Is SpudShed the WA Equivilent To US Walmart

[aussiblue]

I don't shop at the Jandakot one anymore, but when I did i wasn't unusual see people shopping in their PJ's and occasionally half undressed, but this takes the cake.

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wa/...ked-c-13590916

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Western Australia


Spudshed customers were left ‘shocked’ while grocery shopping at a Perth store on Tuesday after spotting a shopper in the checkout line with two rats sitting on her shoulders.
Spudshed customers were left ‘shocked’ while grocery shopping at a Perth store on Tuesday after spotting a shopper in the checkout line with two rats sitting on her shoulders. Credit: Adobe Stock
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Shopper spotted with pet rats on shoulders at Spudshed Ellenbrook, leaving customers ‘shocked’
Kayla SellwoodPerthNow
February 14, 2024 6:33PM
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Spudshed customers were left “shocked” while grocery shopping at the Ellenbrook store on Tuesday after spotting a shopper in the checkout line with two rats sitting on her shoulders.

A photo sent to PerthNow showed a hairless rat and a black rat sitting on each shoulder of the woman as she waited in the checkout queue.

“It was 5pm in the checkout line, it was busy and I noticed a lady in front of me with what appeared to be two rats around her shoulders,” a horrified customer said.

“Why would she bother to bring her rats to the shops? It’s just not something you expect to see every day.”

The customer — who was ‘shocked’ at the thought of the rodents roaming around the uncovered fresh fruit and vegetables — said the staff only spotted the woman on her way out of the store and were amused by it.

“Customers were sort of shaking their heads,” the shopper said. “I was shocked she thought it was okay to come to the supermarket with rats and with all the uncovered fresh food.”

“It was incredulous that you’d find that in a supermarket. The last thing I want to find is rat turds in my shopping.”
A photo sent to PerthNow showed a hairless rat and a black rat sitting on each shoulder of the woman as she waited in the checkout queue.
A photo sent to PerthNow showed a hairless rat and a black rat sitting on each shoulder of the woman as she waited in the checkout queue. Credit: Supplied

Spudshed said staff were not aware of the rats until the woman was being processed through the checkout.

The store confirmed no pets are allowed in the store except for service animals and that there is signage displayed that communicates these rules to customers.

“Staff were not aware of the rats until she was being processed through the check-out and this had not been reported to the Ops team,” said Galati Group’s Head of Marketing Melissa Osterhage.

“There were no complaints received from customers. Spudshed welcomes service animals but pets are not allowed in the store.

“There is signage displayed that communicates this to our customers.”

[prktkljokr]

Its rife everywhere, I find Gateways is good for a laugh if you have time to sit and watch while you grab a meal from the food court, there are a lot of people who have a different level of acceptable that's for sure, Spudshed just attracts a different type of shopper that's all.

[marty351]

It's not the rats I'd be concerned about.

[rare ss]

The rats were at our local spud shed, I can confirm it's the WA version of Walmart!

Given it's the only thing open 24hrs I've seen some funny sights during them evening hours

[marty351]

Originally Posted by rare ss

The rats were at our local spud shed, I can confirm it's the WA version of Walmart!

Given it's the only thing open 24hrs I've seen some funny sights during them evening hours

It'd be nice if Melbourne had a 24hr store like this. But no, we go bed-e-byes between 10pm-midnight.

[Citroënbender]

Originally Posted by marty351

It'd be nice if Melbourne had a 24hr store like this. But no, we go bed-e-byes between 10pm-midnight.

Launceston has a 24H K-mart. A friend used to work there, while it was great for people watching at any hour - the late night stories were “interesting”.

[Adamz Ghia]

The rats look tame, and I reckon it’s a good bet they’re more hygienic than some of the people who shop there.

And that’s not to mention some peoples kids…

[aussiblue]

The rats look tame, and I reckon it’s a good bet they’re more hygienic than some of the people who shop there.

