Parnell

What you are confusing with is a website with a business model. But you are right on the problem with legacy bricks and mortars - its not the website that needs to be focused on.

This is not a website only driven business, its a pure logistic operation that has outsourced the 1% that relates to the web site. But that's not to say the website was by a "local" kid putting a few pages together, it was done in Europe on same basis as the Waitrose online version.

Its on an operational only basis light years ahead of current bricks and mortar. Which is where the excitement is.

Parnell

hence my excitement of being around at a time of paradigm change.

bearskin

The guy that owns/operates the Albany Pak and Save (Paul Blackwell) made the NZ Rich List this year. He's worth 50million. From selling groceries.

Parnell

going forward obviously

Bo-Jangles

BLACKWELL Paul | The National Business Review

Clearly he's happy with the returns from the cheap as chips (non bricks and mortar) tin shed /warehouse to have spent $8m on doing an upgrade recently. It was already one of the nicest Pak n Saves in the country - as we all know some of them are in desperate need of a good clean and wouldn't look out of place in remote pacific island or third world country.

Until someone like you and your mates comes up with a real alternative I don't see it changing much. We're a long, long, way behind of the rest of the world and still waiting for likes of Walmart, Lidl and Aldi to show up and test the waters, the Warehouse 'Extra' tried it a while back and were going to be the next big thing - that failed.

The fellas at Nosh thought they were onto a winner selling milk below market price but soon abandoned that idea when they realised that the great unwashed and tight arses were just going in there to buy milk and not having a bar of the other expensive / fancy stuff.

So like I said, we'll all be waiting with baited breath and welcome the competition - let the supermarket wars commence.

Hebe

It sounds like I'm about the only one who is happy with the shopping facilities here. I shop around at most stores and find quality very good.

BEVS

Quite.

Research?

Bo-Jangles

In light of the above I found this article highly amusing:

Browns Bay bach makes way for New World car park | Stuff.co.nz

New World cleary aren't making any money and obviously haven't done any research or yet cottoned onto the idea that bricks and mortar shops are solastyear.com?

Parnell

What it shows is why grocery prices are high.

Incompetence is rife in nz australia.

MOSO

To give a different (non-Auckland) perspective on shopping:

In the UK I brought my groceries from Tescos online because it was easier than sitting in a traffic jam on the way to the superstore, trying to find a space, making sure I had 3 GDP in change to pay for parking, spending ages going round the store and then having to wait in a long queue to pay, pack my own bags (okay - not really an issue) and sitting in a traffic jam on my way home with 2 kids to keep amused at the same time.

Here, I can pop to a choice of 2 supermarkets in Waikanae or another 3 larger ones in Paraparaumu, not have any difficulty or cost to park, there are no traffic jams, I can choose my own produce and my bags are packed for me! I can go any time between 7 am and 11pm, 7 days a week so I don't need to order online.

I appreciate that shopping in Auckland is different in terms of volume of sales, but it's still a tiny market (hence many of the large names such as Lidl, Ikea etc. aren't here).

TommyLuck

MOSO - you make a good point with regards to having choice and the ease of travel.

But I can't say I ever visited a Tesco, Sainsbury's, ASDA, Morrisons, Lidl's or Aldi in the UK where I had to pay for parking??

If there was a payment for parking required, a free validation was usually given with a minimum spend of £5 or something like that (Sainsbury's, Chiswick). This was largely to stop people parking there all day to get on the tube.


I do like the fact that you can pop in to the supermarket post 5pm in NZ on a Sunday. It's a small thing, but very useful when you realise your veges have gone gammy and you've forgotten to take the meat out of the freezer when you get back from the beach!

Stormer999

The standard procedure prior to us leaving the UK was collect a parking ticket before shopping and receive a token at the till to exit for free. It's the only way for in town (few that are left) supermarkets to control parking.

Justcol

I like going to the supermarket, I don't usually go to the same one each time,
I use 4 different ones just to get some variety and I did a similar thing back in blighty.
I'm not a fan of online shopping, I wouldn't pretend my life is so busy that I couldn't find an hour a week to go shopping

It gets tiring listening to how backward, incompetent nz and kiwis are. Why do people think everyone wants to turn the place into a scaled down version of the uk.

bearskin

What they said. I have no problem buying a product, say a pair of trainers, online; but for my food, I will usually want to see the product I am buying. And I too can spare an hour a week to do that - to me it is not exactly a chore.

moving2NZ2013

I certainly buy less here but use more if that makes sense.
We have virtually no food waste. It's so expensive I make sure I use everything and plan meals.

I'm ashamed to say it but every few weeks I'd chuck 1/4 of a fridge contents of food away :/


I do hate that there's only a few places to shop. We have supervalue and four sq then have to travel 34 km to either new world or countdown. So v limited.

Oh I miss Aldi and sainsburys ready meals lol