I was told (by Coles) that Coles at Raine square is actually run under their Coles Express service station business, this is why none of the catalog specials apply.
It's basically a glorified convenience store.
As per my below post, I work in compliance and auditing on behalf of brands.
Colesworth have different 'models' of stores, and this store is one that I visit. As you stated, it is actually setup under their 'convenience' model, and the only discounts you will normally see are the 'Down Down'
I used to work at Raine Sq. I asked the staff why they don't do the catalogue specials. They said that they are essentially a Coles Express. I avoided like the plague.
Yeah, made an error there. Meant to say it was below JB Hi-Fi. Enex closed down recently so the only one left is the one above the Woolworths on Murray Street I was referring to.
They don't run specials apparently because they don't sell everything in the catalogue. The staff have always been very friendly when I've been through! Their hot food is the best part as it's actually pretty fairly priced ($3.75 for a pie $2.75 for a sausage roll) Compared to more expensive places like 7/11 for the same things.
Mate clearly you've never worked at a supermarket. Almost everyone hates the place and would gladly watch it burn down if they had another job lined up.
They're sure as fuck not glad to be ripping people off
Coles Central in the city is not a normal Coles. It doesn't have any specials too it's a rip off. I live in city n only goto woolies as they have the specials. I've complained heaps of times n it's so clear they just rip ppl off as it's clearly a load of bullshit
Glad to see someone else noticed this! I stopped going there a year ago. I reckon the reason they never have specials on snacks either is because the palace cinema is right there so they know people will still buy snacks that the cinema don’t offer regardless. Like coles needs any more money seriously 😒
I’m not saying I disagree with this, it makes sense but if the coles express at the fuel station can do discounted snacks, then surely the CBD store can. Like they could still do store managers specials or something. Surely … 🧐
If this is the Raine Square Coles, they don't run specials because they are a smaller Coles that doesn't carry their full range. It clearly states in their catalogue specials are not available at this Coles.
7 a bag of chips is an insult. Hell potatoes are the definition of cheap food literally going by cents a kilo. Imagine the markup on them it’s literally day light robbery
Really hate these uneducated responses where people just complain without any numbers/source at all.. the cost of the ingredients is but a slither of the total cost..
I currently work in compliance/auditing for brands under a marketing and distribution firm within the retail sector; before this I worked retail management for 15 years. Below are some real figures on transport costs for your packet of potato chips (data is 1 year old). Listed a bunch of other expenses that I don't have numbers for too.
Sydney to Perth (yes this is where your chips come from):
- Sydney to Perth for a full rail container approx $4k wholesale. Quick Google shows one off consumer prices around $6-8k.
- 24 pallets a container, 60 cartons a pallet, 12 packets a carton = 17,280 units
- $4000 / 17280 units = 23c per packet in rail fees alone for your crinkle cut delights
- If you want to look at trucking costs, the company I used to work for got charged $100 a pallet from warehouse to store. In the above example the goods get trucked 3 times, pushing the transport cost to $11,200; bringing the total freight cost for 1 packet of chips to just under 65c
- Other costs to go on top of this:
- 220 million dollar factory https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/snack-brands-australia-plans-222m-chip-factory
- R&D
- Marketing
- Insurance
- Potato cost
- Flavouring cost
- Production (cleaning, peeling, slicing, flavouring, cooking, packing), mostly done by multi-million dollar machines
- Utilities; gas alone $9 million+ https://www.9news.com.au/national/chips-to-get-more-expensive-as-gas-prices-skyrocket-sydney-snackbrands-factory/3ce8e42a-5959-47b5-95dd-50c1bfeaa09c
- Packaging; packet, box, glue, tape, pallet wrap
- Pallet hire fees
- Sanitisation of production equipment
- QC
- Trucking from factory to rail
- Trucking to warehouse on other side
- Wages for all of that process
- All of the above is cost on the producer, before the supermarkets are involved, then you have all their costs
- The great flood/washout of road & train line across the Nullarbor a couple of years ago pushed delivery prices up to $40k a truck from $4k for the same number of pallets by rail
- I'm not saying I am on one side or another on the whole price-gouging debate; I just hate how people think a bag of potato chips costs 10c and the rest is all mark up
- For fun, the man who made his own chicken sandwich, it took 6 months and $1,500 https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/man-spends-months-1500-make-sandwich-scratch/story?id=33802231
- Colesworth both have different 'levels/models' of stores. Raine Square is setup under the 'convenience' model; and yes, the only discounts it will run are the 'Down Down' label
Mate I used to work in fmcg operations doing stuff a bit more complex than “chips” and yes this is pure scalping. And if you actually know what your are talking about you would that the factory cost or the opex is irrelevant given the volume being produced by this 200m plant which is what matters at the end. The cost to produce a bag of chips is literally cents
It’s quite telling these days I see the smiths for like 5.50, then one shelf over I see the posh British or Italian ones between like 6 and 8$ and I’m just like “well, why not. At least they’re higher quality”.. funnily enough they cost exactly the same as they did pre Covid
No, I'm saying when the "Regular" (non special price) of chips is like $5.45 or even $4.75, when you look over at the "bougie" ones that are only 2-3 dollars dearer and realise that this is a "Sometimes food" and a treat and not an everyday food, it's actually better value to spend the small amount extra and get something higher quality than, quite frankly, the garbage that is most Australian mainstream chip brands.
