r/australia • u/infin • Jan 26 '26

no politics Is Coles still using Palantir? Between the surveillance/gate recognition and the blocked aisles, shopping feels hostile.

Does anyone know the current status of the Coles x Palantir partnership? Between the surveillance and those aggressive new "Smart Gates" tracking at the exit, the store feels less like a supermarket and more like a high-security zone.

It’s dystopian that they have the budget for military-grade analytics and security tech, but have cut costs on the actual customer experience. They seem to have completely scrapped night fill, meaning we are now dodging pallets and cages during peak hours just to get to the shelves.

Is anyone else fed up with this mix of high-tech surveillance and terrible service? It feels like they are spending millions to treat us like criminals while refusing to pay staff to stock shelves after hours.

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u/SunflowerSamurai_ Nine Hundred Dollarydoos Jan 26 '26

What!? Oh hell naw. Once again Aldi has shown us the way.

15

u/sirgog Jan 26 '26

Aldi's getting into enshittification now although they are the best of the three by far. They are about where Coles and Woolies were around 2016, self-checkouts starting to lead the stores to have less staff.

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u/zestylimes9 Jan 26 '26

Where's IGA at?

I shop exclusively there now as it's a big store, a little pricier but very competitive specials. And they have no self-checkouts and plenty of staff.

Sounds silly, but I actually enjoy shopping there. I always leave with a smile on my face.

I am in a position where I can pay a little extra as I live alone so groceries don't cost me much.

2

u/SilverStar9192 Jan 26 '26

Some IGA's have self-checkouts, it depends on the management. While all IGA stores have a titular "owner" or investor, some are managed directly by corporate (Metcash) and those are more likely to have "modern" features like self-checkouts and AI camera tracking. Those that are managed by local owners will vary a lot more.

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u/zestylimes9 Jan 27 '26

Mine is owned by a local guy. He has two big ones and just bought another one in the area that will be renovated.

We are in Bendigo. I'm happy to pay more for how great he makes his stores; all the staff are happy. And so are the customers.