Shopping in Australia
The big international brands have managed to find a place in the sun like Esprit , Mango, Kookai, GAP, Zara , H & M, Top Shop and Muji to name a few.
Listed Australian brands, women love to dress at Cue, Carla Zampatti, Country Road, Jigsaw, Veronica Maine, Witchery, etc.
For round women, City Chic offers trendy clothes that follow the fashion of the moment. This Australian brand has managed to export to the United States, England and Canada.
Below the big brands, there are many shops offering more cheap items, that is to say very affordable but of a rather mediocre quality and often made in Asia: Dotti, Lowes, Super, SES etc.
There are t-shirts between AU $ 5 and AU $ 10, pants at AU $ 15 and coats at AU $ 30. What to troubleshoot small budgets for a season.
In the heart of big cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth , shopping streets and often pedestrian bring together the main Australian and international brands.
Shopping centers also abound in Australia, including those owned by the Westfield Group, which dominates this sector extensively and has been exported to New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The department stores Myer and David Jones, equivalent of Printemps and Galeries Lafayette in France, cover a large part of the country.
For fashionistas (including fashion and shopping enthusiasts), head to Melbourne, Australia’s fashion capital. The dress style is more dressy, less casual (maybe because of the climate?).
In March is held the Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival which presents the latest trends in Australian haute couture followed in September by Fashion Week.
Who says shopping says balances. What to do very good business several times a year.
Australian fashion and clothing behaviors
Retro fashion in Australia In the radius of styles, Australians display without restraint their taste and their personality.
The so-called ‘revival’ and / or eccentric tendencies are very fashionable here and it is quite common to see people who have been updated every 50s, 80s or even extreme Gothic all dressed in black, wedged shoes, piercings with a hair color very flashy.
These particular looks are nevertheless much more common in neighborhoods than in the heart of downtown, the business district, where the outfits are more uniform and classic.
In Australia, it’s impossible to miss out on the surfer style or, more broadly, the beach and weekend style, with casual cotton clothes that are easy to wear and fit well with the Australian way of life and culture. The shops of major brands such as Billabong, Quicksilver, Roxy, and Rip Curl, abound streets and shopping malls.
In the shoe department
In the realm of surfing, the flip-flop is the essential shoe that you wear on the beach, at home or simply when you want to be comfortable. Thus, it is not uncommon to see Australian women dressed in a skirt suit and pavement flip flops to facilitate their travel between home and their office. Proper shoes in hand, they will only put them once arrived at work.
Apart from the very consensual flip flops and other sandals, the fashion in women’s shoes remains quite poor and very standardized: flashy, not always very elegant and very high pitched.
As you say it without detours, if you are looking for small shoes with a heel of around 4-5 cm and you like it, it will take quite a lot!
In these cases, it is better to turn to foreign brands but the price will be accordingly … In this area, men find it much easier shoes to their feet.
In Australia, you often have to pay attention to your budget because the money can go down very quickly. Food is a big part of the budget and you often have to pay attention to what you buy by looking at the prices of the items.
As in France, there are several different stores, and you can ask which one to choose, whether in terms of price or diversity of products.
The Different Furniture Supermarkets
In Australia we have very large areas like Carrefour, Auchan and Leclerc but also smaller like Ed, Lidl, etc…
The principle is also the same in Australia. By cons, do not expect to see stores as large as our supermarkets. There are a lot less products and supermarkets are much smaller.
Supermarkets
The two largest supermarkets are Coles and Woolworth. It is usually in these 2 brands that you will do your shopping because it is here that the prices are the lowest and there is the most products. In all major cities, both brands are present. In the suburbs you will usually find one or the other. There is also have a big impact in supermarkets is online purchasing like the world best online store called mydeal.com.au offer best furniture parts like Quality Bar Stools available online at cheap prices.
Coles-Woolworths
I cannot tell you which is the cheapest because they usually line up on the same prices. In any case the price difference is not huge and vary by product. You will find more expensive products in one and vice versa.
These 2 stores have their own brand. You will find Woolworth (or Home Brand) products and Cole’s products.
Supermarkets
In the more remote corners, as in the outback, you will find IGAs. I advise you to buy the bare necessities in these stores, because the products are quite expensive and the bill can quickly go up. But sometimes you will not really have a choice.
These signs are found in all cities, but are the only ones present in remote corners of Australia. In fact, big brands have no economic interest in being present.
