Dying
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Supermarket pain seems to be amplified when in the UK. At least in NZ the staff usually at least try to be helpful.
I very quickly learned that most of the pain could be removed using an online supermarket. Lucky for us the distribution centre was not far so if you booked an early morning delivery slot 99% of the time you were first delivery and didn't have to wonder when they were turning up.
Found I spent less as well as you don't trawl the aisles or make impulse purchases as easy. Just check and adjust your usual items and hit go.I couldn't believe the cost in London last year for a cart full of groceries and booze. When the price came up I exclaimed "Really?!?" and the checkout operator thought I was saying it was expensive.
It's sooooo much cheaper than a cart full in NZ.
really depends on what you buy and/or the quality level you are happy with. Some items I used to do a double take on how expensive they were. Some were same price in £s as $s.
Of course there is also no such thing as seasonal pricing on fruit and veg. You pay the same all year and the supermarkets source it from cheap suppliers around the world. I tend to buy seasonally in NZ and don't waste money on buying stuff in scarce supply.
The other thing is the availability of what would be an imported or boutique product in NZ at a high price whereby in the UK you can get it cheap e.g. fish mozzarella or real Parmesan. Then again something like a tasty cheddar is equiv of $16 for a kg block.
Food prices in general are kept down a lot by being part of a massive EU market. One of the reasons I couldn't understand why anyone would vote Brexit. The local products are higher priced than the EU imported for sure.As I said, a cart of groceries, generally speaking, not specifically.
Heaps cheaper in London than NZ.... generally
What is a 'general' cart of groceries though?
Buying the cheapest in the UK is cheaper than NZ, I agree. I could go to Lidl and fill a trolley full of shite for under a £100. Even buying the cheapest shite at Pak'N'Save would be well over that.
Heaps cheaper though? Nah, not for me and I am the shopper in our house and currently working out prices etc and adjusting back to things here.Two Saturdays ago, a Vicks inhaler, sixpack of small Coke Zero cans and packet of Ibuprofen in New World Warkworth was $23! Was shocked!
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@No-Quarter said in Aging:
I'm going to ramp up the angry old man stakes.
AMERICAN SPELLINGS
Looking at you @booboo
Aging FFS
Right - back to supermarkets....
Also, people mixing up brought and bought.
I have a friend who hates this as well, I'm always telling him everything I 'brought' from the shops.
Maybe you bought it and then brought it home?
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@taniwharugby said in Aging:
my first job was a paper run, delivering free papers and advertising material to houses, and where we lived was ficking hilly, I reckon a good month would be about $120...
For some of the advertising mailers, if we got a big lot on a friday, i'd have to do some on Saturday there were that many...or, I'd accidentally throw a whole heap down a steep banks where the chances of them being found were minimal.
Christ! In 1975 I was on $6 a week delivering the Herald.
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Anyway, on topic, getting old is no fun. I’ve gone from having a phenomenal memory to remembering that I despise the Blues but not why. Things I can probably look forward to in the near future are being weak as piss, saggy skin, humongous sized ears, some form of cancer, dementia and a lingering death. Going on previous efforts I’ll probably never see the ABs win another World Cup. Thank fuck I’m not bald.
As a Blues fan memory detrioration can only be a blessing!
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Supermarket pain seems to be amplified when in the UK. At least in NZ the staff usually at least try to be helpful.
I very quickly learned that most of the pain could be removed using an online supermarket. Lucky for us the distribution centre was not far so if you booked an early morning delivery slot 99% of the time you were first delivery and didn't have to wonder when they were turning up.
Found I spent less as well as you don't trawl the aisles or make impulse purchases as easy. Just check and adjust your usual items and hit go.I couldn't believe the cost in London last year for a cart full of groceries and booze. When the price came up I exclaimed "Really?!?" and the checkout operator thought I was saying it was expensive.
It's sooooo much cheaper than a cart full in NZ.
really depends on what you buy and/or the quality level you are happy with. Some items I used to do a double take on how expensive they were. Some were same price in £s as $s.
Of course there is also no such thing as seasonal pricing on fruit and veg. You pay the same all year and the supermarkets source it from cheap suppliers around the world. I tend to buy seasonally in NZ and don't waste money on buying stuff in scarce supply.
