View source for Pak'nSave

{{Short description|New Zealand supermarket chain owned by Foodstuffs}}
{{Distinguish|Pay 'n Save|Safeway Inc.|text=[[Pay 'n Save]], or the unrelated Californian Pak'nSave operated by [[Safeway Inc.]]}}{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}

{{infobox company
| name = Pak'nSave
| logo = Pak'nSave Logo 10.2024.svg
| logo_size = 250
| image = Pak'n Save Wanganui.JPG
| image_caption = Pak'nSave store in [[Whanganui]]
| type = Private subsidiary
| foundation = 12 June 1985; {{years ago|1985}} years ago
| location_city = [[Auckland]] & [[Christchurch]]
| location_country = [[New Zealand]]
| locations = 58 stores (2024)
| industry = Retail
| num_employees = 
| parent = [[Foodstuffs (company)|Foodstuffs]]
| homepage = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''Pak'nSave''' (stylised as '''PAK'nSAVE''') is a New Zealand discount food [[supermarket]] warehouse chain owned by the [[Foodstuffs (company)|Foodstuffs]] cooperative.<ref name=":5" /> It is one of the three main supermarket chains in New Zealand, alongside [[Woolworths (New Zealand supermarket chain)|Woolworths New Zealand]] and [[New World (supermarket)|New World]] (the latter is also owned by Foodstuffs).<ref>{{Cite web |title=NZ supermarkets - the illusion of choice when there are just two big players |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/122947384/nz-supermarkets--the-illusion-of-choice-when-there-are-just-two-big-players |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] }}</ref> There is a total of 58 Pak'nSave stores throughout the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PAK'nSAVE |url=https://www.trustedbrands.co.nz/brand-showcase/paknsave/ |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=Trusted Brands New Zealand |language=en-US}}</ref>

Pak'nSave stores are large and have a [[no frills]] environment, often with unlined interiors and concrete floors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=www.paknsave.co.nz |url=https://www.paknsave.co.nz/about-us}}</ref>

==History==
Pak'nSave had 20 stores in 1993, which rose to 30 stores in 1998. Its supermarket market share rose from 8% in 1989 to 24% in 1996.<ref name=":5">{{Cite thesis |title=Wage bargaining theory, decentralisation, the Employment Contracts Act, and the supermarket sector : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Economics at Massey University |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10179/6452 |publisher=Massey University |date=1998 |language=en |first=Peter |last=Conway|hdl=10179/6452 }}</ref>

=== Origins ===
The first Pak'nSave opened on 12 June 1985 in [[Kaitaia]], a town in the [[Far North District]] of the North Island.<ref name="gamble" /> In the beginning, mutton and candles were the stores best sellers, which is attributed to the fact that many homes in the Far North still did not have power in 1985. Pak'nSave originally used a system where customers were given a black marker upon entering the store, which would use this to write the prices onto the goods that they were buying, which they would bring to the checkouts. This is because Pak'nSave at the time did not use barcodes, scanners, or running checkouts, so prices were written onto shelves.<ref name="gamble">{{cite news |title=Couple's big gamble paid off |first=Christine |last=Allen |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503446&objectid=11492384 |newspaper=[[The Northern Advocate]] |date=5 August 2015 |access-date=25 March 2016}}</ref> Due to the first store's popularity in the Far North, Pak'nSave operated monthly bus trips to the Kaitaia store.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2015-08-09 |title=Pak'nSave celebrates 30 years |url=https://www.fmcgbusiness.co.nz/paknsave-celebrates-30-years/ |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=FMCG Business |language=en-US}}</ref>

A couple of months after the first store, a second Pak'nSave store was opened in [[Henderson, New Zealand|Henderson]]. Two days after the store opened, two more checkouts had to be opened because of its popularity.<ref name=":2" />

=== 1990–2020 ===
In the 1992 recession, Pak'nSave increased its focus on prices.<ref name=":5" />

In 2005, there were 37 stores around New Zealand, including seven in Auckland.<ref name="paknsave-2005">{{cite web |title=Pak'n'Save |url=http://www.paknsave.co.nz/splash.aspx |website=paknsave.co.nz |publisher=[[Foodstuffs (company)|Foodstuffs]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051126221018/http://www.paknsave.co.nz/splash.aspx |archive-date=26 November 2005}}</ref>

