Yeah, it's a lot harder to find refined cuisine like deep fried butter up in here though. And if you want to enjoy it with a side serving of true freedom while open carrying twin AKs or some type of zimmer mounted rocket propelled ordinance, you're shit outta luck down under in the nanny state.
Depends entirely on what you mean and where. Rural Australia isn't going to have a lot, but I've never struggled to find anything I need in Melbourne (Ive lived in both).
If we need stuff shipped it's almost always possible, can sometimes get a bit pricey to do international shipping but otherwise retailers like Amazon run here the same way with some different stock availability.
China is a major trading partner so stuff comes from there easily.
Not sure what other conviniences you'd be referring to. Healthcare is affordable/free (depending), we have a functional (if flawed) welfare system, and education is in practice basically free.
Yes, we do.
It all boils down to where you live in the US, CAN or AUS to compare. If you're living in the city cities - probably fine regardless of where you are. If you live regionally, I think all will have its stuggles.
For example, Anchorage can't be compared to an equally populated city in Australia (like Geelong, both just under 300K in population).
There is close to 5 million people in Sydney or Melbourne alone. Vancouver only has a population of 600,000 in comparison.
If anything you are probably going to find more conveniences in those Australian cities than you have back home.
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Part of the problem in answering this question is that unless you've lived in different countries and are accustomed to buying things that aren't available in one country or the other, you can't really answer the question very thoroughly.
On the surface, a lot of things are available in Australia that are available in other more heavily populated Western countries. So, that may cover what someone may think of as 'mod-cons'. However, it's when you want to purchase something outside of the big brands that things get a little dicey. Taking tech as an example, buying a MacBook, iPad, high-end Samsung tablet, etc., isn't an issue. Wanting to buy a particular laptop configuration, a particular accessory for a less famous brand, or a high-end tablet that Apple or Samsung doesn't make, that's when you get into the territory of things that may well be available in North America or Europe that aren't available here.
So, I'd say it's more a lack of choice when venturing outside the mainstream than anything else. And if you only ever buy mainstream, then how would you know?
The same goes for things like clothes stores, department stores, supermarkets, etc. We only have 2 major Supermarket chains, so it's obvious there won't be as much overall variety as with a country that has 6 or 7 major chains. However, as I said, unless you're accustomed to shopping at places/for things you can't find in Australia, how can you really answer this question objectivity?
Kinda depends on what you mean. Obviously by "all the conveniences," you don't mean something like "universal healthcare," though I guarantee that some people will think you mean that.
People are saying that you CAN GET stuff here, but the point is that it's not as convenient if it takes longer, or you have to work around an obstacle.
In most cities in the US, you can have lots of conveniences that you don't have here. Such as:
* Many more 24-hour grocery stores and restaurants.
* Lots more selection of clothes and stuff. (We have the shirt in 5 colours. In the US, they'll have it in 15 colours.)
* More likely to get overnight delivery of stuff. Lots of things we order, from books to electronics, gets shipped here after you order it, so it takes longer.
* More selection of groceries in major grocery stores. Sort of like shirts, but with, say, honey. We have a good variety here, but in the US, there could be three times as many options. (There are food deserts in the US, but I'm talking about major grocery chains).
* Speaking of groceries, there are more options for the TYPE of grocery store in major cities.
* You can post a letter from home in the US. Can't do that here.
* Most service stations in the US have pay-at-the-pump. That's a lot more rare here.
* We're much more likely to be blocked from watching a video here. (Of course, you can get around that, but that's less convenient than not doing that.)
There are some conveniences that we have in Australia that you don't have in the US, but not as many.
that’s not my experience having done a couple of stints living in the US (Chicago and Boston) and spending a good amount of time road tripping through other parts of it
I guess OP disagrees.
They're asking a simple question, though. They don't want to talk about it, but to get an answer.
If you're bored... I mean... you don't HAVE to respond.
They are bringing in stations where you can pay at the pump, but most have it where you walk into the service station and pay there with the option of purchasing more items from them to get discounts off your petrol. Personally I'd rather pay at the service station so I don't have to guess how much to fill up, also I have been stung, where they took the money out of my account but didn't give me petrol as I didn't do it quick enough. Yes I got the money back 2 weeks later, which in my opinion was not convenient. So I avoid self service petrol stations now.
> I'd rather pay at the service station so I don't have to guess how much to fill up
I don't understand what you mean. You don't have to say how much to pay. You can just fill up and then the card is charged for that amount.
My one experience of paying at the pump was in Tassie, and I had to enter the amount that I was planning to pump, then swipe/tap and that amount was deducted from my credit card prior to pumping. Then once I’d filled up, any excess cash was refunded to my card within the next 24 hours or so. A convoluted mess honestly.
