The end of supermarket fuel discounts is looming?

c64 on 22/02/2013 - 10:39

http://www.couriermail.com.au/money/supermarket-fuel-discoun…

"THE competition regulator has warned the major supermarket chains it plans to tear up their 8c-a-litre shopper docket petrol discounts."

Automotive

Comments

  • TheAviator on 22/02/2013 - 11:38
    +7

    about time. Coles/Shell and Woolworths/Caltex are making more money than they ever have, the fuel discounts are just a way of playing with the minds of consumers. We're not saving at all

    • retiredfeline on 22/02/2013 - 11:45
      +1

      Especially confusing when servos have taken to displaying the discounted price and you have to add the 8c back on if you don't have a docket.

      • kabigon on 22/02/2013 - 13:26

        And some servos show the discounted price with 4c off, others show it with 8c off :/

    • BuyoTheCat on 22/02/2013 - 11:46

      not with fuel price at $168.9

    • eug on 22/02/2013 - 12:07
      +1

      Will the petrol prices drop by 8c when the dockets are gone? Or will petrol outlets keep the prices up since everyone is used to them, making everyone lose?

      • samfisher5986 on 23/08/2013 - 15:22
        +1

        Matilda and other independent servos should be 8c etc cheaper then but they are often the same price or more expensive.

        I don't want to believe it myself, but it honestly seems like they are genuine discounts unless this scam goes all the way back to the companies that sell the oil/petrol etc.

        • Flying Ace on 26/08/2013 - 20:55

          Totally agree. The independents go on about how the supermarkets are being uncompetitive, but how come they are always at least the same, if not more expensive than Shell/Caltex?

  • sane on 22/02/2013 - 12:17
    +1

    Here's an idea. If the competition regulator wants to improve matters, why not set a maximum price for ULP of 10% over the TAPIS price. Currently that would make the price ~$1.30 before tax.

    The whole game is corrupt, with the behaviour designed to con the consumer. It needs a shake up.

    • ESEMCE on 22/02/2013 - 16:30

      Add 38c/L excise to get to $1.68 and then 16.8c GST takes it to $1.848/L
      I like the current system better actually!

  • kabigon on 22/02/2013 - 13:45
    +1

    Woolies sometimes offers me a 25c docket through everyday rewards (two in last couple of months), there's no way a non-Colsworth servo can compete with that. Just makes me wonder how much extra I'm paying for groceries when there isn't a 25c docket being offered. Things would be a lot simpler / fairer if groceries and fuel were kept separate, let's hope something actually happens this time.

    While they're at it, irregular cycles make it hard to know when to buy if you're in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane. At least if they got it back to a weekly cycle like Perth then you'd have a bit more control.

    • retiredfeline on 22/02/2013 - 13:48

      It's not a weekly cycle in Sydney any more. Something like 12-13 days, but weekends and holidays can disrupt. If you watch the graph, you can guess roughly when it's near the bottom. But don't wait too long because the rises are sharp.

      • kabigon on 22/02/2013 - 13:54
        +2

        Sounds like a rollercoaster at a theme park designed by accountants..

    • retiredfeline on 23/02/2013 - 12:46

      The ACCC seems to have revamped their website making your links invalid. Their page now combines all major cities:

      http://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/petrol-diesel-and-lpg/recen…

      I see what you mean about Perth. Very predictable sawtooth compared with the other cities.

  • Cheeper on 22/02/2013 - 16:53
    +1

    Good move. If they are serious about offering discount fuel then cut out the crap and just do it at the pump.

    • [Deactivated] on 22/02/2013 - 19:03

      I agree I save sometimes ~$3 maybe. I would much rather shop at woolworths. I'm pretty sure when I shop at Coles I'm paying more for advertising than my actual food, kind of like Apple really.

  • MarkB4 on 24/02/2013 - 08:30

    I reckon if they didn't make 'more' money out of it they wouldn't do it. And yes, you can get 25c of a litre but you have to spend how much at the shop? When you shop with a spend figure in mind wastage is built in.

    What is it, 25% of food production in this country ends up as waste? Bloody disgrace.

  • kabigon on 23/08/2013 - 10:14

    Was just thinking how the latest round of articles re: Coolies fuel discounts e.g. here has mysteriously coincided with the lack of public promos lately. Woolies' last offer ended July 25, Coles' last offer ended July 21. Targeted offers have been sent out since then from both chains, so it's business as usual it seems, just driven underground. It's harder for the media / ACCC to vent about fuel vouchers if everyone receives unique offers.

  • tonyjzx on 27/08/2013 - 04:43

    there's two ways to look at this,

    1. colesworth have 50% of the petrol market - this is utterly ridiculous IMO because not long ago they had 0%

    2. because they have 50% they have a lot of money at stake so any effort to break that up will wind up in the supreme court and whatever… if that market is worth billions and cost millions to setup and employs how many thousands of people, how hard will they fighr to keep that going? they will fight to the last man, last bullet

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