It seems some specials aren't specials at all, and marked down prices are actually higher than normal prices.

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Response statements

• Coles:

Coles is committed to accurate price ticketing in its stores, and to delivering great value and genuine discounts. In the case of the eye fillet beef labelling, a store error meant the product was priced at $28.99kg instead of the correct price of $36kg, so the error actually resulted in a saving for customers. The ham pricing was another isolated store ticketing error, which was quickly spotted and the ticket replaced with the correct ‘Down Down’ price of $4.59.

With regard to your price survey, we’ve cut over 6,000 prices on products that our customers buy the most. While we have seen some price increases from suppliers that we’ve had to pass onto customers, the savings generated by our price cut campaign far outweigh the price increases.

• Woolworths:

Woolworths stands by the way we indicate our price reductions on our shelves. Our price labels are designed specifically to show our customers the higher shelf price so they can compare the value.

Across the store, our customers have seen overall prices come down by 3.3 per cent in the last quarter.

Woolworths stores have on average over 30,000 items in stock.

The new examples provided to us by Today Tonight are both legitimate price markdowns.

We have already fully explained in the past the examples you are seeking to re-run, these were cases of human error.

We completely reject that there have been attempts to 'mislead' customers.

Woolworths Select Rosemary Wheaten Biscuits
Allegation: “Have always been $1.99, yet now, this week there’s a 'Price knockdown' tag saying “1.99 down from $2.29”

We say: Woolworths Select Wheaten Biscuits were $2.29 when introduced in March 2010 and subsequently came down in price to $1.99 which is an entirely legitimate long term Price Knockdown. The date when the biscuits were at the higher price is marked on the Price Knockdown ticket.

KTime Twists
TT say: “$4.29 normal price then there’s a ticket next to it for same product saying value at $4.45.”

We say: While we cannot date this image exactly, it appears to be from November 2009 - 2 years ago. Kellogg KTime Twists came down in price from $4.45 to $4.39 in November 2011. It appears that in this store the shelf price label showed the new and lower price but a larger ticket highlighting the older higher price was mistakenly left in place due to human error. The customer would not have been out of pocket and would have paid the lower price at the checkout.

Allen’s sweets

This example is from June 2011 and has already aired on Today Tonight.

Fresh mince
This example is from April 2011 and has already been aired on Today Tonight.