Greengrocer claims ‘greedy’ supermarkets are overcharging for produce
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In a time when every penny counts, especially for those on fixed incomes, the rising cost of groceries can be a real concern.
It's no secret that grocery prices have been climbing, but a recent outcry from a Brisbane greengrocer suggests there might be more to these price hikes than meets the eye.
Skippy's Fresh Frootz in Victoria Point has been making waves by offering prices that seem almost too good to be true in today's market.
Elijah Etri, the manager of Skippy's Fresh Frootz, isn't mincing words when it comes to his thoughts on the matter.
He's calling out the 'greedy' supermarkets for unnecessary markups on fruit and vegetables.
In an interview today, Elijah expressed his bafflement at the high prices charged by supermarkets, attributing it to nothing more than greed.
'The supermarkets simply don't need to mark the prices up like they do, especially on fresh produce,' Elijah stated.
He has a unique insight into the situation, as his business buys produce at similar, if not higher, prices than the big players due to their smaller scale and lack of buying power.
Yet, Skippy's Fresh Frootz still manages to sell their goods at significantly lower prices.
'What it all comes down to is your markup, and we pass on the savings. If we can buy something cheap, we'll pass it on to our customers cheap as well,' he explained.
Elijah's business model is refreshingly straightforward: buy produce daily and sell it the same day.
This approach contrasts with supermarkets that plan their specials months.
By buying daily, Skippy's Fresh Frootz can offer fresher produce and better deals, which is something the larger supermarkets struggle to match.
Elijah also pointed out a concerning trend in the industry: the unrealistic standards of perfection that supermarkets have set for produce.
These standards have trained consumers to reject fruits and vegetables with even the slightest imperfections, leading to massive food waste and higher prices at the farm level.
Farmers are forced to discard perfectly good produce simply because it doesn't meet supermarkets' cosmetic criteria.
This practice contributes to environmental waste and inflates the cost of produce that makes it to the supermarket shelves.
As Elijah noted, 'It comes down to the standards that the supermarkets have inflicted and have trained the public to think what is perfect and not accept anything else.'
‘And it's it comes down to diameter and sizing of certain things, colour even scratching on fruit like oranges, if they get a scratch on the skin, they're cast away - it doesn't mean the fruit's imperfect, but that's what the supermarkets have trained customers to believe, they won't accept anything else, and the farmers are forced to throw it in the bin.’
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It's no secret that grocery prices have been climbing, but a recent outcry from a Brisbane greengrocer suggests there might be more to these price hikes than meets the eye.
Skippy's Fresh Frootz in Victoria Point has been making waves by offering prices that seem almost too good to be true in today's market.
Elijah Etri, the manager of Skippy's Fresh Frootz, isn't mincing words when it comes to his thoughts on the matter.
He's calling out the 'greedy' supermarkets for unnecessary markups on fruit and vegetables.
Brisbane greengrocer called major supermarkets 'greedy' for overcharging on produce. Credit: Shutterstock
In an interview today, Elijah expressed his bafflement at the high prices charged by supermarkets, attributing it to nothing more than greed.
'The supermarkets simply don't need to mark the prices up like they do, especially on fresh produce,' Elijah stated.
He has a unique insight into the situation, as his business buys produce at similar, if not higher, prices than the big players due to their smaller scale and lack of buying power.
Yet, Skippy's Fresh Frootz still manages to sell their goods at significantly lower prices.
'What it all comes down to is your markup, and we pass on the savings. If we can buy something cheap, we'll pass it on to our customers cheap as well,' he explained.
Elijah's business model is refreshingly straightforward: buy produce daily and sell it the same day.
This approach contrasts with supermarkets that plan their specials months.
By buying daily, Skippy's Fresh Frootz can offer fresher produce and better deals, which is something the larger supermarkets struggle to match.
Elijah also pointed out a concerning trend in the industry: the unrealistic standards of perfection that supermarkets have set for produce.
These standards have trained consumers to reject fruits and vegetables with even the slightest imperfections, leading to massive food waste and higher prices at the farm level.
Farmers are forced to discard perfectly good produce simply because it doesn't meet supermarkets' cosmetic criteria.
This practice contributes to environmental waste and inflates the cost of produce that makes it to the supermarket shelves.
As Elijah noted, 'It comes down to the standards that the supermarkets have inflicted and have trained the public to think what is perfect and not accept anything else.'
‘And it's it comes down to diameter and sizing of certain things, colour even scratching on fruit like oranges, if they get a scratch on the skin, they're cast away - it doesn't mean the fruit's imperfect, but that's what the supermarkets have trained customers to believe, they won't accept anything else, and the farmers are forced to throw it in the bin.’
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