Pak'nSave started rolling out self checkouts around 2009, where customers would scan, pack and pay for their groceries themselves. Customers would only interact with employees to check IDs for sales of alcohol or cigarettes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-01-31 |title=Scan, pack and pay |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/technology/the-box/the-ball/297404/Scan-pack-and-pay |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

The first Pak'nSave store, in Kaitaia, went empty in 2011 because Foodstuffs opened a new store in Kaitaia. In 2018 Foodstuffs gave a 50-year lease for $2 to a Youth Centre. As the Youth Centre could not fulfill their plans, demolition of the building was announced in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-29 |title=New chapter for former Kaitaia Pak'nSave site and town centre |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/fnh-takes-over-former-kaitaia-paknsave-site-building-to-be-demolished/2G247VIVUPNGALMDAVL3V3K2JE/ |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

Starting in 2017, the [[Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority]] (EECA) provided funding toward Foodstuffs to trial electric delivery vans.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 19, 2017 |title=New World and Pak'nSave electric delivery van trial |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1701/S00250/new-world-and-paknsave-electric-delivery-van-trial.htm |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.scoop.co.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harrowell |first=Chris |date=2017-08-14 |title=Pak 'n Save Papakura deploying new electric delivery van |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/papakura-courier/95749102/pak-n-save-papakura-deploying-new-electric-delivery-van |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref> Funding also went to electric car chargers for carparks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 February 2020 |title=Subsidised chargers for Pak'nSave, Warehouse as $4m more doled out to promote electric cars |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/subsidised-chargers-for-paknsave-warehouse-as-4m-more-doled-out-to-promote-electric-cars/JPGJ3W2KSKNBOHYHMJLLJS6TQE/ |access-date=11 November 2023 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref>

In December 2017 Foodstuffs recalled a batch of its Pak'nSave branded beef mince after concerns that it contained soft plastic.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-13 |title=Pak'n Save brand NZ beef mince |url=https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety-home/food-recalls-and-complaints/recalled-food-products/paknsave-brand-nz-beef-mince/ |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=www.mpi.govt.nz |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

In August 2018 Pak'nSave announced that they would stop offering single-use plastic bags by the start of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 August 2018 |title=New World, Pak'nSave, Liquorland and others to ban plastic bags from 2019 |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/new-world-paknsave-liquorland-and-others-to-ban-plastic-bags-from-2019/PAXB23SCRS6JW26YEGUUJZEJH4/ |access-date=31 October 2023 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref> After they were discontinued, an 'endangered' bag sold on [[Trade Me]] for $52.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 January 2019 |title='Endangered' Pak'nSave single-use plastic sells for $52 on Trade Me |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/endangered-paknsave-single-use-plastic-sells-for-52-on-trade-me/FON24U3CUX2GBKMVJOI4RQKCHA/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref> In February 2020 Pak'nSave started trialling recycled paper bags for bulk food.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flaws |first=Bonnie |date=2020-02-25 |title=Pak 'n Save and New World trialling recycled paper bags for bulk foods |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/119780548/pak-n-save-and-new-world-trialling-recycled-paper-bags-for-bulk-foods |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

In January 2019 Pak'nSave announced that they would start rolling out the option to buy products online.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-14 |title=Online shopping comes to Pak'n Save |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/109930340/online-shopping-comes-to-pakn-save |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

=== 2020–present ===
[[File:PAK'nSAVE Highland Park.jpg|thumb|283x283px|Pak'nSave store in Highland Park, Auckland]]
In October 2020, the [[Commerce Commission]] fined Pak'nSave [[Māngere]] $78,000 for making false and/or misleading representations of prices.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|date=29 October 2020|title=Pak'nSave price discrepancies: Watchdog lambasts supermarket, their advice for shoppers|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/paknsave-price-discrepancies-watchdog-lambasts-supermarket-their-advice-for-shoppers/M3ZXJY4NVS7VVZQKUUUF3SIV4U/|access-date=30 October 2023|website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

In May 2021, forty workers at Pak'nSave Lincoln Road, which was the largest supermarket in New Zealand, went on [[Strike action|strike]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Flaws|first=Bonnie|date=22 May 2021|title=Pak 'n Save workers at country's largest supermarket strike after failed negotiations|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125217808/pak-n-save-workers-at-countrys-largest-supermarket-strike-after-failed-negotiations|access-date=29 October 2023|website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

