The Not-So-Supermarkets

Explicit content warning

11/15/21 • 22 min

Consume This

We all have a vague sense that groceries are really expensive. If you’ve been around long enough you might even be thinking ‘it never used to be this way’. But are we really being charged too much? According to the Commerce Commission the answer may well be yes. For the last 12 months they’ve been conducting a market study into the grocery sector. They recently published their draft report, and its findings are pretty damning for the two big supermarket chains. Simply put, they believe a lack of competition in the sector is keeping prices high and profits large. Unsurprisingly Countdown and Foodstuffs disagree with this analysis, maintaining that they have plenty of competition. In this episode of ‘Consume This’ we attempt to find some of it.

We’re joined by Sarah Balle, the founder of a new online only supermarket to find out why it’s so hard to compete with the current duopoly. Another Sarah – boss of Yum Granola, Sarah Hedger – explains how a product makes it onto the supermarket shelves, who sets the price, and importantly why she doesn’t sell it cheaper via her own web shop. The grocery industry needs to change, we need our $$$ to go further, but are the Commerce Commission really up for the fight?

You can find the full Commerce Commission draft report here & our submission to the ComCom market study here. This podcast only scratches the surface, for even more information on our supermarkets campaign check out the Consumer NZ website.

Thanks to this week's guests Sarah Balle, Sarah Hedger and Ramesh Patel.

Consume This is brought to you by Consumer NZ. For updates follow us on Facebook, Instagram or sign up to our mailing list here. You can get in touch via [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to this week's guests Sarah Balle, Sarah Hedger and Ramesh Patel.

Consume This is brought to you by Consumer NZ. For updates follow us on Facebook, Instagram or sign up to our mailing list here. You can get in touch via [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Game Over: Can You Afford To Die?

Death is one of life’s certainties, but can you afford to die? According to the Ministry of Health the average price of a funeral is $8-10k. While this may not seem like a lot for some people, one in ten New Zealanders have no savings. We examine the funeral industry – can you BYO coffin? Why does it cost so much? Also, why is it so hard to find out funeral costs up front?

We talk to one woman about her experience navigating the death industry after the sudden and unexpected death of her mother. Ex-casket maker Tamara Linnhoff shares inside information about anti-competitive practices in the industry, and Stephen Parkyn, the CEO of ‘Consumer Trusted’ Funeral Directors Lamb & Hayward tells us how regulation could improve things for consumers.

Thanks to this Vee Blackwood, Tamara Linnhoff & Stephen Parkyn for joining us this week.

If you are struggling with the costs of arranging a funeral financial help may be available. More information is available on the NZ Government website, or via the Citizens Advice Bureau.

You can get in touch via [email protected]. For updates follow us on Facebook, Instagram or sign up to our mailing list here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

What’s In a Present? The Economics of Gift Giving

As scary as it sounds, we’re rapidly heading towards Christmas! The holidays can be an exciting time, they’re full of food, friends, family and fun. But they can also be crammed with spending and shopping. One of our biggest expenses, in time and money, is the Christmas present!

On this episode of Consume This we’re unwrapping the psychology and economics behind our giving. Plus, New Zealand's ‘unofficial Christmas historian’ Ali Clarke delves into why we give gifts at Christmas at all. Paul Harrison – a consumer behavior specialist – explains what our choice of gift says about our relationship, and why you might be better off taking a step back from the marketing. That’s something pod host Jon Duffy discovers first hand when a secret Santa gift gone wrong provokes serious ire from co-host Sophie Richardson. But why is Sophie so angry? It’s all because of a lack of gift giving reciprocity. As Ananish Chaudhuri, professor of behavioral economics at Auckland university explains – that’s more important that you might think...

For updates follow us on Facebook, Instagram or sign up to our mailing list here. You can get in touch via [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.