A message for the likes of Woolworths and Coles: Cheaper Buy Miles
"Good food should be available to everyone… Socialism which denies the pleasures of the gullet is socialism disfigured by the English puritan tradition" - Kenneth Tynan
Yesterday Bob Katter posted a deranged Easter video directing Coles and Woolworths straight to hell for sins committed in the grocery sector. Joining him in dubious Easter weekend ranting, albeit coming from a slightly different perspective, I offer you this post about Footscray and a grocery store that pits itself firmly against the duopoly.
The greatest influence on my eating life for the past decade or so has been the suburb of Footscray, and within that Cheaper Buy Miles, a discount grocery store that has been a part of the Footscray landscape since1995. The shop provides an ever-changing array of products. Goods that are close to expiration, or past best-before date, join newly launched flops, oddball imports, liquidations and stock bought in bulk then sold to the public at heavily discounted prices.
The business has morphed and expanded over the years. There was briefly a shop in St Albans, and there have been warehouses in Brooklyn and Tottenham. An Ascot Vale outlet opened circa 2011. As it stands there are four locations across Melbourne: Brunswick, Fitzroy, Flemington and Footscray. These are serviced by a warehouse in Sunshine West. The Footscray outlet was the first. It’s my local, and in my mind the flagship; a shop that is, for me at least, as inextricable from the suburb as the market or the statue of Mazu, which stands tall at the Heavenly Queen Temple, greeting trains as they cross the Maribyrnong river.
The Cheaper Buy Miles operation gives the impression of being underpinned by passion for Footscray and care for community. Owner and founder Grant Miles has embraced local involvement over the years, serving on occasion as President of the Footscray Traders Association and as a Maribyrnong councillor. In an interview with his son, posted on Soundcloud, which appears to be part of a high school media project, Miles describes Footscray as “unpretentious and diverse”. In 2012 he made the news with his decision to tear up the business’s liquor licence and stop selling booze, citing negative social impacts of alcohol in the area. The business name is a pun on Miles’ surname. “I was working for the man and got sick of it” he proudly tells his son.
For many years the Cheaper Buy Miles branding was red, white and blue, in line with the colours of beloved local AFL team, The Western Bulldogs. The original Footscray shop sat in the middle of the Nicholson Street mall, in the space that is now occupied by Slice Shop. The Footscray shop sometimes has bulldogs flags available for purchase. Following a stint on Barkly Street, it moved premises to a third Footscray location in 2023. A simple palette has replaced bawdy bargain branding. The website too has had an overhaul, featuring cartoon style fruit label illustrations. Previously the website featured an Adam Smith quote: ‘Man is an animal that makes bargains’
Last December Helen Garner’s book The Season was published, giving Cheaper Buy Miles a place in literary history. In The Season, Garner, a longtime Western Bulldogs fan, follows her teenage grandson’s footy team for a year. In between training sessions, games and school Garner’s grandson works part-time at the Flemington branch of Cheaper Buy Miles. When I met Helen Garner a few years ago she shook my hand so powerfully that I felt like I suddenly understood handshakes. Now I’m the fan. I’ve worked through all the audiobooks available that are narrated by Garner herself. I find her voice to be among the rare few I can tolerate at length. My interest in AFL is vague and I can’t say I would usually gravitate toward a book about being a grandparent, so I was surprised to breeze through the Season happily. I enjoyed Garner on places familiar and precious to me: Melbourne’s western suburbs.
The sole video on the Cheaper Buy Miles YouTube channel was uploaded 11 years ago. It’s an owner-presented advertisement with Miles spruiking bargains market style. After watching it several times it struck me that there are similarities here with the advertising work of Footscray’s most famous salesperson; Franco Cozzo, who passed away in December 2023.
My first visit to Cheaper Buy Miles would have been in 2011 or 2012, not long after I moved to Melbourne. Charmed by dirt-cheap prices and the lucky dip nature of the shop, when I moved to Footscray in 2014 the shop became a regular haunt. I don’t remember a lot about my purchases, but I do remember the day that custard was free and being heartily embraced as a beverage by the people of the plaza.