The other thing is the availability of what would be an imported or boutique product in NZ at a high price whereby in the UK you can get it cheap e.g. fish mozzarella or real Parmesan. Then again something like a tasty cheddar is equiv of $16 for a kg block.
Food prices in general are kept down a lot by being part of a massive EU market. One of the reasons I couldn't understand why anyone would vote Brexit. The local products are higher priced than the EU imported for sure.As I said, a cart of groceries, generally speaking, not specifically.
Heaps cheaper in London than NZ.... generally
What is a 'general' cart of groceries though?
Buying the cheapest in the UK is cheaper than NZ, I agree. I could go to Lidl and fill a trolley full of shite for under a £100. Even buying the cheapest shite at Pak'N'Save would be well over that.
Heaps cheaper though? Nah, not for me and I am the shopper in our house and currently working out prices etc and adjusting back to things here.Two Saturdays ago, a Vicks inhaler, sixpack of small Coke Zero cans and packet of Ibuprofen in New World Warkworth was $23! Was shocked!
Hungover much?
On ocado.com this comes in 2.12 + 2.99 + 2.92 for Nurofen. So 8.04. Exchange rate of 2, it's around 16 or roughly 33% cheaper.
The real cheapness of the UK comes in when you move away from branded things. Could probably get the Nurofen for 50p if go on a different brand, and similar for the inhaler.
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@MajorRage said in Aging:
Supermarket pain seems to be amplified when in the UK. At least in NZ the staff usually at least try to be helpful.
I very quickly learned that most of the pain could be removed using an online supermarket. Lucky for us the distribution centre was not far so if you booked an early morning delivery slot 99% of the time you were first delivery and didn't have to wonder when they were turning up.
Found I spent less as well as you don't trawl the aisles or make impulse purchases as easy. Just check and adjust your usual items and hit go.I couldn't believe the cost in London last year for a cart full of groceries and booze. When the price came up I exclaimed "Really?!?" and the checkout operator thought I was saying it was expensive.
It's sooooo much cheaper than a cart full in NZ.
really depends on what you buy and/or the quality level you are happy with. Some items I used to do a double take on how expensive they were. Some were same price in £s as $s.
Of course there is also no such thing as seasonal pricing on fruit and veg. You pay the same all year and the supermarkets source it from cheap suppliers around the world. I tend to buy seasonally in NZ and don't waste money on buying stuff in scarce supply.
The other thing is the availability of what would be an imported or boutique product in NZ at a high price whereby in the UK you can get it cheap e.g. fish mozzarella or real Parmesan. Then again something like a tasty cheddar is equiv of $16 for a kg block.
Food prices in general are kept down a lot by being part of a massive EU market. One of the reasons I couldn't understand why anyone would vote Brexit. The local products are higher priced than the EU imported for sure.As I said, a cart of groceries, generally speaking, not specifically.
Heaps cheaper in London than NZ.... generally
What is a 'general' cart of groceries though?
Buying the cheapest in the UK is cheaper than NZ, I agree. I could go to Lidl and fill a trolley full of shite for under a £100. Even buying the cheapest shite at Pak'N'Save would be well over that.
Heaps cheaper though? Nah, not for me and I am the shopper in our house and currently working out prices etc and adjusting back to things here.Two Saturdays ago, a Vicks inhaler, sixpack of small Coke Zero cans and packet of Ibuprofen in New World Warkworth was $23! Was shocked!
Hungover much?
On ocado.com this comes in 2.12 + 2.99 + 2.92 for Nurofen. So 8.04. Exchange rate of 2, it's around 16 or roughly 33% cheaper.
The real cheapness of the UK comes in when you move away from branded things. Could probably get the Nurofen for 50p if go on a different brand, and similar for the inhaler.
Dreadful cold. Can't remember last time I bought inhalers. Worked though!
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@MajorRage said in Aging:
Supermarket pain seems to be amplified when in the UK. At least in NZ the staff usually at least try to be helpful.
I very quickly learned that most of the pain could be removed using an online supermarket. Lucky for us the distribution centre was not far so if you booked an early morning delivery slot 99% of the time you were first delivery and didn't have to wonder when they were turning up.
