In the last two years, I have dramatically reduced how much of my total grocery spend goes to you big chain supermarkets. I used to spend $300 per week with you. Now, I spend under $100. The reason? I don’t trust you. I want to trust you. But I don’t. Aldi. How about that time that you were selling us “grass-fed beef” at a premium price and then *whoops* the beef wasn’t actually grass-fed? Woolworths. How about that time you placed all of those soft plastic recycling bins outside your supermarkets only to be uncovered by ABC’s War on Waste that you actually throw it all into landfill? Coles. How about that time you advertised your bread as “freshly baked in store” when it was actually partially baked off-site, frozen and then "baked to completion" at the local Coles store? That little lie cost ya $2.5 million in court didn’t it? You are all guilty. You can all do better. I realize that you all have shareholders to keep happy. But you have a triopoly on the supermarket game in Australia. People shop with you for convenience. I work hard to find the best and most ethical produce from local independent stores. But this takes time. Time most people don’t have. I implore you to do better. Restore my faith in you. Can I make some suggestions? Ban the Bag Don’t wait until the law is changed in 2018 to ban plastic bags. Do it now. And don’t just change your lightweight plastics to the heavier type under the guise that they are reusable. Just don’t give the option of using ANY new plastics. Better yet, give reward point incentives at the checkout if you bring your own reusable bags! Get Ugly Buy more ugly food from farmers. Farmers are throwing out tonnes of food daily just because they don’t meet your stringent aesthetic requirements. Change your requirements. OR, purchase all of that otherwise wasted produce and put it for sale in your stores for a big discount. I am a huge advocate for subsidizing fresh produce. Our country is in the midst of an obesity crisis because we are able to buy a burger for $1 when a salad is $7. Make fresh produce too cheap to refuse. Ugly produce is a great way to get cheap, fresh food to the masses while bypassing any lengthy bureaucratic government subsidy process. Buy those warped bananas off the farmers. They were going to go to waste anyway. Sell them for half price. Make them cheap. People will buy them. I guarantee it. Plastic packaging While we are in the fresh produce aisle, get rid of that ridiculous amount of packaging! No more plastic trays. No more cling film. No more plastic bags. Keep the produce loose! Aldi, ban the pods! Aldi have announced that they have partnered with Terracycle in a new recycling program for their Expressi coffee pods. Hoorah! All you have to do is POST your used coffee pods to them. What bullshit. Realistically, who is going to do that? Billions of coffee pods are being used every year. They have been in the spotlight time and time again for the scourge they are on the environment. Are we still seriously using coffee pods? Ban the pods altogether Aldi. Stay true to your word If you say that you are going to recycle your soft plastics, for God’s sake, recycle your soft plastics! Don't bloody dump them in the nearest creek! ** Keep in mind that best practice is not using plastics in the first place** Woolworths, I appreciate what you are trying to do with your “odd bunch” range however if this is truly produce that was otherwise going to waste, what is with the price? $1.30/kg of ugly carrots compared to $1.70/kg for the Brad Pitt of carrots? Or $4.00/kg for ugly lemons compared to $4.80 for Lemon Clooney? There is hardly a significant discount here. Also, with your shareholders always in mind I know you have developed your “macro” organic range. A product produced and packaged by Woolworths is more money in Woolworth’s pocket after all. At first I was cartwheeling with glee over this range. Reasonable prices AND organic. But my trust in you is so low, I now question if these products are actually organic at all and if you pay your farmers fair prices for their produce. Have you tried to source locally or are you just purchasing from overseas because it is cheap? You see? Trust is everything. I don’t trust you. Do better. What are your biggest gripes about your large chain supermarkets?
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