SHOPS

Opening hours for shops in W.A. vary considerably depending on the area you are in and the type of shop. In the more remote areas like Kununurra you will find extended trading hours for large supermarkets which stay open 12 hours a day.

Because of this it is almost impossible to give correct opening hours but you can be sure of getting what you want between 9am and 5pm most weekdays. Many shops still close on public holidays but the trend is for much more flexible hours both in city and country areas.

The Hay Street Mall in Perth was initiated in 1970 and saw the city centre start to change, becoming more pedestrian friendly.

American style shopping centres began to appear in W.A. as early as 1965 with Floreat Forum being the first. It was built at a cost of $700,000. 45 million was spent on an upgrade in 2003.

It is a sad fact of life in Australia that competition is not encouraged and two major supermarket chains dominate the grocery market. This has led to low prices for primary producers and high prices for shoppers.

Supermarkets from the same chain often have widely varying prices from one area to another (even though the distance between the two shops may only be a few kilometres.) It pays to 'shop around' and when it comes to electrical goods like televisions, computers etc. be prepared to haggle over the price. The quoted prices in most electrical stores are bumped up to cover the cost of credit purchases. Paying cash can often result in a good discount.

Problems with purchases:

If you have a problem with anything you buy, including grocery items like fruit and vegetables, you should contact the shop you bought the goods at and often you will receive a refund or replacement.

If a shop is unwilling to give you the assistance you want or will not do the right thing then you can contact the Ministry of fair trading on 1300 304 054 or the The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

There are a number of rules governing what businesses can and cannot do and the following is re-printed from the A.C.C.C. website:

'The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) administers the Trade Practices Act 1974. The Act (and matching legislation in each state and territory) makes it illegal for a business to:

• mislead or deceive you, or do something that is likely to mislead or deceive you

• make a false claim about the quality, standard, sponsorship, approval, price or benefits of a good or service

• advertise something for a certain price if they know or should know that they cannot supply it within a reasonable time (bait advertising)

• accept a payment for a good or service when they don’t intend to supply it.

Have I been misled?

Businesses must not do things that are misleading or deceptive, or would be likely to mislead or deceive customers (or anyone else including other businesses) with whom they have any form of commercial contact. This includes discussions and contracts, advertising in any form as well as labelling and packaging of products.

Misleading someone includes:

• lying to them

• leading them to a wrong conclusion

• creating a false impression

• leaving out (or hiding) important information in certain circumstances

• making false or inaccurate claims about products or services.

It is not necessary to prove that the conduct actually misled or deceived anyone, nor does it matter whether the misrepresentation is intentional, deliberate or accidental. What matters is the overall impression that is left in the customer’s mind.'