Doubtless tame but I still wouldn't want them or their crap on my food and it seems from some reports on fcaebook she was letting them run free while she handled food.

[roKWiz]

Slow day in Perth was it ?

[prktkljokr]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Slow day in Perth was it ?

Always a slow day in Perth, just waiting for stuff from the east to turn up

[Rallye Sport]

More like WA Salvage for the sandgropers that remember it. Products out of date by 12 months or more, old, seconds veges that couldn't be sold to the chains and rancid meat.

I'd be more worried about the Rat that owns place.
Remember his stoush with the Potato board? A regulatory body in place to stop people holding a monopoly on the industry.
Salt of the earth farmer just wanted the right to treat the people of Perth to magical new varieties of spuds

So wheres our gourmet produce? All I see is a mega farm in Myalup that bought all the water rights in the area giving a couple of local tourist towns no option to stop watering their footy fields, golf courses and recreation areas, ruining the local businesses and towns.

Yeah great place to shop.

[aussiblue]

A regulatory body in place to stop people holding a monopoly on the industry.

No; that was not its reason for being. I had some very minor involvement one of its earlier review under competition policy in a past life as an economist in the WA State Public Service. It was a artefact of post WWII shortages.

Per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato...tern_Australia etc

The Potato Marketing Corporation of Western Australia (PMC) was a statutory corporation created by the Government of Western Australia's Marketing of Potatoes Act 1946.[1] It was charged with managing the supply of fresh table potatoes in Western Australia.[2] The statutory corporation operated to ensure licensed growers supplied potatoes all year round to the WA consumer market.[3] The corporation was self-funded by revenue from licence fees and did not receive financial support from the state government.[3] The agency dictated the varieties and volume in the WA potato market.[4]

Or in more detail per the attached extract from its last annual report at http://pmc.wa.gov.au/publications/annualreports.cfm

What it certainly did achieve was to severely restrict the variety of potatoes available to consumers in WA to a just a couple in practice for many years and artificially raise prices to consumers without (due in my view to its operating inefficiencies) increasing farmers returns and in my view give cushy jobs to same right leaning Board members. I am so glad it has gone.

Salt of the earth farmer just wanted the right to treat the people of Perth to magical new varieties of spuds

In effect the PMC actually did the exact opposite. I am also told that market analysis also shows that the volume of different varieties in the consumer market has increased since the the demise of the PMC.

[Rallye Sport]

"The agency dictated the varieties and volume in the WA potato market"

They did this by issuing quotas did they not?

[aussiblue]

"The agency dictated the varieties and volume in the WA potato market"

They did this by issuing quotas did they not?

Yes; so? What could be more anticompetitive.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Yes; so? What could be more anticompetitive.

Therefore eliminating one grower holding a monopoly.
In my time working in small production quota's were a god send. We had a target to aim for, ability to forecast crop needs and an end price.
The big guys will just over produce, under price and wear the loss until the small guy goes bust, same as what the big supermarkets do which we're slowly starting to wake up too.

Still yet to see all of these new varieties of potatoes we were promised on the shelves.

[prktkljokr]

I used to work for super spud back in those days as a truck driver, the potato board didn't stop the sale of black market spuds as it was rife back in those days so it really wasnt restricting as much as it thought it was.

[aussiblue]

Therefore eliminating one grower holding a monopoly.

No; quota was virtually traded by a variety of backdoor methods and held or controlled in fewer hands than you perceived.

In my time working in small production quota's were a god send. We had a target to aim for, ability to forecast crop needs and an end price.

Thus encouraging producer and market inefficiencies.

I had relatives with potato farm in Northcliffe, Pemberton and Manjimup so I understand that perspective to. But the PMC was a post war artefact that discouraged efficiencies and encouraged inefficiencies all the way from the paddock to the shelf and also reduced consumer product options.

[Citroënbender]

Black market potatoes, who’d have thought? More chip-chip than chop-chop.

