If only our CASE and CCCS is so on the ball. . .

[Davidklt]

Hmmm...they recently uncovered the Sterra scandal..

[Atonchia]

On 9/23/2024 at 11:49 PM, Davidklt said:

Hmmm...they recently uncovered the Sterra scandal..

Bcos they step onto toes across ministry.....

Stirrrr the facts of our treated water  ... Where even AMDK in SG knows tap water in SG is actually potable straight from tap. 

[Ender]

Now NTUC or giant all have online presence. Our watchdog can get some IT guy  to write an apps similar to camel camel camel to track some of the daily essential items. Save man hour with the apps.

[BanCoe]

On 9/23/2024 at 9:49 PM, Atonchia said:

Actually you are right leh....🤣

A lot actually due to current marco environment.... And global situation pushing price of commodities up.

All the carbon tax nonsense etc....

Shipment delays due to cargo ships bypass some regions, bottleneck at many ports, then when all ships and containers are floating....

There is lack of empty ships and containers.... Resulting increase shipment cost.... 

So... 

Here...we go again.. Same old ship again... Walking down the avenue.... few more years and we'll be through....Way--- lo way lo, way lo.. wah hah🤣

The same / if not similar container shortage has cropped up again since the Palestinian issue as ships are taking longer routes and uncertainty there and piracy still on/off targeting ships from certain countries ……. So seems like similar situation during Covid …… but now can see so many shops/ restaurant spaces are shuttered for quite a long period of time and expected high rents got not much take up ……. It’s brewing 

[Jman888]

Australia scenario is a bit different, they dun have much choice especially in smaller towns.  Here you get so many alternatives within 500m, just like sheng siong slogan 就在你左右  or online delivery within hours or a day. 

those small town in oz suburb, some only have 1 row of shops with 1 grocery store.

[inlinesix]

As Accountant, I hate all these exemption as it will f up implementation of POS system 

[Soya]

On 9/23/2024 at 5:50 PM, SGMCF328 said:

Heh, similar situation here too but our authority may be too busy with the in-depth monitoring until no time to take actions in protecting our consumers. Or was the price increases due to many other factors, which make it very complicated, requiring many man-YEARS to calculate? Hahahaha

I used to point out some of the offer advertisement to the respective supermarket, where was price was lower than the offer price, and the standard answer are either "Sorry, it is a typo", "The price actually increase quite sometime ago and now it is on offer, so a good time to stock up", etc.

Australia supermarkets Coles, Woolworths sued by regulator for misleading discounts

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/business/coles-woolworths-sued-by-regulator-for-misleading-discounts

SYDNEY – Coles Group and Woolworths Group, Australia’s two biggest supermarket chains, have been sued by the country’s competition regulator over claims they misled shoppers over discounting claims on hundreds of common products. 

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleged the companies briefly inflated prices on popular items such as Coca-Cola, Tim Tams biscuits and Colgate toothpaste before reducing them to the same or slightly higher than the original price.  

“The discounts were, in fact, illusory,” ACCC chairwoman Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in a statement on Sept 23.

“Many consumers rely on discounts to help their grocery budgets stretch further, particularly during this time of cost-of-living pressures. It is critical that Australian consumers are able to rely on the accuracy of pricing and discount claims,” she said. 

Australia has one of the world’s most concentrated supermarket sectors, with Woolworths and Coles controlling just over half of the market, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

Both chains have come under political fire during the cost-of-living pressures sparked by stubbornly high inflation, with the government in June introducing larger fines for anti-competitive behaviour. 

“These are serious allegations that the ACCC is bringing before the courts,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sept 23. “If this is found to be true, it’s completely unacceptable. Customers don’t deserve to be treated as fools by the supermarkets.”

The ACCC has been taking a tougher stance on protecting Australian consumers, who must contend with duopolies or oligopolies in many industries, including air travel, banking and telecommunications.

The competition regulator alleges Woolworths made false or misleading representations about the prices of 266 products between September 2021 and May 2023, while Coles made false or misleading representations about the prices of 245 goods during February 2022 and May 2023. 

Ms Cass-Gottlieb said the allegations were “very serious”, and that the ACCC is worried both about the harm to consumers and the harm to competition by fake discounts. 

The allegations come as the ACCC undertakes a broader analysis of the supermarket sector. Ms Cass-Gottlieb added that the commission is looking in depth at competition, cost, pricing and margins.

“We encourage genuine discounts – they matter to consumers,” she told reporters on Sept 23. “But they need to be genuine.”

In one example cited, from at least Jan 1, 2021, until Nov 27, 2022, Woolworths offered Oreo Family Pack Original cookies for for a regular price of A$3.50 for at least 696 days.

On Nov 28, 2022, the price was increased to A$5 for 22 days. On Dec 20, 2022, the cookies were placed on a “Prices Dropped” promotion at a new price of A$4.50 and a “was” price of A$5. The “Prices Dropped” price of A$4.50 was in fact 29 per cent higher than the previous regular price, the regulator said.