For a while, back in 2016 or so, it felt like gentrification in Footscray was sudden and unconstrained, proceeding at alarming speed. Bricks were thrown through the windows of then-new burger joint 8bit and on another occasion “Fuck off hipster scum” was painted on the facade. Littlefoot bar had their locks glued shut. These incidents ceased eventually, although when Moon Dog Wild West opened last year, occupying the iconic Franco Cozzo building with a tacky themed beer hall, they were greeted with a “Go back to Fitzroy” tag and a stolen SUV deliberately crashed through the front windows. “The driver got out, stole a small western-themed neon sign and ran off”
As in most suburbs, rents in Footscray have increased astronomically, we are undoubtedly in a housing crisis, but the pandemic and broader economic conditions have also slowed retail and hospitality development. Many shops remain empty and some more recent “hipster” businesses in the area have been short lived. Land banking is huge factor too. Various large sites have sat vacant for years. The Albert street block just a few metres from Cheaper Buy Miles has been empty for over a decade. The block that was occupied by Little Saigon ‘til it sadly burned down in 2016 has also remained empty.
Bánh Xèo Tây Đô has operated in an arcade across the street from the Little Saigon site since being displaced by the fire. A very friendly and funny uncle is front of house/ bossman when we visit on a recent Saturday. Dressed in a Hawaii shirt and long shorts, he delivers to our table piles of fresh greens and herbs, dipping sauce and plates of their specialty: Banh Khot, little sizzling pancakes. I’ve eaten them elsewhere, but these are the best I’ve ever tasted. The Banh hoi nuông is great too; rolled clusters of fine vermicelli are topped with grilled pork and meatballs. It’s an excellent meal, just as the big crate of oranges on the table next to me and the boxes of tissues stacked up against the wall hinted it would be. Nothing else in this little mall is open, and the bottom level of the building is blocked off. A big dusty disco ball hangs above what looks like an abandoned food court. Tables, chairs and other detritus sit in the dark.
8bit has survived, as has Littlefoot, (no thanks to me). At the time the bricks were flying, I shared some of the distress about changes on the horizon and was somewhat entertained by all the anti-gentrification antics. My rent is no longer $90pw(!) as it was when I first moved to Footscray but looking around this doesn’t feel entirely like the future those throwing bricks were fighting against either. Maybe I’m too old and too white to call it, but Footscray does still feel like a mostly working-class suburb with a big migrant population, just as it has been known. Big apartment blocks appearing around the area have delivered more people, and more struggles too. Developments are shoddy and poorly planned. Social problems persist. Homelessness has risen and food relief groups in the area have experienced significantly increased demand from widening demographics. Nearby mall Highpoint and other big box business have undoubtedly impacted street level retail. Landlords and politicians can and should be blamed for much of this, although some of Footscray’s notable business losses can be chalked up to the inevitable passage of time: The dolphin shaped jam squirter is no longer in operation at Olympic Doughnuts. The business closed in 2016 due to ill health of owner Nick Tsiligiris, who passed away in 2021. Jim Wong Restaurant closed after over 60 years in operation. Maryanne Wong ran the show for a few years following her husband’s death during 2016, but understandably decided to retire in 2019.
Many iconic establishments remain. T. Cavallaro & Sons Pasticceria have been filling cannoli with exquisite custard or ricotta since 1956. Thankfully the Cavallaro family seem keen to keep the business going, because I’ve never eaten anything that comes close. I look forward to the appearance of marzipan easter lambs in their window each year and I can confirm their continental cake is also unmatched. Unceasing demand for bánh mì keeps Nhu Lan and To’s Bakery constantly busy (For the record I am loyal to To’s) just as Phở Chú Thể is often packed. Beloved Ethiopian restaurant Ras Dashen has now managed a swift 14 years. Things have changed but the character of the suburb has prevailed, the market is busy, there are a few new songs but classic hits are still getting plays.
Following anger over record profits reported by Coles and Woolworths during the pandemic, last year the Government issued a direction to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate the supermarket sector. The conclusions were weak, they acknowledged price increases but failed to name the duopoly. The proceedings did keep the concerns on the front pages for a while though. Everything IS more expensive, and wage growth has remained microscopic while bills have soared. Former Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci, who in 2023 made a take home pay of $8.4 million, was notably exposed as an evasive, greedy, out of touch dickhead.