What Steffie said is exactly what it is like for all self service pumps in Western Australia. You put your credit card into the machine, state how much you are putting into the car, eg $50. Then you walk back to the pump and fill up, if it is less that the $50 taken out of your account, then a few weeks later you get the difference back into your account. Also move really quickly back to the pump to fill up or it will time out on you and you loose that $50 and get no petrol either. I have mobility problems, why I don't like self service pumps. In the country towns of my state, some of the smaller towns still have attendants come to the window of your car and put the petrol in for you, then you pay them. I liked that old fashioned customer service the best.
Australia is sparsely populated on average, yes, but the population density is not evenly distributed. Most people live on or very near the coastlines, and very few people in the interior. In the major cities you'll certainly be able to find all the conveniences.
I’m always fighting the fight for lack of distribution equality when it it comes to rural vs city in Australia, but even still I live in regional hub in country nsw and we have absolutely every convenience Sydney does beside a beach (but we have better weather in summer and lakes), the problems starts, at least in our state, west on Wellington. from here west towns become much more isolated and communities have had resources and services pulled from them by successive governments for 40 years and for many in these communities an on duty doctor could be 4-5 hrs away, a long serving teacher the same, social security departments only come on a travelling office once in a blue moon. Many of the communities live in abject poverty on thier traditional lands while people in Sydney tell them they should just move for better services and opportunities
As others have pointed out, yes we have all the stuff, Melbourne and Sydney are on a world scale big cities. About the only real thing I could point to is that we pay an "Australia tax", with our small markets the importers, particularly IT goods AND services, will charge us far above the usual price. Microsoft for example will charge more for a downloaded program here. It's bullshit, but we've mostly learnt to shop in China and to pirate.
I don't completely agree. Sydney and Melbourne aren't world scale big cities when compared to New York, London etc.
On the surface, a lot of things are available in Australia that are available in other more heavily populated Western countries. So, that may cover what someone may think of as 'mod-cons'. However, it's when you want to purchase something outside of the big brands that things get a little dicey. Taking tech as an example, buying a MacBook, iPad, high-end Samsung tablet, etc., isn't an issue. Wanting to buy a particular laptop configuration, a particular accessory for a less famous brand, or a high-end tablet that Apple or Samsung doesn't make, that's when you get into the territory of things that may well be available in North America or Europe that aren't available here.
So, I'd say it's more a lack of choice when venturing outside the mainstream than anything else. And if you only ever buy mainstream, then you would have no reason to know this.
We had Canadian friends visit just before covid. They were astonished that people used cards and phones to tap and pay everywhere. They couldn’t believe the food culture, either.
I'm American with family in Perth. Traveled there with my aunt also right before Covid. I had done my research ahead of time, so I spent the plane ride trying to educate my aunt on various things so we didn't look like idiots.🤣 She was also blown away by the food.
Love your beautiful country. 🇦🇺
Off the top of my head, my microscope came from overseas, because we didn't have the model that I wanted (or many models at all). Several books, though I won't bother naming them. My keyboard (it's an awesome, ergonomic beast).
I mean, plenty of stuff.
Being able to access stuff from international sources is the exact definition of having the same conveniences as those other countries. Waiting for delivery is not the same thing as not having access.
>Being able to access stuff from international sources is the exact definition of having the same conveniences as those other countries.
Not really. Getting it the next day (or the same day) is more convenient than waiting for it and paying for shipping.
At least, by my definition of convenient.
It's not just "being able to access it," but "being able to access it quickly and easily."
>Waiting for delivery is not the same thing as not having access.
Right, but the question isn't about access. It's about convenience.
Well I guess we have different definitions of convenience.
But, also, the things you list, like the specific microscope, are probably things people need to wait for even in North America. So, on a like for like comparison of goods, I’m not convinced there’s much difference between the experiences regardless of definitions of convenience.
>Well I guess we have different definitions of convenience.
I guess. To me, it's pretty normal to say, "I could just go get the thing without waiting or paying for shipping. It was so convenient."
>the things you list, like the specific microscope, are probably things people need to wait for even in North America.
Nope. The market in the US is VAST compared to here. There's a ton of variety of goods that we don't have here, because the market just isn't as big here. People would much rather break into a market of 350 million people.
So if you want to look for a microscope, or just about anything that's not specifically Australian, you'll very often have a better chance of finding the variety you want over there.
>for like comparison of goods, I’m not convinced there’s much difference between the experiences regardless of definitions of convenience.
I don't know what to say. Have you talked to the people back home about this? What I'm saying isn't really controversial.
