Coles called out for 'insulting' mince discount as supermarkets face pricing crackdown

Aussie shoppers were quick to complain that markdowns like this increase food waste and add to our growing disillusion with the nation's biggest supermarkets.

Joe Attanasio
·Senior Reporter
·3-min read
Left: Packet of Coles mince for $6.50. Right: Coles mince slightly greyer in appearance and nearing its best-before date priced at $6.17.
Shoppers are outraged after Coles marked down mine by just a measly 33 cents from its original $6.50 price.

Coles has again come under fire for what shoppers have described as an "insulting" markdown on a packet of mince that was a day away from its best-before date, with the supermarket offering a mere 33 cent discount from the original $6.50 price.

A shopper shared a photo of the exceedingly modest discount, drawing the ire of Aussies who are growing increasingly disgruntled with the practices of the major supermarkets. It comes as both Coles and Woolworths face allegations from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for misleading consumers about discounts.

As the cost of living crisis continues to hamper families, some have branded Coles’ practice of marking down products by just a few cents as "laughable". Many argued reductions like these are not only "very disturbing" but also lead to huge food waste as unsold items are simply thrown in the bin.

"Even the mark down prices are insulting these days," one person responded to the photo.

"The discounts these days tell me that they would rather chuck it all in the bin then offer up a real bargain," another chided. "And then they have the audacity to ask us for charitable donations to feed the hungry," another agreed.

Yahoo News Australia has contacted Coles for comment over the backlash and its general practice of discounting expiring meat.

A Coles shelf is seen with discounted items beside a Coles 'every day' sign.
Coles and Woolworths have been accused of ripping off everyday Aussies. Source: Supplied

Meanwhile the supermarkets are accused of raising prices by at least 15 per cent for short periods before running promotions like "Prices Dropped" and "Down Down." These supposed discounts were often the same or higher than the original price before the spike, misleading customers about savings. The ACCC claims this deceptive practice affected hundreds of products, undermining consumer trust.

New research released on Wednesday found that Australians have largely blamed supermarkets and the rising cost of groceries for contributing heavily to the country's living pressures, lashing the grocery giants as “public enemy Number One”.

New polling released by the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work found 83 per cent of a pool of 1,014 respondents said supermarkets deserved “some blame, or a great deal of blame” for rising cost of living. Anger directed at supermarkets edged out blame attributed to energy companies (82 per cent), banks (73 per cent) and the government (71 per cent).

Six out of 10 people also said the most notable signs of increased cost-of-living came from groceries, with 21 per cent electing utilities and seven per cent noting transport.

The research follows the Albanese government’s fast-tracked supermarket crackdown, as it moves to establish a mandatory grocery code which would introduce multimillion-dollar penalties for businesses which breach the rules.

The announcement coincided with the ACCC commencing legal action against Coles and Woolworths in September, over allegations they hiked prices on more than 500 items, before promoting misleading discounts which were higher than their original prices.

The ACCC released an interim report on its supermarket inquiry last month and found while prices across all grocery product types have increased, the most considerable hikes are in dairy products (32 per cent) and bread and cereal items (28 per cent).

Meat and seafood have increased by a fifth, while the price of fruit and vegetables has increased by 19 per cent between the March 2019 quarter to the June 2024 quarter.

with NCA Newswire

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