The Cheaper Buy Miles social media presence is lively. Always punching up and referring to the duopoly of Woolies and Coles as the “big bananas” when comparing prices. The solar panels installed on the roof of each shop are mentioned frequently, and in a pop diva style customers are known as “waste warriors”. It’s a nod to the Cheaper Buy Miles slogan “FIGHTING FOOD WASTE SINCE 1995 ONE BARGAIN AT A TIME” but it also has a relevant Mad Max tone. Recent posts have moved away from rants and are more inspired by TikTok trends with staff acting in various funny skits and showcasing products. They have even started posting a few recipes featuring available products, none of which I’ve felt inclined to attempt.
A mural appeared on the of the Footscray shop in early December 2023. Painted by artist Van Rudd (van.nishing of workersartcollective) soon after Israel's military launched a massive bombardment into Gaza it boldly stated “Stop the Genocide, end the occupation, Free Palestine”. We live in hope. Another mural by Rudd graced the wall previously, it was blurbed on the Cheaper Buy Miles Instagram page:
“the mural on our Footscray shop nails it, you can't eat submarines, but the opportunity costs are more than food. Health, education, a few bucks to increase the dole, and the biggest threat to the country times a thousand, climate change. These things will be able to sail up the Maribyrnong when the tipping points are hit. Handy ‘cause by then we’ll have a real enemy, each other. If the art of diplomacy is letting others have your way, the US and UK just pulled off the deal of the century. Pawns to warmonger elites blissfully thinking they make decisions for themselves. Fools.”
With Trump’s recent actions and an election looming the 368-billion-dollar subs are making headlines again and criticism of the AUKUS “security” partnership has never been more relevant. I’m unsure of the exact relationship between artist and business here, but it’s safe to say it’s unusual for a grocery store to post in this manner.
Over time I’ve noticed the Cheaper Buy Miles clientele change. The shop is always busy, and lines often reach the back of the store. Families have joined the crust punks to stock up on snack food. Middle-aged couples fill carts Costco style and vegan food bloggers post haul vids. International students and keto subreddits give it the thumbs up too. Nonnas fill trolleys with pantry items and high school students buy energy drinks, lollies and wild chippie flavours after school. As people experience various financial pressures the love of a bloody good bargain unites them. Everybody eats. When an article about Cheaper Buy Miles ran in the notoriously evil Daily Mail last year, it spoke only of the pricing, offering a handy comparative list, no mention of murals or attitude.
I enjoy shopping at Cheaper Buy Miles for the same reason I enjoy op-shopping: Landfill reduction is good for the for the planet and there is a sense of delight that comes in finding a unique deal. I often stop by on my way home from work to add excitement to an otherwise uneventful day. There are a few friends I bump into regularly and it’s fun to compare notes on items we have tried while we browse the aisles. Beyonce is often on the stereo, and NewJeans are a staff favourite too. The range changes constantly at Cheaper Buy Miles but there are certain product-groups that appear frequently. I’ll outline here in an extremely loose shopping guide:
There are always lots of crackers, chippies and other little crunchy snacks in stock. Stay away from the bizarre snack mash ups and corporate crossovers that have become so common and tiresome lately, the coffee Doritos have been there for months, and no amount of price reduction is moving them for good reason. Proper Chips are always good, as are flavours by the French brand Bret. Spanish brand Quillo makes the odd appearance and should always be snapped up immediately. An elite level chip regardless of the flavour on offer.
It can be tricky for those of us who are curious not to get too carried away. Do I really save money here or do I just eat significantly more snacks? I know the real answer here but I’m unwilling to admit it.
When I was searching through my phone for notes I’d taken ahead of writing this I found an instruction I’d written for myself: Stop buying weird shit at Cheaper Buy Miles! Something I forgot as soon as I wrote it. I’m not at all bothered by this apparent failure.