In September 2021, Foodstuffs announced Pak'nSave and New World would stop selling caged eggs by 2027.<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 October 2023|title=New World, Pak'nSave to phase out caged eggs by 2027|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/new-world-paknsave-to-stop-selling-caged-eggs-by-2027/PJTTERBLVBLI6WPOZ4BXW4ZQ54/|access-date=30 October 2023|website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

In 2022, Foodstuffs announced that 29 of its [[North Island]] stores, including New World and Four Square, had started using [[Facial recognition system|facial recognition technology]] as a measure against crime.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mcilraith|first=Brianna|date=24 November 2022|title=Foodstuffs using facial recognition tech at 29 North Island supermarkets|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/130567786/foodstuffs-using-facial-recognition-tech-at-29-north-island-supermarkets|access-date=29 October 2023|website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

During the [[2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods]], the Pak'nSave Wairau Road had to close due to extensive flooding of the store.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stockdill|first=Robert|date=31 January 2023|title=Flooding closes New Zealand's largest Pak'nSave for days|url=https://insidefmcg.com.au/2023/01/31/flooding-closes-new-zealands-largest-paknsave-for-days/|access-date=30 October 2023|website=Inside FMCG|language=en-AU}}</ref>

In June 2023, Pak'nSave released an AI app named Savey Meal-bot. It creates meal plans and recipes from ingredients including leftovers given by the app's user.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|date=12 July 2023|title=Stickman's game-changing solution to get more savey and less wastey|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-drink/dinner-sorted/132524831/stickmans-gamechanging-solution-to-get-more-savey-and-less-wastey|access-date=2023-10-29|website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Brookes|first=Emily|date=2023-06-07|title=Pak'n'Save's new AI recipe generator is partly helpful, partly bonkers|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-drink/132217804/paknsaves-new-ai-recipe-generator-is-partly-helpful-partly-bonkers|access-date=29 October 2023|website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref> The app, made with the [[GPT-3]] language model,<ref name=":1" /> sparked controversy when it suggested to a user to make [[Chlorine|chlorine gas]] and eat ant{{nbh}}poison sandwiches.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|last=Taunton|first=Esther|date=11 August 2023|title=Pak'nSave's AI meal planner suggests recipe for deadly chlorine gas|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/132725271/paknsaves-ai-meal-planner-suggests-recipe-for-deadly-chlorine-gas|access-date=29 October 2023|website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web|last=Zitser|first=Joshua|title=A supermarket experimented with AI to generate meal ideas for leftovers. It suggested drinking bleach and eating ant-poison sandwiches.|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/supermarket-paknsave-ai-bot-chatgpt-recipes-chlorine-gas-bleach-mocktail-2023-8|access-date=30 October 2023|website=Business Insider|language=en-US}}</ref>

In June 2023, a Pak'nSave in [[Tauranga]] started trialling front-facing body cameras due to a rise in retail crime.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mcilraith|first=Brianna|date=2023-06-02|title=Pak'nSave trials body cameras amid growing retail crime|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/132228836/paknsave-trials-body-cameras-amid-growing-retail-crime|access-date=2023-10-29|website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, Pak'nSave was named New Zealand's most trusted brand in a ''[[Reader's Digest]]'' survey. Pak'nSave had held the title for twelve years in a row, out of the survey's 24-year history.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-04-25|title=PAKnSAVE the most trusted supermarket for the 12th year in a row|url=https://retailworldmagazine.com.au/paknsave-the-most-trusted-supermarket-for-the-12th-year-in-a-row/|access-date=2023-10-30|website=Retail World Magazine|language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Operations==
Pak'nSave is [[Franchising|franchised]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://comcom.govt.nz/news-and-media/media-releases/2019/paknsave-mangere-charged-over-alleged-price-discrepancies |title=PAK’nSAVE Mangere charged over alleged price discrepancies |access-date=23 February 2024 |website=comcom.govt.nz}}</ref>

