FFS leave GST alone Chippy

[harm_less]

Which means over time tgere will be nk way to show if GST has just been absorbed into the price - which just exactly what experts, including the Minister of Finance, have been saying.  The very reason Grant Robertson poured cold water on the idea in May.

As I alluded to above the pricing of any retail item, and especially fresh produce, has so many components there is no way to attribute price variations to any one factor.

The price on that bag of carrots includes payment to grower (typically as low as 10% of retail price), numerous freight events, packaging, shelf placement (possibly including a charge for premium display location), share of store's lease and heating/refrigeration/cleaning costs, checkout staff input, electronic stock monitoring and inventory registration, payment system commissions, advertising, insurance (premises, stock, public liability), contribution to shoplifting losses and/or spoilt stock and probably dozens of other incidental costs.

The presence of GST in the price is easily identified by the absence of this within the supermarket's accounts (for food items that are deemed exempt) but to the typical shopper all they are looking for is a proportional reduction in cost at the checkout, and many of these shoppers whose depth of expense analysis leads them to regard that filling their car's tank with petrol is the extent of their personal transport costs. They are also the shoppers that take free curtain making/carpet laying/tyre fitting or 'GST off sale' promotions at face value. 

Supermarket retailing today is a whole branch of psychology in itself and the average shopper is completely ignorant in the ways they are being manipulated in the shopping environment. Good luck to anyone looking for a simple and straightforward explanation of the price breakdown on that bag of carrots.