Rhonda Bracey: At Random

One thing I’ve noticed this time in the US is the proliferation of other services and/or businesses inside the confines of a supermarket. It used to be (and still is in much of Australia) that the supermarket was pretty much only for groceries,  perhaps with some kitchen utensils or basics like socks. And other stores in a mall provided the other good and services.

I’ve been to at least one Meijer and one Walmart store and both had services inside the walls (but outside the checkout area) for things such as flu shots (and other vaccinations),  pharmacy (full prescription one too),  bank,  opticians,  finance providers,  even a Subway. Walmart branded all these (except Subway) with the Walmart logo,  so I assume they are all subsidiaries or franchises within Walmart.

I’m not sure what I think of this,  though I do think that having nurse practitioners give flu  vaccinations etc. in a place where people go every day or so is a good thing.

Just another observation…

I spotted these food prices in some US grocery store catalogues. They are all much cheaper than prices in Australia for similar items.

As a comparison,  $2 per pound of chicken breasts would be equivalent to about $5 per kilogram,  which would be about $6 Australian  (AUD).  The cheapest I can buy chicken breasts for its about $8 AUD,  and is often $12 AUD per kg; same for pork. Avocados where I live are cheap if they are $1.70 AUD each,  and are often $3.40 each. And I don’t think I’ve ever been able to get peppers (capsicum) for that sort of  price.

But this one is the biggie! I pay $160 AUD per month just for cable TV (and not 200 HD channels either,  and not even cable – instead satellite that drops out in bad weather),  another $130/month for internet and phone and definitely not 60 Mbps (the maximum where I live is 24 Mbps,  but the reality is more like 15), and another $70/month for mobile phone. That’s some $360/month for what this US company is advertising at $30 / month.  No,  I know nothing about this company,  its services,  or its reliability,  but I wonder why we pay 10x what the US pays for similar services? Those Australian prices seem like a rip-off to me!