Coles shopper's free meat hack sparks debate: 'Cheap and dodgy'

A recent revelation on social media about a shopper's strategy for scoring free food at supermarket checkouts has ignited a fiery debate online.

Aussies recently discovered a policy that allows them to obtain free groceries from Coles, Woolworths and Aldi by leveraging the Scanning Code of Practice, which ensures that if an item scans at a higher price than displayed, customers are entitled to receive it for free.

One Coles customer has taken to social media to share a scheme of seeking out incorrectly marked items to exploit this code, proudly not paying for meat in over a month using the tactic. While some critics raised ethical concerns about this approach, others have shown support for the money-saving hack.

How the strategy works

According to an anonymous member of a Facebook group for bargain hunters, shoppers should keep an eye out for yellow special stickers that don't match the product's price tag.

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Recounting a recent experience, the member had found four different products marked incorrectly during a supermarket shop. One notable example was lamb cutlets, which were meant be on special for $37/kg but were mistakenly marked at $43/kg.

The shopper took advantage of this discrepancy by purchasing a tray of cutlets priced at $42.91, then requested a price check at the service desk. As per the store's policy, since the item scanned at a higher price than indicated by a yellow "special" tag on the shelf, the customer was entitled to a full refund.

To help others identify similar opportunities, the shrewd shopper shared photos of more incorrectly priced items in the store, before going on to reveal the method resulted in a month of not paying for meat. "Free meat ALWAYS tastes better," the customer said, encouraging others to consider the approach, especially if their local Coles store struggles with updating the prices of items on special.

"$138 worth of free meat from three Coles tonight — that's us eating free meat for the week!" the customer added, after a successful evening of hunting price discrepancies at different stores.

Strategy divides shoppers

Critics of the money-saving method immediately expressed their disapproval, with one member suggesting, "To hunt this down and take advantage is just cheap and dodgy."

In a swift response, the anonymous member came forward to defend the act, emphasising the cost of living crisis in Australia as a compelling reason why some individuals might resort to such measures.

"Some people these days are choosing between paying rent, heating or eating so if they can get a decent meal for free doing this, then I wouldn't call it dodgy," the customer wrote.

Extortion?

Other members deemed the strategy "embarrassing" and one even accused the shopper of extortion. Concerns were also raised about the potential impact on future pricing and the burden this could place on other customers.

"How about you manage your finances better or get a second job rather than looking for easy hand-outs?" one angry user suggested.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of the group came to the defence of the shopper, arguing that supermarket chains, being multibillion-dollar companies, would not be significantly affected. "Thank you so much for sharing. I'll definitely be checking now," one shopper commented. "I cannot wait to try this!" said someone else.

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