[LINK] Grocery Choice - what's the problem?

[David Boxall]

On Mon, 29 Jun 2009 at 21:59:28 +1000 Lea de Groot wrote:
> ...
> How is it in the supermarkets interest to give us good data on their  
> prices?
It isn't. To me that suggests legislated compulsion, backed up by 
seven-figure minimum penalties.
> ...
> There is an obvious alternative, and I am mildly surprised that  
> Choice, a seemingly internet savvy group, hasn't gone it alone and  
> decided to demand funding for.
>
> Crowdsourcing. [1]
>
> Seen motormouth.com.au?
> Its crowdsourced comparative petrol pricing.
> I expect the same for grocery prices would be just as good.
>
> I do wonder what i am missing, that this isn't happening? :)
> ...
People are fickle. They get bored. How long does the crowd continue to 
provide information? My guess is that the flow of data quickly dwindles 
to a trickle. Something more substantial and more durable is needed.

That said, crowdsourcing may well be part of a solution. It would, for 
example, be one way of keeping the bastards honest.
 
-- 
David Boxall                    |  My figures are just as good
                                |  as any other figures.
http://david.boxall.name        |  I make them up myself, and they
                                |  always give me innocent pleasure.
                                |                     --HL Mencken