I need to entertain more.
I need ice for a party tonight and haven't actually had to get it before. Was going to get it from the servo then thought, maybe there's an OzBargain approved alternative?
I assumed servo vs bottlo would be no difference, is that correct? Are there any other places that sell ice at short notice? And for future reference, is it better to order through a dedicated ice supplier? Or is that more for businesses?
Or three bags for $10 (well at a local servo in my area anyway)
Inflation.
$12 for 3 at Coles Express.
4.95 at servo.
5.60 at woollies.
5.99 BWS ($14 for 3)
all three were the same product. Bells Pure Ice 5KG. So I'm disagreeing with the commenter below claiming Servo ice is somehow bad. I mean your servo ice might be bad…. but this was the BP i got some from the other day.
I had not looked at the price of Ice for ages, because i normally get it from work, and needed servo ice late at night because of blackout turning off fridges. So the next couple of days I noticed price at woollies and then at BWS. And was happy servo had not ripped me off.
Just a friendly reminder that most cheap 5kg bags of ice purchased from a servo these days are not clean or safe to consume.
The ice in the 5kg Bags via Coles Express or BWS are typically the same price if not cheaper, but are clean and safe to consume.
oh really? Why is that? The way they are made or stored? I have always just gone to the servos closest to me that provide this when i get asked to get some ice. Should i only go to Coles Express?
The Ice in the bags from Coles Express are made from purified/filtered water & safe to consume.
The ice in the bags from most service stations is just frozen long-term stored untreated water, specifically meant to cool sealed or packaged items. The bag's themselves will have warnings and disclaimers printed on them, however the really cheap and nasty one's will use printing methods that result in the warnings running off the bag as soon as they get wet or start to defrost - so people won't know.
@infinite: Not true. Most servo bags are made with filtered, food grade water.
Also correct - always check the bags before drinking it.
Pretty sure those servo bags are only to keep sealed drinks cool in a bathtub or laundry basket. I've never seen anyone open them to scoop ice into drinks.
I see people doing it at every gathering I go too.
It's why I started volunteering to get the Ice.
They're food grade. You can eat and drink them.
False, they are filleted drinking water, made explicitly to put in drinks. Food grade.
This is entirely false. Packaged ice from Servos is food grade.
Bulk unpackaged tends to be for cooling only.
You can buy bagged ice for either purpose from servo's.
Even when you get the consumable option though, there's no guarantee it will be free of contaminants: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/food-recalls/recalls/north-…
You’re overthinking this.
You must be new here
Servo’s, supermarket $5 bags
Just put a bucket of water in your freezer
You may joke but I often empty my fridge's auto ice maker into bags and then store them in the chest freezer for when needed in large qtys.
Also fill up old 1.25L bottles with water and keep them in the chest freezer - for me they're better than ice packs in the esky as they can be consumed when thawed or even while thawing for really cold water. Filled up 1L tetra-packs are even better for packing the esky but I don't drink from those as they never seem to wash out nicely. When you're done camping / picnicing just throw them out rather than lug ice packs back home and need to wash them, etc.
Great tip
Memories from 30 years ago of half frozen tomato sandwiches and ice cold water that hurt my teeth are coming flooding back to me. That's how all our summer holidays went, 5 hour drive to the beach (lived in the country, had to drive through Melbourne which added at least an hour pre-citylink), sangas, milk for cups of tea and us were kept cold with those 1.25L bottles of ice.
5 hours?
Man where did you live and which beach did you go to?
I do this too. Tried with milk bottles but they started to leak. Now I use 2L juice bottles (the fresh juice kind). Awesome! Beats getting water everywhere when ice melts in the esky.
trick is fill water bottles 1/3 full. take out on a hot day and fill with water. ice cold water bottle. ready to drink.
Yep I do this also, use 2L juice bottles too. The huge block of ice lasts a lot longer than ice blocks from servo, plus you don't get all your food swimming in water.
For a drinks esky nothing beats loose ice though.
I haven't heard of tetra-packs since the '70s. You used to get Sunny Boy frozen orange ice blocks from the local shop which came in them. It seems Tetra is more of a trade name these days which produces a multitude of shapes of containers. The classic "tetra-pak" was a true tetrahedron shape — a 4-sided equilateral triangular pyramid.
Servo, mate.
Hand delivered by ice expedition team to Kwik e Mart
Failing that, servo.
You’re not buying ice everyday. Just cop it for convenience imo
If you can think of a better way to get ice, I'd like to hear it.
