Lowest Prices Guaranteed? Buyers Beware

Neville K · Post by **Neville K** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 10:59 am

Remember the representation that each day Dan MurphyÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s (Woolies/Safeway) scoured the morningÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s papers and undercut the shelf price of any advertised price? It doesnÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t happen anymore. Dan MurphyÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s still proclaim that they they are the cheapest.However, it is not the case that the shelf price is the cheapest. Lowest Prices Guaranteed: only if you come pre-prepared, armed with advertisements and donÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t mind clogging up a register for 10 minutes whilst a store manager is called to the checkout. .They donÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t even have the advertisements at the ready. One must bring in a competitor's current advertisement for the representation to apply. They do not, as was once advertised, automatically price match the specials advertised in the daily newspapers

For example, Kemenys advertised in Friday 10/9 Australian Financial Review that Mt Langi Shiraz was $39.99 [DM 43.90]; in Saturday's Australian 11/9 Saltram Barossa shiraz was listed as $9.99.

Dan MurphyÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Sydney, a direct local competitor has this week advertised for sale Saltram Barossa shiraz for $11.90 whilst in Melbourne it is $12.95. Thus in Sydney no shelf price match and in Melbourne absent an advertisement of a cheaper price you innocently pay more.

Spring Racing Carnival time: champagne season
Billecart Salmon Brut Non Vintage Syd 58.90 Melb 59.90;
Kemenys 54.99
Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale Brut Vintage Syd.52.90 Melb54.90
Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale Brut Non Vintage Syd.39.90 Melb44.90
Lanson Black Label Non Vintage Champagne Syd59.90 Melb55.90
Pol Roger Brut Non Vintage. Syd 49.90 Melb55.90
Veuve Clicquot Brut Non Vintage Syd.59.90 Melb65.90 [Kemenys Taittinger NV 52.99]

DMs donÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t encourage web browsers to cross check capital city prices. Once you have selected a city cookies prevent home access.This can be overridden by manually cutting and pasting the URLs
http://www.danmurphy.com.au/02-syd/specials.php
http://www.danmurphy.com.au/03-vic/specials.php

There has been quite a tweak in the marketing of Dan MurphyÃƒâ€šÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s in the price wars. Buyers Beware.
Neville K

DJ · Post by DJ » Fri Sep 19, 2003 12:26 pm

Something a bit odd happened with the Dan Murphy website. It used to be www.danmurphy.com.au but that suddenly started directing you to a Bigpond site. It has changed to www.danmurphys.com.au.

Red Bigot · Post by **Red Bigot** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 12:28 pm

Neville,

I'm not sure whether Gavin will let this thread stay too long, but in my experience with DM in Canberra for just over 1 year now is that I've always had to take current paper adverts or same-day dated web page dumps to get the right price. If they ever did any automatic price-matching/reduction in Canberra it has only ever been on local print advertisement prices, never interstate.

The first time I did a price-match based on Sydney prices the manager verbally harangued me whilst he tried to work out how to do the markdown at the register. I got an apology from him a few days later after I emailed the contact address on the web-site and complained.

I've had them grumble about matching prices on their own stores from Melbourne adverts, but they always conceded in the end. The Sydney and Canberra adverts are pretty well in sync now, so I usually check Melbourne as well.

Unfortunately the Canberra store (and maybe others, possibly deliberately?) is not always up with the latest releases that are advertised by competitiors, so it's quite often hard to find the new vintage you want on the shelves.

They continue to advertise (and honour) the policy, I'm not afraid to use it when it saves me money, I don't mind doing the research online or in the Tuesday SMH Good Living.

I still find I buy a lot of wine (most) direct from wineries or from Auswine as DM do not stock a lot of the wines I want these days.

GraemeG · Post by **GraemeG** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 12:29 pm

I recall Kemeny's pointing out this kind of thing when they ran their "attack Woollies" press campaign in the Age and Herald some months ago.

Generally speaking, Melbourne buyers were subsidising the Sydney specials.

I don't think supermarket chains are really interested in much visibility in their pricing. Seems odd, when pricing's their strong point - they're hardly going to build a clientele on the strength of their product knowledge...

cheers,
Graeme

PS. Of course, pricing is the strong point for the Supermarket, not it's customers...!

Gavin Trott · Post by **Gavin Trott** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 12:35 pm

Red Bigot wrote:Neville,

I'm not sure whether Gavin will let this thread stay too long,

I still find I buy a lot of wine (most) direct from wineries or from Auswine as DM do not stock a lot of the wines I want these days.

It can stay, I tend to be pretty cool about these types of things, generally speaking.

DaveB · Post by **DaveB** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 1:19 pm

I think with the way Southcorp is about to re-position itself.....again....Re:the slashing of its discounting and bonus stock policy for retailers.....the price war maybe petering out a bit in the future.
Still as everyone has been saying....there has never been a better time to buy wine for the consumer....so get in while it lasts

Cheers

Dave

Anthony · Post by **Anthony** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 6:40 pm

Don't let me start..... :lol:

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 9:15 pm

This applies to Vintage Cellar in Sydney as well. Their website special is totally separate from in store special. Once I questioned why they aren't match. They replied with, the online orders need to pay freight so are cheaper.

Red Bigot · Post by **Red Bigot** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 6:57 am

Rob,

Assuming you can find anything at a reasonable price at VC, a big ask except for occasional specials, if the web site has it cheaper, delivery is free to a VC store of your choice.

IanP · Post by **IanP** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 9:06 am

I was in DM's Strathfield store on Saturday and noted a number of the wines I bought just after it opened had risen significantly in price. In addition there were a couple of wines I was interested in that were cheaper at 60 Darling St, but I didn't have time to argue the point.

GraemeG · Post by **GraemeG** » Mon Sep 22, 2003 9:29 am

Red Bigot wrote:Rob,

delivery is free to a VC store of your choice.

I tried this with some German riesling they had on the website that I'd never seen in any stores (not that I spend much time in VC stores), and the girl I spoke to on the phone - live - said I could not have the wine delivered to a store and pay for it there. So I didn't buy. Whether that was to do with some lines being 'website only' or not I didn't ask...

cheers,
Graeme

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Lowest Prices Guaranteed? Buyers Beware

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