm getting withdrawal symptoms ............. need to get there soon !!!!!!!

Sad eh.

Diny

[wilson182]

....and a money back guarentee.....

My kids sing that song EVERY time we tell them we are going to the warehouse. :eek

[eric_amanda]

Just to keep you all up to date....we finally spoke on Friday after Nic's trip to Pak'nSave!! :clap

Nic and I, and our children met up at her place this morning. :P

We had a great morning and she has a fab place with tons of fruit trees!!

Thanks for the tea Nic and we look forward to your visit on Friday :nice1

Best wishes :cheers

Amanda

[Simon & Emily]

I have to say that I agree with the packing policy - I'd rather pack it myself (especially if that means it's cheaper to buy). The one time I left the Sainsbury's till lady to pack in on her own - probably whilst sorting out two fighting toddlers - was in the middle of a heat wave when she packed all the ice cream for a birthday party on it's side. By the time I'd got home the cartons had defrosted and leaked all over the rest of the shopping, boot contents etc etc :wah

Have you ever tried clearing up a few pints of melted ice cream from the carpet in your car? I was not a happy bunny, especially as I still had to get more ice cream for their party.

Emily

[sarahw]

Diny,

Carol is right - Pak & Save Porirua (where I shop & I love it by the way although if I want anything 'exotic' like cinnamon sticks I have to go to New World) is exactly as you describe it. The first time I went I actually was quite nervous as I didn't know what I should be doing - everyone seemed to know & be weighing certain foods & writing numbers on bags & stuff!!! .....Then I saw a load of birds flying around!!! At the end of the shop I was busy trying to stuff the shopping into bags a la Sainsburys :laugh the checkout staff must have thought ah we have another newbie Pom here! Now of course I find it quite nice to have someone pack my trolley up & then I either pack my bags in the carpark or just pack the boot of the car up with the food & load it directly into the fridge when I get home! - no bags... I took Ian last weekend & he nearly freaked when the checkout staff started loading the trolley up with all the goodies & no bags! :laugh :laugh Its funny what you get used to! But I must admit its SOOO much cheaper than my local New World (Whitby which I've heard is a very expensive one) most things are 10 cents to a $1 cheaper - it really mounts up on a shop!

[paulwardle]

I love Pak & Save, it rules, especially the kilbirnie one. I love the fact that the onions you buy are peeled of all the rubbish on them, though the fruit & veg section of Kilbirnie branch is like wacky races... Its cheaper than Woolworths, but admittedly not as nice to shop in. One of the nicest breads i've ever had in my life was bought in Pak & Save kilbirnie, the fishmongers are always really helpful, its just paying for bags that bothers me & the maniac trolley gatherers that scare me a bit...... & the birds in the ceiling......
PAK & SAVE RULES.....

[Paul and Linda]

Here's an extract from limited website, interesting idea on scanning your own purchases as you go so that you can budget, something that should catch on here.




At PAK’nSAVE our policy is to provide New Zealand’s Lowest Food Prices, so we never stop looking for ways we can keep costs down in order to pass those savings on to you.

PAK’nSAVE follows a Food Warehouse format unique to New Zealand supermarket shopping. We buy and stock a range of everyday basic products in bulk, and because we can do this in such large volumes it means that we can pass the savings on to you, in the form of New Zealand’s lowest overall food prices.

You will always find great specials in store - we pride ourselves on getting the best deals by taking advantage of opportunities to negotiate in the marketplace.

We are also working hard every day to reduce costs in store - so you’ll find that our plain style stores have no fancy floor coverings, extravagant shelving or expensive lighting. In our stores, we offer a practical and functional environment with wide aisles, where the grocery items are stacked on the shelf in their boxes so that it's easy to shop, and there are lots of checkouts to get you on your way as quickly as possible. We do ask you to pack your own groceries, as we know that you don’t want to pay for any extras hidden in the price of the goods.

Because we reduce our costs by these methods, we can pass the savings directly on to you, without reducing the quality of the products we offer. You only need to check out our fresh food departments to find great quality fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood, deli and bakery items, all at competitively low prices.

SHOP'nGO

SHOP’nGO offers you a quick and convenient way to do your shopping. Just pick up a hand held scanner from the SHOP’nGO station and scan your groceries as you shop. The scanner gives you a running total of your purchases. You can even change your mind and remove items from your scanned list. This way SHOP’nGO helps you budget. When you have finished shopping, go to a special SHOP’nGO checkout, pay for your groceries, and you are straight out - no queueing, no waiting!

If you want to know more, just pop by the information desk in the store. You can join straight away with our instant application pack… and start shopping!

Sorry, SHOP'nGO is not available at our PAK'nSAVE New Plymouth store.

PAK'nSAVE FUEL

Selected stores around New Zealand can now offer customers another way to make savings, linked to shopping for their household necessities, when you fill up at PAK'nSAVE FUEL.

What you spend on groceries can give you discounts on every litre of fuel that you purchase from PAK’nSAVE FUEL. The value of your discount is tied to the amount you spend in store – so the more you spend, the more you save!

At the moment, PAK'nSAVE FUEL is only available at the following stores in the Wellington region: PAK'nSAVE Petone and PAK'nSAVE Porirua.

How it works

When you have been through the checkout, you will receive a voucher attached to your till receipt, telling you how much you will save on every litre of fuel. Simply take this voucher to the pumps, enter the code printed on the voucher and you will instantly receive the savings on your fuel bill… it’s that easy!

Your fuel voucher is only redeemable at the Pak’nSAVE store where you purchase your groceries.

PAK’nSAVE FUEL accepts EFTPOS and major credit cards, and by paying at the pump we can help you get on your way faster.

PAK’nSAVE FUEL is supplied under an agency agreement by BP Oil New Zealand Limited. Special conditions apply. See in store for details. Trade not supplied, we reserve the right to limit quantities.

[Simon & Emily]

SHOP'nGO

SHOP’nGO offers you a quick and convenient way to do your shopping. Just pick up a hand held scanner from the SHOP’nGO station and scan your groceries as you shop. The scanner gives you a running total of your purchases. You can even change your mind and remove items from your scanned list. This way SHOP’nGO helps you budget. When you have finished shopping, go to a special SHOP’nGO checkout, pay for your groceries, and you are straight out - no queueing, no waiting!

If you want to know more, just pop by the information desk in the store. You can join straight away with our instant application pack… and start shopping!



WTG Pak'nsave!! This is only available at Waitrose here, and everyone knows how expensive they are. It gets my vote - quick, cheap and hassle free food shopping.

Emily

[Paul and Linda]

DECISION 02/29 - PAK 'N SAVE

Television

An advertisement for Pak'N Save was screened on TV One. It depicted a divided screen. On one side was a box of vegetables and the other side was blank. A voice-over stated, "…At Pak'N Save, everything we do, we do to save you money…that's why we only do small TV ads. We've worked out that we can save you even more money by sub-letting the TV space we don't use. So here's a selection of lovely fresh Pak'N Save vegetables, and here's a space for lease…".

The Complainant said the advertisement was misleading because on enquiring about the space to lease he was advised the promotion was a gimmick.

Code of Ethics, Basic Principle 4 (Social Responsibility) & Rule 2 (Misleading).

In the Chairman's opinion the advertisement was a humorous illustration used to reinforce the by-line "…At Pak'N Save, everything we do, we do to save you money…".

Chairman's Ruling: Complaint Not Accepted