Which is cheaper - First Choice or Dan Murphy’s?
I have been wondering about the answer to this question for a while. Since I was in a First Choice store I picked up their February 2013 catalogue and did some price checks with Dan Murphy’s on line.
On the cover there are 8 bottles of wine which presumably are all at pretty good prices. Of the 8, one wasn’t stocked by Dan, one is $1.20 cheaper at Dan’s and all the other 6 were 5 cents cheaper at Dan’s. You have to assume they are both keeping a pretty close eye on each other’s prices!
Going beyond the front page, there was a fair bit of variation. Some prices are exactly the same, others are up to $2 different for wines in the up to $20 bracket. It just depends on what you are after.
As you go up in price the price variation increases. On bottles of Champagne in the $50-$100 bracket prices can vary from a few cents up to $15 a bottle, and it goes both ways. The best bargain I found was the Dom Perignon Vintage Champagne which First Choice are selling for $200 a bottle but Dan Murphy’s are selling it for $250, a difference of a mere $50!
So what is our advice? If you are buying only a bottle or two and /or spending only a few dollars, it doesn’t really matter, and location and personal convenience are probably more important. However you will save money by buying 6 bottles where ever you shop. But if you are buying a bigger quantity and spending serious money then the best thing is to go on line and check the prices of what you want. Both chains have user friendly web sites and after you have made your comparisons you can order on line or go down to your nearest store.
Of course you could just ask your friendly independent wine consultant for some good advice!