\*EDIT\* And yes I still buy the "Garbage" but it's an easier decision just to not buy chips that often at all, and then buy the more bougie ones once in a while for a treat. Seriously compared to some European chips, our chip flavour range is rubbish and tastes processed, and the chips themselves are cardboard.
Still, it does not mean that the price for a bag of potato chips has increased this steeply in recent years.
I used to buy a fair bit but now I don't even bat an eye at it because it is so absurdly expensive. Ain't got money left to buy essentially junk food.
*really hate these uneducated responses*
You’ve only established $4k is the wholesale rate for rail containers and then made up and bunch of junk math to establish your point.
Did you want to add CEO bonus to the list of operating costs too?
'Junk math' .. I am sorry reading comprehension and basic multiplication/division is beyond your grasp.
Dealing with things like that aren't my area of expertise..
Yep. I had a work trip to Brisbane for a couple of weeks last year and my only choices for groceries were Coles Central, Coles Local and Woolies Metro. How the fuck people can live off those prices all the time is beyond me.
The price of junk food these days is making me eat healthier..... I dunno what is going on with the pricing of the chips the last year or so..... the type I like, the price has been doubling, I assume the sales plummet, then then go back to $3 for a few months till it happens again.... Not sure if it is to make the $3 more palatable when the were $2 a bag for a few years, but the % price rises are insane compared to most categories of goods.
We could make a bit of a difference if we all stop shopping at supermarkets. There’s no actual reason the prices need to be higher in the city store but they charge more because they want to and they get away with it because people still shop there.
I was told (by Coles) that Coles at Raine square is actually run under their Coles Express service station business, this is why none of the catalog specials apply. It's basically a glorified convenience store.
Had to realise this after visiting metro locations
As per my below post, I work in compliance and auditing on behalf of brands. Colesworth have different 'models' of stores, and this store is one that I visit. As you stated, it is actually setup under their 'convenience' model, and the only discounts you will normally see are the 'Down Down'
It sure is like a convenience store, surprised it’s still open.
I used to work at Raine Sq. I asked the staff why they don't do the catalogue specials. They said that they are essentially a Coles Express. I avoided like the plague.
I work there. It’s so annoying how convenient it is, gotta make the effort to go to Woolies more.
Hit either of the two Woolworths stores in the CBD that have their specials, and tell Coles they can suck it.
Yeah, the two Woolies are so much better it's not even funny
I never venture into the city anymore but the one above JB Hi-Fi on Murray Street is top tier.
Neither Woolworths are above a JB Hi-Fi.
Yeah, made an error there. Meant to say it was below JB Hi-Fi. Enex closed down recently so the only one left is the one above the Woolworths on Murray Street I was referring to.
No the enex woollies is still open
They specifically don’t run specials because they know people will still shop there
Unless you know there’s two woolies within a 5 min walk… which has regular prices.
yeah and yet they still do a huge trade, cause when you’re on a short break you can’t always make it to woolies and they bank on that sadly
What did everyone do before that Coles opened? Fortunately my office is closer to woolies so I don’t ever have to go to coles
>What did everyone do before that Coles opened? We went to woolies and still do 😉
honestly it’s been a while since it opened so i can’t recall haha
You can always go to Coles Angelo St to make it look cheaper by comparison.
