Going to expect more of these announcements during the year unfortunately.
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Needed more Ally-ies. 
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Not sure when, but all my loca BerryMe Froyo shops have closed down here in SEQ. Very sad.
Iâve had a few coffee places near me also close, I was talking to one owner who simply said costs have simply creeped up too much to make anything sustainable, he adjusted his pricing to reflect but revenue started to fall back. Itâs coming from all corners, be it lease costs, product costs, electricity, councils etc.
You will also see many franchise businesses trying to sell at the moment.
I think even when rates start to fall away, people are going to start saving not spending. I donât think the pain in retail is going away anytime soon. We are certainly going to start building cash over the next decade once the pressure eases from bank. I know we are not the only household looking at building some wealth in the medium term.
Itâs been hard to find eggs at supermarkets near my place this week. Even if I can find a dozen it is very expensive (minimum $9 for 700g eggs).
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Yeah, the Reserve Bank keeping interest rates too high for too long has already done a lot of damage, and they havenât reduced rates enough yet either.
Well they didnât increase the rates as high as other countries did so that is an advantage. But the predictions that interest rates would not increase for 2 years at the end of the pandemic is what messed up a lot of people.
Alot of people brought property due to the low rates but didnât factor in rate increases and what effect that would have. In hindsight maybe the banks allowed loans without factoring in that enough. Overall unemployment is still very low almost full employment and if the rates went higher it would have affected that more causing more harm.
I am bias as I do not have a mortgage but I do have savings which benefits me more when rates go higher. But the whole thing you must by property in Australia is one of the reasons why our property prices are higher than almost anywhere else in the world.
Shortly after opening, Consumer Affairs Victoria has seized a number of non-compliant products. Products seized and removed include those with button batteries that arenât secured, helmets, and luggage straps.
The new service station and Costco warehouse are located at 740 Ballarat Road, Ardeer, east of the interchange with M80 Ring Road.
51 Ally stores around Australia will close, while the remaining 109 will stay open.
Itâs no trade secret that the consumer is shifting to lower priced, own brand items. Just see WOWâs latest results, the shift to own brand is significant.
Which is why the Aldi/Kmart models are thriving at the moment.
I walk some of the aisles at Coles and Wow and you really do need to ask about some items that they range. High end Honey, Jams, Flours, and so on, just donât resonate anymore. I still believe this is a permanent shift, when rates start falling off, people will stick to the current spending habits and will start saving.
Retailers need to adapt.
Costcoâs new Ardeer store on Ballarat Road in Melbourneâs West will officially open on April 9, taking the place of the Docklands store, which was the companyâs first Australian location, having opened in 2009.
The fuel station at the Ardeer site opened on Wednesday.
I visited the Docklands store earlier this week, and it looks quite empty. The pellet shelving is nearly bare, with only the bottom and display shelves stocked.
Whatâs the reason for the change? Just that Docklands is a dead zone? Or something more within Costco?
Big W also has a great entertainment section that has DVDs, videogames and Televisions Kmart doesnât have that.
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Big W donât really sell DVDs anymore, at least in store. You would have to go online and find their DVD range there, with very much all of the DVDs on the site being Big W Marketplace items. So if you buy a DVD online at Big W, youâre actually buying from a third-party Marketplace seller.
BTW, when was the last time you saw DVDs inside your local Big W store?
Denmarkâs piblic postal service will stop delivering letters at the end of 2025. 
They will only deliver parcels in future.
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My supermarket in Rockdale had been emptied out of practically all its Beef today. Has the supply chain been affected by floods in northern NSW?
Lamb and pork stocks were very low too. Assuming people have been buying those as an alternative.