Found I spent less as well as you don't trawl the aisles or make impulse purchases as easy. Just check and adjust your usual items and hit go.I couldn't believe the cost in London last year for a cart full of groceries and booze. When the price came up I exclaimed "Really?!?" and the checkout operator thought I was saying it was expensive.
It's sooooo much cheaper than a cart full in NZ.
really depends on what you buy and/or the quality level you are happy with. Some items I used to do a double take on how expensive they were. Some were same price in £s as $s.
Of course there is also no such thing as seasonal pricing on fruit and veg. You pay the same all year and the supermarkets source it from cheap suppliers around the world. I tend to buy seasonally in NZ and don't waste money on buying stuff in scarce supply.
The other thing is the availability of what would be an imported or boutique product in NZ at a high price whereby in the UK you can get it cheap e.g. fish mozzarella or real Parmesan. Then again something like a tasty cheddar is equiv of $16 for a kg block.
Food prices in general are kept down a lot by being part of a massive EU market. One of the reasons I couldn't understand why anyone would vote Brexit. The local products are higher priced than the EU imported for sure.As I said, a cart of groceries, generally speaking, not specifically.
Heaps cheaper in London than NZ.... generally
What is a 'general' cart of groceries though?
Buying the cheapest in the UK is cheaper than NZ, I agree. I could go to Lidl and fill a trolley full of shite for under a £100. Even buying the cheapest shite at Pak'N'Save would be well over that.
Heaps cheaper though? Nah, not for me and I am the shopper in our house and currently working out prices etc and adjusting back to things here.Two Saturdays ago, a Vicks inhaler, sixpack of small Coke Zero cans and packet of Ibuprofen in New World Warkworth was $23! Was shocked!
Hungover much?
On ocado.com this comes in 2.12 + 2.99 + 2.92 for Nurofen. So 8.04. Exchange rate of 2, it's around 16 or roughly 33% cheaper.
The real cheapness of the UK comes in when you move away from branded things. Could probably get the Nurofen for 50p if go on a different brand, and similar for the inhaler.
Dreadful cold. Can't remember last time I bought inhalers. Worked though!
Try mentholated crystals dissolved in hot water. Mrs Cato swears by them, although she calls it crystal meth and no she is not being "ironic" or "funny".
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One thing I am noticing as I near 50 is the increasing nunber of females under 35 who are using the tactic of ignoring me to get me to sleep with them. Well, ladies, the joke's on you. Treating me as though I am invisible ain't working.
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@mariner4life said in Aging:
this thread is going to get delicious
Looks like my choice of Fern name was way before it's time.
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Food prices in general are kept down a lot by being part of a massive EU market. One of the reasons I couldn't understand why anyone would vote Brexit. The local products are higher priced than the EU imported for sure.
It's heavily subsidised from taxation. Farmer up our road has 400 acres and gets $NZ60,000 for, well, just having cows. There's also the 45%-ish tariff the EU puts on imported food.
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Jeez, great thread for an old bugger like me.
My favourite hate are the retired couples who enjoy driving at 40mph so they can have an animated conversation while the traffic builds up behind them.
What the fuck is so important that it can only be discussed in a bloody Nissan Micra?
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I'm just going to step away from the Grumpy Old Man thing for a second:
@MajorRage said in Aging:
My only gripe is the ridiculous use of plastic to wrap things which don't need to be wrapped
It is an interesting move by supermarkets, particularly when it comes to fresh produce.
I work for Woolworths here in Australia, and one of the teams in our area handles waste and recycling - everything from cardboard and plastic to food waste and chicken fat from the ovens etc.
The question about e.g. wrapping a cucumber in plastic while taking away plastic shopping bags comes up regularly. The answer is fairly simple: if you wrap that cucumber in plastic, the shelf life is increased by 2 weeks, and therefore more chance of selling it in the intended condition.
That means you're less likely to dump it as food waste - which can be diverted to food programs or farmers, but still requires transport and other "wasted" energy to get there.
All of our supermarkets now have a Soft Plastics recycling bin at the front of the store, so you can take your plastic bread bags, chip packets, cucumber wrapping etc. and put it there for free to reduce landfill.
It also makes it easier to label produce and therefore scan it at the register and therefore get the customer out the door quicker.