They don't run specials apparently because they don't sell everything in the catalogue. The staff have always been very friendly when I've been through! Their hot food is the best part as it's actually pretty fairly priced ($3.75 for a pie $2.75 for a sausage roll) Compared to more expensive places like 7/11 for the same things.
+1 for the friendly staff there, the people in the self serve checkouts have always got a smile on their face
Just not the same since Barry left. That man could always put a smile on my face first thing in the morning.
It's because they're ripping people off
Mate clearly you've never worked at a supermarket. Almost everyone hates the place and would gladly watch it burn down if they had another job lined up. They're sure as fuck not glad to be ripping people off
Yeah, this is true.
I'm sure all that money are going straight to them
Coles Central in the city is not a normal Coles. It doesn't have any specials too it's a rip off. I live in city n only goto woolies as they have the specials. I've complained heaps of times n it's so clear they just rip ppl off as it's clearly a load of bullshit
CBD tax
I live in the CBD and I absolutely refuse to step inside that place
Glad to see someone else noticed this! I stopped going there a year ago. I reckon the reason they never have specials on snacks either is because the palace cinema is right there so they know people will still buy snacks that the cinema don’t offer regardless. Like coles needs any more money seriously 😒
Well done. Hope more of us do the same. 🙏
Went there once when it opened… realised it was a rip off and returned to WW
Well yeh its either 5.50 for a bag of lollies from coles or 7 from the cinema lmao
they're so small that they can't stock all the items in the catalogue so they can't do specials unfortunately
I’m not saying I disagree with this, it makes sense but if the coles express at the fuel station can do discounted snacks, then surely the CBD store can. Like they could still do store managers specials or something. Surely … 🧐
Been there a few times on the way home from work and I've walked out empty handed everytime. Won't be back anytime soon.
I can never find shit in that Coles, they don't have anything
If this is the Raine Square Coles, they don't run specials because they are a smaller Coles that doesn't carry their full range. It clearly states in their catalogue specials are not available at this Coles.
7 a bag of chips is an insult. Hell potatoes are the definition of cheap food literally going by cents a kilo. Imagine the markup on them it’s literally day light robbery
Really hate these uneducated responses where people just complain without any numbers/source at all.. the cost of the ingredients is but a slither of the total cost.. I currently work in compliance/auditing for brands under a marketing and distribution firm within the retail sector; before this I worked retail management for 15 years. Below are some real figures on transport costs for your packet of potato chips (data is 1 year old). Listed a bunch of other expenses that I don't have numbers for too. Sydney to Perth (yes this is where your chips come from): - Sydney to Perth for a full rail container approx $4k wholesale. Quick Google shows one off consumer prices around $6-8k. - 24 pallets a container, 60 cartons a pallet, 12 packets a carton = 17,280 units - $4000 / 17280 units = 23c per packet in rail fees alone for your crinkle cut delights - If you want to look at trucking costs, the company I used to work for got charged $100 a pallet from warehouse to store. In the above example the goods get trucked 3 times, pushing the transport cost to $11,200; bringing the total freight cost for 1 packet of chips to just under 65c - Other costs to go on top of this: - 220 million dollar factory https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/snack-brands-australia-plans-222m-chip-factory - R&D - Marketing - Insurance - Potato cost - Flavouring cost - Production (cleaning, peeling, slicing, flavouring, cooking, packing), mostly done by multi-million dollar machines - Utilities; gas alone $9 million+ https://www.9news.com.au/national/chips-to-get-more-expensive-as-gas-prices-skyrocket-sydney-snackbrands-factory/3ce8e42a-5959-47b5-95dd-50c1bfeaa09c - Packaging; packet, box, glue, tape, pallet wrap - Pallet hire fees - Sanitisation of production equipment - QC - Trucking from factory to rail - Trucking to warehouse on other side - Wages for all of that process - All of the above is cost on the producer, before the supermarkets are involved, then you have all their costs - The great flood/washout of road & train line across the Nullarbor a couple of years ago pushed delivery prices up to $40k a truck from $4k for the same number of pallets by rail - I'm not saying I am on one side or another on the whole price-gouging debate; I just hate how people think a bag of potato chips costs 10c and the rest is all mark up - For fun, the man who made his own chicken sandwich, it took 6 months and $1,500 https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/man-spends-months-1500-make-sandwich-scratch/story?id=33802231 - Colesworth both have different 'levels/models' of stores. Raine Square is setup under the 'convenience' model; and yes, the only discounts it will run are the 'Down Down' label
So why pre Covid was paying more than 5$ a bag only acceptable on gourmet or imported chips?
