Why I avoided Coles and Woolworths for a year

In January 2015, one Aussie resolved not to spend a single dollar at stores of supermarket giants Coles or Woolworths for the entire year.

In her blog “My year without Coles and Woolworths” Susan lists the three key reasons which drove her to embark on the challenge.

Also read: Where are Australia’s cheapest groceries?

Greenhouse emissions

The transport system, which moves fresh food and other grocery items from its origin to the store, and everywhere in between, creates huge greenhouse emissions.

“Products criss-cross the country, and sometimes the world. If you try buying a locally grown mango in Darwin, and it will have been shipped to the wholesale market in Brisbane, before being trucked all the way back to Darwin for retail sale.”

She also mentions the hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochloroflurocarbons (HCFCs) used in the refrigeration of all that food throughout its journey.

“Many of these chemicals are potent greenhouse gases. HCFCs also deplete the ozone layer. HCFC-22 is the most common refrigerant in Australia.”

Also read: Woolies failing to win price war: Choice

Price wars

The very public price wars between supermarkets have also negatively impacted farmers, which suffer from unfair pricing and unreasonable contracts.

“The $2 milk wars were a very visual example of some of these practices, but similar complaints have been made by vegetable producers including those producing potatoes and onions.”

Although the supermarkets have been under investigation by The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) since 2013, misconduct appears to be continuing.

In December last year the ACCC announced it was taking Woolworths to the Federal court, alleging the company engaged in unconscionable conduct after developing a strategy to "urgently reduce" its expected half year gross profit shortfall by the end of 2014.

Senior Woolworths management allegedly approved a scheme called "Mind the Gap" to obtain payments ranging from $4,291 to $1.4 million from a group of more than 800 suppliers, the ACCC said.

Also read: Woolies pressured suppliers for $60m, ACCC

Poker machines

While the Australian government is actively trying to curb the harm used by gambling machines, the nation’s largest owner and operator of the machines – Woolworths – continues to rake in proceeds.

“Woolworths took the opposite approach, facilitating and exacerbating the behavior of addicts.”

Read the full blog entry here.