Even if they are a grumpy old bastard who wants to waste time in line complaining about plastic wrap
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I'm just going to step away from the Grumpy Old Man thing for a second:
@MajorRage said in Aging:
My only gripe is the ridiculous use of plastic to wrap things which don't need to be wrapped
It is an interesting move by supermarkets, particularly when it comes to fresh produce.
I work for Woolworths here in Australia, and one of the teams in our area handles waste and recycling - everything from cardboard and plastic to food waste and chicken fat from the ovens etc.
The question about e.g. wrapping a cucumber in plastic while taking away plastic shopping bags comes up regularly. The answer is fairly simple: if you wrap that cucumber in plastic, the shelf life is increased by 2 weeks, and therefore more chance of selling it in the intended condition.
That means you're less likely to dump it as food waste - which can be diverted to food programs or farmers, but still requires transport and other "wasted" energy to get there.
All of our supermarkets now have a Soft Plastics recycling bin at the front of the store, so you can take your plastic bread bags, chip packets, cucumber wrapping etc. and put it there for free to reduce landfill.
It also makes it easier to label produce and therefore scan it at the register and therefore get the customer out the door quicker.
Even if they are a grumpy old bastard who wants to waste time in line complaining about plastic wrap
Pretty one-dimensional argument you have there Nick. A shrink wrapped cucumber is one vegetable. What about all the other non-shrink wrapped?
Why is it cheaper to buy 3 peppers in a breathable cellophane plastic bag than 3 seperate ones?
Why are so many vegetables wrapped in plastic which is non-recyclable (this maybe not be an Oz issue)?
Why when I buy two avocado's do they need to sit in a plastic tray & then be wrapped?
Why are 4 tins of beans cheaper when wrapped in plastic, than buying 4 tins of beans?When I look at my rubbish / recycling each week, 95% of the plastic contents are food wrappings from supermarkets, of which I would estimate 90% are superfluous. I should be able to walk into a supermarket with a reusable bag / cardboard box, buy all my produce unwrapped and walk out with them all in the one bag. Why is it I can do that any farmers market, local farm shop, produce retailer, but not at the supermarket?
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@MajorRage said in Aging:
I'm just going to step away from the Grumpy Old Man thing for a second:
@MajorRage said in Aging:
My only gripe is the ridiculous use of plastic to wrap things which don't need to be wrapped
It is an interesting move by supermarkets, particularly when it comes to fresh produce.
I work for Woolworths here in Australia, and one of the teams in our area handles waste and recycling - everything from cardboard and plastic to food waste and chicken fat from the ovens etc.
The question about e.g. wrapping a cucumber in plastic while taking away plastic shopping bags comes up regularly. The answer is fairly simple: if you wrap that cucumber in plastic, the shelf life is increased by 2 weeks, and therefore more chance of selling it in the intended condition.
That means you're less likely to dump it as food waste - which can be diverted to food programs or farmers, but still requires transport and other "wasted" energy to get there.
All of our supermarkets now have a Soft Plastics recycling bin at the front of the store, so you can take your plastic bread bags, chip packets, cucumber wrapping etc. and put it there for free to reduce landfill.
It also makes it easier to label produce and therefore scan it at the register and therefore get the customer out the door quicker.
Even if they are a grumpy old bastard who wants to waste time in line complaining about plastic wrap
Pretty one-dimensional argument you have there Nick. A shrink wrapped cucumber is one vegetable. What about all the other non-shrink wrapped?
Why is it cheaper to buy 3 peppers in a breathable cellophane plastic bag than 3 seperate ones?
Why are so many vegetables wrapped in plastic which is non-recyclable (this maybe not be an Oz issue)?
Why when I buy two avocado's do they need to sit in a plastic tray & then be wrapped?
Why are 4 tins of beans cheaper when wrapped in plastic, than buying 4 tins of beans?When I look at my rubbish / recycling each week, 95% of the plastic contents are food wrappings from supermarkets, of which I would estimate 90% are superfluous. I should be able to walk into a supermarket with a reusable bag / cardboard box, buy all my produce unwrapped and walk out with them all in the one bag. Why is it I can do that any farmers market, local farm shop, produce retailer, but not at the supermarket?
Our weekly rubbish/recycling (lots of it rubbish) in the UK would easily be twice what it is in NZ. And yes, the biggest culprit by far is packaging.
The amount of beer/wine bottles doesn't change much though
