Aussie expat stunned by overseas product detail: 'Much cheaper'
The cost of a common household staple has spurred a fiery discussion about Australian supermarket prices.
An Australian expat living in Germany has voiced his shock at just how much Aussie supermarket shoppers are paying for household staples compared to people on the other side of the world.
Taking to social media, the man showed the remarkable price difference of dishwashing tablets between the two countries. "Australian living overseas here. Never realised how badly we get ripped off at the grocery store until I saw this. One of many examples," he stated in the post, which included a photo of a 43-tablet bag of Finish dishwashing tablets for €8.99.
"Current conversion rate brings it to $14.70 AUD," he clarified.
The equivalent product in Australia, which comes with three more tablets, sells for $54 at Woolworths at full price. Even at 50 per cent off, as it currently is at Woolies, it's almost double the price seen at this German supermarket.
How to buy cheaper
Several Reddit users were equally astonished at the contrasting cost. "The difference in price is staggering. It's in a long list of overpriced things in Australia, because someone here is willing to pay for it," one user commented.
Others urged shoppers to keep an eye out for bargains across different stores. "You don't buy these from Woolies or Coles. Go to The Reject Shop or even Aldi or you are paying too much," someone suggested, while a third added: "A pack of 50 is $20 at The Reject Shop. Being in Australia isn't what is ripping us off, it's the corporate greed of Coles and Woolworths."
Coles stands firm on $15 paper bags in face of customer criticism
American expat lists 'weird' differences about Aussie supermarkets
"If you want to buy tablets, skip the supermarkets and grab them at Bunnings where they are much cheaper," someone else urged.
A Woolworths spokesperson recently weighed into the discussion around the price of dishwashing tablets, telling Yahoo News that the supermarket stocks more affordable alternatives to well-known brands like Finish. "Our 100-tablet box of Shine dishwashing tablets at $12.80 is excellent value, working out to be less than 13 cents a tablet," the spokesperson said.
Coles, Woolworths profits soar
The price discovery comes as Coles and Woolworths were found to have expanded their profit margins at greater rates than European supermarkets in recent years, due to the duopoly they maintain in Australia.
The Guardian reports that profit margins spiked to 5.3 per cent at Coles and 5.9 per cent at Woolworths since the start of the pandemic, while that of major UK chains Tesco and Sainsbury's rose to 3.8 per cent and 3 per cent respectively.
'Eye-opener'
Not limiting the discussion to dishwashing tablets, some Redditors pointed out global price differences in other categories like food and drinks. "Currently in Europe and can't believe the beers you can get for €1 - 2 [$1.60 - $2.30] per can. Stretching the budget to €3 [$4.90] opens up some more options!" one user shared.
"My eye-opener was seeing fresh Australian diced Angus beef, low-fat beef mince, and well marbled steaks in random, Aldi-style supermarkets... across the Middle East, all of significantly better quality than what we get at 'Colesworth' and cheaper too," another traveller added.
"Yep... just did a shop in KL [Kuala Lumpur] at a pretty upmarket supermarket. Lots of our products. Much cheaper here," someone else shared.
Pressure mounting on Aussies
Comparison site Finder confirmed that Australian households are paying thousands of dollars more for groceries this year. In February 2023, the average household spent $185 on their weekly groceries – up 25 per cent or $37 a week compared to the year before, which translates to a massive $1,924 increase per household over 12 months. In May, the average weekly grocery shop had risen to $194.
Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker found that the cost of groceries is a major cause of stress for many Aussies right now, with one in two saying it's among their top three most stressful expenses. Of 1,054 respondents, 71 per cent admitted to adapting their eating behaviour as a result of rising costs.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
