Town
Stephen and I had to go to town yesterday to catch the bank. Yes, it is only open three days a week, rather than the five of previous years.
I set my sights on one of the supermarket’s filled rolls for my lunch. They are delicious. I didn’t need groceries as we had done a big shop a fortnight ago but seeing as I was there, I decided to stock up on a few of the ingredients I was running short of. I grabbed a small trolley and before long I had half-filled it. I noticed the women at the delicatessen were just as unhelpful as last time. They knew I was there but chose to let me wait. And there were only a few buns left and not nearly as nice as usual. This was probably due to the fact that the supermarket was full, with every checkout in operation when I reached that part of the shop. Thursday is obviously a busy day in Kaitaia. But what got me was the cost of my half-full small trolley. Those unnecessary items came to $179. How on earth, and I have written about this before, do people on the benefit cope with the huge increase in the cost of living? Rents are high enough without having to add the exorbitant cost of food into the equation.
Just perusing my docket now, I see that several items are on the restricted list. We have only been allowed to buy four butters since lock down but I see cheese and bacon also come into that category. Why? Kumara are generally cheap up this way but not at the moment. My two small ones came to $7.60 while my small pumpkin was $8.29. I am sure the sign said $6.89. And even that is expensive. I am surprised to see that my five rubbish bags are now $21.59. Has the council quietly increased the price of these as well, although I can’t remember what they used to cost.
I didn’t buy any avocados. With a son with an orchard, I expect we will be given some soon. But the ones on offer were hard and small. I didn’t see the price. All I know is that the price has dropped considerably for growers and they are penalised for their large fruit. Who is getting the mark-up on these items and why aren’t the supermarkets wanting the big fruit? I know buyers would enjoy them more.
Don’t get me started on greed again. I know trucking costs have risen but the amount of people in that supermarket yesterday must have created thousands of dollars of revenue and that’s after paying the workers. A few extra specials here and there or even an overall reduction in price on everything. Even 30c off each item, in my shop, would have saved me $10. For some families, that could mean the difference between feeling full after a meal, or still being slightly hungry.