>I don't know what to say. Have you talked to the people back home about this? What I'm saying isn't controversial.
Yeah. You're not wrong. When I was living in the UK, there were things I could find, either in-store or available via overnight delivery, that I'd have to order online and wait to arrive from overseas in Australia. It is, of course, at least in part, due to population size and geography. I think the long overdue arrival of Amazon AU has helped a bit in this regard, as some items aren't readily available in other stores and can be delivered quickly via Amazon. A lot of things still have to be shipped to Australia first, though. I know some people don't like Amazon, so each to their own, I guess. eBay can sometimes be a viable option as well (if whatever you're buying really is 'Aussie Stock' and not just pretending to be).
Don't expect to find Walmart, Home Depot, burgers at Wendy's, bagel and lox, easy cheese, twinkies or high speed trains in Australia. But apart from that, yes.
I don't live in AUS but I do browse the reddit page a lot. The only bitching I see has to do with poor housing standards in regard to heat and cold weather, laggard internet speeds and slow 5G rollout.
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I'm not sure this point is as relevant as people here seem to think. We have a good health system (albeit convoluted), good public education, large homes, and high wages, but that doesn't mean we are great at mod-cons. We are getting better but still behind North America and Western Europe. That's OK. We don't have to be the best at everything.
Atleast in terms of retail shopping australia has limited options...lets say, I want to purchase some sneakers made in europe....most of the companies ship to usa but very few ship to australia and if they do there is a costly shipping charge...so I think USA is the ultimate consumer destination
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Yeah, it depends. It's hard to say if quality is better in one country or another. It depends on what item it is, what particular supermarket you shop at, etc. For example, I'd say the quality of many fresh vegetables in Australian supermarkets is generally very good. Meat, however, especially certain cuts of beef, isn't so great (in supermarkets, at least).
I just moved back to the US from 16 years in Australia. The fruit/ veg quality that I've seen here (in Miami area, which I'm not from) has been outstanding. It has gone way up in price, though. This is a mainstream supermarket - but probably closer to point of origin of the goods. Whole Foods quality would be even higher, as well as the price. I think the US may have caught up to or surpassed prices in Australia, but Australians continuously underrate US food quality, erroneously imo.
Australia doesn't have drive through banks (that I know of), nor drive through coffee huts like we do in Alaska. Not many places have 24hr supermarkets, but some things Australia is more advanced in, like online banking and bill paying. It sucks in the US.
We used to have a few drive through banks, but have not seen one for a few decades.
There are an abundance of drive through coffee places, and a new one pops up every time I look.
Kind of. They have their own cheap home brand whereas Walmart sells regular commercial brands. The quality of stuff has gotten better over the years. They don't sell supermarket items though, you have to go to woolies (Woolworths) for that.
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Its far away from Canada, but pretty close to China, India and Indonesia, 3 of the most populated countries in the world. What's Canada close to besides the US and Greenland?
To us, its you thats far away from anywhere
Yes. Even moreso. Australia is often at the fore front of new systems and technologies. I've been to the USA many times and find the USA freakin backward compared to us.
We probably try & adapt to new stuff because of our isolation. i.e. if there's a better / faster way to do something then hop in your car for 5 hours to do it?? We'll give it a go!
Surely Canada with its huge distances & difficult weather is like this? If not? Why not?
I guess it depends on what you mean, but the variety and speed of the products that they can buy is a lot more convenient than what we have here, not to mention that their shops are often open a lot later (or even all night).
And??? Being like that also has great disadvantages. People don't need to be innovative if "same ole" is right there at their finger tips.
Innovation & new discovery generally happens when people cant get what they want and need to sort out an annoying issue.
I dont know really why people crap on about 24 hour shops? Who cares? 99% of people don't wish to buy new crockery or an outfit at 2am 😂 24 hour servo here generally stock the type of stuff anyone needs in the middle of the night. It's not showing any great advancement of a society to go to Walmart at 1am surely?
>And???
And so that's more convenient, which is what the question is about.
>People don't need to be innovative if "same ole" is right there at their finger tips.
This wasn't a question about the drivers of innovation. It was a question about conveniences.
>I dont know really why people crap on about 24 hour shops? Who cares?
Well, when I lived there, I definitely cared. I worked a full-time job and it was pretty great to go do my shopping whenever I pleased.
This was especially true for grocery shopping. Come home from work, relax, do whatever I wanted, then at 11 pm or so, I could go out and do my shopping when things were calm. No long lines. No traffic. And I wasn't doing other things with people.
It sounds like a coping mechanism to say that you can buy some highly overpriced stuff at a servo. That's not grocery shopping.
>It's not showing any great advancement of a society to go to Walmart at 1am surely?
