overtake wow date, page-20

....to the sound of champagne corks popping....

eventually, only a cent, but tomorrow is another day.

I went into Woolies Bega and Coles Bega this morning ( I usually only buy fruit and veg at the Fyshwick FRESH {and I mean Fresh} Fruit markets in Canberra on regular visits.)

Woolies is a joke. Fresh? You have got to be joking. Crappy stale seconds. Compared to Fyshwick 2 to 2.5 up to 3 times standard prices. Coles, however, was a real surprise. I bought honeydews,pears,avacados and bananas at Fyshwick (and less) prices. Might have been a rare snapshot, but on this occasion they were ultra-competitive.

Aldi's already in Cooma and the word is the Bega Valley isn't too far away. If Bega is a litmus test, Coles market share will be healthy, but Woolies may face a buyer backlash. Consumers are smarter and fussier. A bit of govt assistance thrown at Aldi, Costco and future insurgents might just really push the competition juggernaut along a bit, much to the benefit of the average shopper. The $10 gap at the start of the year between WOW and WES has evaporated. How long before it flips polarity?