It can be a gamble of course; “healthier” options like chickpea puffs and lentil chips are often duds, but it’s better to spend a little on them than blow the budget for a cracker that tastes like pressed sawdust. Currently you can buy a little bag of Irish import Tayto Cheese and Onion Flavour for $1 or 3 bags for $2. Mascot Mr Tayto notably had his own theme park until 2022 when the sponsorship deal fell through. Because this is a book-related newsletter I am compelled to mention that in 2009 Mr Tayto’s novelty fictional “autobiography” was published. It’s called “Mr. Tayto: The Man Inside the Jacket”. This Mr Tayto (Republic of Ireland) should not be confused with the other Mr Tayto (Northern Ireland). Despite the two businesses having similar offerings, the operations and owners are separate. Mr Tayto (Northern Ireland) has a notably more fucked-up vibe with a creepy giant head instead of a charming rotund body. I haven’t tried his chips. No theme park, but he does apparently hang around at a castle.
Beverages have always made up a large chunk of the Cheaper Buy Miles footprint. Many years ago at the Ascot Vale warehouse the aesthetic was industrial, and for a few heady months sticky pallets of No Fear energy drink, 485ml cans, sat outside the building selling for $5 a carton. There’s photo evidence I was drinking this at parties in 2015 but I can't tell you much about the taste at this point. It was also around this time my housemate Chris tattooed the words No Fear on my ass. No fear, no regrets.
Recently alcohol-free wines, beers and spirits have had a bigger presence as more products are developed reflecting changing drinking habits. Fever Tree mixers, syrups, kombucha sodas, Italian fizzy waters are often available and always a good deal. Sometimes there’s Jarritos. Dairy free milk varieties are hugely popular and often top the weekly Cheaper Buy Miles bestseller lists, but the jackpot for me, an occasional cheesemaker, is when there is full-fat non-homogenised dairy in the fridge for quarter-price. Having drunk the nootropic Kool aid, my dream day was when Aotearoa’s finest blackcurrant brain drink Ārepa, or as I call it, 3pm girlboss Ribena, hit the Cheaper Buy Miles shelves. I bought a carton of 12 at a fraction of the regular price and soon wished I’d bought more. (Ārepa, please sponsor me)
Condiments are another genre that can go either way. When I open my fridge a good portion of the bottles and jars were acquired at Cheaper Buy Miles. Barbeque sauce, a few different mustards, mayonnaise, my most recent purchase was Fly By Jing’s Zhong sauce, it’s not bad at all. When gourmet food business Essential Ingredient closed their doors before Christmas a handful of products re-emerged at Cheaper Buy Miles and suddenly everyone I know had a 1.3kg bucket of French salted capers on hand. I’m always pleased to see good quality Italian anchovies in stock. In recent months there has been a good supply of Italian pasta brands with a variety of Delverde and Barilla products available. While many places sell generic brand pasta for cheap, Cheaper Buy Miles offers a significantly better eating experience for a similar price.
There is almost always chocolate at Cheaper Buy Miles. Some good, some awful. Despite my usual “can’t die wondering” approach to eating I decided against sampling Mr Beast’s chocolate. I have tried Tony's Chocolonely and while I understand it has many fans I can’t say I’m one of them. The mouthfeel is hostile. The taste is mid. The annual Easter egg dump began a few weeks back with bags of Bluey eggs, no doubt a hot item for anyone role-playing as the Easter Bunny this week.
Of all the things they sell, Cheaper Buy Miles is probably best known for cheese. White mold cheeses like brie or camembert are ever-present. These cheeses are never better than on their best before dates, when they are fully ripe with an oozing centre. Despite the goofy pun, Adelaide Hills brand Udder Delights have delivered a few of my recent favourites, their blues and brie are all delicious. Extra large cheeses wheels and blocks offer rare opportunity for extravagance and novelty at accessible prices. There are great deals for anyone on party catering duties and there’s almost always some “cheese” options for vegans too.
There are certain measures I use in life that make me feel I’m doing ok regardless, and having 3 or more varieties of cheese on hand is something that has always filled me with gratitude. Perhaps more than anything else I’m thankful to Cheaper Buy Miles for so regularly enabling this.
Happy Easter to my beautiful subscribers! Landlords and big bananas go to hell!
The only thing that stopped me from going to reduced to clear this weekend was buses replacing trains. RTC is less fruitful for cheese BUT its always got something along the lines of sports nutrition. Discontinued protein water you will be mine