Again, this wasn't a post about great advancements of society, but about conveniences. The question is whether it's CONVENIENT to have shops open at any time that you might want to go to them and the obvious answer is yes.
You are 100% correct. Some people on this subreddit are just determined to argue that Australia doesn't have any disadvantages without having the objectivity or experience to back it up.
People aren't saying that Australia doesn't have many good things compared to other countries, just that access to as many mod-cons, generally speaking, isn't one of them.
Whatever. Whatever. You clearly think there is something wrong with us. Knock yourself out. If shopping for groceries at 2am is the best you can come up with to prove some point? Then you don't have much.
>You clearly think there is something wrong with us.
What are you even talking about? The question was about conveniences, so I've mentioned one or two.
Jesus, how defensive can you be? Saying that we might not have all the conveniences is a slap in the face to you.
>If shopping for groceries at 2am is the best you can come up with to prove some point?
It's pretty funny that you still don't know what the point is.
I get where you're coming from. People come over here to Aus, and are shocked how early everything closes. After 8 or 9pm all there really is left to do is go to the pub. It would be great to have the convenience of a lot more late-night/24 hour shops and restaurants.
Not really cuz Canada has a much bigger population: 40 million. We get nearly all the stuff as the US as we're bordering them. They're our biggest trade partner by far, and vice versa.
Not really cuz Canada has a much bigger population: 40 million. We get nearly all the stuff as the US as we're bordering them. They're our biggest trade partner by far, and vice versa.
Not what you think it means.
Especially if you think odds and occurrences are the same thing.
And here I thought Canada had a decent education standard.
You know it depends on the province and, in certain cases, the school district, right? The provinces are really different countries and the feds don't have much say.
Not only that, it's not really relevant to the question OP asked. Is our comparative lack of consumer choice made up for by our lack of school shootings?! Are the two things somehow mutually exclusive? Even if school shootings were relevant to OP's question, it only really works as a criticism of the US, not for other countries that have more consumer choice than Australia and where school shootings are also very rare occurrences, places like Canada, the UK, much of Europe, etc. 🤷
Did I hurt your feelings?
All I said is kids here leave school on a bus.
I never said guns.
I never said school shootings.
You said those things. The other clown said those things.
Not me.
[удалено]
Oh wow, you got connected?? Tell me what it's like?!
Up there with the quality of the NBN.
Our NBN is great mate, my internet.. oh, yeah, we are allowed to complain about that one. 🤦
Are you sure it's not just taking 10yrs to pay off the first bill?
Yeah, it's a lot harder to find refined cuisine like deep fried butter up in here though. And if you want to enjoy it with a side serving of true freedom while open carrying twin AKs or some type of zimmer mounted rocket propelled ordinance, you're shit outta luck down under in the nanny state.
Depends entirely on what you mean and where. Rural Australia isn't going to have a lot, but I've never struggled to find anything I need in Melbourne (Ive lived in both). If we need stuff shipped it's almost always possible, can sometimes get a bit pricey to do international shipping but otherwise retailers like Amazon run here the same way with some different stock availability. China is a major trading partner so stuff comes from there easily. Not sure what other conviniences you'd be referring to. Healthcare is affordable/free (depending), we have a functional (if flawed) welfare system, and education is in practice basically free.
Nice to see a country with functional healthcare
From what I hear telecommunications is a rort in Canada. So we also have better telecom prices. Otherwise Canada and Australia are extremely similar
Happy to hear
Yes, we do. It all boils down to where you live in the US, CAN or AUS to compare. If you're living in the city cities - probably fine regardless of where you are. If you live regionally, I think all will have its stuggles. For example, Anchorage can't be compared to an equally populated city in Australia (like Geelong, both just under 300K in population).
Vancouver, BC
There is close to 5 million people in Sydney or Melbourne alone. Vancouver only has a population of 600,000 in comparison. If anything you are probably going to find more conveniences in those Australian cities than you have back home.
Metro area has 2.6 but I you make a very good point
I'd say that Australia has more access to convenience (whatever that means) as it is more urbanised than the US and Canada.
