NZ supermarket duopoly facing scrutiny over misleading pricing and promotions | 1News 

How can we trust the commerce commission when Pierre van Heerden, the former head of Sanitarium New Zealand, has been appointed as the Grocery Commissioner for the Commerce Commission in New Zealand. Its a conflict of interest and a joke.

Scrutiny? How about prosecution?

Whatever, how many times have we heard this over and over and over and nothing EVER gets done.. All bark, no bite!..

Supermarkets can do anything they want. The commerce commission just turn a blind eye. New Zealand getting easily ripped off by supermarkets.

Definitely. Im travelling and food is 3-10x cheaper overseas, depending on the country. Nz is expensive and low quality also.

Finally this duopoly is getting some media attention. I been talking about it for years. We’ve been spending so much for groceries. Nz is in the dark ages when it comes to competition for consumers

they just pay the fines...and then make it back by rising prices... better imprison ceos!

Can of tuna: deal price at new world $6 ea Regular price at 4square $3 ea

What bothers me at supermarkets is how they deliberately leave no price tag on certain items & charge full price on discounts

What’s really needed is the separation of the distribution centres from the supermarkets. Make them difference businesses, so that other potential supermarket competitors can come in and have a fair chance of being competitive. Currently as it stands the two chains control the distribution of food produced making it hard for others to enter the market.

Support your local green grocer and butcher. Buy local and boycott if you feel that strongly. I hope more people open their eyes and realise the industrialised food system is making us sick and poor at the same time.

Always check your supermarket receipt! When waiting in the line at the checkout, the number of customers that refuse their receipt when offered is amazing! Lazy shoppers or well off people not caring? We have seen wrong pricing many a time and found our receipt was incorrect. Always go back and get it sorted as we do. As for inflation figures, it’s a joke, always add 2% on the official figure and you would be much closer to the truth!

Nothing to see here, a complete rip off, which is going to continue forever. Nobody has the guts to change anything. Just smile and pay, it's the Kiwi way.

NZ govt rips me off more than the supermarkets

Just look at what's happening to the price of cat food. It's cheaper to buy a tin of tuna for human consumption than buying a product like Fancy Feast that has doubled in price since 2022.

Fill your trolley, offer 50 bucks to the checkout.. they'll say no. Then go oh well no worries and just walk away

It's ridiculous how the growers and the farmers get stuff all but the supermarkets are creaming off us all

I went to buy courgettes at our local New World $18.00 a kg so then went to our local Countdown and just over $6.00 a kg, WTF is up with that

Placing a nearly identical item right next to the one on special (often the same brand) infers that both are on special, when only one is. Have also noted that many brands and types of cereal now seem to be the same price per unit, much like meat (almost no matter the cut) is the same or similar price by weight. Lamb shanks, which not that long ago were $8.00 for two good sized ones, well I've recently seen one for $16.00. Pricing means that what were considered off cuts or offal, barely are these days. No point in smuggling gold bars into NZ. Just bring cheese. Yes. The Commerce Commission really needs to get off its arse.

The supermarkets have a monopoly and hence charge whatever they want. NZ needs another supermarket business to come in and go up against what is here.

Its been happening for years...Even here in Australia they do the same shit!Woolworths and Coles are being interrogated and nothing will happen! Or maybe a hugs fine like $200k (chump change)and a slap on the wrist! They rort the consumer and farmers etc....

They'll bring in a new supermarket like they brought in gull, once they open the three of them will work together. Yawn.

I am so tired of the price gouging that goes on in our super markets...food should never be a 'luxury' item.

Same happens in OZ Mate, I was getting Hot Dogs, Yellow reduced price sticker, but the fresh stuff??? was cheaper.

leave comments on all your videos please, and please in future dont remove live streams

Interesting how they mentioned the debt ratio factors. This should always be used. One issue is people borrow and so the money supply increases if amount borrowed increase over time per person. 2018 to 2023 saw this happen.

National has always been about supporting big business not the average kiwi, i doubt they'll do anything to drastically lower prices

Consumers need to send a message. Shop smart, for example my local corner dairy sells eggs cheaper than my nearest supermarket. Shop around, local vege shops, local butcher, local fruit and vegetables. Convenience can cost.

