Recently, I've been trying to find ways to avoid the Colesworths supermarket duopoly as much as possible.

I'm pulling together a cheat sheet of alternatives. If you have any suggestions you can recommend, please leave them as a comment.

Some will be more expensive (IGA and Foodworks), but others (like grocery clearance stores and Aldi) less so. Hopefully it balances out.

It's also important to note there's likely to be far more alternatives if you're in Melbourne or Sydney than a remote or rural area.

The starting point is to stop thinking in terms of a one-stop shop.

Even if you're in a very Colesworth dependent town, even shifting some of your grocery shopping to a local bakery or green grocer is a win.

The starting point: Shopping local. If there's a local bakery, green grocer, deli, butcher, etc., then support them.

A good tip on this front is discount chemists often stock toiletries and household cleaning products at prices comparable to Colesworths.

If it's available: Grocery clearance stores (even if it's just once a week).

* Beyond Best Before in Sydney: https://beyondbestbefore.com.au/
*NQR in Melbourne and Adelaide: https://nqr.com.au/
* Factory Food Sales Melbourne and Geelong: https://foodfactorysales.com.au/
* Savemore Melbourne: https://www.savemore.net.au/
* Discount Grocery Store Albury–Wodonga: https://discountgrocerywarehouse.com.au/
* Cheaper Buy Miles Melbourne:
https://www.cheaperbuymiles.com/

Next: Is there a farmers market in your area?
* https://farmersmarkets.org.au/find-a-market/

If not, there's some services offering direct produce from farmers:
* https://farmerspick.com.au/
* Happy to hear more recommendations

The obvious one is Aldi, although it doesn't stock everything.

And then IGA or Foodworks. It is more expensive, but it's more of a backfill for things you can't get elsewhere.

Even if there's no local IGA in your area, many stores offer free delivery for orders over $100: https://www.igashop.com.au/delivery

For our babies, we're tending to bulk order from Pet Circle. It works out cheaper often, even with delivery fees: https://www.petcircle.com.au/

If you're vegan in Sydney, The Cruelty Free Shop (formerly in Glebe, now moving to the CBD) is great but pricey, and there's a few others around the country: https://australia.veganonthemap.com/vegan/shops

Any other suggestions or things I've missed?

#auspol #australia #Colesworths #Coles #Woolworths #Melbourne #Sydney #Adelaide #food
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@aj for anyone near Box Hill or Springvale in Victoria there are masses of fruit, veggie and butchers all together at both locations. Well worth a 15 minute drive (or maybe even more), everything is so cheap. There must be other places like this...

Dandenong market and Queen Vic market are great too.

@petherfile @aj on the north side of Melbourne there’s less big fresh produce markets but the Cheaper Buy Miles stores are frequently incredible for cheap dairy, frozen foods, snacks and condiments
@joannaholman @petherfile Many years ago, I usdd to live near Box Hill. Definite big tick for the fruit and veg shops at Box Hill Central, and the many grocery importers around there.

In the eastern suburbs, MAXI Foods in Ferntree Gully is s big independent that stocks lots of products you can't get elsewhere. They're especially good with vegetarian: https://www.lemaxgroup.com.au/upper-ferntree-gully

They used to also be a MAXI foods in Blackburn North, and the same family owned Leo's Fine Foods in Heidelberg and Glen Iris. Unfortunately, those all seem to have fallen to Colesworths 😏

Best Buy Miles sounds amazing. I remember reading your post a while ago about it 😊

A couple of others that I remember used to be good in northern Melbourne (although it's been a while) and might still be worth checking out?

Thd Friends of the Earth food co-op in Collingwood: https://www.foefood.org/

And also the Preston Markets.
Upper Ferntree Gully - Le Max Group Supermarkets

Upper Ferntree Gully

@aj @joannaholman @petherfile I miss the Prahran market from back when I was a kid, but the last time I went there it was a little disappointing
@LapTop006 @joannaholman @petherfile Sad, but sadly not surprising, about Prahran Market.

I remember Preston, South Melbourne, Queen Vic, Camberwell, Dandenong, and Footscray markets used to be good, although I'm not sure about now?
@aj @joannaholman @petherfile happened to go to Dandenong a year or two ago and it's still great, the queen vic back 15 years ago when I worked nearby was still decent, but did seem to be on a slow downward slide
@aj @joannaholman
Leo's Glen Iris is still there but only for another month. Will be coles soon.
@petherfile @joannaholman Shameful.

The fact that Coles and Woolies can still buy independent supermarkets shows what an absolute joke competition laws are in this country.

@aj @petherfile @joannaholman

Supabarn hold its own in Canberra. There are three big Supabarns, and innumerable small suburban ones, SupaExpress, which were taken over from various IGA and Spar and other franchises.

Of course, that is barely a tiny local nick in the giant ColesWorths duopoly.

@aj @petherfile @joannaholman worse is them owning small shopping centers. Check out how few of the ones out in the new suburbs out west have any fresh food that isn't colesworth