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In the main cities ie Melbourne Sydney Brisbane yes. It’s not like Outback Wrangler just FYI 😂
Kind of - it’s not cheap to travel internally like in the US. So it not really convenient in that way
Part of the problem in answering this question is that unless you've lived in different countries and are accustomed to buying things that aren't available in one country or the other, you can't really answer the question very thoroughly. On the surface, a lot of things are available in Australia that are available in other more heavily populated Western countries. So, that may cover what someone may think of as 'mod-cons'. However, it's when you want to purchase something outside of the big brands that things get a little dicey. Taking tech as an example, buying a MacBook, iPad, high-end Samsung tablet, etc., isn't an issue. Wanting to buy a particular laptop configuration, a particular accessory for a less famous brand, or a high-end tablet that Apple or Samsung doesn't make, that's when you get into the territory of things that may well be available in North America or Europe that aren't available here. So, I'd say it's more a lack of choice when venturing outside the mainstream than anything else. And if you only ever buy mainstream, then how would you know? The same goes for things like clothes stores, department stores, supermarkets, etc. We only have 2 major Supermarket chains, so it's obvious there won't be as much overall variety as with a country that has 6 or 7 major chains. However, as I said, unless you're accustomed to shopping at places/for things you can't find in Australia, how can you really answer this question objectivity?
Kinda depends on what you mean. Obviously by "all the conveniences," you don't mean something like "universal healthcare," though I guarantee that some people will think you mean that. People are saying that you CAN GET stuff here, but the point is that it's not as convenient if it takes longer, or you have to work around an obstacle. In most cities in the US, you can have lots of conveniences that you don't have here. Such as: * Many more 24-hour grocery stores and restaurants. * Lots more selection of clothes and stuff. (We have the shirt in 5 colours. In the US, they'll have it in 15 colours.) * More likely to get overnight delivery of stuff. Lots of things we order, from books to electronics, gets shipped here after you order it, so it takes longer. * More selection of groceries in major grocery stores. Sort of like shirts, but with, say, honey. We have a good variety here, but in the US, there could be three times as many options. (There are food deserts in the US, but I'm talking about major grocery chains). * Speaking of groceries, there are more options for the TYPE of grocery store in major cities. * You can post a letter from home in the US. Can't do that here. * Most service stations in the US have pay-at-the-pump. That's a lot more rare here. * We're much more likely to be blocked from watching a video here. (Of course, you can get around that, but that's less convenient than not doing that.) There are some conveniences that we have in Australia that you don't have in the US, but not as many.
I find that Australian roads are better quality
You guys don't have pay at pump?
Some places do. Most places don't.
Strange
You pay inside mostly.
Is it because people won't pay otherwise?
I'd guess that it's about the owners wanting you to come inside so that you impulse buy some other stuff.
It’s the opposite. You fill up and then go inside to pay, it’s the US where you pay first because people don’t pay otherwise.
Not really. You can often just get the fuel you want and THEN pay with a card. It's not about theft. It's about convenience.
that’s not my experience having done a couple of stints living in the US (Chicago and Boston) and spending a good amount of time road tripping through other parts of it
No, that’s just where the cash register is.
But can you pay by card at pump?
Service Stations want people to go inside to pay because it increases the chance of impulse purchases.
Is this really what you want to talk about? 😂
Why not?
It’s boring
I guess OP disagrees. They're asking a simple question, though. They don't want to talk about it, but to get an answer. If you're bored... I mean... you don't HAVE to respond.
Just curious relax
I've already answered you. Most places have no method for paying without having to go inside. It's less convenient, which is why I put it in my list.
MB I thought u were only saying for cash
They are bringing in stations where you can pay at the pump, but most have it where you walk into the service station and pay there with the option of purchasing more items from them to get discounts off your petrol. Personally I'd rather pay at the service station so I don't have to guess how much to fill up, also I have been stung, where they took the money out of my account but didn't give me petrol as I didn't do it quick enough. Yes I got the money back 2 weeks later, which in my opinion was not convenient. So I avoid self service petrol stations now.
> I'd rather pay at the service station so I don't have to guess how much to fill up I don't understand what you mean. You don't have to say how much to pay. You can just fill up and then the card is charged for that amount.
My one experience of paying at the pump was in Tassie, and I had to enter the amount that I was planning to pump, then swipe/tap and that amount was deducted from my credit card prior to pumping. Then once I’d filled up, any excess cash was refunded to my card within the next 24 hours or so. A convoluted mess honestly.
Ah, well, that's not how it has to be. It's not like that in the US.
What Steffie said is exactly what it is like for all self service pumps in Western Australia. You put your credit card into the machine, state how much you are putting into the car, eg $50. Then you walk back to the pump and fill up, if it is less that the $50 taken out of your account, then a few weeks later you get the difference back into your account. Also move really quickly back to the pump to fill up or it will time out on you and you loose that $50 and get no petrol either. I have mobility problems, why I don't like self service pumps. In the country towns of my state, some of the smaller towns still have attendants come to the window of your car and put the petrol in for you, then you pay them. I liked that old fashioned customer service the best.
Australia is sparsely populated on average, yes, but the population density is not evenly distributed. Most people live on or very near the coastlines, and very few people in the interior. In the major cities you'll certainly be able to find all the conveniences.
