Which supermarket chain offers the best value shopping basket?
The CHOICE Supermarket Survey sent shadow shoppers to purchase a basket of 33 specific items from 111 supermarkets around Australia. Here is what they found: Since the last survey in 2003, the basket price has gone up 13% on average at Woolworths, and 11% at Coles – excluding specials. Between the majors, Coles and Woolworths, Coles was the cheapest chain with the basket of goods costing $97.47. Coles had 10 of the 33 items on sale during the survey, which took place on the randomly selected dates of 14 and 15 March. At Woolworths, which had only two or three items on sale, the basket came in at $105.43 – 8% more than Coles. However, when the items on special were removed from the basket, the difference in price between the two major supermarket chains dropped from 8% to 3%, still favouring Coles. That 8% savings could represent $7.96 a week on a family’s weekly shop and savings of $414 in a year, an impressive amount. But, by far the best value shopping in Australia was to be found at
