Lismore residents take aim at The Good Pantry grocer over prices

A northern NSW grocer intended to provide affordable food for flood-hit residents has been accused of being “more expensive than Coles or Woolies” – but the grocer has labelled the claims “unfair”.

A northern NSW budget grocer and its customers are at loggerheads over prices, with customers claiming it costs more than major supermarkets while the volunteers behind it say they are losing money to help the community.

Customers have taken to social media to accuse The Good Pantry in East Lismore of costing more than Coles and Woolworths for some basic items.

But organisers say the “unfair” claims, aired on social media, have left “hardworking volunteers highly distressed”.

The Good Pantry was established in July 2022 in the wake of the horrific Northern Rivers floods.

The mainly volunteer-led store continues to operate for those suffering from Australia’s worsening cost of living crisis.

The Good Pantry, Lismore. Picture: The Good Pantry

Catholic Diocese of Lismore chaplain Ian Phillips, who helps run the store as well as Lismore Soup Kitchen, said The Good Pantry provides low-cost non-perishables and other household items direct from Food Bank NSW.

Lismore resident Kai Lee took to Facebook at the weekend to slam the store, saying the prices on some items were “terrible”.

“WARNING. The Good Pantry is now selling some of their food at a higher price than Woolies/Coles,” she wrote.

“I asked them (the staff) about it and they said that’s the way it is now.

“This is terrible when they are getting the food extra cheap.”

Other residents joined the uproar, with one person commenting: “These places were made for people to buy cheaper groceries but it’s not the case.”

Another wrote: “Better off going to the big guys. Aldi is decent still.”

The store regularly gives away free bread and fresh produce, which has been donated from the big supermarket chains. Picture: The Good Pantry

When contacted by NewsLocal, Mr Phillips said “we can’t always compete with the specials that Coles and Woolworths have on certain items”.

“We make every effort to get the lowest prices possible from Food Bank NSW,” he said.

Mr Phillips said the store was initially letting people fill a bag of food for a flat price of $10, but overhead costs ran into the “tens of thousands”, adding “that pricing model was not sustainable”.

“People need to be aware that any overheads are coming out of our own pockets and not from sales profits. We never set this up to make money, in fact – we are losing it,” he said.

Mr Phillips said the “unfair” complaints came “out of left field” and had left “our hardworking volunteers highly distressed”.

The store sells non-perishables and other household items direct from Food Bank NSW. Picture: The Good Pantry

“Very few people have complained about our service, so it’s a bit of a shock,” he said.

He said the store often gave away free items from leftover Woolworths and Coles stock, as well as other donated stock.

“We give away fresh produce, bread and eggs for free on a regular basis,” he said.

“We have no interest in ripping anyone off and do the very best we can.”

A Facebook user said local food pantries did not set their prices and were dictated by Food Bank.

“Products are not inferior. Best before dates are a guide. I found a bag of pasta in my cupboard the other night best before date was 2020. Guess what, tasted exactly like one I opened in date two months ago,” they wrote.