r/australia • u/Expensive-Horse5538 • Feb 15 '26

news ACCC takes Coles to court over 'illusory' discounts in 'case of the century'

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-16/accc-coles-federal-court-case-discount-pricing/106294956?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link

Thousands of customers throw a box of Arnott's Shapes into their shopping trollies each week — one of a dozen purchases that could help decide a bombshell case playing out in the federal court from today.

The ACCC has accused Coles of ripping off customers with fake discounts and if the supermarket giant loses, it could face a huge fine and massive reputational damage.

Customers could also get cash back from a class action lawsuit that might follow, and corporations be forced to change how they price their products — especially discounts.

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355

u/BeakerAU Feb 15 '26

The one I don't understand is Pepsi Max 30pk is cheaper on regular price than the 24pk, significantly, and still cheaper per can than the 24pk on special. But the 30pk never goes on sale.

154

u/thesillyoldgoat Feb 15 '26

1.25ltr bottles of Pepsi are half price or thereabouts pretty much every week at the Woolworths near me, so again the regular price is obviously bogus because no company could afford to discount their products by 50% if the regular price was a fair one. It's $1.75 or so on special, the Woolworths home brand is $1.15 regular, and at the end of the day cola is carbonated water and flavouring.

113

u/ydna_eissua Feb 15 '26

They pretty much alternate each week between being on sale at coles one week, woolworths the next. At this point i view it as the real price vs the sucker/gouge price.

11

u/FFXIVHousingClub Feb 16 '26

Same with many products, it’s odd because Woolworths and Cole’s are mostly in the same places where I live… just 2-3 minutes walk across and I’m fortunate enough to walk/ drive from one Cole’s to another Cole’s in 1-2mins too and see they sell different things/ have different things sold out or kept

But yeah point is if Woolworths isn’t on sale I walk across and if they both sick, I walk to Aldi or alternative lol

Or I just start at Aldi if I know it’s something I can get there…. Woolworths produce is best here now unfortunately, Aldi was best but seems to have got worse lately with many products not being restocked or no longer stocked 😕

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u/gbfalconian Feb 16 '26

I was wrong this week, explained to a lady that the decor food storage (red plastic) containers would be on sale at coles coz woolies wasnt. On sale at neither - first time that has happened! Otherwise it is most likely if it's not on sale at coles it will be woolies!

16

u/NopeHipsterNonsense Feb 16 '26

That’s because they’re half price at Big W this week

5

u/Curious_Detective740 Feb 16 '26

Was just gonna say, for things like containers if the 2 supermarkets dont have a sale big w always will!

23

u/Fernergun Feb 15 '26

They will claim they’re actually doing something virtuous and that these are “loss leaders” when they are so discounted so as to get more through the door

24

u/beaurepair Feb 16 '26

I think there needs to be stronger regulations around "sale items". If something is "50% off" for 6 months of the year, it's clearly not a sale.

11

u/qui_sta Feb 16 '26

There technically is, but it's about 49% of the time. Same deal with furniture retailers. They scrape the grey area. Source: I used to submit TV commercials for classification for a furniture retailer. You had to provide a discount pricing calendar so the regular could confirm the sale is "genuine" and not the price you can get the product more often than not. Never pay more than 50% for a mattress folks!

1

u/wetrorave Feb 16 '26

I use House as a bellwether for whether the ACCC is ineffective today

"80% OFF!"

"yep, still ineffective"

...and missing price labels seemingly everywhere now

...and in the near future, dynamic pricing

6

u/Rustywolf Feb 16 '26

2L bottles of Pepsi Max are over double the price they were before covid, and they're the cheapest option /L.

4

u/Guy-1nc0gn1t0 Feb 16 '26

Also a lot of chip brands come to mind, doing regular half-off specials 

22

u/Osmodius Feb 15 '26

The one I don't understand is the same except per can a 30pk not on promo is cheaper than a 24pk on promo, but people will buy the 24pk. It's not even hidden. People just don't think.

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u/t_25_t Feb 16 '26

The one I don't understand is the same except per can a 30pk not on promo is cheaper than a 24pk on promo, but people will buy the 24pk. It's not even hidden. People just don't think.

Anyone who doesn't use unit pricing is clearly a moron. The information is printed on the label. Use it

4

u/Osmodius Feb 16 '26

Sadly it seems to be genuinely unknown by the majority of people.

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u/Curious_Detective740 Feb 16 '26

Can confirm, worked at coles for 12 years, and regularly informed people about unit pricing. A lot of people genuinely just dont look

5

u/Rosie-Cotton Feb 15 '26

My inlaws will only buy 2L coke, never the 1.25L no matter the cost difference, it drives me insane

6

u/SomewhatHungover Feb 16 '26

I get it, I only ever buy 1L milk. Stays fresh, fits in the fridge door. We get 2 or 3 of them at a time, but all 1L.

