Friday 31 December 2010

Cairns - a no meat market for New Year's Eve


Meat and veggies were not getting through to some Cairns supermarkets today from flooded South East Queensland.

This reoccurring problem happens even though we have many locally-grown Tablelands produce available, just an hour's drive over the range. Stupid chain stores appear to not support local farmers. This also happened during Cyclone Larry in 2006.

17 comments:

Leigh Dall'Osto said...

Coles had stacks of fresh fruit....and really cheap cherries and stone fruit (which I don't think we can get locally) but no bread and no milk. Which is fine because I was headed to Piccone's anyway for pineapple and veggies. I never looked at the meat though but must admit the Lenards I went to had not much left on the shelves to buy. Sad isn't it.....maybe learning is not something that supermarket chains are capable of?

Michael P Moore said...

You're right Leigh, Piccones IGA rely on local suppliers for their meat and veges I'm told. I also hear that some of Coles/Woolies do sell local produce, HOWEVER it always goes via Brisbane then get re-routed up here!! WTF? Besides Rustys... dunno what you have on the Southside, but there's a great local fruit stall inside Smithfield right outside Woolies.. must piss em off.

Leigh Dall'Osto said...

There's one of those in Mt Sheridan outside Coles too but I find it a bit bruised and battered. The best one I have found (by far!) is the one outside Big W in Stockland........good prices and the very best quality you can find. As good, if not better than Rusty's.

Besides.....there is nothing wrong with the chains encouraging us to buy locally....even if it's purely by chance.

Mark Beath said...

There were some stalls closed at Rusty's today but those open were doing good trade and if anything more prominence to local supply trade. Personally so far i'm not finding much of a problem as someone who buys when they need it rather than stock and also maybe some kudos for those local businesses which have not escalated prices which they could!

Michael P Moore said...

...which begs the question... why are the big chain stores so expensive?

Leigh Dall'Osto said...

Freight? Because they can charge the earth and we still foolishly go there? Because IGA is still more expensive when it comes to pantry items? Because people don't check the catalogues and notice that sale items are cheaper at IGA? Because they can!

Case in point.......today at Coles a 24 pack of Coke cans is just over $22 (on sale). In ALL IGA's (both the Super ones and regular) it is priced at $13.99. I bet people are still buying it from Coles though!

It also happened two years ago when we were cut off by floods for 6 weeks and they had to bring supplies by boat. I had a baby on lactose free formula at the time.....you can bet that wasn't on board!!

Geoff Harrison said...

raintrees w/w, central coles both full of food today. rusties market was in very short supply this morning. don't make sense to me.

Mark Beath said...

Seafood suppliers both on the Portsmith side and Sheridan St are certainly not escalating prices as ar as I can see despite peak season. Mind you neither are the big chains? Perhaps some people will discover how good albeit more exxy the local milk is and the Misty Mountain milk ..... mmmm ..... and they have a dollop double cream!

Ty Branaman said...

if I new how to cook this might be a problem for me.

Leigh Dall'Osto said...

All comments are that there is plenty of fresh fruit available pretty much everywhere. It may actually be that the only products in short supply are bread, milk and meat?

Warren Entsch said...

Quality in Cairns is one out of ten and getting worse especially Rusty's...buy it throw it in the bin...don't blame flood for incompetent farmers flogging off rotten bitter crap....

Oh add sugar and vinegar...

Warren Entsch said...

Quality in Cairns is one out of ten and getting worse especially Rusty's...buy it throw it in the bin...don't blame flood for incompetent farmers flogging off rotten bitter crap....

Oh add sugar and vinegar...

Unknown said...

Misty Mountains Double Cream, we seem to get it very occasionaly down here at clifton beach.

Seems that the local fruit guy or coles dont want to stock it, so it may be off for a drive tomorrow to see the cows and get some from the cafe...

Sam

Fiona Henderson said...

I thought a lot of the Rusty's produce came from out of town- it is hard to find local things there a lot of the time. The lovely butchers at Marsh's in Freshwater were telling me yesterday that lamb will be in short supply as it comes up from down south.

MB said...

I went shopping at Coles in Smithfield yesterday and nearly all the milk was gone. On another note it's funny how everyone has trolleys full of toilet paper when there is either a weather event or a public holiday coming up.

Bryan Outlaw said...

Say Leigh, you need to read the shelf banners closer. Coles had the Coke 24 can packs on sale TWO for $22 ($11 each).

That clown Hasham who runs the roadside vegie dump at the Cook Hwy in Smithfield always claims to be selling local stock, but he's just a lying jerk. Paying council 10% of the rent, overcharging everyone, and even paying his migrant employee only $10/hr cash in hand. The rich get richer on the backs of the rest of us.

Leigh Dall'Osto said...

I called Coles at Mt Sheridan.....and at Edmonton (which is where I thought I saw it) and the price is $22.79 per pack, a saving of a few cents. NOT $22 for two as reported by Brian. The Pepsi range is priced at $11 per pack and that may be what he is referring to? Don't worry, with 3 kids and a hungry husband....I ALWAYS pay close attention to the shelf prices. Luckily, I don't buy Coke so it's irrelevant anyway. My point was simply that many sale items at IGA are actually cheaper than at Coles.