[aussiblue]

Still yet to see all of these new varieties of potatoes we were promised on the shelves.
_____

Even Coles have more varieties now than the couple they used to sell ; see https://www.coles.com.au/browse/frui...ables/potatoes. Then go to somewhere like Tony Ales to see more varieties.

In any event, apart from a continuing academic interest, it's a bit immaterial to me as I am very allergic to potatoes. Nightshade vegies are a big no no for us psoriasis sufferers and potatoes makes my psoriasis flare up on my skin and in my stomach (gastrointestinal bleeding) more than anything. So much for my 49% spud eating Irish ancestry.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

I had relatives with potato farm in Northcliffe, Pemberton and Manjimup so I understand that perspective to. But the PMC was a post war artefact that discouraged efficiencies and encouraged inefficiencies all the way from the paddock to the shelf and also reduced consumer product options.

Interested in what you mean by that?
Still waiting on those new varieties, it'll be dinner time soon...

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Even Coles have more varieties now than the couple they used to sell ; see .

I'll have a look next time I'm in there, interested to see if they're grown in WA or just bagged and sent over.

Oh and don't worry I know where to get the good spuds

[aussiblue]

Interested in what you mean by that?

Simple economics for example the certainty around quotas discourages growers taking any real risks and attempting new production methods to reduce costs or try new crops and explore new markets etc. It is also a very communist like regime. It means even very inefficient growers will not fail and stay in business.

[prktkljokr]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Black market potatoes, who’d have thought? More chip-chip than chop-chop.

There's black market everything, just try to stop people making money and there will be a black market start up overnight.

I used to see the growers semi's leaving at 4 in the morning when I got to work, not bad for a place that used to start at 8, the night spuds would have been washed graded and bagged by then I usually had a 12 hour day of delivering spuds and onions, so I used to start early with the other 3 drivers, oh the joy of it

[aussiblue]

I'll have a look next time I'm in there, interested to see if they're grown in WA or just bagged and sent over.

Most importantly the consumer not the PMC is now deciding what varieties are available. And even in these cost of living times when you would thin k they would prefer the old staple PMC preferred cheaper varieties, this is clearly not the case,

[aussiblue]

There's black market everything, just try to stop people making money and there will be a black market start up overnight.

Yes, even in spud quota back in the day.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Simple economics for example the certainty around quotas discourages growers taking any real risks and attempting new production methods to reduce costs or try new crops and explore new markets etc. It is also a very communist like regime. It means even very inefficient growers will not fail and stay in business.

I think most growers would be risk adverse to a certain extent quota or not. As for not being open to new production methods I've never met a grower that wasn't open new ideas.
Who'd have though opinions would vary this much over the humble spud

[aussiblue]

Did you catch this spud news Rallye Sport? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-...lars/103461744 and https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/20...ages/103368238

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Did you catch this spud news Rallye Sport? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-...lars/103461744 and https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/20...ages/103368238

Looks like WA is a small frie (excuse the pun) in the industry, 68000 tonnes compared to Tasmania and SA with 458000 and 433000 respectively. That answers where those Coles spuds will be coming from.

Galati's still not off the hook for me, in a bit more spud news after 50 odd years the Wanneroo Markets site which he holds a stake in is up for sale. They've just been flogging the place for years with no maintenance to the point it is almost ready to be condemned. And for bonus points all the smaller growers and spud shed competition will loose their stalls and livelyhoods with it. What a top bloke

[aussiblue]

Hmm https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/crops/ho...ables/potatoes

Potatoes

Potatoes are the world’s fourth most important food crop. They are vital to Western Australia being:

the second highest value vegetable crop after carrots, with a farm gate value of $54 million
the second highest value-adding horticulture industry after wine, amounting to $177 million through the value chain
a nutritious fresh vegetable, available all year round
raw material for French fry processing
outside revenue earner mostly from seed potatoes.

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Hmm https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/crops/ho...ables/potatoes

Happy to keep reading the articles mate but can't see how it relates to Galati's veiled attempt to hold monopoly on the industry?