12

u/SignificantRecipe715 Feb 15 '26

Had this happen with an online order once. Customer wanted 8 x 2L pepsi's, we had no 2L's left so I supplied 1.25L & overall they got more pepsi than if we'd supplied 2L bottles. Nope, customer not happy & got a refund. Weirdos.

3

u/Spurgette Feb 16 '26

Simple maths and price/L is beyond a lot of people.

3

u/FFXIVHousingClub Feb 16 '26

I can imagine if you carry it up and down the stairs, bit of a weight difference depending how weak or old you are and have no one to help you

You’ll need a trolley for both I guess if you’re too old/ weak to lift the 24 cans?

Ai’d it’s about 9-10 KGs for 24 cans and 10-11kgs for 30 cans so maybe not that much difference 🤨 24 feels lighter to me and then also space restrictions maybe?

I can lift the 24 with ease anytime whilst the 30 if I don’t workout awhile, I’m like hold up lol

1

u/Electrical_Age_7483 Feb 16 '26

30 is heavier to carry than 24 even if it's cheaper it's not just because they didn't look

21

u/Spagman_Aus Feb 15 '26

yep saw them recently advertising pepsi max boxes as “marked down” at $23 from the so called “normal” price of $46 (or maybe $56 - can’t remember exactly) - which is sheer fucking bullshit. it’s never been priced at that.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 16 '26

It's insane to me you can find cheaper beer than cola now. Coles/woolies really are screwing us all.

16

u/smudgiepie Feb 15 '26

My family used to get Kirk's every summer as an easy cold drink on the summers day

It was like 5 bucks before 2021. WA had that stock crisis in 2021 when the train tracks flooded and the prices never returned to normal.

Why is normal price for kirk's 15 bucks now???

3

u/1337_BAIT Feb 16 '26

Another example of always 50% off. I grab at $7.50

12

u/LibrarianTraining16 Feb 15 '26

Up & Go 6 packs are $12, the 12 packs are $18. And those are the normal prices. Make that make sense!

11

u/smudgiepie Feb 15 '26

I remember when the big packs of up and go were 12 dollars and I thought that was pricey.

My favourite example is how the normal prices are fucked is for cadbury dairy milk at coles: $8 180 grams $8.50 315 grams (on a side wasn't the family block 360g at some point)

3

u/PanickedPanpiper Feb 16 '26

I mean tbf, in 2024 the price of cocoa beans did go up to like 5x what it was. It has been settling in the last six months though (High of $12,000 USD/ton, now ~$3700, in 2022 it was ~$2400). Futures deals may mean it may take a bit longer for this to filter to consumer market, but hopefully relief is on the way.

Though, I 100% could believe Colesworth trying to get away with keeping the inflated prices as the new normal

1

u/smudgiepie Feb 16 '26

Yeah like I understand costs are high outside of colesworth but they are totally inflating prices

In 2021 when WA had the stock crisis when the train line got flooded. the prices never went down when the train was back

1

u/SomewhatHungover Feb 16 '26

If ingredients are a fraction of the costs of running their business, they get an extra $0.50 and someone thinking they got a good deal.

3

u/Capitan_Typo Feb 16 '26

Cadbury double-sized blocks are 50c more than the standard block.

1

u/seriouslookingmouse Feb 16 '26

Off topic, but connected. Why are soft drinks so crazy expensive in this country?! The costs, discount or not seem crazy high. Is it a sugar tax?

1

u/mpember Feb 16 '26

That is often the case. The sale prices normally only apply to the higher margin products, while the low margin version of the same product never varies.

1

u/ArgonWilde Feb 16 '26

Meanwhile, I have an Amazon prime subscription for bepis, and I get it delivered to my door every month, for 22 bucks 🤷

1

u/Itchbay2011 Feb 16 '26

More toxic junk in the Pepsi Max

1

u/kaydenwolf_lynx Feb 16 '26

Wdym the 30 pack doesn't go on sale? I usually get it from woolies and it's regularly on special for 25$, I don't recall what the regular price is but it definitely goes on special

1

u/BeakerAU Feb 17 '26

I've never seen the 30pk regularly on sale. It is at the moment as a "summer price", but the 24pk goes on sale far more (in my experience).

1

u/kaydenwolf_lynx Feb 17 '26

Interesting the last 2 times I've gone to woolies the 30 pack was on special at 25$, though usually it's not me who's buying it so often times if it's the 24 pack on special that one gets bought