The Great Grocery Gouge: When Did Food Shopping Become Highway Robbery?
Walking through the aisles of Woolworths yesterday, I nearly dropped my basket when I spotted the price of eggs. Over $10 for a dozen free-range jumbo eggs? The price hikes have become so outrageous that shopping for basics feels like luxury shopping these days.
Remember when a block of chocolate was a cheap treat? Now it’s practically an investment decision. The Belgian dark chocolate that used to cost $2.90 is pushing $4, and don’t even get me started on the premium brands. Some are claiming there’s a global cocoa shortage, with prices tripling from $3,000 to $10,000 USD per tonne. Fair enough, but we all know these prices won’t come down even when supply improves.
The duopoly of Coles and Woolworths has us in a chokehold. My weekly shop has more than doubled in the past year, despite cutting out most meat and processed foods. The frustrating part isn’t just the rising prices - it’s the shameless profit-taking masked as “supply chain issues” or “increased costs.”
The situation reminds me of the conversations I had with my grandmother about post-war rationing. While we’re nowhere near that severe, the strategic shopping required these days feels similar. I’ve found myself mapping out multiple stores, tracking specials across different chains, and timing purchases like some sort of grocery ninja. The local South Melbourne Market has become my go-to for produce, and I’ve started buying in bulk when staples go on special.
ALDI offers some relief, but they’re not available everywhere, and their limited range means you often need to shop at multiple stores anyway. There’s also been whispers about how Coles and Woolworths allegedly worked together to block Lidl from entering the Australian market. If true, it’s a perfect example of how these corporations maintain their stranglehold on our food supply.
The really concerning aspect is how this affects different socioeconomic groups. When basic nutrition becomes a luxury, we’ve got a serious social problem. The fact that healthier options often cost more than processed alternatives creates a two-tier food system that disproportionately impacts lower-income families.
Small changes can help - shopping at markets, buying seasonal produce, cooking from scratch - but these strategies aren’t accessible to everyone. Some people lack transport options, time, or nearby alternatives to the major supermarkets. We need systemic change, not just individual workarounds.
The solution might lie in stronger regulation and breaking up the duopoly, similar to what Roosevelt did in the United States. Until then, we’re stuck playing their game, hunting for specials, and watching our grocery bills climb higher each week.
Maybe it’s time to start a vegetable garden in the backyard. Though with the way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised if Woolworths found a way to charge us for growing our own food.