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July 27, 2011
Australian retailers are a tiresome lot. Sales are down in a two speed economy because consumers are not spending, even though national income is rising from the mining boom in iron ore, coal and gold. Savings are going up and consumer spending is subdued.
The retailers are blaming the high Australian dollar, the GST-free zone for Australians buying goods worth less than $1,000 on international websites; the carbon tax (its not even been introduced) and Julia Gillard herself. It's basically all the governments fault. Bash the Labor government and woe is me is the new corporate game. They're big whingers.
What the Australian retailers refuse to do is to look at themselves. They both missed the online retail opportunity, refused to re-invent the way they do business, and the tried to block it so they could continue with their bricks and mortar business of price gouging the Australian consumers with their huge markups. Australians shopping on overseas websites can be traced to the refusal of importers, distributors and retailers to pass reduced costs on.
The whingeing retailers turned their back on the Internet 10 years ago We are now starting to see the consequences of the internet becoming a shopping mall: the steady demise of the bricks and mortar retail chains with high priced goods (Borders, Angus and Roberston, the rag trade, eg. the Colorado chain). The big retailers--eg., Harvey Norman--- will eventually be forced online kicking and screaming.
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My son is in San Francisco at the moment.
Cooper's Ale is about 30% cheaper there [not allowing for currency rates which make it even cheaper], even tho' its imported from SA.
My US bird book was half the price bought online than here in a local bookstore even allowing for postage. OK thats understandable but my Oz written and printed birdbook is just a smidgin over half the price in SF compared to its cost here.
My German made binoculars cost less to get from the US than here even allowing for the delivery and the tax. And the difference was substantial.
Ms fred buys textile art stuff from the US that is half the price of stuff here, if she can get it here which she often can't.
I weep for Aussie retailers.
Not.