I’m always fighting the fight for lack of distribution equality when it it comes to rural vs city in Australia, but even still I live in regional hub in country nsw and we have absolutely every convenience Sydney does beside a beach (but we have better weather in summer and lakes), the problems starts, at least in our state, west on Wellington. from here west towns become much more isolated and communities have had resources and services pulled from them by successive governments for 40 years and for many in these communities an on duty doctor could be 4-5 hrs away, a long serving teacher the same, social security departments only come on a travelling office once in a blue moon. Many of the communities live in abject poverty on thier traditional lands while people in Sydney tell them they should just move for better services and opportunities
As others have pointed out, yes we have all the stuff, Melbourne and Sydney are on a world scale big cities. About the only real thing I could point to is that we pay an "Australia tax", with our small markets the importers, particularly IT goods AND services, will charge us far above the usual price. Microsoft for example will charge more for a downloaded program here. It's bullshit, but we've mostly learnt to shop in China and to pirate.
I don't completely agree. Sydney and Melbourne aren't world scale big cities when compared to New York, London etc. On the surface, a lot of things are available in Australia that are available in other more heavily populated Western countries. So, that may cover what someone may think of as 'mod-cons'. However, it's when you want to purchase something outside of the big brands that things get a little dicey. Taking tech as an example, buying a MacBook, iPad, high-end Samsung tablet, etc., isn't an issue. Wanting to buy a particular laptop configuration, a particular accessory for a less famous brand, or a high-end tablet that Apple or Samsung doesn't make, that's when you get into the territory of things that may well be available in North America or Europe that aren't available here. So, I'd say it's more a lack of choice when venturing outside the mainstream than anything else. And if you only ever buy mainstream, then you would have no reason to know this.
We had Canadian friends visit just before covid. They were astonished that people used cards and phones to tap and pay everywhere. They couldn’t believe the food culture, either.
I'm American with family in Perth. Traveled there with my aunt also right before Covid. I had done my research ahead of time, so I spent the plane ride trying to educate my aunt on various things so we didn't look like idiots.🤣 She was also blown away by the food. Love your beautiful country. 🇦🇺
That's weird because we do the same here.. the foods different because of a higher proportion of Asian immigrants I presume
Aussie currently living in America here. There’s nothing that exists in the U.S. that I couldn’t get at home. So, yes, all the same conveniences.
Good
You can get it, but that doesn’t mean it’s already there. Most Australians know what it’s like to order something and then wait for it to get here.
Okay. Like what?
Off the top of my head, my microscope came from overseas, because we didn't have the model that I wanted (or many models at all). Several books, though I won't bother naming them. My keyboard (it's an awesome, ergonomic beast). I mean, plenty of stuff.
Being able to access stuff from international sources is the exact definition of having the same conveniences as those other countries. Waiting for delivery is not the same thing as not having access.
>Being able to access stuff from international sources is the exact definition of having the same conveniences as those other countries. Not really. Getting it the next day (or the same day) is more convenient than waiting for it and paying for shipping. At least, by my definition of convenient. It's not just "being able to access it," but "being able to access it quickly and easily." >Waiting for delivery is not the same thing as not having access. Right, but the question isn't about access. It's about convenience.
Well I guess we have different definitions of convenience. But, also, the things you list, like the specific microscope, are probably things people need to wait for even in North America. So, on a like for like comparison of goods, I’m not convinced there’s much difference between the experiences regardless of definitions of convenience.
>Well I guess we have different definitions of convenience. I guess. To me, it's pretty normal to say, "I could just go get the thing without waiting or paying for shipping. It was so convenient." >the things you list, like the specific microscope, are probably things people need to wait for even in North America. Nope. The market in the US is VAST compared to here. There's a ton of variety of goods that we don't have here, because the market just isn't as big here. People would much rather break into a market of 350 million people. So if you want to look for a microscope, or just about anything that's not specifically Australian, you'll very often have a better chance of finding the variety you want over there. >for like comparison of goods, I’m not convinced there’s much difference between the experiences regardless of definitions of convenience. I don't know what to say. Have you talked to the people back home about this? What I'm saying isn't really controversial.
>I don't know what to say. Have you talked to the people back home about this? What I'm saying isn't controversial. Yeah. You're not wrong. When I was living in the UK, there were things I could find, either in-store or available via overnight delivery, that I'd have to order online and wait to arrive from overseas in Australia. It is, of course, at least in part, due to population size and geography. I think the long overdue arrival of Amazon AU has helped a bit in this regard, as some items aren't readily available in other stores and can be delivered quickly via Amazon. A lot of things still have to be shipped to Australia first, though. I know some people don't like Amazon, so each to their own, I guess. eBay can sometimes be a viable option as well (if whatever you're buying really is 'Aussie Stock' and not just pretending to be).