Extra products that are not on shelves are stacked above the shelves on the pallets they were delivered in, meaning that the floor space can be used for retail and storage. The stores are supplied daily from their co-operative distributor Foodstuffs.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Benefits for you {{!}} Pak'nSave |url=http://www.paknsave.co.nz/why-shop-at-paknsave/benefits-snippets/savings-by-the-bulkload/ |access-date=2018-06-15 |website=paknsave.co.nz |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Pak'nSave Rolleston entrance and checkout area.jpg|thumb|Self checkout area at Pak'nSave Rolleston in 2025]]
Most stores have [[self checkout]] and some have self scanning facilities where customers scan and bag their own groceries, with several self-checkouts monitored over by a single staff member for assistance and to clear any restricted transactions (e.g. alcohol).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-01-31 |title=Scan, pack and pay |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/technology/the-box/the-ball/297404/Scan-pack-and-pay |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref> Pak'nSave has self-scanning facilities (Shop n' Go) where pre-registered customers can scan items with a hand-held scanner (PS20) while shopping in store.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pak'nSave begins rollout of scan-your-own grocery tech |url=https://futurefive.co.nz/story/pak-nsave-begins-rollout-of-scan-your-own-grocery-tech |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=FutureFive New Zealand |language=en}}</ref>

===Pak'nSave Mini===
On 13 September 2017, [[Levin, New Zealand|Levin]]'s Write Price supermarket was re-branded as Pak'nSave Mini.
Pak'nSave Mini is a small format store that stocks around 2,500 products. In comparison, standard Pak'nSave stores stock approximately 8,000 products.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://paknsave.co.nz/lower-north-island/manawatu-and-wairarapa/levin/ |title= Levin |publisher= Pak'nSave |date=13 September 2017|access-date= 29 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/96629865/first-pak-n-save-mini-trialled-in-levin|access-date=29 October 2018|title=Pak'nSave trials its first mini supermarket|date=8 September 2017|publisher=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]]}}</ref>

===Competition===
Pak'nSave's main competitors are [[Woolworths (New Zealand supermarket chain)|Woolworths]] and the also Foodstuffs-owned [[New World (supermarket)|New World]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-05 |title=Pak’nSave, Countdown or New World: Which supermarket has the best prices? |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/pakn-save-countdown-or-new-world-which-supermarket-has-the-best-prices/CXOR64FR7NFKNCCQS47BTIOTC4/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-13 |title=Competition head-on: NZ's biggest new Pak'nSave rising beside rival Woolworths |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/100m-paknsave-biggest-supermarket-rising-in-new-zealand-right-beside-woolworths/VJWFLF2FYNFIPFBJAZ3GJPVNPY/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

=== Shop'nGo ===
Shop'nGo is a service where customers are given scanners, which are used to scan products as they shop around the store, which allows them to track the total price. Customers using Shop'nGo do not need to unload their trolley to pay. They go to a self-checkout, scan a QR on the Shop'nGo screen, and then pay for the products.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=2020-06-29 |title=SHOP'nGO coming to Rangiora |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-districts/star-north-canterbury/shop%E2%80%99ngo-coming-rangiora |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=[[Otago Daily Times]] |language=en}}</ref>

Shop'nGo started around 2005 in a few stores.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mhurchu |first1=Cliona Ni |last2=Blakely |first2=Tony |last3=Wall |first3=Joanne |last4=Rodgers |first4=Anthony |last5=Jiang |first5=Yannan |last6=Wilton |first6=Jenny |date=June 2007 |title=Strategies to promote healthier food purchases: a pilot supermarket intervention study |journal=Public Health Nutrition |language=en |volume=10 |issue=6 |pages=608–615 |doi=10.1017/S136898000735249X |pmid=17381930 |issn=1475-2727|doi-access=free }}</ref> In 2020, 11 stores in the South Island rolled out Shop'nGo.<ref name=":8" />

==Marketing==
Pak'nSave is well known for its "cut price" television and print adverts utilising a [[stick figure]], named "Stickman", in black on a yellow background (occasionally, the colour scheme is reversed, including during the [[2011 Rugby World Cup]] and the [[2012 Summer Olympics]]). The television adverts are voiced by comedian [[Paul Ego]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/culture/7988593/Comedians-freestyle-through-laughs |title= Comedians freestyle through laughs |publisher= The Southland Times (via Stuff.co.nz) |date= 29 November 2012 |access-date= 31 January 2013}}</ref> Originally, the voice of Stickman was Ego "mucking around". Another voice had been recorded but it was the "mucking around" voice which was chosen.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marrett |first=Cass |date=2019-05-08 |title=Comedian Paul Ego on a decade on 7 Days and being the Pak 'n Save stickman |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/tv-guide/112520357/comedian-paul-ego-reflects-on-nearly-10-years-of-7-days |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

