Supermarket fuel discounts capped at 4c per litre

[yo yo ma]

"THE days of big shopper docket fuel savings are over after Coles and Woolworths agreed to limit discounts to four cents a litre. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Friday announced the two supermarket giants had agreed to the four cent a litre maximum discount limit."

"Fuel shopper docket schemes offered by supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths will be hit with a discount cap of 4¢ a litre from January 1, the competition regulator has announced.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced it had accepted undertakings from the supermarket giants that they will voluntarily stop offering fuel shopper docket deals to their customers that are funded by other arms of their businesses.
Under the brokered deal, both retailers may continue to offer fuel saving offers to their supermarket customers, but any discounts on fuel offered to supermarket customers from January 1 are not to exceed 4¢ a litre."

Coles, Woolies to limit fuel discounts | News.com.au

Supermarket fuel discounts to be capped at 4c a litre

Very disappointing news

 

[TomVexille]

this is not good for my QF points balance

 

[mannej]

Very disappointing news

When has the ACCC looked after the consumer? Case in point the QF J awards but Y seat 90% of the way. The toothless tiger had nothing better to do so went after something visible. Not great for the consumer at all.

this is not good for my QF points balance

I am sure you will see some big discounts over the Christmas period...

 

[samh004]

cough ACCC... I'd have preferred 8¢/L being the standard.

 

[cove]

Back to Woolies 5% off wish cards plus 4 cents to keep the numbers up around 11 cents off.

 

[JohnK]

This was the biggest problem that needed addressing?

Extremely disappointing.

 

[RB]

I am more inclined to think of the 1,000's of independent service stations that have closed since these discounts started & the resultant damage done to those families. Sorry but I don't think for 1 minute that these are genuine discounts-I believe you are paying for them in many ways.

 

[NM]

I thought the ACCC was supposed to stop companies colluding to limit consumer benefits??? This seems like a case of two companies colluding to limit the discounts they offer to their customers.

 

[whatmeworry]

I am more inclined to think of the 1,000's of independent service stations that have closed since these discounts started & the resultant damage done to those families. Sorry but I don't think for 1 minute that these are genuine discounts-I believe you are paying for them in many ways.

I thought the ACCC was supposed to stop companies colluding to limit consumer benefits??? This seems like a case of two companies colluding to limit the discounts they offer to their customers.

Does this mean we will see lower prices at the supermarket register?

 

[SeatBackForward]

I'm struggling to see how this helps the consumer.

The petrol chains will maintain their current pricing, knowing they'll get somewhere between 4c/l to 8c/l more from consumers, and wont have to pay the supermarkets whatever extra % discount they were paying..
How exactly does capping the fuel discount help us?

 

[Deleted member]

Does this mean we will see lower prices at the supermarket register?

Yeah right !!!'

 

[Genghicat]

Cap on Woolies fuel savings to be set at 4cents/litre

Looks like the end of the really big Qantas points haul at Woolies Caltex stations. I know that they have 15c per litre off this weekend, and some people have end of year rewards (20c per litre and the like), but looks like all good things will come to an end.

Cap for supermarket fuel discounts

Basic premise is that come January 1, the maximum discount that a supermarket can give is 4 cents per litre. Higher discounts CAN be given by the servo, but it will need to be funded and managed by the fuel operations centre - which, I'm guessing couldn't be linked to a grocery spend or a targeted offer as has been done with some of the more generous discounts.

Having only bought a jerry can this morning for the express purpose of taking advantage of the times when we can get 15 - 20 cents off, I kind of have a sad face.


(Did a search and I couldn't see if this has already been posted - apologies in advance if it has)

 

[rainbowgirl]

Back to Woolies 5% off wish cards plus 4 cents to keep the numbers up around 11 cents off.

I'm using the 5% discounted RACV Wish cards so I should be getting the 11 cents off or therabouts as well. At the moments I have lots of Coles 20 cents per litre vouchers but once they have gone it will be back to Woolworths/Caltex for me.

 

[drewbles]

Does this mean we will see lower prices at the supermarket register?

Yeah right !!!'

It'll not reduce the cost of fuel either.

It's a win for the supermarkets, no one else.

I love all the comments on articles on the age and news.com.au. The majority are under the belief that prices will tumble.

Seriously a joke.

 

[yo yo ma]

I have written a complaint to the ACCC... not that it will do anything but just so they have feedback that not everyone is against the discount

General enquiry form | ACCC

 

[anat0l]

What was the motivation again for trying to put the brakes (pun intended) on the major 2 supermarkets wheeling out larger and larger fuel discounts?

 

[LovemyCC]

Big supermarkets didnt get rich by agreeing to something against their interests.

You can easily work around the new law by offering the 4c off more frequently. Eg on $15 spend, get 4c off. Or 4c off fuel when you buy $1 bread

 

[drron]

Woollies just has to offer a few bonus points for buying X amount of petrol and we'll all be queueing up.

 

[Pushka]

I think the extreme discount vouchers from Coles and Woolies contributed to a reduction in the frequency of the overall discount cycle. I'm glad they've been capped.

 

[gwilli1]

Its a lame decision from the ACCC. They just had to show to the independent petrol operators they were trying to do something to end the heavy petrol discounts at WW & Coles. The focus will now shift to the likes of WW/Caltex Petrol & Coles Express incentivising customers to buy X product or spend X dollars in there store and receive X cents off your fuel purchase or infact offering X Points in QF or Flybuys.

WW & Coles will either reduce there margin expectations on their petrol outlets or cross subsidise them with their supermarkets. It will all be internal funny money transfers across each group.

At the end of the day it will remain a perceived even playing field in the eyes of the ACCC , as there is nothing stopping the likes of the other independents petrol operators doing the same , of course they won't be able to sustain the level , WW or Coles can inject into there respective petrol operations .

Don't expect any drop in prices either in supermarkets or with fuel . And don't expect any change to the respective fuel cycles that occur in each state.

The result... nothing has changed IMO. There are many ways to " skin a cat"