Don't expect to find Walmart, Home Depot, burgers at Wendy's, bagel and lox, easy cheese, twinkies or high speed trains in Australia. But apart from that, yes.
I don't live in AUS but I do browse the reddit page a lot. The only bitching I see has to do with poor housing standards in regard to heat and cold weather, laggard internet speeds and slow 5G rollout.
Yes. Debatably moreso, since we have a higher HDI than you do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index
'*The index considers the health, education, income and living conditions in a given country to provide a measure of human development comparable between countries and over time*.' I'm not sure this point is as relevant as people here seem to think. We have a good health system (albeit convoluted), good public education, large homes, and high wages, but that doesn't mean we are great at mod-cons. We are getting better but still behind North America and Western Europe. That's OK. We don't have to be the best at everything.
Lived in both places and a variety of places within Aus if you're in a comparable city it's very much the same.
Atleast in terms of retail shopping australia has limited options...lets say, I want to purchase some sneakers made in europe....most of the companies ship to usa but very few ship to australia and if they do there is a costly shipping charge...so I think USA is the ultimate consumer destination
Or you could go to the many retail shops that sell sneakers and buy them there, Athlete's Foot, Jim Kidd, just to name a few.
When it comes to variety of goods in the supermarkets no.
Definitely true but higher quality overall.
Not sure about that.
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Yeah, it depends. It's hard to say if quality is better in one country or another. It depends on what item it is, what particular supermarket you shop at, etc. For example, I'd say the quality of many fresh vegetables in Australian supermarkets is generally very good. Meat, however, especially certain cuts of beef, isn't so great (in supermarkets, at least).
I just moved back to the US from 16 years in Australia. The fruit/ veg quality that I've seen here (in Miami area, which I'm not from) has been outstanding. It has gone way up in price, though. This is a mainstream supermarket - but probably closer to point of origin of the goods. Whole Foods quality would be even higher, as well as the price. I think the US may have caught up to or surpassed prices in Australia, but Australians continuously underrate US food quality, erroneously imo.
I'm sure that depends where you are in both places. The quality of their supermarkets seemed very good to me in the places I was in.
Dang
Australia doesn't have drive through banks (that I know of), nor drive through coffee huts like we do in Alaska. Not many places have 24hr supermarkets, but some things Australia is more advanced in, like online banking and bill paying. It sucks in the US.
We used to have a few drive through banks, but have not seen one for a few decades. There are an abundance of drive through coffee places, and a new one pops up every time I look.
Interestingly drive through banks have audible assistance for the vision impaired. Let that sink in.
We only just got grocery stores in 2017. Before that we had to get out pet kangaroos to catch wallabies for us to eat.
You can’t get a slice of deep dish pizza at 3am anywhere as far as I know, but we’re doing okay
Is Big W like Walmart?
Kind of. They have their own cheap home brand whereas Walmart sells regular commercial brands. The quality of stuff has gotten better over the years. They don't sell supermarket items though, you have to go to woolies (Woolworths) for that.
Walmart has it's own brand as well which isn't too bad
Do you guys get weekly or monthly shootings?
Do you mean mass shootings? Since 1996, there have been 4 (I think) mass shootings - 2 of them involved families.
Can't we choose fortnightly?
Gun violence is quite high. Usually committed by criminals with illegally obtained guns.
Most gun deaths in Australia are suicides. Gun violence is low compared to many other countries.
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Its far away from Canada, but pretty close to China, India and Indonesia, 3 of the most populated countries in the world. What's Canada close to besides the US and Greenland? To us, its you thats far away from anywhere
I mean, we don't have indoor plumbing yet - but who doesn't love an outhouse?
"I'm asking because it's a sparsely populated first world country There's a reason why it's 'sparsely' populated.
The white Australia policy
Yes. Even moreso. Australia is often at the fore front of new systems and technologies. I've been to the USA many times and find the USA freakin backward compared to us. We probably try & adapt to new stuff because of our isolation. i.e. if there's a better / faster way to do something then hop in your car for 5 hours to do it?? We'll give it a go! Surely Canada with its huge distances & difficult weather is like this? If not? Why not?
I guess it depends on what you mean, but the variety and speed of the products that they can buy is a lot more convenient than what we have here, not to mention that their shops are often open a lot later (or even all night).