Stop using flybys etc so it slows them tracking and learning

I work in a supermarket. None of us do this intentionally. Most the old stores using paper tickets are the ones with pricing issues due to human error. Most stores earn 5% profitability once all the bills are paid. Crying won't get anywhere, regardless if they drop the price of all items by 5 to 10% it would no longer be a viable business. look how much real estate agents and the construction industry. Much bigger profits provided they can land the contracts.

Power companies next I hope.

BLOODY OATH THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING AM GLAD THE PUBLIC HAS CAUGHT ON DONT BE AFRAID TO HIT THEM UP ABOUT IT AT THE COUNTER AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

Of course its a breach, why on earth wouldn't it be. Take a bloody risk? This is not the bloody horse races taking bets. Your buying sustenance, essentials 🤨😠.

Auckland is big body of population. Let's create a co-op supermarket owned by ratepayers ( own a property you get 1 share) . Just like dairy co-op. So the minister should pass a special act to create this co-op . In can be mainly online shopping. It could have small outlets for fresh veg,fish and meat.

The consumer has the power,

That’s a big yes! The rip off chain.

.. wasnt Megan Woods involved under Labour on price gouging or was her investigation a straw hat, more of the same ... stuff the consumer.

Any fines handed out to the supermarkets, will simply be passed on to their customers. We, the customer, will end up paying increases to cover the fines

I've had a go at countdown before. When they charge 50c more while saying it's on special. It's straight up fraud

Staff put the stickers out..its not management forgetting to put the correct prices on the products..more training will fix this issue for them..the real problem is the cost of it all

If all new Zealanders just buys from fruit and vegetable growers directly, we will then see all supermarkets crying because no one buying off them, that's the only way we as a people can punish those bloody rip offs

I know people who work at New World and if you are reducing prices it should be 30% reduce price not $.31 more because if you’re doing it on a machine and you put 3% discount is like two dollars off okay?

so true went to buy a small bottle of olive oil ,at the checkout they were charging for the big the bottle, i just walked away ,that was countdown. this has happened a number of times with other foods. it says one thing on the shelf ,at the check out the price is higher.

Hoorayyyy someone finally giving a care , these franchise owners are getting to cunning these days, mafarrkas

In Australia we have four five supermarket chains you need competition you're getting ripped off

We should go back to small individual shop supermarkets are useless. We should encourage small outlets veggie and fruit separate, butcher seperate, fish shop, cleaning shop. Easy to manage abd less staff required

It ain't going to change unless there's more competition hopefully people will support smaller business but unfortunately the 2 main suppliers just using bully tactics

Government is there to ensure information disclose is accurate and quality of good is fit forepurpose.

Without a doubt

I just returned from the supermarket. and for me I have to admit there's so much one needs to observe because the number of times you've got to compare,, check prices, ensure the correct price is being tallied, etc. Shopping was once enjoyable now it's ensuring you're not getting ripped off or there might be a genuine error. When there is a monopoly that is a neccesity then fines, warnings, legal action, poor branding as a consequence of unfair trading are miniscual compared. to the profits made.

We need independent review of the supply chain system and supermarkets business. It is probably the worst one you could find.

While supermarkets in Australia are doing something about taking them to court or suing but I'll have to check later, however, our government/Commerce Commission would just wag their finger and a small light slap on the wrist like they always do... how about setting any fines in the large percentage of their income instead so the more they earn, the larger the fine would be. And then set up a legal system that forces supermarkets to pay suppliers that change depending on the price of the product on the selves, The more the item cost is, the more the supplier is paid. Also, I wouldn't mind seeing the Commerce Commission's bank statements of the income they get, it's not like there is anything corrupt or bribery from a like of any supermarket chain. - *sarcastic*

NZ lamb and wine are cheaper in the UK than they are here. Having travelled 12,000 miles. Make it make sense.

