New Zealand shoppers order groceries from Australia as inflation soars

theguardian.com:

Tins of spaghetti, soap, pasta shells and raw almonds: purchases more commonly carted into New Zealand homes by shopping trolleys and car boots than jetted on international flights. But as prices hit new highs, shoppers are taking drastic measures – including ordering groceries for delivery from Australia.

“It’s almost like Christmas,” said Belinda*, a Wellington woman who said she now regularly ordered groceries online from across the Tasman to supplement her local shopping. Browsing Australian groceries, she said, she was startled by the range of products and how much cheaper they were than those stocking New Zealand shelves.

The Guardian compared two shopping carts compiled by Belinda – one from an Australia-based multinational which delivered to New Zealand, the second to have the same items delivered by one of New Zealand’s largest supermarket chains. In total, even with the currency conversion, cost of GST and a small customs fee, she saved almost NZ$70 (AU$64) on a $267 shop – or about $80 including the local supermarket’s delivery charge. “The only ​​downside also is that a lot of things are currently unavailable because of stock issues. But I think that’s because everybody started to do it,” she said.

In late March, an Otago woman gained national attention after she posted her Australian-purchased shopping cart on social media. She told TV 1 that while she had saved about 35% on her groceries by bulk-buying nuts, dry goods and toiletries, she was unlikely to repeat the experiment. “I wouldn’t recommend others do it because the order is flown in so it’s not good for your carbon footprint,” she said.

“Also I now have 10 toothbrushes and a year’s worth of almonds to get through.”

Shoppers speaking to the Guardian said