bulk head

I thought I was a bit of a legend buying our nuts and seeds in bulk. We go through a lot of this mixture of pine nuts, sunflower kernels and pepitas – and I thought buying in bulk would be saving us a tonne of money. Hoof was sceptical.

So what did I do? Sorted this packet of 'Lucky' mix to find out the comparable cost.

(I know you're pretty jealous of my life right now. I'm pretty cool.)

Luckily I have the patience of an animator, and stacked supermarket shelves (for the duopoly!) for six years, so I can easily apply myself to mind-numbingly boring and repetitive tasks.

The sad thing is that buying in bulk from the nut place at Psarakos only saves us 15 cents a kilo (when priced against same product bought from Coles). Something like 6 dollars a year. As it turns out. I am not a legend.

Well, if cost is not a determining factor, the next thing I need to think about is where they come from and the associated ethics. 'Lucky' seem pretty good. Plus side is Australian grown and manufactured = supporting local farmers and low food miles. No idea where the stuff from the Nut Shop comes from. I will have to find out. Plus side there is I can buy in paper bags. No plastic is a plus.

More research required.

Here are the sums.

200g LuckyNatural seed mix from Coles costs $3.89

The same from the place at Psarakos costs $3.86.

Lucky seed mix contains:

52 gm pine nuts

67 gm sunflower kernels

86 gm pepitas.

Thomas Dux - The local store?

It's hard to find somewhere to buy fruit and veg on the way home from work. I walk past a Coles on my way from work to West Richmond station, but no green grocers or independent supermarkets in sight. This evening I altered my route to go into the Thomas Dux to buy a few veggies. Something seemed amiss when I started seeing Macro brand products everywhere. Thought to myself “What's going on here? Macro is owned by Woolworths isn't it?”. After leaving with my paper bag containing expensive groceries I looked them up on Wikipedia – Yup. Thomas Dux is owned by Woolworths.

The real stinger is I'm pretty sure I knew this already – but my brain got confused by the marketing. I remember shopping at a Macro store many years ago. And I remember them being bought out by the duopoly. And I remember them rebranding. And I knew that Macro products are Woolworths products. But still I wandered into Thomas Dux forgetting all that, and not putting the pieces together, thinking I was in an independent supermarket.

I feel a bit stupid. But I also wonder how many other people have made the same mistake. Marketing is a powerful thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dux_Grocer

Should consumers be told that Thomas Dux is owned by Woolworths?