When I read this I thought "oh.. is it me? I must be missing something here! " so thanks for everyone else posting and stopping me having another look for my marbles!

The Coles and Woolies usually shut about 6pmish (think it might be later on the odd day) and no booze in the normal shops.. when we stayed in Perth it was the same, although the shops shut earlier than 6 I think!

Re the "not in QLD" comment.. adding Flouride to our water is hardly in the same category as daylight saving hours.. one is a poison the other is just getting up an hour earlier.. I suppose you could argue that both tend to make you more stupid in the morning! haha!

Em x

Most bottle shops near me in Brisbane close at 8pm or 9pm in the western suburbs. I am aware of one that stays open until midnight but that is about 4 or 5km away.

Despite supermarkets not selling alcohol in QLD, they do of course hold a significant market share through chains such as Liqourland.

While no expert on the problems associated with fluoride, I guess there are many things intnentionally put into water which in larger quantities make it posionous.

We do after all put strong acid and posionous chlorine into our swimming pools to make them safe to swim in.

Lots of things are toxic, or would be considered poison in high enough quantities.....vitamin A for example; that doesn't mean that small amounts aren't beneficial and/or essential. I'm not putting fluoride in the essential category I should add.

They're not insisting we drink vitamin A in our water supplies tho are they? Look, don't really want to get into it on this thread as there have been plenty of threads and this subject has been done to death.. I have done way too much research on this subject for me to ever be swayed that flouride in our water is a good thing.. for me, it is simple, it is not.. but horses for courses etc etc.. what is one mans meat is another mans poision and all that!



Em x

My Woolies is open 'til midnight apart from Sunday, I think, when it's 11pm. I only shop there about once every 3 weeks but it's nice to know it's there if I need it.

Get my booze from the local bottle shop which is open 'til 10.30pm most days and later at weekends, IIRC.

I find it quite amazing that our hotel (which is a drive thru) shuts at 9pm on a Sunday! HAve to remember to make sure i have enough in if I have people over!



Em x

Well, here in Brisbane (and I'm talking within the council boundaries of Brisbane City) we have bottle-shops closing by 8pm (I mean, WTF is that about?) and pretty much all major supermarket chains having their premises shut by 5:30pm-6pm (except for Thursday late-night shopping in the 'burbs' and Friday late-night shopping for the CBD).

We've adapted to things being done this way now but when I hear that provincial towns in NSW have their supermarkets staying open until 10:30pm I suddenly realise that Queensland is anything but the 'Smart State' and seriously lagging behind in the 'progression' stakes.

Queensland - The Backward State - and apparently proud of the fact....

Sunshine isn't everything....

My two local supermarkets in western burbs are open until 9PM weeknights and 5PM SAt and 6PM Sunday.

As for other food/newsagents etc it seems most are shut around 6PM. The majoirty of bottle shops are shut by 8PM as is my local "convenience" store SPAR.

On a Sunday, I do not know of any bottle shops near me (and there are lots) that stay open past 8PM.

Also, the local pub chooses to shut if it is not that busy.

Have you ever experienced the practice of 'starting to shut half an hour before closing time' when you visit some shops? Especially prevalent if the people working in the store appear to be under the age of 21?

I bought a pair of wrist-guards from SkateBiz in Capalaba at the weekend and the apparent 15 year old kid told me he couldn't give me a receipt for my purchase as he had closed the till (at 3:30pm - they closed at 4pm)?

I remember in Coles once asking for something like Parma ham (which they would have to slice on the machine as it wasn't ready sliced). They said they couldn't as they had cleaned the machine (it was about 5PM on a Sunday).

I suggested they might want to serve me then clean it again later...

Like it...

Did your parma ham taste like domestos though?

errr...yes.

Slightly related to this, I was after a bike for my 8 year old for Christmas so went to Big W in Brisbane CBD where they had one on display for $100.

They have little cards with the price and bar code on so took one and went to the till to pay for it. Till girl had to get someone to check if they had one in stock - 15 minutes later it turns out they don't.

I ask the spotty youth "assisting" me if he can check whether another store near me has one. 15 minutes later it turns out they don't.

So I said; "OK, I'll take the one that is on display"

Him: "We can't sell that one"
Me: "Why not? You are a shop, you have a bike on display for $100. I want a bike; I will give you $100"
Him: "We cant sell the display model"
Me: " Why not, it is two days to Christmas, you have none in stock in two stores but you have a bike ready to take away"
Him: "It may not have been constructed to suitabke standards"
Me: "That's OK I'll take the risk."
Him: "I'll have to call the manager"

Finally he relented and sold me something they sell in exchange for my money.

And being Big W; despite performing this transaction at the till at the front of the store the woman on "bag check" duty felt obliged to ask me for the receipt as I wheeled the bike (that she saw me buy) past her.