Can remote communities make online orders from Coles, Woolworths or other online grocery shops? We put this question to the test and found some interesting results.
High prices, poor quality and selection of basic groceries have long been a complaint by people living in remote Aboriginal communities. Australians are just beginning to transition to the option of buying groceries online. But is this an option for people living in remote locations? Surprisingly, the answer is yes!
There are a number of online shopping websites that allow delivery to remote Indigenous communities. A lot of these websites offer free delivery to shoppers in the big cities but delivery costs do apply for remote communities. Surprisingly the delivery costs might not be as high as you might think. However delivery times can take anywhere between 5 to 10 days. Delivery can take even longer for communities that are not accessible by road. The point we’re trying to make is that online delivery is an option.
We tested remote locations such as Warburton and Kalumburu in W.A, Kintore in the Northern Territory and Kowanyama in QLD. The online shopping websites accepted these locations and added the delivery charges. We were expecting excess charges of over $100 but most medium sized deliveries only worked out to be between $20-$40 extra.
Here are 4 websites that we found:
Grocery Run – Woolworths – Grocery shop – Coles
So here’s what we’re suggesting… If you are wondering how you can help support remote communities, I know a lot of people are. Why not order up a purchase to a remote community once a month or however often you would like.
Did you know that Amazon is threatening to shake up this industry as early as next month in Australia? We will be watching this very closely to see what possibilities this may bring to regional and remote areas around Australia. I wonder if they’re planning to have an Indigenous adviser as part of their Australian team.
