British backpacker is stunned by how much she can earn stacking shelves in an Outback supermarket versus her old 60-hour-week in the UK

Daily Mail​

21-07-2025

A stunned British backpacker has revealed her 'insane' earnings as a casual supermarket worker in Australia compared to her earnings back home.
Lauren, 29, from Liverpool, quit her support worker job earlier this year to travel around Australia and began stacking shelves at IGA in Derby, in Western Australia 's Kimberley region, in May.
She says she now earns more stacking shelves in the Outback than she ever did working gruelling 60-hour weeks in the UK.
'It's insane,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I just cannot believe how much money I am going to save.'
Posting on TikTok as 'Lauren's Adventures', the Brit broke down her pay packet in a video that quickly went viral.
'For the last three months, I hadn't worked, I'd just been travelling,' she said.
'Then I thought, right, I need to get a job now. I wanted somewhere with no distractions, and live the Outback life for a bit.
'But I just cannot believe the difference in wages. It's just insane.'
The video, which has racked up nearly 700,000 views and hundreds of comments, compares her earnings in Australia to those back in the UK.
Lauren explained she earned £12.50 an hour as a support worker in England, working 60 hours a week including bank holidays and public holidays, and brought home about £2,500 per month.
In Australia, the minimum rate she receives for stacking shelves at IGA is $34 an hour, equivalent to around £16, from Monday to Friday.
That was already more than she earned back in Britain, but the rates are even higher on evenings and weekends.
'My wages in Australia compared to my wages at home need to be spoken about,' she said.
'After 6pm, Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays, my rate of pay is $38 an hour, which is the equivalent to about £19.
'On Sundays, my rate of pay is $45 an hour - equivalent to £22.50 an hour.
'And on public holidays, my rate of pay is $64 an hour, which is equivalent to about £30 an hour.
Lauren was shocked her weekday rate topped her UK earnings but said evenings and weekends were even higher
'So, I was working back home 60 hours a week for less money than I will be earning in a supermarket doing about 40 hours a week.
'I will be earning more money doing that. My mind is just like, what!'
Lauren is aware of the higher cost of living in Australia, but still feels she is better off overall.
'I know accommodation can be expensive here, and that's part of why the pay is higher,' she said.
'But most of the time, if you come to Australia on your own, it's better to live with others and house share.
'You can rent a room for $450 a week, some for $300 — that's about £600 to £800 a month.
'I've decided to experience outback life, so I've come to Derby. My accommodation is $165 a week — around £80.'
Lauren's experience struck a chord online, with fellow Brits flooding her comments section to say they'd also earned far more in Australia.
'I earn more here working at David Jones in retail than I did in a health clinic,' one wrote.
'It's crazy - you can earn a decent amount in hospitality and retail, especially on weekends. So good.'
'Put me down for every Sunday and public holiday,' added another.
But not everyone agreed with Lauren's take.
'Everything in the UK is cheaper. I lived there for five years,' one person said. 'Food, rent, electricity, cars, fuel are all cheaper.'
'You can live in the UK on less than £2,000 a month easily.'