NQR opens in Coburg

NQR Grocery Clearance Stores, which you may know as a place where students and poor people go to buy random, weird end-of-line groceries at super-cheap prices, is opening in Coburg. Here's a map.


View NQR Coburg in a larger map

If you're familiar with the area, the mall is set slightly back from Louisa Street with car parking. It's also quite near Coburg station.

Anyway, they have some opening specials and whoever wrote the catalogue copy is really enthusiastic about terrible puns. More so than me! For instance, SPC Pear Halves in Syrup are 69c an 825g can. They say: "Pearfect low prices!" And sour cream and chives flavoured Corn Thins are 79c a packet, about which they say, "No more feeling sour about high costs!"



But what caught my attention was that they have one-litre UHT packs of Zymil Low Fat Milk for 69c each. This represents a 72% saving on the regular retail price. Zymil is an easy-to-digest lactose-free milk.

Fake meat, real cheap

We've mentioned Quorn fake meat products previously at JMB, but until Tuesday 15 January at Coles, they're just $4.



Meat Free Soy Free Mince is $4 for 300g (save $1.99).

Meat-Style Balls are $4 (save $1.99). Both the mince and the schmeatballs have Australian Heart Foundation ticks, I notice.

Not so for the Southern Style Burgers, which are intended to resemble chicken, and which are crumbed in a "crunchy pepper coating". They're – you guessed it – $4 (save a whopping $2.29).

Bargain price for Bonsoy

Soy aficionados regard it as the king of soy milks, but Bonsoy is also one of the most expensive items in the non-dairy milk aisle of the supermarket.

(It was also recalled in 2009 amid concerns about excessive iodine levels. There's a class action afoot for people who suffered thyroid problems as a result.)

But anyway, until Tuesday 15 January it's on special at Coles for $3.50 (save $1.29). Nice. Get on it.

Thirst-quenching specials

Weather's been hot, huh? I bet you're thirsty. Well, you're in luck. Until Tuesday 8 January, Coles is selling 15 cans of Pepsi, Solo or Schweppes soft drink at half price – $6.49.

A pack of four cans of V Energy Drink is also half price – $4.61. That's excellent value for workaholics and party animals. But from 12 January at Aldi, you can get a 1.2L bottle of V for $4.99. Holy shit. I had no idea they sold it in bottles that large. You will probably have a heart attack if you drink the entire thing.

At Coles you can also get the limited-edition retro slabs of Fanta, Sprite or Mello Yello for half price – $12.44 a slab.




Looking at these old logos makes me realise how much packaging designers these days rely on drop shadows, gradients and illustrative elements which look quite crass and busy compared to the clean, flat colour, simple typefaces and geometric imagery of the original logos. Compare and contrast with the contemporary packaging:



For people who like the taste of Coke Zero and were like, "I wish there were other flavours of Coke Zero!" well your dreams have come true at Woolworths, which has Coke Zero Cherry. It comes in 600ml bottles at 2 for $5 (save $1.15) or in an eight-pack of "mini refreshment" 200ml cans for $5 (save $2.63).

Farmer's Union Iced Coffee is also 2 for $5 at Woolworths. That's one for you and one for your mate down the building site!

But for people who don't like or can't tolerate dairy, Coles has Almond Breeze almond milk for $2 a litre (save $1.29). This is a pretty good deal, since almond milk is the most expensive of the non-dairy milks.  

Celebratory foods and drinks for intolerances

Here's my Food And Drink Intolerances Corner! If you know someone who can't or won't eat gluten, Ajitas Vege Chips are on special at Coles for $2.15.

And if you are in the market for non-alcoholic wines during the festive season, Woolworths has Fronti red and white varieties on special for $3.89. Appletiser sparkling apple juice is 2 for $5 – a saving of $1.84. And Aldi has Ariel dealcoholised wine in 'rouge' and 'blanc' for $9.99. They also have Paulaner Alcohol Free Beer for $1.79 per 500ml bottle.

November groceries

Food-wise, avocados are 2 for $4 at Woolworths and for those of you like me who are basically working around the clock, you can get eight 250ml cans of V for $10 from both Coles and Woolies. I lived on that stuff when I was finishing my MA.

Nutella is $6 for 750g at Coles, save $1.59. Also, Quorn 'Versatile Mince' is now at Coles for $5.50, save $1.40. Quorn sells fake meat for vegetarians and apparently their products are exclusive to Coles. The mince looks pretty meaty. No idea what it tastes like.

Tresemmé shampoo and conditioner is currently half price at Coles – $4.99. I use this brand and I like that it comes in giant bottles that last for ages.

And Mainland Buttersoft is on special for $4.50 at Woolies – save $1.19. I have recently got into this because apart from Lurpak, the El Expensivo brand, Buttersoft is the only spreadable butter that isn't adulterated with vegetable oil. (I checked all the other brands in the supermarket.) Plus it comes in a larger sized container than Lurpak. There is some bullshit scare campaign on TV at the moment saying margarine has less fat than butter, but if you knew how margarine was made you would never eat it. (In the interests of ABC-style 'balance' here's the margarine industry's rebuttal.)