Nothing changed after the last investigation 🤷‍♀️

If anyone thinks Aotearoa New Zealand has a problem with 2 monopolies and more would increase competition think again,Australia has Woolworths,Coles,Aldi,Costco,plus IGA and Drakes,last 2 AUS owned, the Labour govt have just started an investigation into price-gouging as well as Supermarkets payments to farmers compared to customer prices.2yrs ago Supermarkets admitted to wage-theft and payed millions in compensation,now that the govt has decided to get involved they're panicking claiming interference in the free market, lets see how this pans out as it will have a direct influence on NZ as Woolworths is present in both Markets ,and ,aybe Aldi very soon.

Ripping us off ? Of course they are, and it’s become so blatant that a complaint invariably earns an arrogant reply. There are plenty of Asian supermarket chains that would love to operate in this country. Time for someone in authority to make approaches and attract them here.

They can cooperate fully, because their excessive profits at the expense of New Zealanders in the past few years can safely and easily pay for any penalties they might face. This will come up again in 2-3 years and nothing will have changed.

Hey National, Bring in Aldi asap!

Moral of the story is no matter the specials etc, if our country can feed our population 6 times over why are we paying these prices for most things. 2L milk strait up should cost 2 dollars. Like ive said theres a few people companies making BANK on this

Reputational damage.. really, with no honest options.

We are paying top dollar for shit qaulity products and on top getting ripped of with the prices and now the supermarkets are making huge profits from us well we struggle to by decent healthy food so they force us to buy the junk food that's all you can buy on $60 budget something needs to be done about our food.

Ive been talking about the supermarkets doing this for like a year, how are you one news just Covering this 11 years ago

Good to have coverage of this issue, but this has been going on for years. One News you're at least 3 years too slow on this. When Covid saw almost all small meat and produce providers shut down making the supermarkets the ONLY place one could buy food for the home, there was no competition, no other options for consumers and therefore no deterrent for the 2 supermarket chains to keep prices low. It's a joke this was allowed to happen. Food prices affect the wellbeing of the whole population because of the quality of food one can buy on a budget combined with the stress of having to sink so much money solely into food to feed their household. One News this needs to be on your show every day. You are the voice of the people and should be hounding our government and the people leading these organisations with hard questions. Get us answers One News as to why our government has allowed these chains to squeeze the very life blood out of our people, while at the same time offering lower and lower prices to the producers themselves. Someone is clearly laughing all the way to the bank and it's not the common people.

Support bringing ALDI into the NZ market, watch the duopoly completely fold!

The math ain’t mathin’

Ripped off left right n centre

Of course they are ripping you off😂

I tell what though! We need to leave the UN their policies and their concerns over climate change affects us as a country etc

They make billions yet farmer not going pay... need more competition

600 complaints wow and the government can’t wait untill 6000 complaints and do an investigation I shop at both duopoly and without them I would NEVER GET THE QUALITY GROCERIES FRESH FRUITS N VEGS AND THE SERVICE

This is just another "expert" giving us wrong information. When inflation is getting slightly lower, prices aren't coming down. They are rising by a lesser amount. They are still however going up.

Hungary prices are far cheaper and reasonable when I lived there it was a joke $100 got me nothing in those supermarkets $100NZD in Hungary feed me for two weeks decent food $200NZD you'll be living like a king fancy brands and all.😂😂 $200 feed you a week in NZ for a single person nothing fancy just your basics.

i wanna make a cheap bean vegetable soup

go and look atb the price of fruit, they throw out more than they sell.

11 Billion profit ! good on ya foodstuffs glad yas arent being greedy n all.

stopped going to countdown and new world , pak na sav is probably the cheapest by far and flea market for fruit and veg govt talk shit all day

Keep talking same things and nothing is done yet

🥷

This is freaking me out, we have a change of government and now we're allowed to comment. Seems to me the MSM was protecting labour WTF.....🤢🤮

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I think the current government will slowly let this issue die out. There is no issue with the Supermarkets. There was a global pandemic then $billions in inflationary money printing by the Labour government that found its way into everyday prices. The supermarkets in NZ do a great job and provide excellent service to Kiwis.

What's funny is that the whare house says they are cheaper, when they are actually more expensive 😂😂😂😂

National loves this. Government ain't gonna do nothing, just all words, but no action.this lady thinks prices are down, no it ain't. 😂😂😂

We all know capitalism is all about competition driving prices down not cartels driving the prices as high as they can.