A shopper has sparked a cost of living debate after he urged Australians to guess the total cost of their “basic” grocery purchase.
The shopper visited a Coles store in Melbourne on Saturday to stock up on some pantry staples for the week.
Surprised by the total price, they shared a photo of their eight-item basket on social media.
It contained only Coles branded items, including three liters of milk, one liter of Greek yoghurt, 1.4kg of chicken breast fillets, 600g of sirloin fillet, 400g of cashews, 750g of almonds and a bag 500 grams each of frozen diced mango and frozen raspberries.
—During the elections, I warned them that it would not be easy with Albanese. I bought the simplest and most basic things at Coles: how much do you think it cost?, they asked me.
The shopper bought eight items at a Coles store in Melbourne and shared a photo of their purchases after being shocked by the total amount.
The shopper revealed that her grocery purchase of eight “basic” items cost a whopping $72.89.
Many Australians said they had also been struggling with the rising cost of food.
“I can’t leave the grocery store without spending at least $70 on a bag,” another commented.
‘Shopping has become a terrifying experience. You can no longer afford the basics. And forget about adding cleaning supplies,” chimed in a third.
Others criticized the buyer claiming that some of his items were not “essential”, with frozen berries, cashews, almonds and strip steak being known as “luxury” items.
‘I’m not going to argue with you that grocery prices have skyrocketed, but I wouldn’t call some of these things essential.
“Sirloin steak and most nuts have always been more luxurious,” one person commented.
“Bro spent $25 on two bags of nuts and is complaining about the cost,” a second wrote.
‘Sorry, but strip steak, cashews, and dried and frozen berries are not ‘basic.’ “Chicken and milk are the only money-saving essentials,” a third added.
Another said: “I guess you don’t have a problem with the cost of living if you can call the luxury items you’ve bought staples.”
The shopper defended his purchases, saying the tour showed how items once considered everyday essentials are now considered “luxuries.”
“My concern is that our country used to be able to make sure that everything in the supermarket was more or less available to everyone within reason,” they wrote.
“It seems like a lot of people have been locked out of 80 percent of the supermarket these days and that bothers me.”
Another defended the buyer: ‘People say these items are not basic? The real problem is that they should be.
‘We live in Australia. Sirloin steak and some cashews is a disaster, right? How ridiculous.’
It comes as inflation sits at 3.6 per cent, well above the RBA’s two to three per cent target (Woolworths shopper file image)
Meanwhile, shoppers have been able to cut their grocery bills by a quarter by ditching major supermarkets, according to a report, but those in Tasmania and the Northern Territory will miss out.
An investigation by consumer group Choice found that Aldi had the lowest prices of the major supermarkets for an average basket of products.
An average basket of 14 common household items from Aldi costs $51.51 compared to $68.58 at Woolworths and $69.33 at Coles.
The report says the lack of Aldi stores in Tasmania and the NT contributed to higher average grocery prices in those jurisdictions.
Tasmanian shoppers paid $68.90 on average for the basket of products, while those in the NT paid $68.82.
On average, customers in the remaining jurisdictions paid between $62 and $64 for the same items.
Ashley de Silva, Choice’s chief executive, said where customers lived determined how much they would pay at the checkout.
Aldi crowned Australia’s cheapest supermarket
The consumer group sent mystery shoppers to 81 regional and metropolitan supermarkets across the country, including Aldi, Woolworths and Coles.
“If you live in Tasmania or the Northern Territory, you pay a lot more each week for your groceries,” he said.
“However, this is mainly due to the fact that these areas have more limited shopping options than the rest of the country, as there is no Aldi in Tassie or the NT.”
The basket of items included bread, flour, milk, ground beef, canned tomatoes, Weet-Bix, apples, carrots, penne, a block of cheese, frozen peas, butter, sugar and tea.
The report was the first of government-funded quarterly reports on supermarket prices that were created to help address concerns about the cost of living at the checkout.
Competition Minister Andrew Leigh said the report showed it was worth shopping around.
“We have seen an increase in split-basket purchasing over the last few years as households have felt the cost of living pressure… (which) will put more competitive pressure on large businesses,” he told reporters.
Tasmanian senator Tammy Tyrrell lamented the lack of supermarket competition in her state.
“Tasmans are bearing the cost of Aldi and other supermarkets putting them in too harsh a basket,” he said on social media.
The federal government has provided Choice with $1.1 million over three years to conduct the reports.
A federal review has called for a mandatory code of conduct between supermarkets and suppliers, with a final report due at the end of June.
Aldi praised the report, but Coles questioned the survey’s methods and offered its own final price.
“We welcome Choice’s contribution, however it is unclear whether like-for-like products are being compared,” a Coles spokesperson said.
“Our analysis last week comparing the same basket in New South Wales shows that customers can buy these products for $59.35 at Coles.”
Grocery prices at Coles and Woolworths are very similar, with just 75 cents separating the prices of our 14-item basket with no special offers.
Woolworths emphasized choice in its response to the survey.
“We know that many of our customers choose Woolworths for our wide range of high-quality products at competitive prices in more than 1,000 locations across Australia,” the company said in a statement.
Greens senator Nick McKim said the report highlights the need for more players in the market.
“It’s incredible that there can be only a one percent difference in prices between the duopoly,” he said.
“The choice between Coles and Woolworths is no choice at all.”