Is too much choice an issue and how do you decide what to buy?

Meagan30479385

So what do you think? - How do you feel about having less choice in the supermarket? I've actually found that quite a few of my favourite products have been taken off the shelf. So I'm finding that less choice actually negatively impacts me. I don't necessarily believe that less is more. I go to the supermarket to find a number of different brands and to make an appropriate choice. What I think is that Coles and Woolies are both intimidated by Aldi and the lower prices so they are trying to do anything to retain customers. Personally, I like having more choice, it means brands don't have a monopoly in the market. Having less choice means I've had a number of the brands I like taken off the shelf. And that means I'll shop for them elsewhere like Drake's or IGAor Foodland, where they do stock them. So I think it's doing Coles/Woolies more harm than good.

What would you do if your usual brand was no longer available? I check for it at another store. Coles have taken away Watermelon cottee's cordial, a pasta sauce brand and a few other items, so I had a look at Foodland and they stock them still. So I just look elsewhere, if the bigger supermarkets don't want to stock them because of some silly idea that people will run out of their stores clutching their heads becasue the idea of choice might make their brains explode.

Would you prefer more or fewer brands to choose from? More. Less choice means that brands can put their prices up or Coles/Woolies can because it means that they can't get it elsewhere. I find having a variety of choices great, as I can choose one which tastes better, is a better price or provides nutritional value.

Does having too many brands to choose from make it harder to decide? No, and I'd really love to see the research Coles/Woolies are basing this idea from. Taking brands away means that they are restricting choices. I'm not sure it's not a ploy to raise prices and they are just blaming it on some survey that people don't like choice. Choices confront us everyday, and they are a low more difficult than picking from 4 different brands at the supermarket. It's making me feel like the supermarkets are dumbing it don for me, like it's too complicated for me to count beyond one hand so they are simplifying it for me.

When you are faced with a wide range of products to choose from, how you make your decision? Price, experience, nutritional value and what I know about the company (e.g if they are sustainabally sourced, support Aussie farmers/workers etc). Price is a major influence, like most people I stick to a strict budget. But I also like to buy Aussie products and will keep that in mind. I don't buy based on the latest advert, just make a choice about whether it'll be a nice flavour etc. More choices is better for me as a consumer as it means I can change frequently to get a different flavour or change product if there's a price rise. I don't appreciate Coles/Woolies making this choice for me to take products away, it's too over-simplified and I'm not convinced it'll make any difference to how people shop (except make me buy more products from their competitors).