Tonight's content of the shopping bag: tinned and packet cat food, rice, washing up liquid, tinned fruit, chilli beans, marmite, olive oil, two loaves of bread, sliced sandwich beef, kippers and evaporated milk. Total bill (with discount) NZ$99 or US$71.75 / UK pounds 45.80.
A recent article in the Weekend Herald did an analysis of comparative shopping baskets in NZ, Australia, the UK and US. The US and UK shopping baskets were cheaper than the NZ equivalent. Given that our salaries average one third less than a comparative UK salary, you can understand why we gasp with amazement at grocery prices in the UK. It is cheaper to buy NZ lamb and milk products in England than it is here How is it that we are told we pay "export prices" for lamb and butter here, and yet the price in the UK is cheaper? It doesn't make sense but it does make me mad. We have only two supermarket chains, so competition is poor and we have less than 5 million people so the "economy of scale" argument is used all the time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful I have food to eat, but boy, this country is EXPENSIVE!
1 comment:
Glad you are buying tinned peaches, though! The new peaches are growing at a pace and we are told "there is no market for tinned fruit" hence we can expect "no price" and they will only take in 60% of what we produce...
Erika from South Africa
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