Aussie grocer's scathing message for major supermarkets: 'Money-hungry f**ks'
An Adelaide grocer is winning hearts on social media after posting an expletive-filled video claiming supermarkets are using inflation as an excuse to charge customers more.
Johnny Kapiris, who owns St Bernards Fruit and Veg Market in Rostrevor, accuses big brands of being greedy and putting profits ahead of customers at a time when everyone is feeling the squeeze from the rising cost of living.
"Every f**ker in Australia is using inflation for an excuse to jack their f**king prices up," he says in the video that's clocked up over 620,000 views on Facebook, "You know why? Because they're money-hungry f**ks".
He goes on to list his prices for a range of fresh produce, which includes red capsicums for just $2.99 a kilo. Coles stores in the same Adelaide postcode have them priced at $11.90 a kilo, meanwhile you'll pay $3.48 for a single red capsicum through Woolworths' click and collect.
At Mr Kapiris's grocery shop, mandarins are selling for just 99 cents a kilo, bananas for 99 cents a kilo and a punnet of strawberries for $4.99. Meanwhile you'll find the same fruits at Coles and Woolies for around $2.80 a kilo, $3.50 a kilo and $6.50 a punnet respectively.
Why is there such a big price difference?
Mr Kapiris doesn't deny that inflation has had a big impact on supermarket prices, with the rising cost of fuel and supply chain issues due to recent flooding also making fresh produce more expensive.
However, he says he has decided to shoulder some of those costs and accept a period of lower profits in order to spare his customers when they're already dealing with skyrocketing costs of living in so many other areas of their lives.
"Inflation is real but some people are playing on it," he told Yahoo News, "There's plenty of specials you can put on to bring the basket spend down, which I believe they [supermarket chains] are not doing."
"There are only a handful of us who are really interested in our customers."
Mr Kapiris says bigger businesses are more preoccupied with keeping their shareholders happy and he believes they're unwilling to budge on the markup margin they charge for fresh produce, even though that currently means customers are having to fork out record amounts of money for fresh fruit and veg.
While he's temporarily lowering his gross profits, Mr Kapiris trusts he will be paid back with customer loyalty in less trying times.
"We're a family owned business and we're hands-on in the shop. I know my customers by name and I know what they want," he says, "It's that tight community feeling."
"There are a lot of pensioners here and how can they afford $12 for a lettuce? That's just unheard of."
Massive response to viral video
Thousands of Facebook users have applauded Mr Kapiris for challenging the idea that profits should come before customers, with one person writing, "There is a lot to be said about having enough character to stay local and keep things affordable. Keep it up mate."
"We need more of you these days when everyone is going through this challenging time," commented another impressed viewer.
Others who live outside of Adelaide asked Mr Kapiris to set up shop in their states.
"Need you in every town in Australia," one person wrote, while another joked, "I could probably fly down from Melbourne, do my fruit shopping and bring it all back in extra luggage for less than it would cost me to shop here in Melbourne."
Mr Kapiris said the response to his video has been incredible and that he's been flat-out since he shared it on Sunday. Watch the clip in full here.
"Now that this video has gone viral, people are driving 30, 40, 50 minutes to come to the shop, to support that honesty," he told Yahoo News.
"They can see this guy is not a crook. They know that we're very transparent and we're not going to rip them off. If something's expensive here they know it'll be just as expensive or more expensive elsewhere."
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