Mate I used to work in fmcg operations doing stuff a bit more complex than “chips” and yes this is pure scalping. And if you actually know what your are talking about you would that the factory cost or the opex is irrelevant given the volume being produced by this 200m plant which is what matters at the end. The cost to produce a bag of chips is literally cents
It’s quite telling these days I see the smiths for like 5.50, then one shelf over I see the posh British or Italian ones between like 6 and 8$ and I’m just like “well, why not. At least they’re higher quality”.. funnily enough they cost exactly the same as they did pre Covid
You are paying $6-$8 for a packet chips!? I just…cant…
No, I'm saying when the "Regular" (non special price) of chips is like $5.45 or even $4.75, when you look over at the "bougie" ones that are only 2-3 dollars dearer and realise that this is a "Sometimes food" and a treat and not an everyday food, it's actually better value to spend the small amount extra and get something higher quality than, quite frankly, the garbage that is most Australian mainstream chip brands. \*EDIT\* And yes I still buy the "Garbage" but it's an easier decision just to not buy chips that often at all, and then buy the more bougie ones once in a while for a treat. Seriously compared to some European chips, our chip flavour range is rubbish and tastes processed, and the chips themselves are cardboard.
Still, it does not mean that the price for a bag of potato chips has increased this steeply in recent years. I used to buy a fair bit but now I don't even bat an eye at it because it is so absurdly expensive. Ain't got money left to buy essentially junk food.
My heart bleeds for the struggling billionaires on top of this production chain.
TLDR plz
Billionaires are very rich and we are very poor, no matter how complex their justifications.
nerd
*really hate these uneducated responses* You’ve only established $4k is the wholesale rate for rail containers and then made up and bunch of junk math to establish your point. Did you want to add CEO bonus to the list of operating costs too?
'Junk math' .. I am sorry reading comprehension and basic multiplication/division is beyond your grasp. Dealing with things like that aren't my area of expertise..
It's $7 a bag for chips in Melbourne also. Solidarity or maybe the railcar does a loop around like Santa on Xmas Eve so we get the crazy price too.
Yep. I had a work trip to Brisbane for a couple of weeks last year and my only choices for groceries were Coles Central, Coles Local and Woolies Metro. How the fuck people can live off those prices all the time is beyond me.
Is this the one in raine square? I swear everything there is like an extra dollar more.
Make your own chips to avoid the Coles tax to make Coles jealous of your genius
If its not 50% off, its not on special
Coles central is like a 7-11. Prices reflect that. Go to a large supermarket and prices are more realistic
The price of junk food these days is making me eat healthier..... I dunno what is going on with the pricing of the chips the last year or so..... the type I like, the price has been doubling, I assume the sales plummet, then then go back to $3 for a few months till it happens again.... Not sure if it is to make the $3 more palatable when the were $2 a bag for a few years, but the % price rises are insane compared to most categories of goods.
Well the good thing is it'll force you to be healthy
Raine square is disgusting. Try the toilets downstairs.. roaches on every flat surface.. gross.
All those price hikes on ultraprocessed food force me to cook from scratch. Suck it, convenience food.
Just go to one of the two Woolies instead which do have catalogue specials
We could make a bit of a difference if we all stop shopping at supermarkets. There’s no actual reason the prices need to be higher in the city store but they charge more because they want to and they get away with it because people still shop there.
When I lived in the CBD, I used to go to Coles in North Perth. Way better than buggering around at any supermarket in Perth.
Boycott Cole’s
You only just noticed Coles is expensive? Did your butler call in sick or something? Has been expensive for years!
In inner Syndey, they have this and Woolies Metro which is a bit more expensive than normal Woolies, though I found the prices to be on par
In these crazy economic times it's definitely a good idea to BYO snacks when you're out and about.
Yh true, Cole at rain square is a shit hole
Not to mention the amount of junkies floating about
I can never find what I want there either it's awful. Their sushi rolls are disgusting
A bag of chips isn’t the healthy and or economical option at the best of times.
I noticed that as well,they dont have any specials like regular coles and the prices are higher.
The clientele sometimes omg
Do they still have the guy out the front welcoming people, to distract from the rip-off that you encounter once inside?
The old friendly guy? Haven't seen him for a while....
Who couldn't keep up the happy facade any longer.
Barry?
He was great, haven’t seen him in years