In April 2020, during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand|COVID-19 pandemic]], an [[Instagram]] account was created for Stickman. His first post was "Day 1 on Instagram and Day 23 in Lockdown. My bubble is still looking fresh. Just jokes, that's my head. #gotyou".<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2023-10-29 |title=Pak'nSave's iconic Stickman's hilarious Instagram debut |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/covid-19-coronavirus-paknsaves-iconic-stickmans-hilarious-instagram-debut/VEUQJ4KDUJZLCLWJLMUZ4HDPL4/ |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ}}</ref> The account has 25,000 followers.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Tara |date=2023-09-08 |title=The best NZ TV ad characters of all time |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/08-09-2023/the-best-nz-tv-ad-characters-of-all-time |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=[[The Spinoff]] |language=en}}</ref> In September Pak'nSave took down an advertisement which pronounced the [[Māori language|Māori]] word [[Wainoni, Christchurch|Wainoni]] incorrectly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nadkarni |first=Anuja |date=2020-09-17 |title=Pak 'n Save removes ad with voiceover 'completely butchering' te reo Māori |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/122803339/pak-n-save-removes-ad-with-voiceover-completely-butchering-te-reo-mori |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

In 2011, the Stickman adverts were one of the finalists for Best Ad in the annual ''[[Fair Go]]'' Ad Awards, but lost to the [[New Zealand Lotteries Commission]]'s "Wilson the Dog" adverts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/ad-awards-26-october-4484728 |title= Fair Go ad awards – 26 October |publisher= Television New Zealand |date= 26 October 2011 |access-date= 23 February 2012}}</ref>

In December 2022, under the stage name DJ Save-A-LotT, Stickman hosted an hour-long radio show.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 December 2022 |title=Pak'nSave's stickman turns classic tunes into 'savey' songs |url=https://stoppress.co.nz/news/paknsaves-stickman-turns-classic-tunes-into-savey-songs/ |access-date=30 October 2023}}</ref>

==Fuel discounts==
[[File:Pakn'Save Fuel.jpg|thumb|Pak'nSave Fuel in [[Paraparaumu]]]]
Pak'nSave offers a program which gives customers a fuel discount for stores with on-site fuel filling stations. To do this, customers scan a "Sticky Club" tag at the checkout and receive a voucher.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Pan |first=Ruiyang |title=2021 IEEE International Conference on Data Science and Computer Application (ICDSCA) |date=2021-10-29 |publisher=IEEE |isbn=978-1-6654-4054-7 |pages=777–780 |chapter=Computer intelligent assessment model and potential impacts of blockchain technology on grocery store by mathematical statistics |doi=10.1109/icdsca53499.2021.9650154 |chapter-url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/icdsca53499.2021.9650154 |s2cid=245446284}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> Stores without on-site Pak'nSave fuel filling stations offer vouchers for use at [[Mobil|Z Energy]] service stations.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=Frequently asked questions |url=https://www.paknsave.co.nz/fuel/paknsave-fuel-voucher/frequently-asked-questions |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.paknsave.co.nz |language=en}}</ref>

===Fuel sites===
In December 2002, the first Pak'nSave Fuel site was opened at the Pak'nSave in [[Tamatea, Napier|Tamatea]]. It was originally owned by BP New Zealand and Foodstuffs. More fuel sites were opened in more PAK'nSAVE stores and New World joined for the fuel sites later. In 2018, [[Z Energy]] won [[Mobil]]'s contract to operate the fuel sites and fuel vouchers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-05-03 |title=Z ousts Mobil in supermarket petrol deal |url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/page/z-ousts-mobil-in-supermarket-petrol-deal |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=Newsroom |language=en-AU}}</ref>

== Controversies ==
In 2013 the Commerce Commission said that Pak'nSave's comparative pricing advertisements may be misleading under certain circumstances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-10-14 |title=ComCom looks at Pak'nSave ads |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9269433/ComCom-looks-at-Pak-nSave-ads |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

