North V's South in Cigarette prices

Please stay on the question at hand!!!!

I didn’t see anything that asked you to push your personal opinions on stop smoking.

I think that people who are anti smokers as worse than bible bashers.

And no im not a smoker.

Prices are way too expensive for ciggies, went to Bali and paid 15 cents for a pkt of twenty, makes you think, will give up when I’m not too stressed lol

I find the cheapest prices to be at FreeChoice Woden (just next to Woolies and the sushi bar).

The supermarkets are usually about $5 more per carton and about $1 more per packet (and the service is way quicker than supermarkets).

And – being a regular interstate traveller – they’re as cheap as anywhere in the country.

PS – the FreeChoice store in the city always seems to be quite a bit more than it’s sister-shop at Woden, so don’t use this one as a pricing guide.

the problem from a smoker’s perspective is that the cost for the smoking cessation aids are greater than a pack of smokes

Making a commitment to quit smoking is a part of the process. If that commitment involves some financial penalty, well, it’s just a part of the commitment. This is the reason why some psychologists don’t take on insurance jobs. If the therapy is being paid for by someone else, then they may not be as committed to their rehabilitation.

BUT – very impressed with your research – you deserve a gold star!!

Aaahh, facts. I never let them get in the way.

Actually peewee – southside cig’s are cheaper, I live on the northside and I am paying $1.50 more then in Tuggys.

Now class, it’s time for an economics lesson.

I’m sure you’ve all heard of supply and demand. Well, let’s talk about the cost of cigarettes in Tuggeranong versus the cost of cigarettes in Belconnen. Firstly, I’m sure you’ve all heard the story of the evil cigarette companies that lure you in with a teenage smoke and then you find that you can’t shake off the habit.

In Tuggers, it’s rumoured that cigarettes cost $1.50 more than in Belco. The laws of supply and demand come into play. Less people in Tuggers smoke therefore they pay more for their product. There are fewer smokers in Tuggers because:

(a) they are health freaks
(b) they are crack addicts who don’t have time not the inclination to smoke ciggies
(c) they have less money (because they spent it on macro-biotic food, organic food, flour hand milled by African Lemurs, or crack is really expensive).

So, when the punter goes to buy a packet of fags (which now come in super sized, jumbo packs) down South, they are cross subsidising those nasty Northerners. To add insult to injury, government taxes are added to the price of the ciggies, so, all smokers are burdened with the upkeep of Australia.

This leads me to the effect, intended or otherwise of smoke pricing policy upon the housing market.

From our basic introduction to supply and demand for fags, we have learnt that Northerners are able to buy their ciggies at reduced prices and therefore do not feel the need to reduce their consumption so it is possible that they are in fact smoking more than their counterparts south of the great dividing pond, Lake Burley Griffin. The long term effect of this is that most of them will die sooner rather than later and in the future ,lets say 2020 (“By 2020, no Northsider will pay more for smokes”….said in a paternalistic god like voice…think Bob Hawke) there will be a glut of houses for sale in their area.
At that time, the Southies will aspire to live further North because of global warming and will start to take up the properties. The bind will be that having paid more for their smokes, their income base will be eroded.

CLASS, Are you paying attention! JOHNSON! Stop annoying the girls!

There is some conjecture that the pricing of fags is linked to haulage costs. Trucks have to drive further to get to Tuggeranong. That theory relies upon the truck having driven there from Sydney rather than Melbourne (Another case of North versus South and much older). Taking into account the latitude of Belconnen (350, 14’, 16.7’’) and the latitude of Tuggeranong (350, 25’, 4.9”), there is likely to be pricing formula built upon that difference.

Oh, the global warming reference? Well, as the earth becomes warmer, the snow melt from the Brindabella’s will flood the Tuggeranong Valley (once), meanwhile, paradisiacal regions like Charnwood, will develop a balmy, nearly tropical atmosphere that will fill with wealthy residents (hence, it will be known as “Charn Woods” thereafter) and the previous inhabitants will migrate to other suburbs, in the North. They will stick with the Northern areas because map reading 101 is not a well developed skill set there.

Hmmm….drifting off the topic…think…..

So class, like all good teaching, I’m limited to the amount of time to explain the subject matter to you and we shall pick up tomorrow.

Class dismissed.

Pommy bastard said :

peterh said :

the problem from a smoker’s perspective is that the cost for the smoking cessation aids are greater than a pack of smokes. nicotine patches are $22.95 For 7. if you are trying to quit, and your regular pack costs $15, it seems strange that the medicine is more expensive than the poison.

Quiting cold turkey is free.

I smoked for two years as a teenager and then gave up when I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. I started smoking again eight years later, and smoked quite heavily for another seven years – in fact I was a chain smoker. I could never afford to do it these days! I have been a non-smoker for 17 years now and when I see how smoking has aged some of my girlfriends, I am just so glad that I quit when I did. Beauty tip – do not smoke!

Quitting cold turkey has worked for me, but whatever works for you personally. I think that different personalities respond to different approaches with all of these things.

The price gouging back in Oz is outrageous. I will pick up a few US$6 cartons of Gauloises on the Syrian-Lebanese border tomorrow afternoon. That’s US$0.60 a packet, retail duty free. Next time you have a rabid non-smoker complain that smokers should pay more for health care, remind them that we do…