There is another small sign, but it is very popular with backpackers. These are the Aldi . This supermarket, which also exists in France, is the cheapest in Australia, but you will not find it at every corner. Aldi supermarkets are only present in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. If you are looking for an Aldi store you can go here.
The reductions
In Australian supermarkets, the reductions are numerous. Here is a small summary of the various discounts you can find while shopping.
Weekly discounts
The number of reduction is quite impressive compared to France. Indeed when entering a supermarket, you will see hundreds of products in reductions, some are 20 or 30 cents but others can reach 20, 30 or even 50% off fairly regularly. It should also be known that every week new products are in discounts.
End of the day discounts
Apart from weekly discounts, there are also end-of-day discounts. I advise you to do your shopping 1 hour or 2 before closing the store. Indeed, the fresh products are reduced by the staff at the end of the day to avoid waste. Many products in the bakery department take advantage of such discounts as bread, muffins, donuts, donuts, etc…
Reduction reduced Australia
You will also enjoy good roasted chicken at prices defying any competition or meat that arrives on the expiry date.
Gasoline reductions
The 3 main supermarkets are petrol station partners to offer discounts at the pump. If you buy $ 30 worth of races you will receive a discount of 4c / L at the gas station partner.
Here are the partner stations:
Coles is a partner with Shell petrol stations
Woolworth’s partners with Caltex petrol stations
IGA does not have a particular partner. In Western Australia, several stations can be partner like Gull or BP. (Find the full list here) in the rest of the country, you can go to any petrol station and the amount of the discount will be deducted on your next purchase.
Australia gasoline reduction
Also be aware that there are sometimes additional promotional offers and the discount can be 8c / L.
Products
In Australia you will not be too wasted food level, but you will have some surprises. Indeed, some French people feel a few shortcomings on two very French products namely: baguette and cheese.
Although there are bakeries, the bread has no flavor and has nothing to do with our chopsticks in France. It is the same for cheese that has no taste. You will undoubtedly find kiri, laughing cow, or even bursin coming straight from France, but you will have to put the price. At $ 72 a kilo for the boursin and $ 80 a kilo for the goat, you’ll really have to miss it to buy some…
Australians are also not very good at baking and kids have very crazy to play online games like totaljerface. Their cakes are usually not famous.
And for lovers of tropical Oasis, or Oasis in general, you will be disappointed. Know that it does not exist in Australia.
At the register
This paragraph may seem special, but there are 2 things to know that may surprise at first. It happens to a lot of people.
After all your items, if you want to pay by credit card, the cashier will say “Any cash out? “. These 3 little words left more than one without knowing what to answer. You should know that in Australia you can withdraw cash at the supermarket checkouts with your credit card and without charge. If you want $ 10 in cash, the bill for your shopping will be $ 10 higher, but the cashier will return them in cash.
Payment card blue Australia checkout
Then, the payment by credit card is different compared to France. In Australia, after giving your card, the cashier will ask you “credit, saving or check”. By elimination many say “credit” since we do not pay by check, “saving” we do not know what it is at the beginning and that “credit” makes us think of credit card so credit card. And obviously this reasoning is not good.
Credit is the deferred payment, i.e. on credit. You are not charged right away. But this type of payment is usually not available for backpackers and their basic bank account.
Saving is taken from your e-saver account.
Check corresponds to the payment with your current account.
It is therefore “check” that you will have to choose.
One last thing. You may wonder why you have cents that are not rounded knowing that 1 and 2 cents coins do not exist. Simply because they were removed from circulation in 1992 but they are still legal. The amount will then be rounded.
The purchase of alcohol and tobacco in Australia
If you’ve ever been to supermarket shelves in Australia, you’ve probably noticed that there is no bottle of alcohol. Indeed, it is forbidden to sell alcohol in supermarkets. There are specialized shops. The best known is “Liquorland “. You will find them next to each Coles and Woolworths generally.
liquorland Australia
There is also DRIVE THRU. This is the drive (like the Mac Do). You place an order and an employee comes to serve you, all without moving from your car.
Regarding tobacco, there is no tobacco shop. You will be able to get cigarette packets at the reception of supermarkets and liquorland.
On the other hand, know that tobacco and alcohol are much more expensive than in France. Count about $ 45 for a bottle of Absolut Vodka and $ 20 for a pack of cigarettes.
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