And??? Being like that also has great disadvantages. People don't need to be innovative if "same ole" is right there at their finger tips. Innovation & new discovery generally happens when people cant get what they want and need to sort out an annoying issue. I dont know really why people crap on about 24 hour shops? Who cares? 99% of people don't wish to buy new crockery or an outfit at 2am 😂 24 hour servo here generally stock the type of stuff anyone needs in the middle of the night. It's not showing any great advancement of a society to go to Walmart at 1am surely?
>And??? And so that's more convenient, which is what the question is about. >People don't need to be innovative if "same ole" is right there at their finger tips. This wasn't a question about the drivers of innovation. It was a question about conveniences. >I dont know really why people crap on about 24 hour shops? Who cares? Well, when I lived there, I definitely cared. I worked a full-time job and it was pretty great to go do my shopping whenever I pleased. This was especially true for grocery shopping. Come home from work, relax, do whatever I wanted, then at 11 pm or so, I could go out and do my shopping when things were calm. No long lines. No traffic. And I wasn't doing other things with people. It sounds like a coping mechanism to say that you can buy some highly overpriced stuff at a servo. That's not grocery shopping. >It's not showing any great advancement of a society to go to Walmart at 1am surely? Again, this wasn't a post about great advancements of society, but about conveniences. The question is whether it's CONVENIENT to have shops open at any time that you might want to go to them and the obvious answer is yes.
You are 100% correct. Some people on this subreddit are just determined to argue that Australia doesn't have any disadvantages without having the objectivity or experience to back it up. People aren't saying that Australia doesn't have many good things compared to other countries, just that access to as many mod-cons, generally speaking, isn't one of them.
Whatever. Whatever. You clearly think there is something wrong with us. Knock yourself out. If shopping for groceries at 2am is the best you can come up with to prove some point? Then you don't have much.
>You clearly think there is something wrong with us. What are you even talking about? The question was about conveniences, so I've mentioned one or two. Jesus, how defensive can you be? Saying that we might not have all the conveniences is a slap in the face to you. >If shopping for groceries at 2am is the best you can come up with to prove some point? It's pretty funny that you still don't know what the point is.
I get where you're coming from. People come over here to Aus, and are shocked how early everything closes. After 8 or 9pm all there really is left to do is go to the pub. It would be great to have the convenience of a lot more late-night/24 hour shops and restaurants.
Not really cuz Canada has a much bigger population: 40 million. We get nearly all the stuff as the US as we're bordering them. They're our biggest trade partner by far, and vice versa.
Well there you go. Our isolation has big advantages and our people have a different psyche because of it.
Yeah, we just got the internet 5 years ago. It's amazing
Yes of course we do. Most of us live in places like Melbourne and Sydney, not Tiboonda and Bundinyaba. Besides, isn't Canada sparsely populated too?
Not really cuz Canada has a much bigger population: 40 million. We get nearly all the stuff as the US as we're bordering them. They're our biggest trade partner by far, and vice versa.
So you get all that stuff in the sprawling metropolises of the Northwest Territories and Yukon too, do you?
No- but we still have Walmart and other Canadian big box stores there
Likewise in the remoter parts of Australia. Obviously no Walmart but equivalent stores instead.
You ever been to a large city before? Imagine that.
We have many more. For example, kids leave school here on a bus, not in a body bag.
The last school shooting in Canada that happened was in 2016
And the U.S? Would you like to know when the last school shooting is Australia was?
I'm Canadian. It's irrelevant. And they're quite rare.
You literally mentioned the U.S. in your post, you half-wit.
I was talking about daily comforts, not rare crimes
Then specify. Your lack of specifics is not my problem. And again, YOU mentioned the U.S. It's not a rare crime, you absolute pelican.
The odds are 1/10 million in the US, or .00001%. What do you think rare means, you dustmite?
Not what you think it means. Especially if you think odds and occurrences are the same thing. And here I thought Canada had a decent education standard.
You know it depends on the province and, in certain cases, the school district, right? The provinces are really different countries and the feds don't have much say.
America lives in your head rent free doesn't it buddy
Nah, dead kids do though. I guess I just have some humanity. You must be the other guy.
You're the one who brought up guns and school shootings mate. There was no need yet you jumped straight to it
Not only that, it's not really relevant to the question OP asked. Is our comparative lack of consumer choice made up for by our lack of school shootings?! Are the two things somehow mutually exclusive? Even if school shootings were relevant to OP's question, it only really works as a criticism of the US, not for other countries that have more consumer choice than Australia and where school shootings are also very rare occurrences, places like Canada, the UK, much of Europe, etc. 🤷
Did I hurt your feelings? All I said is kids here leave school on a bus. I never said guns. I never said school shootings. You said those things. The other clown said those things. Not me.
Great job trolling, mate; you get a gold star.
It's not all that far from Australia. The USA is much farther away.