In 2018 [[Progressive Enterprises]], the owner of [[Woolworths (New Zealand supermarket chain)|Countdown]], complained to the [[Advertising Standards Authority (New Zealand)|Advertising Standards Authority]] (ASA) about a Pak'nSave advertisement. It compared prices between Pak'nSave and Countdown. Progressive said that the advertisement was misleading as no store had the same prices on the day listed in the advertisement. Foodstuffs said that there was a mistake in the date, and said that rather than 7 August 2017, the correct date was  28 September 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 June 2018 |title=Error in ad leads to advertising stoush between Pak'nSave and Countdown |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/error-in-ad-leads-to-advertising-stoush-between-paknsave-and-countdown/KGQRKBU6RJG6MW75L73OD5QUSI/ |access-date=31 October 2023 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref> The same year, vegans complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that an advertisement saying "you'll never beat real meat" is offensive to the vegan and vegetarian community. The ASA dismissed the complaint.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 July 2018 |title=Vegans take aim at Pak'nSave 'you'll never beat actual meat' ad |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/vegans-take-aim-at-paknsave-youll-never-beat-actual-meat-ad/VJR53D2DCEUWDMKDACM5JPREAY/ |access-date=31 October 2023 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]]}}</ref> Again in 2018, a Pak'nSave advertisement encouraging responsible drinking was described by the [[Human Rights Commission (New Zealand)|Human Rights Commission]] as "discriminatory and harmful". It featured men dressed as women purchasing wine, causing human rights advocates to describe the ad as "transphobic".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacobson |first=Adam |date=2018-03-16 |title=Pak 'n Save's responsible drinking video 'discriminatory and harmful', Human Rights Commission says |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/102320731/pak-n-saves-responsible-drinking-video-discriminatory-and-harmful-human-rights-commission-says |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en}}</ref>

In October 2020, the [[Commerce Commission]] fined Pak'nSave [[Māngere]] $78,000 for making false and/or misleading representations of prices.<ref name=":9" />

In June 2023, Pak'nSave released an AI app named Savey Meal-bot. It creates meal plans and recipes from ingredients including leftovers given by the app's user.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":1" /> The app, made with the [[GPT-3]] language model,<ref name=":1" /> sparked controversy when it suggested to a user to make [[Chlorine|chlorine gas]] and eat ant-poison sandwiches.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" />

== Fundraising and charity ==
In early 2023 Pak'nSave owner operators from across the North Island donated over $575,000 to help communities affected by [[Cyclone Gabrielle]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Pak'nSave Donates Over Half a Million to Help Communities Recover from Cyclone Gabrielle|url = https://www.foodstuffs.co.nz/news-room/2023/PAKnSAVE-Donates-Over-Half-a-Million-to-Help-Communities-Recover-from-Cyclone-Gabrielle|website = Foodstuffs|accessdate = 2023-03-01}}</ref>

Pak'nSave stores donated the equivalent of 2.5 million meals in 2019 to those who needed them the most.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Pak'nSave Corporate Social Responsibility 2020|url = https://www.paknsave.co.nz/news/archive/corporate-social-responsibility-2020|website = Pak'nSave|accessdate = 2020-07-01}}</ref> 
The first ever Pak'canSAVE appeal saw nearly 80,000 cans donated to local food banks by generous customers, with Pak'nSave donating $200,000.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.foodstuffs.co.nz/news-room/Foodstuffs-reports-on-another-year-of-being-Here-for-NZ |title=Foodstuffs reports on another year of being 'Here for NZ' |website = Foodstuffs |date=26 August 2022 |accessdate=11 February 2024}}</ref>

In November 2015, Pak'nSave stores participated in the annual [[Movember]] fundraising effort, raising NZ$106,000 for Movember New Zealand. This was the largest sum ever raised by a New Zealand company for the charity.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Pak 'N Save sets Movember record|url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/74726692/pak-n-save-movember-modown-sets-fundraising-record|website =[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |accessdate = 2015-12-03}}</ref>

== Consumer perceptions ==
A 2021 study by the Commerce Commission found that consumers consider Pak'nSave, compared to other supermarkets, as more inexpensive with poorer quality meats and vegetables.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2021 |title=Consumer behaviour and preferences in the New Zealand retail grocery sector |url=https://comcom.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/260381/Ipsos-Consumer-behaviour-and-preferences-in-the-NZ-retail-grocery-sector-Consumer-study-report-July-2021.pdf |website=[[Commerce Commission]]}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Supermarkets in New Zealand]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{Official website}}
{{Portalbar|Supermarkets|New Zealand}}
{{Supermarkets in New Zealand}}

[[Category:Supermarkets of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Retail companies established in 1985]]
[[Category:Discount stores of New Zealand]]
[[Category:New Zealand companies established in 1985]]