Shopper dockets don't give motorists a full discount

25 March 2009

New research has revealed that on nine days out of 10 motorists who use the popular “shopper dockets” to gain a fuel discount are not getting a full four cent a litre saving.

A comprehensive study of shopper dockets and fuel prices by the RAC has highlighted that the four cent a litre “discount” does not always translate into a four cent a litre “saving”.

WA’s peak motoring body compared ULP prices at a range of fuel retail outlets in six metropolitan and five regional locations* over a three month period.

The study examined whether the pricing of supermarket fuel retailers was consistent with other retail fuel outlets in their area.

It also examined whether the docket discount was either partly or fully negated by the supermarket chains charging a higher retail price for ULP.

The study found that while most supermarket stations priced their fuel competitively only a handful consistently priced their fuel so motorists would gain a full four cent a litre “saving”.

RAC’s Head of Member Advocacy Matt Brown said the study was part of the RAC’s ongoing monitoring of fuel prices in Western Australia.

“Nine times out of 10 when you buy fuel from a supermarket station and you use a discount docket you are going to be getting a good price,” Mr Brown said.

“On those days you are making a saving but not necessarily the full four cents a litre.

“Our study found that supermarket outlets in the metropolitan area offer the cheapest base price for fuel on average nearly one day in every four. So on that day motorists would get a full four cents a litre saving because it was the lowest price in the area.

“But our figures showed that the saving would not be as great on the other three days because it would be offset by the supermarket chain charging a higher base price than the lowest available.

“So you are getting a four cent a litre discount on the supermarket station’s cost but it’s not really a four cent a litre saving. In some cases it may only be a three or two cent a litre saving.”

Mr Brown said in some cases motorists buying fuel with a discount docket at Coles Express and Caltex Woolworths stations were making no savings at all.

“The study identified that, on average across the sites surveyed, motorists were making no savings at all on one day in every 10.

“This was because the base price charged by the supermarket outlets was already four cents a litre higher than the base price charged by nearby competitors.

“This was particularly so for regional areas. In one case in Geraldton, motorists were not gaining any saving from using shopper dockets on almost one day in every three.”

Mr Brown said the RAC would continue to urge motorists to use their shopper dockets but to be wary that they may not be getting as big a saving as they may think.

“There is no doubt that most supermarket sites offer value for money but if you want to maximise your savings then you should combine using discount dockets and monitoring the cheapest prices on FuelWatch.

“In the regional centres of Albany, Bunbury, Busselton and Kalgoorlie prices were more competitive and the supermarket stations more often have the cheapest prices in town.

“Geraldton was the only region where a supermarket retailer did not consistently provide the cheapest prices in the area.”

RAC research showed that nearly 50 per cent of motorists used the supermarket discount vouchers ‘most of the time’ while a further 15 per cent said they used them ‘some of the time’.

“Supermarket discount fuel dockets are very popular and we want to ensure that discounts offer motorist the best value for money,” Mr Brown said.

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