The regulator also alleged that in many cases both companies “had already planned to later place the products on a ‘Prices Dropped’... promotion before the price spike, and implemented the temporary price spike for the purpose of establishing a higher ‘was’ price”, Ms Cass-Gottlieb said. BLOOMBERG

Lol....u realli expecting the toothless tiger to be capable of doing anything useful? 

U get better odds of striking Toto.....

 

[mersaylee]

On 9/24/2024 at 9:05 AM, Soya said:

Lol....u realli expecting the toothless tiger to be capable of doing anything useful? 

U get better odds of striking Toto.....

 

Maybe becos...😁

[Beehive3783]

On 9/23/2024 at 9:52 PM, macrosszero said:

Keep in mind Australia was, and maybe still is, able to selectively exempt GST on essential items, while Singapore said it was “too difficult” to do so and chose to apply it across the board, thereby making it a tax for all, rather than an elective tax where you only got stung if you were buying a luxury item. Of course, I’m sure they did it because people will start contesting what is a luxury item, but what do I know, I’m not a lawmaker 

"What's wrong with collecting more?"

Famous words from a famous man  

[BanCoe]

On 9/24/2024 at 8:55 AM, inlinesix said:

As Accountant, I hate all these exemption as it will f up implementation of POS system 

I remember this one …… breads are exempted but pastries are not ….. so you also see many breads with dry fruits / raisins which don’t attract GST /VAT

[Davidklt]

On 9/24/2024 at 12:19 AM, Ender said:

Now NTUC or giant all have online presence. Our watchdog can get some IT guy  to write an apps similar to camel camel camel to track some of the daily essential items. Save man hour with the apps.

There is already such a function on google shopping.

[Voodooman]

On 9/23/2024 at 9:49 PM, Atonchia said:

Actually you are right leh....🤣

A lot actually due to current marco environment.... And global situation pushing price of commodities up.

All the carbon tax nonsense etc....

Shipment delays due to cargo ships bypass some regions, bottleneck at many ports, then when all ships and containers are floating....

There is lack of empty ships and containers.... Resulting increase shipment cost.... 

So... 

Here...we go again.. Same old ship again... Walking down the avenue.... few more years and we'll be through....Way--- lo way lo, way lo.. wah hah🤣

Fair amount of price gouging too by local distributors and retailers (either operating/ shipping cost have went up or profit margins have increased, I suspect more of the latter).

Snacks like Tim Tam from Australia, M&S custard cream cookies from UK, etc used to cost around 30-50% more here but they are now doubled/ tripled the price here vs place of origin.  Don't think we tax such imports or shipping cost have increased so much. 

[BanCoe]

On 9/24/2024 at 10:57 AM, Voodooman said:

Fair amount of price gouging too by local distributors and retailers (either operating/ shipping cost have went up or profit margins have increased, I suspect more of the latter).

Snacks like Tim Tam from Australia, M&S custard cream cookies from UK, etc used to cost around 30-50% more here but they are now doubled/ tripled the price here vs place of origin.  Don't think we tax such imports or shipping cost have increased so much. 

Same for most confectionary/ chocolates from Europe(German/Belgium/Swiss)....... almost 50% more cheaper in East Europe (same brand) and almost double the prices in SG     

[Soya]

On 9/24/2024 at 11:05 AM, BanCoe said:

Same for most confectionary/ chocolates from Europe(German/Belgium/Swiss)....... almost 50% more cheaper in East Europe (same brand) and almost double the prices in SG     

U fellas got expensive taste 

I onli buy PI kitkat from neighbourhood Value$ shop 

 

[Sosaria]

On 9/23/2024 at 9:05 PM, BanCoe said:

Only if smaller boys like Prime , Value Dollar Shop or Mustafa can get blessings then it will be more transparent , in fact value dollar shop  is quite cheap ….

must have them more around 

Or those independent grocery shops, which can be quite large, Jurong West block 50x have one such type.

Their stock is really impressive, shelves are neatly packed full. And prices are good too. However only residents staying nearby can benefit.

[SGMCF328]

End of the day, retailers make profits, government coffer collect more corporate and income tax (remember Sheng Siong employee can get up to 16 months bonus?), all happy gao Jurong, win-win situation for them, at the expense of consumers.

I am happy to be proven wrong, but as a peasant, this is what I feel when I see price increases every now and then during my routine groceries runs. I know things are cheaper across the causeway but without a car, there is only this much I can buy (and save) during a day trip to JB.

Take for example, sakura chicken from the same source selling at less than half price in JB, and even I tambah in the 9% GST, the sum still doesn't add up.

[Soya]

Cannot realli compare JB cost vs Sg cost la

Dun talk abt higher fixed overheads....anyone here prepared to accept JB-level salary or not? 

I know at least 300,000 daily johoreans cannot accept...

 

[BanCoe]

On 9/24/2024 at 2:17 PM, Soya said:

U fellas got expensive taste 

I onli buy PI kitkat from neighbourhood Value$ shop 

 

……. And pay car full ca$h ……. Now go have a break 😂😂😂