[Poita (Peter)]

Originally Posted by pgc hunter

speaking of coke... a 24 pack slab went from $13 in Dec to $18.62..... or from 48c/can to nearly 80c/can at Big W currently. The Big W where I work has less customers than staff, stock is sitting in the back dock going rotten, no one is buying anything, no one can afford this BS anymore.

Just tonight I had to get rid of a whole palllet of chips, coz they just go off coz no one is buying them. They aren't getting sold. No one can afford to go bloody shoppping anymore.

Well, I guess it is different place to place, our BigW is packed, I do nightfill there and haven't ever had to pull drygoods off the shelf that weren't so,me specialist item.
80c a can isn't bad, people pay over $2 at the servo.
I don't earn much, just under $30K a year, but I can feed my 3 kids and myself pretty well, we can still afford to go shopping. I run no debt except for my growing HECS. We have to be a bit choosy sometimes, but just about anyone on these forums is doing reasonably okay. We at a minimum just by being here have computers, and internet and a hobby that is an indulgence.
Prices seem cheaper to me on most things than they were 10 years ago. Computers, telescopes, TVs (55" 3D for $800!?!) , clothes, internet, cameras, electronics in general are all way more affordable *and* better featured than back then. Food and petrol has gone up, but not to the point that I can't afford to eat pretty well.

The amount of takeaway coffee and takeaway lunch/snacks I see people have in the street tends to make me think that we aren't on the breadline yet.