Even then you won’t be guaranteed a head bag, choc full of heady goodness
I need to entertain more.
what sort of entertainment? Ice sculptures?
closest servo for sure, or the bottle-o if you're going there anyway.
St Albans.
Richmond
St Arnaud…..2 bags for $4……..
It’s pronounced Snorbens.
Does Wayne still live there?
Depends how picky your friends are about their frozen water source.
Near me there are large ice vending machines that work out better value than servos etc (eg da ice, kooler ice)
Who would be picky about ice from vending machine?! Who can even tell the difference?
Yeah those are cheaper but only if you have one very close to you.
Who would be picky about ice from vending machine?!
Clearly the underlying humour or sarcasm of my comment was to obscure.
That too…
everyone think small scale
this guy is throw the biggest bbq i the world every week
two options
buy a servo, get ice for free
or
https://restaurantequipment.com.au/collections/commercial-ic…
i work at a pub. I fill my eskys for free. and get free ice at the same time :)
Where's our invites?
My wife's work… It's free and made in a massive filtered machine. Filtered water frozen in it's own refrigerated space is the key.
Guy in the front bar of the local. Only seen him sell a small bag at a time, seems to cost a lot more than others are suggesting.
Footscray. Just need to spot the undercover cops sting operation
This is going to be epic party.
"Are there any other places that sell ice at short notice? And for future reference, is it better to order through a dedicated ice supplier? Or is that more for businesses?"
Bikies are in the wholesale trade. How bricks of ice you planning on buying?
dealers
^ this
$5.40 at Colesworth Vs $5 at 7eleven
Was spewing when I went into the supermarket thinking id get a better price than the servo.
Holy hell, this amount of thought going into ice. Just go grab a few bags from wherever is closest.
Local dealer,
Though $5 doesn't get you much these days…
From what I learned by watching anti-drug ads in the 90s, dealers will give you some for free to get you hooked.
My teacher explained that's why drug dealers are called "hookers". I don't think Mrs. Bumpstead got out much.
For $5 you can lick the empty bag.
Our local shopping centre has an ice machine out the front - we love it. Take the esky and fill!
Known as Ice Express in some locations - should be more.
Or do you have a local iceworks?
Supermarkets are usually cheaper than pubs.
new venture coming
uber ice
Price freeze for 2024!
Sadly just Price freeze for 2024!
I seriously thought when you said "I need ice" I am thinking a different "Ice" especially when you said "I need to entertain more".
I think the guy across the road from me sells it.
Now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure my neighbour makes it.
Jesse, we need to cook
I know a guy in Bondi
Haha, thanks everyone! Yes, I agree I was overthinking it and also should have seen the ice jokes coming.
I went to the local servo, $5.50 for 1 bag, $8.80 for 2 bags, etc. Got 2 bags, then ended up only needing one.
False economy FTW!
Just buy a chest freezer so the other bag doesn’t go to waste.
Might as well buy an ice machine to make their own ice.
Benchtop home ice makers are pretty cheap actually and if you prepare ahead you can pump out a fair bit of ice.
Keep the receipt and return the unopened bag of water the next day for a refund
They do say ice makes people over think 🤔
Ben Cousins
only the best for AFL players
I grabbed bags of ice from a local servo, got them into the boot and realised there was something black and green on my hands.. on thoroughly checking, it was mould. The whole freezer and all the bags were covered in it. Got my money back and went to a better servo.
Eskimos!
Ask a stupid question, you’re going to get stupid answers.
Usually I ask a guest to bring one or two (depending on requirements) on their way to my place, offer to pay them back, they usually decline…winning! 😂
Otherwise closest bottle o
My dealer visits me once a fortnight when the dole comes through.
Some servos around here (S.E. QLD) will have extra ice delivered in the lead up to busy times.
These extra pallets of ice are covered with some kind of reflective bubble wrap insulating blanket, but the ice still melts.
Considering that these pallets are not even opened till the freezer storage is empty they have been sitting there for quite a while when they are opened.
And usually left to sit on the concrete tarmac in front of the ice freezer.
Once opened they are often not well sealed again, so the 5kg bags have often melted substancially by the time that people want to buy the ice.
I avoid buying ice from vendors that engage in this practice.
i thought $5 from servo is already cheap, am i missing something?
I have an ice maker for family use, but definitely need to get bags of ice from the servo for parties.
ice is cheaper than bottled water.
Handy to know if your tap water is crap.
Servo’s $5 bags.
You’re overthinking this.